What struck ewe most from this episode - and why?

In her own words Emma Hossack is "a recovering perfectionist" having burnt out not once but twice, after each of her children were born whilst juggling a high octane pharmaceutical sales career.

Today she and her partners at WeTalkWellbeing help organisations and most importantly their people to be their most authentic, happy and resilient selves.

Not in a fluffy way however.

Emma is a strong believer in data and feels this is often the missing element in businesses managing the wellbeing of their people.

One of the tools WeTalkWellbeing offer is the WRAW (Workplace Resilience and Wellbeing) Index, a framework that provides a data-fuelled starting point and strategy for organisations.

Aspects covered in our discussion include:
- training should be 'for' not 'done to' co-workers
- boundaries are key for purpose and happiness
- fruit in the office and gym memberships are not a panacea
- the motivational shift from money to purpose, especially GenZers

As per other episodes in this series, Emma declares that one size does not fit all. Not just within one organisation but across different industry sectors and business types too.

And two fundamentals to finish on:
- thinking is not the same as knowing - data must be used to design a company's wellbeing programme
- leaders need to ask themselves "how am I modelling wellbeing and resilience?" as it all starts with them.

Our thanks to Emma for another fascinating and thought-provoking insight into the world of Workplace Wellness, punctuated as always with comparisons to the world of sheep, shepherds and their dogs.

Enjoy - and thank ewe for listening 😊🎧

FREE resources:

Explore the WRAW (Workplace Resilience And Wellbeing) Index
Blogs and reports on resilience and wellbeing on Emma's WeTalkWellbeing website

Sheep, Shepherd or Dog - which one are ewe? Take our personality quiz and find out.

Connect with the speakers via LinkedIn:
Emma Hossack - Director, WeTalkWellbeing and Founder, Transforming Minds for Business
Caroline Palmer - Top Dog and co-founder, Raising the Baa
Chris Farnsworth - Head Shepherd and co-founder, Raising the Baa & author of 'Sheep Shepherd Dog - Building a Magnificent Team Around You'

What are your main team challenges and desires? Maybe we can help?
Book in a 15-minute Exploratory Call now and let's see.

What struck ewe most from this episode - and why?

Lizzie Benton describes herself as a 'progressive culture coach'.

Her business Liberty Mind helps its clients to adopt an alternative way of working that unleashes people to create their best work.

In this episode Lizzie shares her thoughts on the world of wellbeing in the workplace - or not 'wellbeing' perhaps.

For example:
- it's NOT a separate entity, a label which can come across as patronising or condescending
- it's NOT always something for which the HR department should have total responsibility
- it's NOT about covering every single eventuality (clue: it is about mutual trust)
- it's NOT a 'should do' exercise, it's key to future recruitment and talent retention

Lizzie also shares truly helpful insights for those, possibly larger, organisations where traditional blueprints may be harder to discard and start afresh.

And as is our habit, here's the books by Elizabeth Gilbert that Lizzie mentioned: Eat Pray Love and Big Magic - Creative Living Beyond Fear.

Questions? Ping them our way! Simply message us through any of our social channels or email caroline@raisingthebaa.com and we'll ensure it is answered in a future episode or privately by one of our guest experts, whichever is most suitable.

Enjoy - and thank ewe for listening 😊🎧

FREE resources:

A wealth of in-depth blogs on all aspects of company culture
Lizzie's own podcast: Workplace Liberation - Make It Thrive

Sheep, Shepherd or Dog - which one are ewe? Take our personality quiz and find out.

Connect with the speakers via LinkedIn:
Lizzie Benton - Founder at Liberty Mind UK and Semco Style Pathfinder
Caroline Palmer - Top Dog and co-founder, Raising the Baa
Chris Farnsworth - Head Shepherd and co-founder, Raising the Baa & author of 'Sheep Shepherd Dog - Building a Magnificent Team Around You'

What are your main team challenges and desires? Maybe we can help?
Book in a 15-minute Exploratory Call now and let's see.

What struck ewe most from this episode - and why?

What are your main team challenges and desires? Maybe we can help?
Book in a 15-minute Exploratory Call now and let's see.

What struck ewe most from this episode - and why?

Good Mental Health is Good Business.

So says the brochure of Aurora Wellness Group, co-founded by culture change strategist Ngozi Weller with psychologist and behavioural change specialist Obehi Alofoje.

Ngozi had a truly compelling reason for launching Aurora in 2017 and she opens up this episode by telling us her impactful and at times heart-wrenching story.

We go on to discuss:
- why looking after people is a win-win for ALL companies and how it impacts the bottom line
- practical ways to support line managers, the front line in looking after your teams
- who looks after the HR crew (and the shepherds!)

Ngozi's thoughts and tips are, as always, interspersed with analogies to the world of shepherding brought alive by Chris, Head Shepherd and co-founder of Raising the Baa.

Questions? We love 'em! Simply message us through any of our social channels or email caroline@raisingthebaa.com and we'll ensure it is answered in a future episode or privately by one of our guest experts whichever is most suitable.

Enjoy - and thank ewe for listening 😊🎧


FREE resources:
Rise of the New Leader - white paper produced by Aurora
The Wellbeing Rebellion - Aurora's new podcast

Sheep, Shepherd or Dog - which one are ewe? Take our personality quiz and find out.

Connect with the speakers via LinkedIn:
Ngozi Weller - Director and co-founder, Aurora Wellness Group
Caroline Palmer - Top Dog and co-founder, Raising the Baa
Chris Farnsworth - Head Shepherd and co-founder, Raising the Baa & author of 'Sheep Shepherd Dog - Building a Magnificent Team Around You'

What are your main team challenges and desires? Maybe we can help?
Book in a 15-minute Exploratory Call now and let's see.

What struck ewe most from this episode - and why?

Two big themes come through loud and clear to us in our interview with this week's guest:

PURPOSE and ASKING

Michelle Reid is People and Operations Director at the Edinburgh-based Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM).

Having progressed within her 5 years at IOM from HR Manager to a seat on the Board, Michelle is clearly an utterly authentic 'people person'.

We loved the way she doesn't just talk theory. Practically all her points are illustrated, sensitively, by real-life stories from life at IOM.

Upon joining the IOM, Michelle asked every member of staff (around 100 at the time) just FOUR questions. They may be simple but their answers were like gold-dust. The answers provided the IOM's first people plan. And they could create yours' too.

Michelle's thoughts and tips are, as always, interspersed with analogies to the world of shepherding brought alive by Chris, Head Shepherd and co-founder of Raising the Baa.

Questions? We love 'em! Simply message us through any of our social channels or email caroline@raisingthebaa.com and we'll ensure it is answered in a future episode or privately by one of our guest experts whichever is most suitable.

Enjoy - and thank ewe for listening 😊🎧


FREE resource:
Sheep, Shepherd or Dog - which one are ewe? Take our personality quiz and find out.

Connect with the speakers via LinkedIn:
Michelle Reid - People and Operations Director, Institute of Occupational Medicine
Caroline Palmer - Top Dog and co-founder, Raising the Baa
Chris Farnsworth - Head Shepherd and co-founder, Raising the Baa & author of 'Sheep Shepherd Dog - Building a Magnificent Team Around You'

What are your main team challenges and desires? Maybe we can help?
Book in a 15-minute Exploratory Call now and let's see.

What struck ewe most from this episode - and why?

Having left her corporate HRD career in 2020, Carolyn Hobdey is passionate about improving workplace culture - or community as she prefers to call it - through human-centred leadership.

Carolyn is achieving this through her Midlife Mistress platform, making your (mid)life matter and more recently as co-founder of BEing HUMAN at the Farm Club, a rural leadership wellbeing space.

In our conversation with Carolyn, learn about:
- our personal micro-climate
- how to save time and money by asking your team members the right questions
- thinking holistically - become a corporate athlete
- the 6 SIMPLE strategies for No More People Problems [*free* download in Resources section below]

Carolyn's words of wisdom will be interspersed with analogies to the world of shepherding brought alive by Chris, Head Shepherd and co-founder of Raising the Baa.

Questions? We love 'em! Simply message us through any of our social channels or email caroline@raisingthebaa.com and we'll ensure it is answered in a future episode or privately by one of our guest experts whichever is most suitable.

Enjoy - and thank ewe for listening 😊🎧

Free resources:
Carolyn's whitepaper: 6 SIMPLE strategies for No More People Problems

FREE resource:
Sheep, Shepherd or Dog - which one are ewe? Take our personality quiz and find out.

Connect with the speakers via LinkedIn:
Carolyn Hobdey - Consultant, Educator, Speaker and Author / The Midlife Mistress
Caroline Palmer - Top Dog and co-founder, Raising the Baa
Chris Farnsworth - Head Shepherd and co-founder, Raising the Baa & author of 'Sheep Shepherd Dog - Building a Magnificent Team Around You'

What are your main team challenges and desires? Maybe we can help?
Book in a 15-minute Exploratory Call now and let's see.

What struck ewe most from this episode - and why?

Welcome back to this season of SheepDip - themed Workplace Wellness.

With a different expert on each show, you will be inspired by their insights and walk away with practical advice on how to create a healthy, sustainable culture for teams to thrive.

Our second guest is Flick Wileman, Global Wellbeing & Engagement Lead at Reckitt, which pursues a cleaner, healthier world through brands such as as Dettol, Durex and Nurofen.

Hear Flick's incredible journey from a fascinating, and different, childhood, through quitting university after 6 months to a senior global role at a household name company employing over 40,000 people.

Flick's passion for equality, diversity and inclusion comes through loud and clear throughout the interview and she shares truly practical advice on steps to take for your teams' wellbeing.

Purpose is central to all of Flick's strategies. And, it all starts, every time, with WHY.

She may have left her first degree course within the first year, but she is now somehow studying, in her own time and through self investment, a BSc in Business Psychology. She runs to feed her body and mind, since she listens to a podcast whilst doing so.

🎧 Here are some of Flick's go-to podcasts:

Diary of a CEO - Steve Bartlett
Jake Humphrey - The High Performance Podcast
Dr Amanda Potter - The Chief Psychology Officer

📚 And the books which have had a major impact on Flick's life:

Start with Why - Simon Sinek
Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway - Susan Jeffers
How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie
Growth Mindset - Carol Dweck

Questions? We love 'em! Simply message us through any of our social channels or email caroline@raisingthebaa.com and we'll ensure it is answered in a future episode or privately by one of our guest experts whichever is most suitable.

Enjoy - and thank ewe for listening 😊🎧

Connect with the speakers via LinkedIn:
Flick Wileman, Global Wellbeing & Engagement Lead at Reckitt
Caroline Palmer - Top Dog and co-founder, Raising the Baa
Chris Farnsworth - Head Shepherd and co-founder, Raising the Baa & author of 'Sheep Shepherd Dog - Building a Magnificent Team Around You'

What are your main team challenges and desires? Maybe we can help?
Book in a 15-minute Exploratory Call now and let's see.

What struck ewe most from this episode - and why?

Welcome to the 7th season of SheepDip - themed Workplace Wellness.

With a different expert on each show, you will be inspired by their insights and walk away with practical advice on how to create a healthy, sustainable culture for teams to thrive.

Our first guest is Anastasia Vinnikova, Head of Workplace Wellbeing at City Mental Health Alliance about which you will learn in the show. With personal experience, as she openly shares, of mental health issues, Anastasia also volunteers much of her precious spare time as a trustee of InspireUK and a Lived Experience Advisor at Samaritans.

Since Anastasia's career background is in early careers we discuss particularly the impact of, for example, hybrid or remote working on those starting out in their careers. And importantly how to create an environment in which they can grow and feel a sense of belonging from the outset.

There are two downloads on this topic in the free resources section below.

If this episode prompts any questions, message us through any of our social channels or email caroline@raisingthebaa.com and we'll ensure it is answered in a future episode or privately by one of our guest experts whichever is most suitable.

Enjoy - and thank ewe for listening :-)

FREE resources (mentioned in the show):

Thriving from the Start - an open mental health network to those in their early careers (or in education and thinking about those first steps into the workforce)

The Time to Act report - into the mental health of young professionals

Connect with the speakers via LinkedIn:
Anastasia Vinnikova - Head of Workplace Wellbeing, City Mental Health Alliance
Caroline Palmer - Top Dog and co-founder, Raising the Baa
Chris Farnsworth - Head Shepherd and co-founder, Raising the Baa & author of 'Sheep Shepherd Dog - Building a Magnificent Team Around You'

What are your main team challenges and desires? Maybe we can help?
Book in a 15-minute Exploratory Call now and let's see.