One of the areas of employee health and wellbeing is our emotional health. Most people run into challenges or conflicts with co-workers that drains their energy and negatively impacts their wellbeing.
We don’t talk about conflict management as a part of our standard wellness program because it feels outside of our scope. I tell you what…it’s not! Giving employees the skills to deal with difficult conversations can absolutely enhance their wellbeing.
Today’s guest is Dave Gerber. Dave specializes in transforming workplace conflicts and calls himself the Conflict Healer. Dave is President and Founder of Synergy Development and Training, LLC who motivates people to become the best version of themselves. Dave is also an Executive and Leadership Coach, Learning Expert, Trainer and Author.
In today’s episode, we talk about how he got into conflict management as an area of specialty, how conflict helps with productivity, the costs of conflict within organizations and tips on how to handle conflict.
For links mentioned in today's episode visit https://redesigningwellness.com/
In this episode, Marina Calabrese shares her insight in using innovative, effective communications strategies to ease the transitions of organizational change. She elaborates on why transparency with employees is vital and how it can lead to a more motivated and unified workforce.
Marina also shares how building trust through strong relationships opened the door for her to begin to implement change with leadership.
Marina also explains how her work with a younger staff led her to her passion in executive coaching. She then details for Jen her definition of the coaching approach and the benefits it has on empowering employees and making them more autonomous.
Marina also leaves tangible tips to using the coaching approach and communications in an organization to bring about effective change.
For links mentioned in today's episode visit https://redesigningwellness.com/
Kelly Howard, Director of Whole Health Education for the Veterans Health Administration explains how the VA has piloted the Whole Health Model to transform the way healthcare is delivered.
She elaborates on the 3-pronged program that includes clinicians, wellness clinics, and peer-based programs. This model changes the focus from the disease-based ‘find it, fix it’ model to whole person health.
Kelly and Jen dive deeper into the model discussing the different integrated health modalities, challenges in implementation, and ways wellness professionals can use the same concepts to transform the way healthcare is delivered in their own organizations.
Kelly also shares more about her time at West Point, her thoughts as 9/11 unfolded, and her two deployments in Iraq. Don’t miss this episode and the transformative way the VA is working to change healthcare in the US.
For links mentioned in today's episode visit https://redesigningwellness.com/
Kristen Gallagher, founder and CEO of Edify, shares how to create a successful employee onboarding experience. Edify is a learning strategy consultancy that solves people operations problems for growing companies.
Kristen elaborates on steps to take to comfort new hires as they enter a new job, company, and environment. Kristen also gives examples to set up new employees for success, resulting in a better workforce, more satisfied employee and employer, and cost savings.
Kristen and Jen also share past failures and successes that prove the importance of a quality employee onboarding program. Kristen then gives recommendations to wellness professionals on how they can create a more positive culture for new hires, even if they can’t restructure the entire onboarding process.
Don’t miss the important and impactful ways that employee onboarding can improve your organization.
For links mentioned in today's episode visit https://redesigningwellness.com/
Deb Smolensky, CEO and Co-Founder of the Mindful City Project and Michelle Spehr, Co-Founder and (self-proclaimed) Chief Framework Officer (CFO) share the vision of their initiative and why they felt compelled to start it.
Mindful City Project is a grassroots community movement uniting individuals, businesses and community leaders under the common tenets of mindfulness, emotional intelligence, compassion and generosity through a transformative framework and groundbreaking designation process.
Michelle, Deb and Jen chat about the personal and professional impacts of mindfulness, how to become a member Mindful City Project, and why it would benefit your city or organization to join.
Listening to these three is like eavesdropping on a table of friends at dinner as they share book, Ted talk, and app recommendations. They also share some takeaways and advice for wellness professionals to lead their organizations forward.
For links mentioned in today's episode visit https://redesigningwellness.com/
Nancy Board, Co-Founder/COO of Global Women 4 Wellbeing paints a clear picture of a toxic workplace and the negative impacts it has on wellbeing. She also discusses the many feelings that a toxic culture can create in employees such as stress, sadness, and depression.
Nancy and Jen elaborate on the impact of the recent #MeToo movement and sexual harassment in the workplace. Nancy also gives sound advice on what to do if you or a co-worker are experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace.
Nancy and Jen discuss signs to look for when interviewing for a new job to gauge the company’s environment, coping strategies if you must stay in a job with a toxic culture, and tips to maintain and protect your mental health in toxic environments.
For links mentioned in today's episode visit https://redesigningwellness.com/
Dee Edington recently went on sabbatical to wrap his mind around all that’s going on in the wellness industry in hopes of creating some order from the chaos.
In this wide ranging discussion, we cover everything from incentives to how we leave the employee out of wellness. As usual, Dee has some zingers in here and calls out a few practices that are not helping us move the industry forward.
We start off by why he decided to take a sabbatical, how ROI is often misstated, the pervasive “program” problem, weight loss programs and why Dee thinks the answers are in the outliers. He uses a fantastic analogy where he compares wellness programming to breakfast cereal and I learn he tweets.
For show notes visit https://
Julia Lee, Assistant Professor of Management and Organizations at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, explains her research which seeks to help employees navigate modern workplace challenges. Lee’s work in Relational Self Affirmation and her Reflective Best Self exercise help participants learn about themselves when at their best.
Julia and Jen also discuss the impact of distress, both how it shows up at the workplace and how it is perceived by others. Julia also shares how reframing distress can lead to positive outcomes on competence, promotability, and ability to maintain self-control.
Finally the pair dive into the impact of commuting to and from work. Listen in to understand how Julia Lee’s research can have a positive impact on your organization.
For links mentioned in today's episode visit https://redesigningwellness.com/
Yale professor Amy Wrzesniewski’s research on job crafting and finding the meaning of work has been published in a wide range of top academic journals and highlighted in several popular press outlets, including Time, Harvard Business Review, U.S. News and World Report, The New York Times, and The Economist, as well as bestselling books such as Give and Take by Adam Grant, Drive by Daniel Pink, The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor, Authentic Happiness by Martin Seligman, and The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler.
In this episode, Amy joins Jen to elaborate on her research and how employees shape their tasks, interactions, and relationships with others in the workforce to change the meaning of their job. Amy defines job crafting and its three components; task, relational, and cognitive and sharing how job crafting is already being done, even if it’s forbidden.
Listen in as the pair discuss job crafting’s effects on performance, the limits to job crafting, and how wellness professionals can use this opportunity to redefine what wellness is or could be in their organization.
Pharos Systems, a company founded in New Zealand, infused the unique culture into its workplace, resulting in a company rich in the spirit of acceptance, being open, and truly focusing on the engagement and joy of the worker.
Susy Bordin, who launched the corporate wellness initiative in 2015, shares her approach to creating a culture of wellness that upholds the founders’ philosophy.
Susy and Jen discuss how Pharos Systems’ wellness initiative is outside of, but still in collaboration with Human Resources and its use of incentives. She tells how her experience with the Search Inside Yourself, Google Training led her to co-create a 10-week program to share with Pharos employees.
Susy elaborates on ideas for outside the box Lunch and Learns, building wellness in a way that matters to employees, and how trying new things is important, even if they aren’t a mega-success.
For links mentioned in today's episode visit https://redesigningwellness.com/
Carrie Grace is on a mission to inspire others to spread joy and kindness, in hopes of people making the world a better place than they found it. She shares how her loving childhood experiences and volunteer work led to a lifestyle in which she always chooses love. Spreading joy and kindness even led her to throwing a birthday party on an airplane flight, 300 goodie bags included.
Tune in to hear Carrie explain that concept that people are walking around with invisible pain and encourages us to be someone’s kitchen table story.
Jen and Carrie also discuss how the fear of rejection can be a barrier to acts of kindness and ways to spread kindness at the workplace. Carrie currently travels the country inspiring others and has been featured in USA Today, Huffington Post, and His Radio.
For links mentioned in today's episode visit https://redesigningwellness.com/
Today’s guest, David Anderson, co-founded StayWell in 1989 and was its chief health officer until the end of 2016. Although he’s moved out of the day to day at Staywell, he still consults with the company to help them build an authentic culture. He recently made a bold statement about what we as a wellness industry need to do to up our game.
Listen in to hear David share a personal medical crisis he experienced, what he’s doing now that he is out of the day to day at Staywell and we get in depth in culture talk.
David defines an authentic culture, how a magical culture was built rather informally at Staywell (in the early years) and we talk about that strong call to action he gave to the wellness industry. Finally, David leaves us with his tangible tip on how wellness professionals can influence organizational culture.
For links mentioned in today's episode visit https://redesigningwellness.com/
Adam Schorr works to help people and companies tap into who they are, discover what signals they are sending to employees, and how to align employees with the company’s purpose. He shares how over time companies can become undesigned and some steps to take to get back on track with the desired purpose.
Adam and Jen also dive into how culture can move you closer to or further away from your company’s purpose and how health and well-being needs to be wired into the organization.
Tune in to hear Adam outline why wellness initiatives don’t last long-term and offer strategies to create a system/culture that naturally reinforces the desired behaviors.
For links mentioned in today's episode visit https://redesigningwellness.com/
Mary Miller shares her story of transforming JANCOA, a family-owned commercial cleaning business, into a company that helps employees pursue their dreams.
JANCOA created the Dream Manager program to help employees make their dream a reality whether it be learning English, owning a home, or even leaving the company to pursue another path.
Mary is also the author of Changing Directions: 10 Choices that Impact Your Dreams. Listen in as she and Jen discuss how Mary (and her husband Tony) went from a consultant firing JANCOA due to the company’s ‘people problem’ to a thriving company with a turnover rate 300% below the industry standard. Mary’s positive, upbeat nature and inspiring journey is sure to inspire anyone looking to transform a company from the inside out.
For links mentioned in today's episode visit https://redesigningwellness.com/
Dr. Michelle May shares how her personal struggle with failed diet plans and seeing this pattern repeat in her patients led her to create Am I Hungry? mindful eating programs and trainings.
Dr. May and Jen discuss the psychology of food, the role that deprivation has on long-term health and how true mindfulness can lead to a healthier relationship with food.
They also examine ways to shift the status quo and shift the paradigm of weight in the workplace. This episode is sure to benefit corporate wellness professionals looking to make an impact with their employees.
For links mentioned in today's episode visit https://redesigningwellness.com/
Creating wellness programs for front line workers (call centers, manufacturing line workers, customer service, retail, custodial) can present unique challenges compared to its office-population counterpart.
Jeremy Sherron, founder and Managing Director for Everest Wellness Corporation, shares how and why he focuses on the front line populations.
Everest Wellness Corporation is an employee wellness provider based in Baltimore, Maryland’s Inner Harbor. Jeremy also explains why there is an importance of serving wellness initiatives in multiple languages and how to address a sitting vs. standing population. Tune in to hear his unique perspective on wellness.
For links mentioned in today's episode visit https://redesigningwellness.com/
Through a program called AWARE-At Work As Responsible Employees and GameChangers-a flagship innovation program within Shell Oil Company, Mandar Apte empowered employees to use their whole selves to become valuable innovators in the company. He also changed the thinking of leadership to see the value of incorporating yoga and meditation into the workplace.
Tune into to hear more details as Mandar and Jen discuss his journey moving from Mumbai to Tulsa, OK, his tenure at Shell Oil Company, and his latest project From India With Love.
This endeavor stemmed Mandar feeling deeply pained by the ongoing violence in America and his desire to reinvigorate our commitment to nonviolence.
For links mentioned in today's episode visit https://redesigningwellness.com/
Episodic depression, anxiety, and stress are mental health issues that affect many people in the workplace. Often these issues either come with a stigma or even worse, are not spoken about, addressed, or treated.
This week Jen is joined by Dr. Natalie Dattilo, licensed clinical psychologist and behavioral health consultant, to explore ways to break the stigma of mental health issues.
Dr. Dattilo also shares her focus of women and mental health issues, why women are at an increased risk, and how having a conversation about mental health can positively impact employees and the workplace. Tune in as Dr. Dattilo and Jen also discuss effects of stress on performance, mindset training, and tangible tips to break the stigma.
For links mentioned in today's episode visit https://redesigningwellness.com/
Finding people’s strengths, changing the way you talk about a problem, and positive possibilities are key to creating change in organizations. Instead of problem diagnosis, Dr. Ronald Fry shares how his work in Appreciative Inquiry (AI) focuses on opportunity and future direction to drive change.
Dr. Ronald Fry is a Professor of Organizational Behavior at Case Western Reserve University and former Chairman of the Department of Organizational Behavior.
With Appreciative Inquiry, Dr. Fry reconnects systems to existing strengths, best practices, or life-giving forces that have helped it be most effective. Listen in to hear how Appreciative Inquiry impacted the United States Navy’s turnover, resulting in a $2 billion cost savings. Don’t miss Jen and Dr. Fry dissect Appreciative Inquiry and how to infuse it into your workplace.
For links mentioned in today's episode visit https://redesigningwellness.com/
A recent court ruling on wellness programs could reshape the use of incentives. Attorney Barbara Zabawa of the Center for Health & Wellness Law and author of Rule the Rules on Workplace Wellness Programs explains the history of the 2016 case which the AARP sued the EEOC, the motions along the way, and the recent court ruling which may change the way we do wellness programs.
Tune in to hear Barbara and Jen explore why this ruling may not be such a good thing and what to look for in the year ahead.
They also discuss reasons for caution in using incentives in wellness programs and how to comply with various acts such as HIPPA, Title 7, Worker’s Compensation Act, and Scope of Practice.
For links mentioned in today's episode visit https://redesigningwellness.com/
Creating positive organizations is key for workers, teams, and organizations to perform at their highest levels. Dr. Gretchen Spreitzer, Faculty Director for the Center for Positive Organizations, gives concrete ways, drawn from her research, to promote a thriving organization.
Dr. Spreitzer’s work has created tools to help people develop more of their full potential or their organization’s full potential.
Tune in to hear Dr. Spreitzer and Jen delve into the reasons for burnout, what it means to be a thriving organization, and how to ensure more vitality and learning in your work. They discuss ways to enable more thriving for ourselves and our organizations-both on the individual and leadership side, barriers to a thriving environment, and how to deal with jerks at work.
For links mentioned in today's episode visit https://redesigningwellness.com/
In this week’s episode of Redesigning Wellness, Jen sits down with John Perkins, New York Times Bestselling Author, Activist, and Chief Economist. John is also the founder and chairman of Dream Change, an organization covered on our previous podcast with Samantha Thomas.
Today, we learn about John’s newest book, The New Confessions of an Economic Hitman. He provides us with insights on his experience as an economic hitman and opens up to us about the moment he realized he had to get out. John’s confessional was officially published in 2004, but it didn’t come without bribes and threats.
Tune in to hear his fascinating story and become inspired by how we as individuals have the power to create positive change within today’s current economy.
For show notes visit https://redesigningwellness.com/
In this week’s episode of Redesigning Wellness, Jen sits down with Bob Merberg, Founder and Principal Managing Consultant for Jozito, LLC. This episode is quite a bit different than previous ones you may
have heard.
Jen and Bob engage in a contemplative conversation around what took place for wellness in 2017 and what they think 2018 will hold. They cover both the highs and lows our profession has faced in the past year, how we can look forward and adapt, and who in the industry has really come forth and inspired change.
So, what’s next for wellness? Tune in to hear some of Jen and Bob’s predictions for 2018.
Happy New Year!
For show notes visit https://redesigningwellness.com/