THE LIVING COMPASS MODEL FOR WELL-BEING
The Living Compass Model for Well-Being offers us guidance in four dimensions of our being: heart, soul, strength, and mind. Just like a mobile or kinesthetic art, these dimensions are interconnected— movement in one area affects all the others. We are not compartmentalized people. Whatever impacts one area of our lives (positively or negatively) has an impact on the other areas. Each of the four compass points focuses on two areas of well-being, and each of the eight areas helps to guide and equip us as we commit to being more intentional about the way we live our lives. The purpose of this Compass is to provide a dynamic resource that will assist us in our search for balance and wellness. The invitation is to live an undivided life, where heart, soul, strength, and mind are integrated into both our being and our doing.
Creating resources grounded in the integration of spirituality and wellness is what makes Living Compass different from other wellness programs. Living Compass believes we all have many compasses that compete to guide our lives, often outside of our awareness. When we intentionally choose the compass that guides decisions in all areas of our lives, we are better able to experience wellness and wholeness. It is worth noting that health, healing, wholeness, and holy all come from the same root word hal or haelen.
EIGHT AREAS OF WELLNESS
Wellness is wholistic. The Wellness Compass includes eight areas of wellness. and it involves eight interrelated areas of wellness: Handling Emotions, Healthy Relationships, Vocation, Organization, Care for the Body, Stress Resilience, Rest & Play, and Spirituality.
HEART:
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Relationships. The ability to create and maintain healthy, life-giving connections with others.
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Handling Emotions. The ability to process, express, and receive emotions in a healthy way.
SOUL:
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Spirituality. The ability to connect with a higher purpose in life and to have a clear set of beliefs, morals, and values that guides our actions.
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Rest & Play. The ability to balance work and play and to renew oneself.
STRENGTH:
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Resilience. The ability to deal positively with the adversities of life.
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Care of the Body. The ability to build healthy habits and practices regarding our physical well-being.
MIND:
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Vocation. The ability to align our life’s purpose with the gifts and talents we’ve been given. This includes work, volunteer service, and any educational/enrichment pursuits.
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Organization. The ability to keep track of and make good use of possessions, money, and time.
Living Compass resources are designed around the belief that healthy communities can grow when community members have opportunities to participate in safe, authentic conversations where they can receive support around the challenges they each face and celebrate the joys of life.
HOW IS IT ALL POSSIBLE?
Ab and Nancy Nicholas are the people who make possible the work of the Samaritan Family Wellness Foundation, which is the foundation that funds the creation and distribution of all of the Living Compass and Wellness Compass resources.
It is their generosity that allows us to make everything we do available, at little or no cost.
While Ab passed away in 2016, we continue to honor his legacy in everything we do. Nancy continues to be a friend and faithful supporter of our work. We couldn’t do this without their support.
OUR TEAM
D. Scott Stoner, LMFT - Executive Director
D. Scott Stoner, LMFT, has been a family therapist for over forty years in Chicago and then Milwaukee, WI. His focus is working with individuals, couples, men, and families. He is the co-director, with his wife, Holly Hughes Stoner, of the Samaritan Family Wellness Foundation, and together they have created the Wellness Compass Initiative. The foundation’s focus is creating preventative wellness materials for adults, families, and teens. Scott is also the creator of the national Living Compass Wellness Initiative. Scott lives in Wisconsin, with Holly, and also has three grown children and two grandsons.
Carolyn Karl - Program Director and Wellness Circle Facilitator
Carolyn Karl is the Program Director for Living Compass and The Wellness Compass. For over 20 years, she has worked in congregational ministry with youth and families, with a recent focus on intergenerational connections. Carolyn facilitates our Teen, Adult, and Parent Wellness Circles, creates and leads trainings, and helps connect and support those who use our materials. Carolyn lives in Wisconsin with her husband Steve, who recently became empty nesters, with three newly “adulting” children.
Robbin Brent - Director of Publications and Resource Development
Robbin Brent serves as Director of Publications and Resource Development. She also owns and manages R. Brent and Company, which she established in 1993 as a publishing and consulting company, producing and publishing a wide array of books and resources for enrichment, education, and inspiration. Robbin is also a certified Enneagram teacher in the Narrative Tradition, hosts individual and small-group discernment conversations, and is passionate about filming, editing, and writing about life-giving events. She has two grown sons and a grandson, and lives, works, and plays in Tennessee.
WELLNESS PROGRAMS & RESOURCES
At The Living Compass Initiative, we have created a variety of wellness programs & resources. Click the photos below to learn more.
WELLNESS RELATED LEARNING
Education is a priority for us at The Living Compass Initiative. See below to learn about our educational wellness offerings.
The Wellness Compass Initiative
While Living Compass focuses on integrating spirituality and wellness, we recognize there are times when non-religious, community-welcome language is preferable. The Wellness Compass offers quality resources based on our Model of Well-being, written in community-inclusive language. The Wellness Compass has created a variety of resources for adults, teens, parents, and kids that are being used by schools, non-profits, coaches, and mental health professionals around the world.
