Dr . Jonathan Ellerby Faces the Future
BY JOSH CORMAN
DR . JONATHAN ELLERBY ’ S ROOTS IN THE SPA INDUSTRY GO DEEP . For nearly six years , Dr . Ellerby served as spiritual program director at Canyon Ranch , and before that , he led a variety of workshops and one-on-one sessions as a signature service provider with Miraval . These days , he has widened his purview , sharing his wisdom and guidance on wellness innovation , spiritual guidance and leadership with groups and individuals the world over , ranging from celebrities , CEOs and major corporations to remote African villages and indigenous communities .
Fortunately for those in the ISPA community , the experienced leader , speaker , consultant and bestselling author took the time to share that same wisdom with attendees at the 2022 ISPA Conference in a session titled “ The Missing Peace : Deep Self-Care , Resilience and Renewal for Leaders and Teams .” Given the trials and tribulations experienced across the industry over the past couple of years , Dr . Ellerby ’ s message was met with enthusiasm and appreciation by those in attendance . Following the event , Pulse spoke with Dr . Ellerby about the ongoing evolution of self-care , leadership and the spa industry .
Pulse : During the time you spent engaged with attendees at the 2022 ISPA Conference , what did you sense was the issue most on their minds ? JONATHAN ELLERBY : I would say “ change ” is the big word . Under the big heading of change , I think wellness and facing new dynamics and demands are definitely the two subcategories , there ’ s no question . There was a very prevalent concern around staffing and [ questions like ] how do we hire enough people ? How do we hire quality people ? How do we face the Great Resignation ? How do we face a younger community to employ that doesn ’ t really want to work the way older communities were used to working ?
In terms of new markets , a lot of people see that the industry is bouncing back , and they can see that there ’ s a lot of wealth out there , so there are lots of people who
40 PULSE n AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2022