# wellbeing
69 moments across 49 episodes. Click any moment to jump straight to that part of the episode.
50:44Workplace Surgery: Acknowledging Financial AnxietyLeanne Elliott: Really? Al Elliott: Yes, because I think that's what a lot of managers would ask, going, if I can't fix it, do I even bring it up? Leanne Elliott: When you and I volunteered for the Samaritans and we woulEP 310 · 16 Jun 2026·workplace surgery· 50:44–53:170:02Word of the Week: Dark ShoweringAl Elliott: Coming up this week in work Leanne Elliott: Imagine if there was a simple way to wind down your body and brain after a hard day at work. Something really simple that you're probably doing every day anyway. WeEP 308 · 9 Jun 2026·news roundup· 0:02–12:1640:38Resilience, flexibility, and emotional regulationLeanne Elliott: Another kind of, again, the final cluster that came up, and these are words that get thrown around all the time: resilience, flexibility, agility. They're often used a lot. Again, what do you think that lEP 307 · 4 Jun 2026·interview· 40:38–46:4346:24Workplace Surgery: The workaholic wellbeing hypocriteAl Elliott: There we go. That's your new TED Talk, The Notion of Demotion. I like it. I like it. Okay, on to question number 2. This person says they're a hypocrite, but they don't know quite how to stop. So they write, EP 306 · 2 Jun 2026·workplace surgery· 46:24–55:0145:57Workplace Surgery: Why isn't anyone using our wellbeing benefits?Al Elliott: Brilliant. Okay. Onto question number 2. Thank you, Leigh. Onto question number 2. Why isn't anyone using our wellbeing benefits? We offer a range of wellbeing benefits like support resources, initiatives, anEP 298 · 5 May 2026·workplace surgery· 45:57–49:4925:32The wellbeing investment you're overlookingLeanne Elliott: Um, what else have I seen? Wellbeing. Are companies actually missing the one wellbeing investment that actually works? I'll answer this for you. Yes Al Elliott: Excellent. Tell us what it is Leanne ElliotEP 296 · 28 Apr 2026·news roundup· 25:32–30:4039:50Leading Through Burnout When You're Running on EmptyAl Elliott: So I'll read the question. Uh, so this person's writing in and basically the problem is that their team's burning out and so are they. So they write, I can see my team is burning out. The energy's gone. PeoplEP 292 · 14 Apr 2026·news roundup· 39:50–44:0512:41Brand Well-being: The New Competitive Advantage?Al Elliott: Yes, yes Leanne Elliott: Not sure about those data points. Check, check those. Yeah, dig deeper into those. I'm, I'm sceptical as to As to that and would— yeah. Anyway, what have you seen this week, Al? Al ElEP 282 · 10 Mar 2026·news roundup· 12:41–20:4717:28Wellbeing Perks: The $200 Cleaning StipendLeanne Elliott: I saw a very cool article in Fortune by somebody called Christina Lee, who has just joined Slate, the company, as head of marketing. And she was talking about how she She shared a thought about burnout anEP 268 · 20 Jan 2026·news roundup· 17:28–22:2117:15Leanne's pick: Dr Marie-Hélène Pelletier on strategic resilienceLeanne Elliott: It's episode 171, The Science of Resilience with Dr. Marie-Hélène Pelletier. And this one takes us all the way back to February 2025. Oh, the hope that we had for the world in February Al Elliott: Oh, we EP 261 · 25 Dec 2025·other· 17:15–28:3011:45The rise of micro-joysAl Elliott: Everyone knows that the link is always in the show notes. So I came across an article and it It was based on some research by Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer. Um, they've got a book called Pro— The Progress EP 256 · 9 Dec 2025·news roundup· 11:45–17:0118:1219 Ways to Improve Your Life According to ScienceLeanne Elliott: Changing the tone slightly. 19 ways to improve your life according to science. I have actually talked about this article before on the podcast, but ages ago, probably like a year, maybe even 18 months agoEP 232 · 16 Sept 2025·news roundup· 18:12–23:2911:12Emotional exhaustion: the precursor to burnoutJohn Michel: Yeah. So emotional exhaustion is kind of the precursor to burnout. So burnout is when you become so taxed, so stressed, And your body, because you haven't coped emotionally or physically, your body is kind oEP 223 · 14 Aug 2025·interview· 11:12–14:1412:23How Carolina knew it was more than a bad weekAl Elliott: What's the difference between having a bad week or a bad month and what you felt like? How did you know it wasn't just something that, oh, it'll pass? Carolina Lasso: I thought it would be something that woulEP 221 · 7 Aug 2025·interview· 12:23–15:3628:00What flourishing actually feels likeAl Elliott: For someone who's listening to this and going, you've used all these fluff words that I read everywhere, mindfulness, purpose, all this kind of stuff, transcendence. They're still not convinced. Is the one meEP 221 · 7 Aug 2025·interview· 28:00–35:2415:57Return-to-office mandates are harming wellbeing before they're even enforcedLeanne Elliott: What have I seen this week? The fear of being ordered back into the office is apparently affecting UK employee wellbeing. That's according to The Guardian this week Al Elliott: I don't think you need to sEP 216 · 22 Jul 2025·news roundup· 15:57–21:0343:19Workplace Surgery — how far should wellbeing go?Leanne Elliott: Excellent question. Very simple answer. If you are a UK business, that employs 2 or more people, you have a legal obligation to order the stress risk factors within your business every 12 months. And if yEP 214 · 15 Jul 2025·workplace surgery· 43:19–48:022:30BrewDog's Wellbeing Rebrand: Real Change or PR Stunt?Al Elliott: Okay, I've done the jingle. Leanne, what have you seen this week? Leanne Elliott: BrewDog Al Elliott: Oh, okay. BrewDog. For those people who don't know about BrewDog, they're a UK-based— were the darling of EP 212 · 8 Jul 2025·news roundup· 2:30–10:0926:52Hot Take — Is alcohol a workplace wellbeing blind spot?Leanne Elliott: Welcome back. It is time for our hot take, the moment in the show where we hear a bold opinion about the world of work Al Elliott: Have you been drinking? Leanne Elliott: I wish I had. And today's is thisEP 204 · 10 Jun 2025·hot take· 26:52–40:1844:33Q8 — The role of positive psychology in the summer slumpAl Elliott: Great. So, last question here, number 8, I've got, what role does positive psychology play in navigating the summer slowdown? I think this is— Leanne talks a lot about positive psychology. Um, I'm gonna ask LEP 203 · 5 Jun 2025·other· 44:33–46:0030:08The Oxford University wellbeing researchLeanne Elliott: Do you worry that, that some business leaders might just read the headlines or skip through the stories quoting that research and make assumptions? Sarah Hughes: Yes, I do, sadly. And I think that's the pEP 195 · 8 May 2025·interview· 30:08–32:1032:53Workplace Surgery: can business owners put their wellbeing first?Leanne Elliott: You, you, this is very normal. Very, very normal. And I think there's a couple of things here. First of all, and this is a bit of tough love, you haven't run out of time. You've just chosen to prioritize EP 192 · 29 Apr 2025·workplace surgery· 32:53–39:125:17The true cost of financial insecurity at workLeanne Elliott: Okay. Basically, when you're looking at the field of wellbeing more generally, there are lots of sources of stress on people in the workplace. They could be your relationship with your boss. It could be aEP 160 · 7 Jan 2025·other· 5:17–9:3645:18Workplace Surgery: wellbeing on a budgetLeanne Elliott: Oh dear Al Elliott: I know I might have started this a little bit too effusively. Um, and also noticed, I've also noticed more people working through lunches or logging on during evenings. I want to make EP 154 · 17 Dec 2024·workplace surgery· 45:18–51:5618:02Hot Take: Amy McKeown on why 'wellbeing' is on the way outAl Elliott: Okay, after this very, very short break, we'll be back with this week's hot take from Amy McKeown, and it is a spicy one. I know we say this every week, but this one, this one taken out of context could actuaEP 150 · 3 Dec 2024·hot take· 18:02–35:2836:13Workplace Surgery: Proving the ROI of wellbeing initiativesLeanne Elliott: Born ready, Al Al Elliott: Born ready, baby. Okay. I own a consulting firm with 8 full-time employees and Okay Leanne Elliott: YeahEP 136 · 15 Oct 2024·workplace surgery· 36:13–41:3313:10The changing face of sick leaveLeanne Elliott: Well, another interesting article I saw this week came from Business Insider discussing how sick leave has changed since the pandemic and how it might be getting a little more complicated. There may even EP 128 · 17 Sept 2024·news roundup· 13:10–21:1413:5519 science-backed ways to improve your lifeLeanne Elliott: Yes, I saw an article on the BPS. That's the British Psychological Society website. And they gave us 19 science-based hacks to improve your life. So it's one of those lists that you always see on like, onEP 126 · 10 Sept 2024·news roundup· 13:55–19:1214:30The unique mental health pressures of expat lifeLeanne Elliott: I'm curious, as you're talking, what I'm thinking is, do expats experience some mental health challenges differently? Like burnout, for example. Is that a universal experience or does that look a bit diffEP 118 · 25 Jul 2024·interview· 14:30–22:1816:05Tip 4: Well-being is the Responsibility of the Individual AND the Organisation (Dr. Audrey Tang)Al Elliott: Dr. Audrey Tang is a long-term friend and supporter of the show. We interviewed her most recently on episodes 69 and 70, How to Keep calm using mindfulness. Dr. Audrey is a chartered psychologist and a mentalEP 102 · 30 May 2024·other· 16:05–23:097:45News: Finland's happiness secrets and the happiest Gen Z countriesLeanne Elliott: What have you got, Al? Al Elliott: Okay, so Finland is the world's happiest country according to a World Happiness Report. A Finnish psychologist thinks this is down to the 4 phrases that people of FinlanEP 84 · 26 Mar 2024·news roundup· 7:45–11:500:33Intro: Meeting Jodie Hill at the Mad World SummitJodie Hill: Nice Jodie Hill: A lot of them will think, well, I had to work really hard to get to that point, so hell no, you're not having the, the changes. Plus I'm thinking, well, I'm equity now, so I'm not spending thEP 73 · 11 Jan 2024·intro· 0:33–4:0112:44The SRA's New Principles on Wellbeing and Anti-DiscriminationLeanne Elliott: Let's talk about making money for a second. I think some people Might think— I mean, I say some people, not you, dear listener, because you know ours and you know the deal. But I think some people might tEP 73 · 11 Jan 2024·interview· 12:44–15:3624:05Secret #1 — Rest and recoveryAl Elliott: We actually have a lot in common. We both use behavioral science to help people do better at work midroll (Phil Agnew, Nudge): And 2 out of 3 of us are devilishly good-looking Al Elliott: Seamless, seamless. EP 70 · 21 Dec 2023·panel interview· 24:05–25:2143:17Who's responsible for wellbeing and closing thoughtsLeanne Elliott: Yeah, I mean, there is often often a debate about who's responsible for well-being. Is it the individual or is it the organization? And inevitably it's both. But as Dr. Audrey explains, investing in our oEP 70 · 21 Dec 2023·panel interview· 43:17–46:420:33What mindfulness really is (and isn't)Sean Tolram: Nice Al Elliott: Check out hopspot.com, the agentic customer platform for growing businesses Dr Audrey Tang: If we feel like crying, something is clearly wrong. So first of all, cry. Find that balance again.EP 69 · 14 Dec 2023·panel interview· 0:33–5:2016:48Keeping ourselves mentally fitLeanne Elliott: We need to psychologically move on from the setbacks. That's how we are— we keep ourselves mentally fit. That's how we bounce back. That is literally the definition of resilience. But to move on, we do neEP 65 · 17 Nov 2023·other· 16:48–22:2711:49Priority 1 — Focus on mental healthLeanne Elliott: So the first priority for 2024, focus on mental health. If you're thinking, I've heard all of this before, then stop. Françoise from ACAS explains that mental health is the number one reason for absence, EP 63 · 2 Nov 2023·other· 11:49–18:1536:50Trend 6 — Individual wellbeingLeanne Elliott: I think we are bullish on, on wellbeing and looking at wellbeing from an organisational level because we know that this systemic change is the only thing that will improve overall mental health and wellbeEP 61 · 19 Oct 2023·other· 36:50–44:1814:09Clip 3 — Sally: the burnout episodeLeanne Elliott: So my next clip is from another what I felt was a pivotal point in the history of the podcast. So this is going back to January of this year, January 2023, and it was our episodes on burnout. I could haveEP 52 · 17 Aug 2023·other· 14:09–16:0413:07What is happiness? State vs. wellbeing, and why contentment can be dangerousAl Elliott: Okay, Leah. So the meat and potatoes of the episode, I think it is— did we, did we say this was the definition of happiness? Leanne Elliott: I worry that we're excluding vegetarians and vegans by calling it tEP 51 · 10 Aug 2023·other· 13:07–17:2124:04Happiness vs. wellbeing — why leaders should focus on wellbeingAl Elliott: So we've got these 4 chemicals. I think I understand them. Um, what's the difference between happiness and wellbeing? You said at the beginning that, that one's a state, but you didn't really go into what welEP 51 · 10 Aug 2023·other· 24:04–27:4627:46Can we increase happiness? Research, money & the £20k vs £80k divideAl Elliott: So can we increase— so if we, if we assume that we've nailed the wellbeing and everyone's happy— sorry, that was a bad, bad choice of words. If we assume that we've nailed the wellbeing, then can we actually EP 51 · 10 Aug 2023·other· 27:46–32:2439:28What leaders can (and can't) do — environment over emotionsAl Elliott: So we talked about wellbeing as something in your teams, in your company's wellbeing is really, really important. Is it down to the leader? Is it the leader's responsibility to increase happiness? Leanne ElliEP 51 · 10 Aug 2023·other· 39:28–43:5750:20The commuting conundrum — how travel time wrecks happinessLeanne Elliott: I think leaders should care about happiness and positive wellbeing But that is kind of the outcome, isn't it? It's like saying, you know, should leaders care about being profitable? Of course. But caring EP 51 · 10 Aug 2023·other· 50:20–55:5855:58Random acts of kindness — and the ripple effectLeanne Elliott: Random acts of kindness. This is a very viral thing, I think, isn't it, at the moment? And, and has been for a long time and certainly something that a lot of organisations, I think, are adopting. Random EP 51 · 10 Aug 2023·other· 55:58–58:3758:37VITALS — the positive psychology exercise you can try todayAl Elliott: What else you got, Leanne? Leanne Elliott: So finally, a little exercise I've mentioned before, VITALS. This again is based on Seligman and positive psychology. So these are VITALS. The first one is values. SEP 51 · 10 Aug 2023·other· 58:37–62:1262:12Closing thoughts — happiness is learnableAl Elliott: Fabulous. So I hope we've comprehensively covered happiness. Is there anything we've left out, Leanne? Leanne Elliott: I think the last thing I would say is that happiness is definitely something that can be—EP 51 · 10 Aug 2023·other· 62:12–66:000:33Intro and the $8 billion wellbeing market?: Nice Al Elliott: Check out hopspot.com, the agentic customer platform for growing businesses Ryan: Uh, all stemmed from about 13 years ago. I had an accident. I broke my leg and my ankle, and I was depressed and endedEP 49 · 27 Jul 2023·intro· 0:33–4:0172:11Trend 7: Technology and AIRyan: 'Cause you can take a horse to the well-being water, but you can't make it drink. So you can create the space and do all these things a business can, but then it's down to the individual. But you can encourage themEP 49 · 27 Jul 2023·panel interview· 72:11–77:5215:21Lesson 1 — Wellbeing isn't a perk, it's a business strategyLeanne Elliott: Yeah, there are so many trends around people and culture, and it can feel like they're changing quite frequently. So what we've tried to do is pick out the lessons that seem like they're here to stay or hEP 47 · 13 Jul 2023·panel interview· 15:21–30:3221:17Theme 3: Individualisation in wellbeingLeanne Elliott: Right? Al Elliott: So I'm qualified Leanne Elliott: Okay?EP 37 · 3 May 2023·other· 21:17–25:2762:36Theme 9: The outlook for people and cultureLeanne Elliott: So number 9 is the fact that culture and wellbeing is here to stay, regardless of the changes in remote work, with hybrid work, with the economy, postcode recovery, the list goes on. There was one thing tEP 37 · 3 May 2023·other· 62:36–66:5850:41The surprising wellbeing and sleep benefitsLeanne Elliott: Joe also found that it had an impact on wellbeing. Al Elliott: So one of the things that was actually observed within the trials was the amount of sleep that everyone participating was getting each night.EP 36 · 25 Apr 2023·other· 50:41–54:2486:35No. 8: Respect people's timeLeanne Elliott: I remember doing a wellbeing audit for a client and they couldn't understand why people were unhappy when they would let them go home early from work. Like, they had a really great day and they'd be like,EP 34 · 12 Apr 2023·other· 86:35–88:1564:33What employers can do to support women's healthAl Elliott: I'd like to see employers taking some responsibility for the health and well-being of their staff and getting rid of burnout culture. And that means listening to the problems that women have and actively suppEP 32 · 29 Mar 2023·other· 64:33–67:4767:47Burnout prevention — where to startLeanne Elliott: Yeah Al Elliott: Really does genuinely make a difference to how well your team will function and also how the individual members of the team will feel about their work. When we look at the workplace factoEP 32 · 29 Mar 2023·other· 67:47–70:2858:17The health cost of bad leadershipAl Elliott: So, this idea of not knowing yourself, not knowing your values, not being very self-aware, you know, it can lead to you being an asshole boss. But it can also lead to actually something a bit worse, as Rob exEP 30 · 15 Mar 2023·panel interview· 58:17–59:4663:39V.I.T.A.L.S — a systems approach to well-beingRob Kalwarowsky: Yeah, so I'll start off with, uh, and this comes from literature or the work in systems change leadership, right? So if you look at people who are profoundly, they, they change the world in profound waysEP 30 · 15 Mar 2023·panel interview· 63:39–66:2356:41Well-washing vs. genuine wellbeing culturesLeanne Elliott: Let's hear a bit more from Simon on the importance of a wellbeing culture Simon Berger: There's so many solutions out there, and that's what people are calling well-washing and stuff. Now it's about usingEP 28 · 1 Mar 2023·panel interview· 56:41–59:1811:32What the judges look for and the role of ESGLeanne Elliott: So clearly a business case there once again for prioritizing Wellbeing and healthy workplaces. Let's hear Donna. So as we said, Donna is Head of Operations and People at Open Credo, who is the winner in tEP 24 · 31 Jan 2023·other· 11:32–22:4828:50Worrying trends: worsening health and burnoutLeanne Elliott: It is a simple thing, and it's a simple thing that you can put in place now, that you could have in, in place in your business at your next board meeting. You know, just having, having that person responsEP 24 · 31 Jan 2023·other· 28:50–35:0535:05The cornerstones of wellbeingAl Elliott: Yeah, absolutely. And I think you, like, we talk about the Nick Leeson, who's— God, that must be like 25 years ago. Nick Leeson, I can't remember which company, but he was the— they did a, um, a film or a movEP 24 · 31 Jan 2023·other· 35:05–38:1438:14The business case for wellbeingAl Elliott: Definitely, definitely. And so let's move on to the business case for wellbeing. So this is our final push to you to say this. As Leanne said, this isn't fluff. This isn't, oh, it's nice to have. This isn't, EP 24 · 31 Jan 2023·other· 38:14–40:0541:09Getting started: practical steps and final takeawaysLeanne Elliott: Very nice. Very well said. A really great sentiment from Donna there. And again, I think just that authenticity shines through. So let's say that you are convinced, you understand the business case for haEP 24 · 31 Jan 2023·other· 41:09–51:119:31Leanne's personal burnout storyAl Elliott: So this is something which I've experienced with Leanne, my co-host and wife. About 3 or 4 years ago, you were working on a contract that wasn't exactly what you want to be working on, if I remember. And it cEP 21 · 13 Jan 2023·other· 9:31–11:2231:32Recommendation 2 — Invest in your own well-beingLeanne Elliott: One of the things that I do ask people to look out for is high levels of resentment. This, to me, is the key to everything. If you are getting an email from a particular person, and every single time you EP 21 · 13 Jan 2023·other· 31:32–39:1514:21Prediction 9: Wellbeing moves from perk to priorityLeanne Elliott: Prediction number 9 is wellbeing. I think we start to see this more in 2022, and already my feed is full, and I think that's typical of January anyway, uh, full of lots of things around wellbeing and wellEP 19 · 4 Jan 2023·other· 14:21–18:4232:00Prediction 12: Wearables and workplace wellbeingAl Elliott: Keep that in. Brilliant. Okay, so my final— well, my final one, which is the penultimate one, is And number 12 is a prediction around wearables. Now, this is a bit of a difficult one, and I don't have all theEP 19 · 4 Jan 2023·other· 32:00–38:19
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