December Featured People: Amena Lee Schlaikjer

December Featured People: Amena Lee Schlaikjer

Interview &Translation / yan Liu and Steffi Chen

1. Welcome to Xindanwei.com, Please introduce   yourself. Could you tell us where you’re from and how you got   started in the field of sustainability and healthy lifestyle?

My name is Amena Lee Schlaikjer: I’m a global citizen, uprooted   every 2 years since birth as a diplomat brat under the guise of an   American passport from my Amero-Danish-Dutch father, but strongly   grounded in the humbled village roots of my aboriginal Taiwanese   mother. “Lifestyle” and “Life Choices” of   people have always been a passion of mine and manifested in an early   career in fashion and cosmetics, later evolving into the world of   marketing and innovation. Tired of manipulative messaging and after   battling a long bout of insomnia, followed by a year of yoga and   wellness research, I decided to concentrate on products and services   with authentic intentions and therefore launched The Wellness Works   with two partners, Kimberly Ashton and Georgia Zhou. We’re a   creative network of practitioners passionate about bringing mindful   stories, responsible brands and healthy events to market through   company workshops and ideas. I also sit as acting Shanghai Manager for   Asia-Pacific LOHAS, a wider community of LOHASians (or people who   aspire towards Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability).

2. Can you tell us about Grasslands, the new project you are launching in collaboration with Xindanwei? What kind of impact are you trying to create with this project?

Grasslands has been in my back pocket for the past year as a concept   that brings together healthy, green people to graze and create where   no walls separate their good intentions! Co-working spaces have shown   to succeed. We are only the evolved Beings that we are because of our   ability to communicate ideas and cross-fertilize concepts for   improvement. We intend to create a space that brings impact to the   community through actual behaviour change in lifestyle choices through   example; and whom better to partner with than the very like-minded  XDW.

3. Both of you have been the driving forces of Grasslands. What prompted the idea of Grasslands and what excited you to make you   undertake it?

Six years ago I actually wanted to launch a Wellness Center called   “Room” where practitioners could work and fertilize ideas like an Integrative Health Clinic but it was too early and the   deal fell apart. After so many years of living unwell in Shanghai, I always felt there needed to be a place that focused on new ways to   live. This isn’t a Wellness Center per se but it’s a new example of an office that can incorporate that kind of thinking and be   the first step in actively working with companies who want to adopt   healthier, more sustainable outlooks for their business: be it their people or their offerings. The Wellness Works concentrates on Health and Greennovate are leaders in thinking and action for Sustainability:  so the fit was natural for us to come together on this and provide a space where our clients can see us living and breathing (and collaborating) in this way.

4. What were the circumstances that lead you to collaborate with Xindanwei?

Being a frequenter of  XDW events, it was apparent that they were great   at social spaces so we decided to take the management out of   Grasslands and pass it along to them, as there’s a lot of work   involved in setting up a property. This way, they make the perfect  “hardware” partner to our “software”.

5. Can you tell us what are the future plans for Grasslands? What kind   of environment/community do you expect it to be? How do you want to scale up this project to create a greater impact?

We’d like to create more Grasslands once this mini-showcase   gets more established and perhaps influence other Grasslands throughout Asia through our wider network with the Asia Pacific LOHAS Hub (thehub.lohas.com).We’d like to see how the community responds to a need for joint-spaces and connect   our clients and network with the wider Asia community for funding,collaborations, or learning. The thing about cultural tribes is that   they exist in pockets around the globe, garnering energy for their specific purposes; and social networking has done wonders in connecting them but you still need that physicality to “land” their ideas and provide a human touch to ensure   they are authentic. I personally hope we never become entirely dependent on a wired system but continue to use it as tools for the face-to-face connections that are essential for humanity to flourish.

6.Thanks again for providing Xindanwei.com this opportunity to interview you. Any final thoughts for our readers?

Do one thing a day that scares you.Drink fresh water as much as you can, especially in the morning to flush unwanted toxins from your body and keep your brain sharp.   Realize success is about how you handle failure and that friends are more important than money. And breathe deeply, live in the moment.

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