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Applied Sociology for Social Wellbeing

Understand society to understand yourself.

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Discover your Social Blueprint Profile™ & transform your life.

About Romana Pires

Curious about cultivating social wellbeing in your life?

I help loosen the grip of social conditioning so you can live with purpose - not pressure.

I would love to offer you tools and insights to support your growth and social awareness.

As a tenured sociology professor with over 20 years of experience and a practitioner of applied sociology, my interests are in critically exploring and identifying structural, systematic, and cultural patterns that often act as invisible barriers to our potential. Helping people view their life's challenges through a societal lens rather than as personal shortcomings, failures, or private struggles, is a powerful shift and supports wellbeing.

I hold a Master of Arts in Sociology and a Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy. In addition to my academic background, I am certified as a Life Coach by best-selling author and Harvard-trained sociologist Dr. Martha Beck's Wayfinder Life Coach program [1] and a Mindfulness Meditation Teacher, certified by the Awareness Training Institute, Sounds True, and the UC Berkeley Greater Good Science Center [2]. My mindfulness meditation teacher training included studying under renowned clinical psychologists and mindfulness meditation teachers Dr. Jack Kornfield and Dr. Tara Brach, along with notable mindfulness teachers and mentors.

I'm not a licensed therapist and do not use psychotherapeutic modalities for medical or mental health diagnoses, treatment, or therapy. Applied sociology and clinical sociology are not recognized by any state licensure boards in the United States.

I developed Social Mind Inspired to encourage, support, and guide individuals, groups, and organizations to integrate a cultural and structural framework when approaching personal and professional development, growth, and empowerment. This includes helping life coaches and similar service providers incorporate applied sociology into their work with clients.

You're invited to access the Free Resources tab, where you will find support materials on my Three Pillars of Social Wellbeing: Sociology Mindset, Radical Social Awareness, and ImaginationMindset®. These resources are grounded in sociology and additionally incorporate my life coaching and mindfulness meditation training, experiences, and practices.

Interested in receiving individual support? Please access the Contact tab and let me know how I can help.

[1] Wayfinder Life Coach Training® is an International Coaching Federation (ICF) Level 2 accredited program.

[2] The Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program (MMTCP) is accredited by the International Mindfulness Teachers Association (IMTA).

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Welcome!

About Social Wellbeing

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Wellbeing is an important indicator of our quality of life, commonly defined as physical, mental, emotional, and social health. These are influenced by individual circumstances and societal conditions. Sociologists focus on the social components of wellbeing. These include our experience of life in society, such as the social environments in which we interact, relationships, opportunities, access to resources and finances, and a sense of connection to society and groups.

Our social wellbeing is shaped by the social world; the organization of society and everything in it—the institutions, systems, and culture—from the large-scale impact of laws and policies to intimate relationships.

Social health and wellbeing take into account the influence of economic conditions, cultural norms and expectations, and access to social institutions like healthcare, fulfilling employment, and educational growth opportunities. Interpersonal examples are community engagement, safe and trusting relationships, involvement, inclusion, and belonging.

When we thrive as social beings, we are supported, connected, and valued by society at large and in our everyday lives. This positively influences our physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing.

Paper cutout stick people with one red and rest white.

Awareness of social forces → the recognition that society, cultural narratives, and cultural norms influence our difficulties and challenges.
Connection and belonging → cultivating a sense of community in knowing that we are not alone in our lived experiences.
Access to supportive systems → engaging with resources and networks that contribute to our social wellbeing.
Freedom from limiting social constructs → releasing ingrained societal expectations that do not serve our fulfillment, purpose, and potential.

Coaches and similar service providers informed by applied sociology recognize that challenges are often interconnected with cultural messaging, structural barriers, and societal expectations rather than just personal struggles.

Pathways to Social Wellbeing

An expanded perspective - one that includes societal and cultural contexts, can positively influence a client's confidence, motivation, and personal agency while helping the coach facilitate coaching sessions with greater impact and lasting change.

Social Mind Inspired offers insights and practical tools that integrate these pathways into coaching and everyday practices using the three pillars of social wellbeing as a foundation.

Sociology Mindset deepens a critical understanding of how society and culture shape our identity and everyday lives including opportunities and challenges. Radical Social Awareness cultivates a mindful presence with societal and social dynamics, helping individuals navigate them with clarity and compassion. ImaginationMindset® encourages creative exploration of change and transformation.

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Explore social wellbeing materials found under the Free Resources tab.

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Who's This For?

Stick figure holding a megaphone and pointing at earth in the sky.

Those who see wellbeing as more than just an individual pursuit, but one shaped by society, culture, and the systems we interact with daily.

For coaches, consultants, and practitioners who get that personal challenges don’t exist in isolation and are looking for tools that move beyond traditional methods and approaches.

Those who value understanding the world around them, specifically how social dynamics, group interactions, and structural barriers shape opportunities, growth, and fulfillment.

Whether you're interested in personal or professional development or are working with individuals, groups, or organizations, Social Mind Inspired offers a holistic, society-informed framework to support and enhance wellbeing and reimagine potential, purpose, and impact.

Social Mind Inspired: Personal & Professional Development & Growth for

Individuals
Groups
Organizations

Change Makers
Consultants
Educators, Facilitators & Trainers
Executives & Leaders
Health Professionals
Helpers & Allied Healers
Human Resource Professionals

Life & Wellness Coaches
Meditation Teachers
Mentors
Service Providers
Social Workers
Socially Conscious Entrepreneurs
Therapists & Counselors

Social Mind Inspired is for anyone curious about social wellbeing.

FAQs

Why is it important to incorporate Applied Sociology into personal growth and professional development?

The Three Pillars of Social Wellbeing include the Sociology Mindset, Radical Social Awareness, and ImaginationMindset®. The Sociology Mindset invites us to adopt an internal frame of mind focused on seeing our daily experiences through a social lens to critically question the taken-for-granted ideas, expectations, and interactions that influence and socially control our ways of being, doing and living. Radical Social Awareness is a mindfulness practice that cultivates nonjudgmental and compassionate attention to the societal roots of harmful cultural messages. Embracing the ImaginationMindset® inspires creative solutions and opens up new possibilities for personal and professional growth while maintaining a confident focus on our aspirations.

How might organizations and leaders benefit from Applied Sociology and your Three Pillars of Social Wellbeing?

The application of sociological insights and tools helps us critically examine how power and social dynamics, unspoken workplace norms, and implicit societal biases influence organizational functioning. This approach incorporates mindfulness and compassion practices while encouraging professionals to move beyond limiting social constructs, cultivate intentional decision-making, and develop responsive leadership to reimagine workplace engagement and meaningful growth.

**How is Social Mind Inspired different from mindset coaching?**

Mindset coaching emphasizes shifts in cognitive patterns, beliefs, and motivation for personal growth. Social Mind Inspired on the other hand, makes the shift from cognitive introspection of the mind to societal and cultural extrospection for personal and professional growth and development. This nuanced shift from introspection to extrospection helps us question harmful personal narratives and offers a liberating tool, especially when previous traditional approaches fell short.

Is Applied Sociology the only approach to understanding human behavior and personal development?

Sociology is one of many ways to understand human identity, behavior, and interactions. The value of applied sociology is that it offers an often-overlooked perspective. Wellbeing is multifaceted, encompassing physical, mental, emotional, and social health, and understanding human experiences requires multiple lenses. Applied sociology contributes to our understanding of the social, cultural, and structural forces that shape our lives, complementing a variety of approaches such as psychology, neuroscience, and personal mindset work.

What is the Social Blueprint Profile™?

The Social Blueprint Profile™ is a free assessment that identifies a person's most dominant socially conditioned patterns that shape their experiences. Rather than focusing on innate traits or personality characteristics, the in-depth report highlights the core social constraints that most influence the person's interactions, decision-making, and daily life. Based on their profile results, the assessment report provides insights and strategies for greater social awareness and wellbeing.

Are you a licensed therapist?

No, I am not a licensed therapist or mental health professional. My focus is on non-medical and non-mental health challenges related to social wellbeing. I do not diagnose or treat mental health conditions.

What services do you offer?

Free Resources are available to help you gain insights and adopt tools for social wellbeing. If personalized support feels like the next step toward a more profound transformation, feel free to contact me, and we can explore working together. I help loosen the grip of cultural conditioning by offering techniques to address personal and professional challenges. Since we are all shaped by society, culturally conditioned limiting patterns will always exist. However, you’ll learn to manage them quickly and easily and gain the confidence to move toward your goals with clarity and purpose.

Does insurance cover your services?

Services are not covered by insurance as they are not categorized as mental health treatment. However, some employers may reimburse professional development costs, and certain sessions may be tax-deductible if aligned with business goals. Please consult your tax professional, employer (if applicable), and/or financial advisor for details.