Thrive Global

It's nearly time for the annual Microsoft Be Well Games, powered by Thrive Global. We're building on the remarkable success of last year's Games, bringing the global challenge to more than 190,000 employees — along with their family and a few friends — from September 8th to October 6th, in a way that goes far beyond a traditional fitness challenge. Because wellbeing isn't one-size-fits-all. It means something different to each of us. That's why the Be Well Games take a holistic approach, grounded in the five foundational daily behaviors that govern our health: food, movement, sleep, stress management and connection. What makes these behaviors so powerful is that they compound. Small, sustainable habits — a short walk between meetings, a real lunch break, a consistent bedtime, a moment to reset before a hard conversation — allow us to show up as our best, most productive, most creative selves. Because when you feel your best, you perform at your best: not just at work, but at home, and in the things that matter most to you. The Be Well Games remind us that wellbeing isn't a trade-off against performance. It's the foundation of it. And connection is where it all comes together. As people across the company work toward 8,000 minutes of wellbeing activities, it's not just about logging numbers and winning prizes — it's about the human connections that are the most powerful drivers of lasting habit change. We're far more likely to stick with a new habit when someone is walking alongside us. The Be Well Games are an opportunity to improve individual wellbeing while finding support, camaraderie, and community — across teams, time zones, and kitchen tables. Amy Coleman, Microsoft's Chief People Officer, puts it this way: “Performance and well-being aren't in competition. In fact, taking care of ourselves is how we do our best work. The small habits we stick with, day after day, can make the biggest difference.” Here's to a month of building habits that last — together. Thank you to our incredible Microsoft partners for making this year’s games such a success: Julie Krause, Sonja Kellen, Afua Aidoo, Ambika Kumar, and Stephanie Lin.

September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month. And our new project in partnership with Bristol Myers Squibb is offering support to people living with cancer, including multiple myeloma, a rare blood cancer without a cure. Together, Thrive Global and BMS launched Thriving Through Multiple Myeloma, a free wellbeing resource for people living with multiple myeloma and those caring for them. The site, Myeloma Central, provides practical daily guidance on eating well, moving more, sleeping better, managing stress, and staying connected. As the science shows, these foundational behaviors are critical for managing chronic disease and health in general. We’ve launched with a selection of articles, short videos, and Thrive Resets, designed to support people living with the condition alongside resources for people living with other types of cancer. While no two multiple myeloma journeys are the same, many patients experience similar challenges. For example, almost everyone with the disease experiences a relapse, and even though this is a normal and expected part of the journey, hearing the news can still be devastating. It’s a moment that can bring distress, anxiety, and uncertainty, which makes it a moment when the right support can have a real impact. Our resources help patients navigate that uncertainty and take small steps in areas such as eating for bone strength, getting adequate sleep while experiencing bone pain, and building a multiple myeloma support circle. With the recent approval of BMS's first CELMoD therapy for multiple myeloma, this partnership exemplifies one of our core beliefs that also is backed by an increasing number of studies: that medicines plus healthy habits can create outcomes that neither can achieve alone. And this rollout is just the beginning. Thank you to BMS, Chris Boerner, Wendy Bartie, and Monica Shaw. You can explore resources to support people living with multiple myeloma here: https://lnkd.in/dSuUGvvj

One of those only-in-New-York nights last night, accompanied by Thrive Global 's president Jack Friend . Our first stop was the Sundaram Tagore Gallery for a beautiful new solo show by Trishla Jain whose paintings are deeply connected to her meditation practice. Then it was off to the #TIME100 gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center . For this year’s list, I wrote about Gwynne Shotwell, president of SpaceX . Thank you Jessica Sibley and Sam Jacobs for a wonderful evening and a great issue! Go see Trishla Jain's show and read more about it here: https://lnkd.in/dNaVE_NT And you can read my write-up on Gwynne Shotwell here: https://lnkd.in/dgZ7jwrU

Stress is part of life — and certainly part of work. But cumulative stress, the kind that builds up day after day and leads to burnout, is not inevitable. It’s preventable — when we combine our own daily resilience practices with environments that support us. And that starts with both individual actions and leadership decisions. At Thrive Global , one of the ways we support this is through the Entry Interview. Almost all companies conduct an exit interview when an employee leaves — quizzing the employee about their experience, what worked, what didn’t work. But what if managers understood these factors when it could make the biggest impact: on the employee’s first day instead of their last? That’s the idea behind the Entry Interview. Basically, it’s a conversation between a new hire and their manager on day one that starts by asking what’s important to them outside of work. For parents, it might be taking a child to school. For others, it might be logging off at a certain time one night a week for a physical therapy session or for a fitness class. It’s about acknowledging that we take our whole selves to work, and that nobody should have to choose between being successful at their job and being fulfilled in other parts of their lives. When we know what matters to someone in their personal life, our regular check-ins become deeper and we’re more likely to know how they’re faring at work and in life as their needs and priorities evolve over time. It’s not just good practice. It’s a data-backed leadership strategy. According to Gallup , employees who strongly agree that their employer cares about their overall well-being are: ➡️ 3x more likely to be engaged at work ➡️ 71% less likely to report experiencing a lot of burnout ➡️ 5x more likely to strongly advocate for their workplace ➡️ 5x more likely to trust their leadership ➡️ 36% more likely to be thriving in their lives overall Preventing burnout isn’t just about what our workplace provides — it’s also about the small, intentional choices we make to prioritize recovery, set boundaries, and build connections. It doesn’t require massive overhauls. #StressAwarenessMonth