Startup Story
Companies and organizations know that their strength lies in their people, and it’s why employee wellbeing is key to their success. Helping employees to avoid burnout and ensuring they have support in managing their mental and physical balance is important. In Angola, entrepreneur Edna Reis, founder of Active Wellness, has created a business to meet this growing demand for better health and wellbeing in the workplace.
LoA found out more about this highly specialized and much needed business this month from its founder, Edna Reis.
Tell us about yourself
My name is Edna Reis and I am the founder of Active Wellness, a business launched in 2017. Sandra Pimentel joined me as a partner in 2019. We are psychologists, with great management skills, motivation and experience in this field. Active Wellness is a Start-up focusing on Mental Health and Organizational Well-Being Consultancy, with a diversity of services that meet the growing national and international health demand in the corporate environment.
What does your company do?
We work for the mental health and well-being of organizations by proposing solutions that help reduce the incidence and / or prevalence of mental disorders, through the reframing of this concept and through specific psychotherapeutic interventions inside and outside the work environment. We offer services that include: Mental health consultancy; Quality of life research at work; Individual and group psychotherapeutic interventions to better manage traumatic events and / or with a high probability of triggering anxiety, stress, burnout; Employee wellbeing programs; Mindfulness classes; Mind and Body Balance interventions; Workshops and lectures etc.
Sandra Pimentel (L) and Edna Reis (R)
“The company arose through the identification of the demand in the Angolan market for services and products that assist organizations in their People Management processes.”
What inspired you to start your company?
The company arose through the identification of the demand in the Angolan market for services and products that assist organizations in their People Management processes. The business has a strict focus on Mental Health and Well-being, increasing and engaging the productivity of work teams, improvement of the organizational climate and consequent development of organizations. The company started as Wellness, and in November 2020, we went for a total rebranding and had the name changed to Active Wellness. We aim to incorporate into the “way of thinking, living and doing work” practices that re-signify and activate the quality of life in the work environment, focusing primarily on the subject of Mental Health.
What makes your business, service or product special?
It is a business concept that transforms the ways of relating to and / or in the work environment. It gives visibility and intensifies practices that act directly to promote the mental health and well-being of employees in organizational contexts, and contributes to the success of organizations as profitable businesses.
Tell us a little about your team
Our management team is one of the strengths of our business. Acting for more than 5 years in areas related to people management with links in topics such as occupational psychology, development, people training and business strategies. Graduated in Psychology and with relevant skills and experience in corporate environments, we have technical and behavioral skills to boost the achievement of the business objectives and vision.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And, do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
Edna - I don't come from an entrepreneurial background. I believe that each of us has a vision about how we would like to position ourselves in the professional world, and it was thinking about how I would like to contribute with my work, that I dove into entrepreneurship.
Sandra - My experience in the world of entrepreneurship started at Active Wellness. It is a new world and I am open to the challenges that await me.
“We aim to incorporate into the “way of thinking, living and doing work” practices that re-signify and activate the quality of life in the work environment, focusing primarily on the subject of Mental Health.”
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
The focus on mental health and well-being of human resources, on personal and professional growth has been one of the main bets of successful organizations around the world, as pointed out by some surveys. In Angola, according to studies by Jason Associates (2014) “the concern of national business leaders with the motivation and organizational commitment of their employees is growing”. We hope that this movement will continue to grow, and that in just under 5 years Active Wellness will become a national reference in the provision of Mental Health and Organizational Well-being services
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
The possibility of helping to de-stigmatize mental health, contribute to the country's growth, development and people's health is undoubtedly a great satisfaction.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Be willing to learn every day, nothing is given, have the courage to create the future you want, without neglecting the challenges that are typical of the trajectory.
Contact or follow Active Wellness
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | EMAIL geral@activewellness.ao
Why LoA loves it….
Everyone knows that an organization is only as strong as its people, and therefore it stands to reason that investing in the health and wellbeing of employees makes sense on every level. Edna and Sandra at Active Wellness are bringing solutions to better manage the mental health and wellbeing for company employees, creating better work environments and happier people as a result. Their blueprint for wellness in the workplace is one that smart companies in Angola are now incorporating into their business strategies. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo of Lionesses of Africa