By Demian Bellumio
As a Miami tech entrepreneur, over the last decade I have had my share of the emotional ups-and-downs that come with the “startup life.” Founding and running a company is not only stressful, but also a very lonely experience. Sometimes you feel the weight of the world on your shoulders, as you know that your employees, your family, your investors and even your customers, depend on you. Your only option seems to be just to succeed, despite having all the odds against you.
In addition, year after year, I have also experienced the same frustration that is shared by many other busy professionals that juggle long workdays, busy travel schedules, endless networking events and an active family life, while trying to start and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Dieting, exercising, or just staying relatively active seems to get harder and harder as the years go by.
But as I traveled the world, I have found that there are some people that seem to have found ways for dealing with the struggles of entrepreneurship, or have successfully cracked the code of work-life balance. They seem to be successful while living happy and healthy lives, and inspiring others to follow their lead. For example, I have listened to Arianna Huffington talk at DLD about the benefits of napping, watched Lebron James swear by his Yoga practice, follow Russell Simmons mindful lifestyle on social media and read the posts by my friend Loic Le Meur where he shares how meditation changed his life.
I therefore began to get curious about what Miami had to offer in the areas of mindfulness, yoga, meditation, wellness, etc. and I was surprised about what I found. For all the superficiality that sometimes our city is known for, there is a large and growing community of fascinating people, places and companies that are building a much more interesting and healthier Miami. My interest in showcasing these individuals to the broader community, while gathering together other like-minded people around a fun and unique experience, has inspired me to start Dawnings.
Dawnings will be a monthly event that will take place in different locations around Miami and will aim to bring together entrepreneurs, executives, creative professionals, artists and other busy people in order to disconnect from our routines and reboot our mind and bodies. The first event will be June 29 at The LAB Miami.
The event will be divided in three sections. It will start with the “Meditate” section, where during the inaugural Dawnings, local yoga master Pablo Lucero (pictured above) will guide attendees through a session that will relax the mind and body under the sunrise. Then, during the “Educate” section, local entrepreneurs Myk Likhov (Modern Om), Patrick Hilsbos (Neuromore), and Tatiana Peisach (CPR) (all pictured below) will share their amazing stories in order to inspire attendees to build a better future. Lastly, we will end the event with the “Liberate” section, where we will enjoy a “wellness happy hour”, complete with healthy snacks and drinks. The first Dawnings is sponsored by Innovate Miami and is supported by LAB Miami, Senzari and WeWork.
Dawnings will start at 6 in the morning; yes, you will have to wake up while it is still dark to attend it. Why? Because I have found that it is hard for a lot of busy people to disconnect in the afternoon, and early in the morning seems to fit their schedule better and get them ready for the workday. But more importantly, I have always found Miami’s sunrises to be re-energizing and full of beauty, and naturally seem like the perfect backdrop to explore the “dawn of this new and more mindful Miami”.
Please visit Dawnings.co to learn more about the inaugural June 29 event. Use code Herald25 to receive 25% off the current early-bird ticket price ($25), which ends on June 15th at 11 pm.
Demian Bellumio is the founder of MIA Collective and COO of Senzari.
