Walking Together: Collective Wellbeing: What does it really mean...?
By Jennylee Taylor, Thrive Stars Wellbeing Pillar Lead
I have been thinking a lot lately about the phrase “walking together.” It sounds simple, and in practice what does it really mean? My feeling is that when it is backed by intent, presence, and shared commitment, it transforms into something deeply powerful.
That is exactly the spirit behind the Walking Together: Collective Wellbeing, a luncheon that Thrive Stars and Yakuway Indigenous Corporation walked together to host last Friday. To us, it was more than a lunch—it was a ceremony of connection, care, and courageous action.
Why We Walk Together:
This wasn’t your typical corporate wellbeing event. It was a space intentionally crafted for listening deeply, learning differently, and forging relational bridges. We are talking real stories, cultural insights, and systemic change. Real-world perspectives from:
· Indigenous wisdom, through a Welcome to Country with Aunty Cheryl Smith and Uncle Ray Smith and lived stories from Yakuway’s Malcolm Smith, rooted in the legacy of Uncle Bill Smith, a local Aboriginal leader, changemaker and businessman.
· Organisational care—Nuanced strategies from Hunter Primary Care, Ethos Health Group, University of Newcastle and Federal Treasury’s research on “Measuring What Matters”.
It was a multi-layered approach about wellbeing: global, national, regional, organisational, and personal. A mosaic of perspectives reminding us that wellbeing is not siloed—it is collective. That wellbeing is not just the responsibly of one, it is the responsibility of all of us.
My personal takeaways for the luncheon:
Spirit of the Earth 1990 Archival Video – As I watched, the message of walking together with each other and with the earth and all living things is the foundation of a thriving world landed in my heart loud and clear. Uncle Bill’s message that went to the United Nations in 1990 has a much relevance now as it did back then.
Welcome to Country – As Aunty Cheryl spoke, it really settled in me that the Welcome to Country is not about ownership, it is an introduction, acknowledgement and honouring of the land and all the peoples that have walked before us. It is a gesture of care for the person coming into that space and care for the country. To be introduced to the spirit of the land through a formal welcome is to take care of the energy of the person entering and the people there already. It comes from the heart. This was followed by melodic tones of Aunty Cheryl and Uncle Ray singing to us of trust, respect and walking together. I was so engaged I nearly forgot my luncheon duties and got up to dance.
