King County Launches Spring Mindfulness Series to Support Employee Wellness

King County's Balanced You program rolled out a new mindfulness series for its workforce through the Wellness Wednesday newsletter, pairing virtual guided meditations and gentle movement sessions with stress-reduction webinars designed to fit varied employee schedules.

The initiative grew out of employee requests for more class variety to accommodate busy schedules, with Balanced You working alongside providers CuriosityBased and SolJoy to deliver shorter class options at varied times. All classes launched online, with in-person options planned for the future.

One featured session, "Introduction to Practicing Curiosity" from CuriosityBased, frames curiosity as a practice rather than a fixed personality trait, with self-awareness and mindfulness as the entry point. The class breaks the practice into actionable steps, connects colleagues in shared learning, and frames the outcome plainly: "Practicing curiosity at work leads to more trust and less miscommunication." That session was scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, from 10 to 11:30 a.m.

The Sept. 19, 2024 session took the series into more urgent territory. The Wellness Wednesday newsletter described the webinar as an opportunity for King County employees "to normalize the discussion around mental health, learn how to identify early warning signs of suicidal ideation, and learn more about resources that are available to support the mental health of employees and their loved ones." The newsletter closed the announcement with a direct appeal: "We hope you will join us for this important discussion!"

All classes in the series are open to every King County employee, and each class is structured as a one-time event. The newsletter noted that attendance is strictly voluntary and on employees' own time, and that class registration closes two business days before each event.

Balanced You partners with mindfulness providers CuriosityBased, SolJoy, and Mindfulness Northwest across its broader programming calendar. On the financial wellness side, My Secure Advantage (MSA) gives employees tools and coaching to support budgeting, debt paydown, and retirement planning, including free access to a digital platform, calculators, webinars, and a Money Coach for up to 90 days each calendar year.

The same Wellness Wednesday issue also flagged onsite flu and COVID-19 shot clinics as part of a broader push across financial wellness, mindfulness, movement, and physical activity programming. Questions about the mindfulness offerings can be directed to Balanced You at balancedyou@kingcounty.gov.