About yugen connections

I founded yugen connections after experiencing burnout myself.
Now, I specialise in workplace resilience and wellbeing as well as grief recovery. I believe in working collaboratively with organisations, and I believe that people can create great things when they thrive instead of struggle.

As our world continues to transform, the importance of promoting and monitoring the workplace and personal resilience will soon become essential for achieving success. We are co-creating more open and humane places to work in, and for such workplaces to thrive, we must empower, educate, and support conversations and positive actions around mental health and wellbeing. Successful organisations know that promoting resilience and placing it at the heart of their work culture leads to better performance, increased productivity, and happier employees.

I have nearly two decades of experience in global learning and organisational development. After spending the first 14 years of my career as an L&D consultant working on learning and transformational projects across multiple sectors, I have been part of projects for ScottishPower, Reuters, BBC, MTV Networks, Moving Picture Company, Sony Pictures, Defra, DWP, Selfridges, and Karen Millen HQ. For a number of years after my consultancy career, I worked at Trinity Mirror plc (now Reach), leading the employee engagement annual survey and all other people-related projects, followed by European L&OD lead for Kate Spade New York. At one time or another, all of these brands went through great times of change, the evolution of their culture, or acquisitions, which were sometimes dictated by challenges associated with the sector.

What is yugen?

“Yugen” is a Japanese word that has no equivalent in English. It can be broken down into two parts that mean mysterious and profound. It defines our unique inner feelings and connections with nature and the outside world, which at times, no words can describe. This pretty much defines the individual relationship we have with our resilience, our mental health, and the human base for wellbeing. We all have it. We know it exists. However, even in the best of times, we cannot articulate it.

Get in touch if your organisation is committed to employee wellbeing and building a resilient workforce. Let’s meet for coffee so that you can learn more about our collaborative solutions.

Look after yourself and each other.

Cecilia Shandeva
Founder

Professional Certificates

• Science of Happiness at Work Professional Certification via BerkeleyX University CA. (Based on up-to-date scientific research from the fields of psychology, business, and neuroscience)
  • 1. The Foundations of Happiness at Work – research-based benefits and evaluations of happiness at work – how to increase it across an organisation
  • 2. Mindfulness and Stress at Work – research-based strategies to avoid burnout
  • 3. Empathy and Emotional Intelligence at Work – improving trust & collaboration in the workplace
• Science of Wellbeing
• RSPH Level 2 Accredited Work Place Health Champion
• Grief Recovery Specialist – Licensed Practitioner
• Master NLP Practitioner
• NLP Advanced Skills for Trainers
• Master Time Line Therapist
• Active IQ Level 2 Certificate in Gym Instructing