The Work Well Podcast

Welcome to the final episode of season 5 of The Work Well Podcast! Today we’re doing a deep dive on parkHIIT, a social enterprise that promotes the importance of resistance exercise in local parks.

In this episode, Anne Farrell, Health Promotion Executive at Irish Rail and CIE Group and parkHIIT Community Leader is in conversation with The Work Well Podcast host and parkHIIT founder, Brian Crooke. Listen in as they discuss what parkHIIT is, how it started and the different ways people and organisations can get involved.

I hope you enjoy this very special episode of The Work Well Podcast!

Welcome to The Work Well Podcast! Today, we welcome Senator Emer Currie. Emer has become a voice for flexible and remote work in the Oireachtas. She left the corporate world when her second child was born, because of a lack of flexible working options. This led her to become more involved with grass roots organisations like Grow Remote and to campaign for flexibility in the workplace.

Emer ran in Local Elections in 2019 securing a seat on the first count and was appointed to the Seanad in 2020 as Fine Gael Spokesperson for Employment Affairs, Work Life Balance and Northern Ireland.

If you’re interested in the recent and imminent employment legislation that’s coming thick and fast through the Oireachtas then you’re about to get an update in our conversation with Senator Emer Currie. I know you’ll enjoy this conversation.

This week on The Work Well Podcast, we welcome John Riordan. John is Chairman of Grow Remote, a not for profit organisation on a mission to enable us to work, live and participate locally. He recently retired as Director of Support for Shopify, having also served as Chairman of Shopify International Ltd.

As we’ll hear during the conversation, the majority of teams John has managed worked from home, a business model he has been an evangelist for over the last 20 years in the US, UK and Ireland. In addition to chairing Grow Remote, John also serves on the board of the Sanctuary Runners, the IRFU Commercial & Marketing Committee and he’s also on the board of three start-ups.

So much value to be found in this episode, so enjoy our conversation with John Riordan.

This week on The Work Well Podcast, we welcome the Head of Diversity, Inclusion, and Wellbeing for Fujitsu Europe, Kelly Metcalf. In our conversation today, Kelly gives us her unique perspective on how to develop strategies that combine inclusion and employee wellbeing, creating a culture in which people feel themselves.

Kelly started her career as a HR Graduate at BAE Systems and later on she joined Fujitsu and progressed through a variety of senior HR roles during her career, including Head of Organisation Design and Change and European-wide HR Generalist roles, also spending time in global client management and responsible business.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Kelly Metcalf!

For the first time on The Work Well Podcast, Brian is not the one asking the questions today. We are excited to feature our recent conversation on the Alive and Kicking Podcast with host Clare McKenna.

In her podcast, Clare looks at ‘health’ in the widest sense of the word, from mindfulness to skin problems, from personal health journeys to tips for better exercise, Clare tries to bring you a dose of happy and healthy living every single week. This conversation was part of a special Workplace Wellbeing episode.

I hope you enjoy our chat with Clare McKenna.

Welcome to the latest episode of The Work Well Podcast! Today, we invited Dr. Robert Kelly, cardiologist and Lifestyle Medicine Physician. 15 years ago, Robert realised that his challenge as a cardiologist was not just to treat the presenting illness but to fix the reasons why people are getting sick in the first place. This is when his journey in lifestyle medicine started.

Robert is a certified Tiny Habits Coach and a Behaviour Designer, which means he helps people and patients design ways to successfully break through in their own life: to help find their true happiness and success in life, career, relationships, family, self-care and health. Through his website, he offers information and programmes related to healthy habits and nutrition for patients and organisations.

Enjoy our conversation with Dr. Robert Kelly.

Welcome to The Work Well Podcast! Today, we welcome Tony Vickers-Byrne, who has 30 years of experience as HR director and board adviser. Tony was Public Health England's first HR Director as well as serving as CIPD's Chief Adviser for HR Practice.

One of the most interesting aspects of Tony’s journey is the change of mindset he underwent in how he approached his work fairly late in his career thanks in large part to a couple of inspirational leaders who happened to cross his path.

Enjoy our conversation with Tony Vickers-Byrne.

In this episode of The Work Well Podcast, we have the pleasure to welcome Dr. Stephanie Fitzgerald. Stephanie is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist, Neuropsychologist, keynote speaker, and author. She is also the founder of Soyo Ltd, a company designed to help individuals and organisations achieve their highest and happiest potential.

Stephanie has experience as a Health and Wellbeing Consultant in multiple organisations, such as Deloitte, the NHS, emergency response teams through to a Premier League football team. More recently, she developed the Global Mental Health strategy for Rolls-Royce, an organisation with over 50,000 employees worldwide. Her specialty is delivering practical, evidence-based interventions that provide a base for sustainable improvement, in a safety-critical environment.

I know you’ll enjoy this conversation with Stephanie!

Today on The Work Well Podcast we dive into a topic that doesn't always get the attention it deserves: men's mental health. Joining us we have Adrian Yeates, who has over thirty years of business experience in different industries, both in Ireland and abroad, and at all management levels including CEO. Adrian has been a spokesperson for mental health and wellbeing following his own experience of anxiety and depression. Currently he runs Lizado Services, an organisation that works with employees to better understand stress and mental health.

Adrian is also a board member of the mental health charity Aware and is an ambassador for See Change, whose mission is to work positively to reduce the stigma and discrimination associated with mental health.

Let's get right into our conversation! Take a listen.

In this episode of The Work Well Podcast, we are privileged to be joined by the godfather of workplace health promotion, Ron Goetzel.

Ron is a Senior Scientist and Director of the Institute for Health and Productivity Studies (IHPS) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and is responsible for leading innovative projects for healthcare purchase, managed care, government, and pharmaceutical clients interested in conducting cutting-edge research focused on the relationship between health and wellbeing, medical costs, and work-related productivity.

Ron is globally recognised for his research on health and productivity management (HPM), return-on-investment (ROI), program evaluation, and outcomes research.

I hope you enjoy our chat with Ron!