Minding the Night
How you can help strengthen the emotional well-being of nightlife and hospitality workers
This 24HourNation webinar, recorded Monday, Jan. 22, 2024, can help cities and employers know what they can do to better mitigate the adverse consequences of working at night.
Our webinar panelists will also help those individuals who work in nightlife and at night.
WATCH THE WEBINAR
BACKGROUND
You may work at night or have employees who work at night. Healthcare workers, first responders, manufacturing workers, and other after-dark professions may be critically important to your city’s economy.
Nighttime work (also called shift work) refers to any type of employment that falls outside of the 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. window.
Shift work is an integral part of living in a 24-hour society. However, shift work can disrupt circadian rhythms, negatively impacting health.
- Working at night can alter opportunities for restorative sleep.
- Being tired on the job can lead to impairments in cognition and increased safety risks.
- Evidence links shift work to poor mental health outcomes.
- Shift work is also associated with substance use, lower quality of life, and even suicidal ideation.
Whether you are the drummer in a band, a surgeon on night duty, the chef in a restaurant’s kitchen, or a police officer on overnight patrol, society needs you … and you need society to be more mindful that night shift work is emotionally and physically riskier than daytime work.
PANELISTS
Ariel Palitz
Managing Director of Hospitality and Intergovernmental Affairs, Oaktree Solutions; Founding and Former Director, NYC Mayor’s Office of Nightlife; New York City, US
Appointed as the Founding Director of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Nightlife, Ariel served under both Mayor Bill de Blasio and Mayor Eric Adams from 2018 to 2023.
Ariel used her experience as a former nightclub owner and community board member to create the infrastructure for a new government office, identify systemic challenges and develop non-enforcement solutions, while navigating the hospitality industry through the Covid 19 pandemic.
Ariel Palitz is as a pioneer and ambassador of the global nighttime governance movement and for creating internationally adopted common sense solutions that address and resolve issues around enforcement, safety, harm reduction, quality of life, community and government relations, licensing and permitting, venue and crisis management, equity, and fairness.
Ariel’s strength for problem solving and building relationships between industry, community, and government helps to find mutually beneficial solutions that support the needs and interests of all stakeholders while supporting a vibrant hospitality industry and culture.
LINKS REFERENCED IN WEBINAR PRESENTATION: https://www.nyc.gov/site/sbs/businesses/elevate-nightlife-health-wellness.page; https://www.hhph.org/
Eline Van Audenaerde
Captain, The Unicorn Mothership; Holistic (night)life coach and advocate for wellness in electronic music industry; Ghent, BE
Eline is a holistic (night)life coach and consultant, speaker, and captain of The Unicorn Mothership since 2015, championing electronic music wellness and holistic living. With her wellness brand, she offers coaching, mentoring and online education for nightlife workers, creatives, and conscious entrepreneurs. She helps them to prioritize their wellness and mental well-being, and to focus on doing the things that move the needle towards sustainable success.
Eline is also enthusiastic about equine reiki and studying A Course in Miracles, hosts a podcast and is a published co-author in the Journal for Psychology of Music.
Eline has seen her fair share of hardship – coping with the effects of abuse, poverty, and other childhood traumas. A passionate raver and dance music enthusiast, she turned her past experiences into strength. She now helps others to thrive in the challenging, frequently toxicenvironment of the electronic music industry.
With a degree in Eastern Languages and Cultures and a certification as a holistic coach in personal and transpersonal coaching, she decided to devote her work to wellbeing in the dance music industry.
Eline is a regular conference presenter, podcast guest, and event panelist. She addresses topics like wellness and wellbeing, mental health, entrepreneurship, and inclusion and diversity.
LINK REFERENCED IN WEBINAR PRESENTATION: https://theunicornmothership.com/
Carly Heath
Night Time Economy Advisor, Bristol City Council; Harm reduction and wellbeing champion for nighttime industries; Bristol, UK
Carly was appointed Bristol’s first Night Time Economy Advisor in April 2021. Her work is a pivotal role between nighttime operatives and local government. As chair of Bristol Nights, she helps design people-centered campaigns which support businesses, workers, and audiences who enjoy the city from 6 p.m.-6 a.m.
Bristol Nights has a clear focus. Working collaboratively, the group addresses essential issues which support better jobs, safer environments, and pragmatic advice. Bristol Nights has launched:
- the UK’s first city-wide Harm Reduction strategy;
- a Drink Spiking scheme focused on perpetrators;
- a Women’s Safety Charter, including free anti-harassment training for the whole sector; and
- Thrive-At-Night, prioritizing the mental health and wellbeing of the workforce.
Bristol’s nighttime economy incorporates all businesses that operate between 6 p.m.-6 a.m. It also supports more than 116,000 people, or 38% of the city’s jobs.
Carly is also an accomplished communications professional with 20 years’ experience in the nighttime economy. At the forefront of cultural moments in Bristol, particularly around music, art, and culture, she has successfully promoted thousands of events from grassroots music at micro-venues to cultural institutions and community festivals.
LINK REFERENCED IN WEBINAR PRESENTATION: https://www.bristolnights.co.uk/projects/thrive-at-night
HOST
Randall White
Founder, 24HourNation
White is an award-winning community leader and a retired consultant.
Trained in theatre performance and communications, the first half of his professional career was as an executive for arts, education, and healthcare non-profit organizations.
The second half of his work life was as owner of a consulting group that managed community relations and constituent communications for corporations, political candidates, elected officials, and political campaigns. He also organized and produced large-scale events.
In 2016, while working for a hospitality client, White discovered the global nighttime economy movement. Inspired, he founded and served as first board president for 24HourDallas, a non-profit organization. The group continues to thrive, focusing on safety, inclusivity, and vibrancy in the nighttime economy of Dallas, Texas.
In May 2022, White launched 24HourNation. Through it, he amplifies opportunities and challenges for nighttime ecosystems in America and beyond.
24HourNation is for nighttime advocates who wish to build their knowledge, skills and contacts through podcasts, webcasts, news, and studies conducted around the world.