Humans have been sharing stories since the dawn of time to help us make sense of the world around us and to influence our thinking. Storytelling is one of the most powerful tools in a wellbeing leader’s toolkit. With it, you can normalise conversations about mental health and wellbeing, you can destigmatise, you can challenge and change beliefs and you can foster psychological safety.

In this episode, we’re delighted to be joined by Michelle Ortega, wellbeing advocate and Communications and Relationship Manager at Fonterra Brands. Join us as we explore how you can use storytelling to create an empathetic, psychologically safe work environment and shape a culture that supports mental health.

Michelle is a passionate advocate for mental health, using her own lived experience to reduce stigma and drive positive mental health conversations in the workplace. Because of her dedication to raising awareness of mental health at Fonterra through openly sharing her own story, Michelle took home the PWC New Zealand Lived Experience Leadership Award at the 2021 HeadFit Awards. Michelle has also presented and has been a keynote speaker at a number of national and international conferences. Most recently at the HR ANZ Summit in the Gold Coast, where she received a standing ovation for her presentation on The Power of Storytelling in Turning the Tide on Mental Health Awareness in Workplaces.

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Wellbeing starts at the top of an organisation, which means we need senior leaders to be committed and engaged. So how can you influence leaders in your workplace? In this episode, we talk to a leader who is more than walking the talk. Hugh Goddard, Managing Director at Pipeline & Civil, is a role model for embracing and leading a people-first culture. We’ll talk about the role of senior leaders in being a champion for wellbeing and we’ll explore how wellbeing advocates can influence up. We’ll also look at some of the challenges of wellbeing in the construction sector and how Hugh has tackled these head-on.

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While financial wellbeing has always been important, the current economic climate and cost of living crisis are causing stress and pressure for people across the board.

We explore some of the key financial wellbeing issues people face, shedding light on the various challenges people encounter when it comes to managing their finances effectively. We also examine how societal conditioning influences our relationship with money, impacting our overall wellbeing in ways we might not even realise. Finally, we'll also discuss actionable strategies and insights on what workplaces can do to foster and support better financial health for their people, ensuring employees feel empowered and equipped to navigate through these turbulent times with confidence. So, make sure you have a pen and paper handy, and get ready for an insight-packed conversation with practical tips for enhancing employee (and maybe your own?) financial wellbeing!

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Auckland Transport (AT) is a large, complex, public organisation with a wide range of physical and psychosocial risks to manage. This interview was recorded in mid-2023 when we were joined by AT’s then-People Experience Lead Jessica Hayes to take a look at their wellbeing strategy and some of the award-winning initiatives that they had rolled out over the last two years. We’ll also look at the process of developing an effective wellbeing strategy and how to truly bring it to life.

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Bullying behaviours and attitudes can very extremely damaging.

But if you do have a bully at work? And what can you do to proactively change their behaviours and the culture they create? What assistance and support can you give to the target of those behaviours?

In this episode, we’re joined by workplace bullying specialist Michael Plowright, founder of Working Well Together. We discuss all things bullying, prevention and remediation. And what you can do to address this important issue in your workplace.

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In this episode, we’re joined by Natalee Scripps-Hawkins, author, coach and Head of Health, Safety and Wellbeing at Auckland Airport to explore a key issue, and that’s this: as wellbeing leaders and champions, we’re passionate about driving the organisation’s wellbeing agenda. But what does that look like in reality?

We know we need to be influential and drive of change. But how?

Together, we discuss what it means to create a people-first organisation. We also look at the broad role of the wellbeing manager as an influencer, communicator, and an agent of change.

Because to be successful as wellbeing professionals – we need to drive the change we want to see.

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In this episode, we chat with Nick Jenkins. Nick is a health & safety professional who suffered a traumatic brain injury after a mountain biking accident in 2020.

He shares the story of his injury, and his considerable rehab and recovery journey. We also talk about returning to work after a significant injury and adjusting to a new normal. Plus, we explore what workplaces can do to support those on a similar recovery journey.

Join us and be inspired by Nick's story and gain an insight into life with a brain injury and overcoming the odds.

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In this episode, we chat to an expert on ADHD, and explore how workplaces can better support neurodiversity.

It’s estimated that over 280,000 Kiwis have ADHD. People from all walks of life, in all professions, live and work with ADHD.

But we don’t really talk about how businesses can lead for and accommodate different neurotypes.

We're joined by ADHD advocate, coach and facilitator Callum McKirdy. Together, we discuss how we can create work environments that understand the value that people with ADHD and other forms of neurodiversity can bring, and how to support them to thrive.

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