How Professionals Define Wellness and 7 Ways to Improve Yours

Wellness means “being in tune with your mind and body,” explained licensed mental health therapist, Trauma of Money® certified business coach, and Eagle Entrepreneur owner Juanita Duran Pettaway, LISW. Juanita explains that “for the mind to be creative, it must be free of stress.”

“I feel well when I feel balanced and when I am able to notice the abundance in my life,” shared Dr. Dinisha Paul, founder of Dharshana Counseling.

So how do we release stress in order to find balance and better practice gratitude?

This National Wellness Month, the Toledo Library’s Small Business and Nonprofit team reached out to health and wellness entrepreneurs to learn what wellness means to them, and how all of us can take advantage of universally accessible, low-cost ways to improve our own wellbeing.

Dinisha champions finding balance, expressing that wellness can be improved by “balancing different aspects of your life from work, health, finances, social and personal and having gratitude for what you have.” Coach Krissy Kountouris seconds that balance is critical for becoming well.

“Balancing the care of the mind, body and spirit. [Wellness involves] loving our whole self and taking intentional care of all aspects of our wellbeing from a place of loving enthusiasm: I get to care for me! And I am worthy of my own love and care!”

Tami Heiss, life coach and advocate for those experiencing domestic abuse, helps us understand what is needed to become well. “Wellness means having the tools to navigate stress, the courage to set boundaries, and the capacity to experience joy, connection, and purpose,” said Tami. The owner of Healing Truth Life Coaching believes deeply that wellness is “living a truthful life that honors a person’s story and aligns with their values.”

Read a Book

Speaking of stories, “Less social media, more reading” is Tami Heiss’ motto.

There are many books Tami recommends. “Start Here by Eric Langshur & Nate Klemp, The Vagus Nerve Reset by Anna Ferguson, and Think Again by Adam Grant are just a few,” she shared.

Krissy Kountouris also believes in the role books play in an individual’s wellness journey, having personally leaned on reading herself. “So many books have helped me on my own wellness journey! I recommend any and all of the Don Miguel Ruiz books — The Four Agreements, The 5th Agreement, etc. The Power of Now by Elkhart Tolle. You are a Badass by Jen Sincero (this whole series!). The Myth of Normal by Gabor Maté.”

Borrow these wellness book recommendations through your Toledo Library.

Move More

Dr. Dinisha Paul explains it very simply: “There’s no alternative to adding movement into your life.” With more than six years of experience in providing mental health and wellness services, a master’s in Mental Health Counseling and a Doctorate in Counselor Education, we plan to take her advice!

Dinisha notes that adding in as little as 15 minutes of movement per day really can help, and it doesn’t even need to be anything wildly intensive. “Walk, bike, dance, play with your dog, or do some sort of easy exercise. Movement can help reset and improve your mood.”

Meditation

Meditation especially supports emotional wellness, and Coach Krissy Kountouris offers several ideas to begin meditating:

“Walking mindfully — listening to the birds, feeling your feet on the ground, smelling the fresh air, and seeing the beauty all around you! Eating is meditation —mindfully take a bite, feel the textures and flavors, put your fork down and experience the gratitude for the nourishing food in front of you. Breathing meditations or guided meditations like the free ones found on my favorite app Insight Timer are also a great option. Everything can be meditation if you act with intention!”

Tami Heiss offers a tip for those new to meditation, sharing that simply “practicing deep breathing and controlled breathing” offers many benefits.

Love Yourself First

Tami advises you to talk to yourself the way you would talk to someone you love.

Dinisha expanded on this idea, sharing “Be aware of your self-talk. Negative self-talk can do a lot of damage to day-to-day wellness and have long-term consequences on motivation and mood.”

“Wellness begins and ends with YOUR ability to love yourself. I cannot stress this enough,” explained Krissy. “Self-love is everything, well actually, love is everything. Our love is the most powerful force. When you love someone or something it grows more. The same is true for you! When you truly love yourself then you consciously choose habits that align with this energy of love. [For example,] it’s easy to choose foods that make you feel good and energized because you love yourself and you know you are worthy to show yourself love in your actions and habits.”

Juanita Duran Pettaway, LISW recommends loving and choosing yourself by truly letting yourself relax! Especially for her busy entrepreneurial clients, she urges them to unplug from work or obligations and actually “Rest one day a week – 24 hours straight!”

Get Outside

Krissy Kountouris could not recommend getting outside more, advising you to spend time “Grounding outside, barefoot standing on the natural Earth. Think dirt, grass, sand, etc.” She enthusiastically shared about the science behind this beneficial action; “I could go on and on about the the magnetic field of the Earth and how it relates to our body, but right now all you need to know is there is a reason we feel so good with our feet in the sand and this simple and free daily action is life changing for health and wellbeing!”

Dr. Dinisha Paul has personally used Library classes and resources to learn more about gardening. According to the Library’s Consumer Health Complete database, food gardening “increases our access to nutritious, whole plant foods, nudges us to move throughout the day, and exposes us to nature and sunshine. Growing some of our own food lifts our mood, improves our sleep, decreases risk for dementia, and increases life satisfaction. It can even help to bring purpose to our lives and strengthen our communities.”

“I use the library as my way to learn and participate in different hobbies I haven’t tried before, like taking classes on gardening.” Dinisha can then, in turn, pass this knowledge on to her patients.

Make Room for Creativity

Licensed mental health therapist Juanita Duran Pettaway, LISW advises that you “Schedule time to think. We underestimate the time we need to think clearly and creatively. Because we’re distracted by our phones, all free time gets eaten up. To be well, thinking is needed. Schedule time to just sit and think without any expectation of productivity. Thinking is productive enough and will spark creativity.”

Juanita also recommends “tracking down which “day and time of the week your Gamma brain waves are present for creative and productive time use.” Scientifically speaking, Gamma is measured between 30 and 44 (Hz) and is the only frequency group found in every part of the brain.

Expanding on this, a Scientific American article notes, “Scholars have sought to capture the elusive essence of the aha! moment for more than a century… We now know where it happens in the brain and when it’s more likely to happen. And we’re discovering some surprising benefits of insight, including elevated mood, memory and, oddly, the ability to distinguish fake news from real.” For the full article, The Wonder of Insight (Kounios & Kounios, 2025), see the Library’s Consumer Health Complete database.

Visit Your Library

“The Toledo Library system plays a huge role in my wellness journey,” explained Dr. Dinisha Paul. “I tap into its resources for everything from entrepreneurship to social connections, lifelong learning, and cultural enrichment through music and speeches. I’m deeply grateful for this valuable resource that enhances my overall well-being.”

Goal-setting and planning ahead can reduce stress for all people, but especially entrepreneurs. To that end, we recommend the One Year Action Plan for Success and Entrepreneur’s Roadmap classes offered through the Library’s Small Business and Nonprofit Department – learn more and register here.

Dr. Dinisha Paul uses the Library to learn, but also as a social outlet. “I enjoy people, so I take advantage of book clubs. I use the Library as my way to learn and participate in different hobbies I haven’t tried before. Currently, I’m teaching myself painting and checked out two books on painting from the Library.”

Painting and other art forms can have a positive impact on wellness. Studies have shown that making art lowers your blood pressure and reduces cortisol (the stress hormone) regardless of your art experience. It doesn’t matter if the art is not a masterpiece, or if you even consider it good. It is the process of creating art that works in a similar way as meditation. It helps us focus and block out distractions. When you are focused on what’s in front of you, your mind stops wandering, then your whole body relaxes.

Come to an art class at Toledo Library and experience this relaxation for yourself! A few options include…

Listen to a Book and Draw

(M) Sept. 8 | 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. | Main Library

Create Now with Creative Expressions of NAMI Greater Toledo

(Th) Sept. 18 | 5:15 – 7:15 p.m. | Main Library

Color Me Calm

(M) Sept. 29 | 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. | Waterville

3D Printing 101: Tabletop Miniatures Print & Paint

(Sa) Oct. 18 | 2 – 4 p.m. | Main Library

Acrylic Painting with artist Molly Miller

(W) Nov. 19 | 6:30 – 8 p.m. | Main Library

For those looking to improve their wellness via free physical and mental health screenings and services, take a look at the extensive resources offered onsite at Toledo Library branches.

Getting Help to Run Your Business Well

Looking to start or scale up your own wellness business or nonprofit organization? The Toledo Library can help! Just ask these Library supported wellness professionals:

• “I credit the Library’s Small Business & Nonprofit Department for teaching me everything I know about starting a business. When I decided to launch my private practice, I had no idea where to begin. But after attending the Library’s classes and workshops, I got the courage to get started.” – Dr. Dinisha Paul, Dharshana Counseling
  
• “The Library offers great database resources for grants and business gathering information.” – Juanita Duran Pettaway, LISW, Eagle Entrepreneur
  
• “I have taken many business classes, and met with the amazing team that has helped me understand the business side of running my wellness business! I learned so much from each class.” – Krissy Kountouris, Coach Krissy
• “The Library’s Small Business department has been great from one-on-one help to the classes. I highly recommend!” – Tami Heiss, Healing Truth Life Coaching

Get in touch with our Small Business & Nonprofit department for assistance via toledolibrary.org/sbn. We look forward to assisting you!