This volume arose out of a deep concern to assist people in their struggle to lead a flourishing life. Fractured, stressed, relationally broken and spiritually empty people may instinctively reach for the supposed panacea of happiness. But happiness is often a transitory state. More stable and worthwhile than the pursuit of happiness is leading a flourishing life. But what is flourishing? Is spirituality necessary for human flourishing and, if so, in what ways might spirituality provide a unique and important contribution to flourishing? The volume provides complementary yet diverse accounts of human flourishing. Each account argues that spirituality in general, and Christian spirituality in particular, are vital contributors to flourishing. The volume will be valuable for those who are dissatisfied with popular hedonistic approaches to flourishing. Such people are ready for a change in approach, but often do not have a clear alternative in view. The Volume will provide a clear alternative to popular culture‘s representation of the flourishing person, which is largely vested in conspicuous consumption. The book will also be valuable for those who have considered alternatives to popular culture, but who lack an informed basis on which to evaluate these alternatives. Finally, the book will be valuable for those who are committed to Christian spirituality but may not appreciate the rich resources which Christian faith offers for human flourishing. Amongst the latter group are included Christian leaders such as priests and pastors, voluntary church workers and lay people who may or may not be involved in formal religion but who long to flourish in their own lives and to enable others to do the same.

Over the course of a decade, positive psychology authority Dr. Beth Cabrera has surveyed and interviewed more than a thousand women to gather insight into how to effectively balance career and family responsibilities. Beyond Happy: Women, Work, and Well-Being gathers essential findings and offers women proven strategies for living more authentic, meaningful lives. Through the lens of shared experience, Cabrera thoughtfully examines the challenges women face and presents a simple yet powerful model for enhancing well-being that can both improve and transform lives. Helpful self-assessments guide you toward feeling good and doing good, and each chapter delivers tried-and-true tactics that real women have used to manage the difficulties of fulfilling their multiple, often conflicting, roles. Discover pathways to reducing stress, experiencing greater joy, and finding more meaning in your life by employing Cabrera’s solid strategies for thriving based on personal values, developed strengths, and what matters most–enduring family ties and relationships.

A comprehensive philosophically grounded argument for the use of social welfare functions as a framework for governmental policy analysis.

Beyond White Mindfulness: Critical Perspectives on Racism, Well-being, and Liberation brings together interdisciplinary perspectives on mind-body interventions, group-based identities, and social justice. Marshalling both empirical data and theoretical approaches, the book examines a broad range of questions related to mindfulness, meditation, and diverse communities. While there is growing public interest in mind-body health, holistic wellness, and contemplative practice, critical research examining on these topics featuring minority perspectives and experiences is relatively rare. This book draws on cutting edge insights from psychology, sociology, gender, and, critical race theory to fill this void. Major themes include culture, identity, and awareness; intersectional approaches to the study of mindfulness and minority stress; cultural competence in developing and teaching mindfulness-based health interventions, and the complex relationships between mindfulness, inequality, and social justice. The first book of its kind to bring together scholarly and personal reflections on mindfulness for diverse populations, Beyond White Mindfulness offers social science students and practitioners in this area a new perspective on mindfulness and suggestions for future scholarship.

Named the Best Management Book of 2021 by strategy+business Named one of "this month's top titles" in the Financial Times in September 2021 Named to the longlist for the 2021 Outstanding Works of Literature (OWL) Award in the Management & Culture category A plan for conquering collaborative overload to drive performance and innovation, reduce burnout, and enhance well-being. Most organizations have created always-on work contexts that are burning people out and hurting performance rather than delivering productivity, innovation and engagement. Collaborative work consumes 85% of employees' time and is drifting earlier into the morning, later into the night, and deeper into the weekend. The dilemma is that we all need to collaborate more to create effective organizations and vibrant careers for ourselves. But conventional wisdom on teamwork and collaboration has created too much of the wrong kind of collaboration, which hurts our performance, health and overall well-being. In Beyond Collaboration Overload, Babson professor Rob Cross solves this paradox by showing how top performers who thrive at work collaborate in a more purposeful way that makes them 18-24% more efficient than their peers. Good collaborators are distinguished by the efficiency and intentionality of their collaboration—not the size of their network or the length of their workday. Through landmark research with more than 300 organizations, in-depth stories, and tools, Beyond Collaboration Overload will coach you to reclaim close to a day a week when you: Identify and challenge beliefs that lead you to collaborate too quickly Impose structure in your work to prevent unproductive collaboration Alter behaviors to create more efficient collaboration It then outlines how successful people invest this reclaimed time to: Cultivate a broad network—not a big one—for innovation and scale Energize others—a strong predictor of high performance Connect with others to reduce micro-stressors and enhance physical and mental well-being Cross' framework provides relief from the definitive problem of our age—dysfunctional collaboration at the expense of our performance, health and overall well-being.

Helping vulnerable children develop their full potential is an attractive idea with broad common-sense appeal. However, child well-being is a broad concept, and the legislative mandate for addressing well-being in the context of the current child welfare system is not particularly clear. This volume asserts that finding a place for well-being on the list of outcomes established to manage the child welfare system is not as easy as it first appears. The overall thrust of this argument is that policy should be evidence-based, and the available evidence is a primary focus of the book. Because policymakers have to make decisions that allocate resources, a basic understanding of incidence in the public health tradition is important, as is evidence that speaks to the question of what works clinically. The rest of the book addresses the evidence. Chapter 2 integrates bio-ecological and public health perspectives to give the evidence base coherence. Chapters 3 and 4 combine evidence from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, the Multistate Foster Care Data Archive, and the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being to offer an unprecedented profile of children as they enter the child welfare system. Chapters 5 and 6 address the broad question of what works. A concluding chapter focuses on policy and future directions, suggesting that children starting out, children starting school, and children starting adolescence are high-risk populations for which explicit strategies have to be formed. This timely volume offers useful insights into the child welfare system and will be of particular interest to policymakers, academics with an interest in Child Welfare Policy, Social Work educators, and Child Advocates.

Tackling One Health from a multi-disciplinary perspective, this book offers in-depth insight into how our health and the health of every living creature and our ecosystem are all inextricably connected. Presents critical population health topics, written by an international group of experts Addresses the technical aspects of the subject Offers potential policy solutions to help mitigate current threats and prevent additional threats from occurring

Current public health promotion of breastfeeding relies heavily on health messaging and individual behavior change. Women are told that “breast is best” but too little serious attention is given to addressing the many social, economic, and political factors that combine to limit women’s real choice to breastfeed beyond a few days or weeks. The result: women’s, infants’, and public health interests are undermined. Beyond Health, Beyond Choice examines how feminist perspectives can inform public health support for breastfeeding. Written by authors from diverse disciplines, perspectives, and countries, this collection of essays is arranged thematically and considers breastfeeding in relation to public health and health care; work and family; embodiment (specifically breastfeeding in public); economic and ethnic factors; guilt; violence; and commercialization. By examining women’s experiences and bringing feminist insights to bear on a public issue, the editors attempt to reframe the discussion to better inform public health approaches and political action. Doing so can help us recognize the value of breastfeeding for the public’s health and the important productive and reproductive contributions women make to the world.

Well-Being: Expanding the Definition of ^Progress explores how cities and countries are redefining progress to include equitable well-being, as well as economic strength, reflected in policies, budgets, and narratives about what matters. How might this approach further spread in the United States and around the world? Book jacket.