The Strategy Skills Podcast: Strategy | Leadership | Critical Thinking | Problem-Solving

538: Industrial/Organizational Psychologist on Leading for Wellness

Apr 1, 2025

In a compelling discussion, Patricia Grabarek, Industrial/Organizational Psychologist and co-founder of Workr Beeing, delves into the importance of workplace wellness. She highlights a holistic approach that encompasses physical, mental, and emotional health for employees. Patricia shares tactics for leaders to promote wellness while achieving organizational goals and navigates the challenges of remote work. Additionally, she discusses the delicate balance of vulnerability in leadership and offers strategies for effectively saying no to maintain productivity and wellbeing.

48:31

Creator website

Episode guests

Patricia Grabarek

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Workplace wellness should encompass a holistic approach, addressing physical, mental, and emotional health to enhance employee fulfillment.

Leaders must foster authentic relationships and vulnerability to create a supportive culture that prioritizes employee well-being and engagement.

Deep dives

The Importance of Workplace Wellness

Workplace wellness is defined comprehensively by employees, encompassing physical, mental, emotional health, and work-life balance. This broad perspective emphasizes that wellness is not limited to specific programs but reflects the overall experience individuals have at work. Employees desire to feel fulfilled both at work and in their personal lives, highlighting the need for environments that support all aspects of their well-being. Leaders must recognize that wellness is integral to productivity, and neglecting it can lead to high turnover and disengagement.

Intro

4min

Cultivating Workplace Wellness

17min

Navigating Vulnerability in Leadership

11min

Mastering the Art of Saying No in the Workplace

2min

Wellness in Remote Work

11min

A Transformative Journey to Workplace Wellness

2min

Exploring Workplace Wellness and Strategic Skills Development

2min

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 538, an interview with the coauthor of Leading for Wellness: How to Create a Team Culture Where Everyone Thrives, Patricia Grabarek.

In this episode, Patricia talks about why workplace wellness matters and why it’s important to have a holistic approach that includes physical, mental, and emotional health. She explains the gap in research on leadership practices that help create a healthy work environment and how leaders can balance getting results with supporting their employees. Patricia shares simple ways to make wellness a priority, like setting aside time for self-care and building a supportive team culture. She also talks about the challenges of bringing wellness initiatives into remote and hybrid work settings.

Patricia Grabarek is a co-founder of Workr Beeing and an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist with a passion and expertise in workplace wellness, workplace culture, employee engagement, and leadership development. Patricia has spent her career as a practitioner, mostly working in consulting but, recently taking on more internal roles, leading people analytics and talent vitality teams. Throughout her career, Patricia has worked with over sixty different client organizations from various industries, implementing solutions to improve wellness, diversity, retention, performance, and engagement within their organizations. In addition, she taught organizational psychology in the Masters of Applied Psychology Program at the University of Southern California.

Patricia was featured on Culture Amp’s list of Top 25 Emerging Culture Creators for 2024 and has been featured in media outlets, including The L.A. Times, CBS News, and CBC Radio. Patricia received her PhD and MS in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from The Pennsylvania State University and her BA in Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Get Patricia’s book here: https://workrbeeing.com/book/

Leading for Wellness: How to Create a Team Culture Where Everyone Thrives

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Get the Snipd
podcast app

Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

Save any
moment

Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways

Share
& Export

Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

The Strategy Skills Podcast: Strategy | Leadership | Critical Thinking | Problem-Solving

538: Industrial/Organizational Psychologist on Leading for Wellness

Episode guests