Want a Career in Wellness? 5 Expert Tips from Six Senses’ Susie Arnett

Wellness isn’t just a lifestyle—it’s big business. With the global wellness tourism market projected to hit $1.4 trillion by 2027, hospitality brands are racing to keep up with guest demand for programming that nourishes the body, mind, and soul.

For women dreaming of a purpose-driven career in wellness, Susie Arnett is proof you don’t need a spa background—or even a plan—to make it happen. Now Director of Wellness Programming at Six Senses, Susie started her career in media, producing segments for MTV and Lifetime before pivoting into yoga, mindfulness, and transformational retreats. After nearly a decade curating experiences at leading centers like Omega, Kripalu, and Canyon Ranch, she realized her programming expertise could be applied in a whole new way—and that she could bring wellness to a bigger stage.

A single article about luxury hotels embracing wellness lit the spark. She cold-emailed three of the women featured. One wrote back. That woman is now her boss.

Here, Susie shares her top advice for anyone looking to make a move into wellness—especially those without a traditional spa or health background.

You spent about a decade doing wellness programming at places like The Omega Institute and the Kripalu Center. What made you realize those skills were transferable to the world of luxury hospitality?

To be honest, I had no idea. I had never thought about working in luxury hospitality—it felt like such a stretch from the retreat center world. But pre-COVID, everyone was jumping on the programming bandwagon—especially in NYC, with the rise of co-working spaces and private member clubs. Places like The Assemblage and Soho House were offering talks, workshops, and all kinds of experiences, and I thought: I could do that. It all came down to curating incredible speakers who aligned with the curiosity of the community.

That’s what I’d been doing for almost a decade at top retreat centers - matching experiences with audiences - and I had a huge network of incredible speakers and thought leaders that I could bring to a brand. When I spoke with Anna Bjurstam at Six Senses, I credit her pioneering vision that recognized that what I’d been doing at retreat centers could translate to luxury hospitality—and that luxury hospitality programming could expand to include retreats and festivals. Then, we were off and running!

Can you walk us through the story of reading that article, sending those cold emails, and how it led to your role with Six Senses? What gave you the confidence to just go for it?

I knew I wanted more and a bigger playground, so I started researching and reading articles about programming and wellness in hospitality. When I read the interview with Anna and her vision for Six Senses and for our private member club, Six Senses Place, it felt like a match with my background and a vision that I could contribute to. So I did some Googling, found her contact info, and sent her an email explaining my background and passion for programming—and asked if we could schedule a call. She wrote me back!

You never know if someone will write back, but it’s always worth putting yourself out there. I’ve never been afraid of a cold call. It’s not like I was a telemarketer, but in my past life as a TV producer, I was always calling people to ask for something—usually for free. I guess that broke my fear of rejection.

If there’s any advice I could give, it’s this: invite rejection every day until it doesn’t scare you.

If there’s any advice I could give, it’s this: invite rejection every day until it doesn’t scare you. Especially today in the age of AI, it’s so difficult to get through the AI filtering process for jobs or networking, so the more you can connect with people through LinkedIn or through a direct email or call, the better.

For women hoping to start a career in wellness—especially those coming from a non-wellness background—what kinds of roles or entry points should they consider?

There are so many jobs in wellness now. It seems like every hotel company has some type of wellness role, either on a corporate level or at the property level. Typically, if you want to work in wellness, you will have some personal experience in the field. Maybe you love yoga or meditation, have done a teacher training, you’re a nutritionist, or just have a deep passion for some part of the wellness world. Coming into a wellness team as a subject matter expert and leading talks or classes for guests is one way.

Even if you’re not a trained professional, having a strong knowledge of the industry—the best speakers, podcasts, authors, etc.—will give you background that you can use to provide value for a team. It always comes down to this: how can you create value for the hotel, and for the guest? What kind of impact can you make? What skills or experiences do you need to add to your toolbelt to be able to do that?

At Six Senses, we have a Guest Experience Maker (GEM) role, which helps guests design incredible stays. It’s a great way to get a hands-on start with designing fabulous guest experiences, and that can translate into wellness roles down the road. You gain experience working directly with guests and learn all about the property’s services and programming.

You mentioned people often reach out to you cold on LinkedIn. What’s your advice for making a cold message actually work? What kind of outreach makes you want to respond?

Usually, I recommend keeping it short and sweet, with a sentence about your background and a request for a short informational call. Tell me what you are curious about and why you want to speak.

Sometimes I hear from people who are explicitly looking for a job, and I’m less likely to schedule a call with those people because we have no openings at this time, and I don’t want to waste their time. But an informational call with someone who is starting out or looking to break in is something I usually will do. So many people responded to my cold emails over the years and were generous with their time, so I try and connect as often as I can with people who reach out to me.

Susie (second from right) in China filming a short independent documentary about the UN Women’s Conference in Beijing in 1995

Finally, what’s one myth about working in wellness you’d love to bust—and one thing you wish more people knew about building a career in this space?

One myth is that working in wellness is peaceful. Working in wellness can be very stressful. There is a lot of financial pressure for wellness offerings to perform, so it’s not about meditating all day in a zen environment. The good thing is that if you work in wellness, you probably love it and have lots of tools like yoga, which you can use during stressful moments. But anything worth doing well will bring some stress.

If there’s something I wish people knew, it’s that you really should love it. The best people I know in the field are driven with curiosity about the new treatments and the new experts. They’re always reading, listening, and trendspotting, because the wellness experiences we design may not launch for a year or more. You need to be able to see how the needs of your guests are evolving and design for the future.

I feel very lucky because I get to think about my favorite question all day: What really can change someone’s life for the better, and how can we take what works and use it to design experiences that can really make a difference? For me, that’s the best.

Thanks, Susie.  Appreciate you taking the time to share your advice with the hertelier community!