Healthy people for a healthy planet
Mental health at the heart of the Impact Circle event
On Friday, August 30, Impact Gstaad hosted the Impact Circle event on the picturesque Wasserngrat in Gstaad. Under the motto “Mental Health – Healthy People for a Healthy Planet”, leading figures from business, science and politics gathered to discuss the links between mental health and sustainability. Manuel Linder, President of the Impact Gstaad Association, opened the event and emphasized the importance of the topic: “A healthy planet needs healthy people, which is why resilience is of great importance and we must learn to find a balance between the pressure to perform and mental well-being.”
From top-class sport to neuromedicine
The highlights of the Impact Circle event included exciting presentations by Olympic champion Dominique Gisin, neuroscientist Dr. Klaas Enno Stephan, Sean Mayberry, CEO of the social enterprise StrongMinds, and Christoph Gauch, Head of Relationship Management at GEWA, a social enterprise specializing in professional integration.
Sean Mayberry, a former diplomat and social marketer, emphasized that treating depression in women in Africa is the most effective and cost-effective way to combat systemic poverty. Dr. Klaas Enno Stephan showed how computer-assisted methods can revolutionize psychiatry and psychosomatics. Christoph Gauch explained how GEWA supports people with mental health challenges to find their place in the job market through professional integration programs and economic services. And Dominique Gisin, former ski racer and Olympic champion, closed the Impact Circle event with personal insights into her career, which was characterized by numerous setbacks and impressive comebacks. “The most important thing was to accept my fears and deal with them,” said Gisin, explaining how mental strength and resilience can be built up.
Other program items included the presentation of the finalists of the Green Business Award and an update on the Young Impact education project.
The Impact Gstaad Association would like to thank all participants and speakers for their contributions to the Impact Circle event.
