PROGRAM:

Take a mindful pause for yourself.

Join us for an engaging and restorative session focused on self-care, stress awareness, and emotional well-being.

In this session, we’ll explore how stress impacts our bodies and minds, and learn practical ways to manage it using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) techniques, and mindfulness. You’ll be guided through a short meditation to help quiet the mind and reconnect with the present moment. We’ll also discuss how gratitude can serve as a simple yet powerful self-care practice that enhances resilience and overall happiness.

What to Expect:

• Insight into how stress affects your body and emotions
• Practical CBT, ACT, and mindfulness tools to reframe unhelpful thoughts
• An introduction to meditation and a guided relaxation experience
• A discussion on gratitude as a daily self-care habit

You’ll leave feeling grounded, refreshed, and equipped with tools you can use anytime life feels overwhelming.

Bring a notebook or journal for the guided meditation.

YOUR PRESENTER:

Dawn Hafner
AVP of Business Development, ESOPs
Voya Financial

Dawn Hafner is the AVP of Business Development, ESOPs at Voya Financial, where she leads initiatives in business development, education, and ESOP consulting. Beyond her corporate role, Dawn is passionate about helping others cultivate mindfulness and deeper self-awareness. She leads workshops on presence and stress reduction, guides meditation experiences, and offers one-on-one coaching to help individuals reconnect with their purpose and create lives that feel genuinely aligned.

She is the author of The Mapmaker: Your 33-Day Journey Toward Daily Presence, a spiritually grounded guide to mindfulness and intentional living—available on Amazon, with half of all profits benefiting Dress for Success Des Moines.

Drawing on over 25 years of leadership experience in the financial industry and her training as a certified yoga teacher, Dawn bridges the worlds of business and inner well-being. Her work integrates conscious and subconscious awareness to inspire both personal and professional growth.

Her guided meditations can be found on iTunes and Spotify through The Solstice Space podcast, and her writing has appeared in The Huffington Post, MindBodyGreen, and LifeHack. She’s also been a repeat guest on BYU Radio.

Currently completing her Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Dawn is an intern at Seva Counseling in Des Moines. She also volunteers with the Des Moines Refugee Group and finds joy in exploring the world—whether through travel, yoga, hiking, reading, or discovering the best beet salads along the way.

location/PARKING:

Ample free parking is available on the north and south sides of the building.

REMINDERS:

As an AFP member, you may bring one guest annually FREE OF CHARGE to an AFP monthly education meeting. If you would like to use your free guest pass, please email Kim at admin@afpcentraliowa.org. 

MEAL OPTIONS:

We will enjoy catering from In the Bag for this month's luncheon. Please complete this google form to make your choice between: Basic Brown Bag Turkey sandwich, Basic Brown Bag Roast Beef sandwich, Basic Brown Bag Vegetarian sandwich, Autumn River Salad, or Berry Turkey Wrap. Anyone who does not submit a lunch choice by 12/3/25 will receive the Basic Brown Bag Turkey sandwich. 

RSVP DEADLINE:

Please register and submit your lunch choice by noon on Wednesday, December 3, 2025.