In her own words, Linda Wiesinger, an alumni of the Certificate in Wholebeing Positive Psychology (CiWPP), “threw her backpack over the wall.” Way over it—and had to chase it down to fulfill her dream. It was the CiWPP lesson on filling your backpack—a metaphor for packing more positivity and inspired action into your life—that got Linda thinking about what she could be doing to benefit not only herself, but also others around her.

She ended up “finding her backpack” in her business Why Not Sprout?!®—a business that blossomed from the vision board she created during her time at CiWPP5. “Why Not Sprout?!® is a place that allows people to wonder, grow, thrive, and be fully alive,” says Linda. It is a creative space that offers a range of yoga, coaching, meditation, and mindfulness practices to help clients achieve greater well-being in work and life.

Halfway through CiWPP, Linda was laid off from the job in pharmaceutical marketing research that she’d held for nearly 12 years—and she heard a whisper in the back of her mind saying, This is your sign. She used that setback as a chance to reflect on what she truly wanted to do. “I walked through a door of opportunity,” says Linda.

It makes sense that Linda is a CiWPP alumni: Her first loves were psychology and the study of human behavior (she majored in psychology at Arcadia University), so owning a business that combines those fields made sense. Rooted in the principles of mindfulness and positive psychology, her programs include strength and values coaching, restorative and contemplative yoga, and group mindfulness classes.

“I aim to help people journey back to their center and nurture what is growing there,” she says. She warmly welcomes anyone seeking to connect with themselves—and then to connect with others who are also on the path of change and growth. Facilitating “a community of people sprouting in different directions” is one of Linda’s goals. She believes that in-person interactions are especially valuable in today’s world; her favorite parts of CiWPP were the on-site immersions, in which the group comes together to learn and share face to face.

“I think we are starving for the sense of touch in our culture,” says Linda, noting that the internet often leaves people feeling isolated and hungry for real-life relationships. “In CiWPP, we learned all these tools, and then went to the immersions and interacted with other humans seeking something. It’s a different quality of feeling.”

Learn more about the Certificate in Wholebeing Positive Psychology.

Linda Wiesinger, CiPP5, is the founder of Why Not Sprout?!®, dedicated to the ideas that transformation is possible and that every single human being deserves peace, happiness, and contentment in their lives. A Certified Competent Coach trained in Julia Stewart’s School of Coaching Mastery, Linda has also studied nonviolent communication with Thom Bond, interpersonal neurobiology with Daniel J. Siegel, and mindfulness and character strengths with Ryan M. Niemiec. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and spent more than 20 years as an international marketing research consultant in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, designing, planning and moderating hundreds of custom projects around the world. whynotsprout.com