Episode #9
The Wellbeing Dividend - with Clare Walkeden and Lisa Whittleton
We look beyond the usual wellbeing initiatives and ask what healthy, resilient teams actually look like, why wellbeing affects performance, and what leaders can do to create the right conditions for people to work well. In this episode of Three Steps Ahead, Martin Gibbs and Simon Cossey are joined by Lisa Whittleton , Business Psychologist and Director of Illuminate VR and Clare Walkeden , Director of Auburn Coaching and Consultancy, to explore the real business impact of wellbeing. Lisa - https://www.illuminatevr.co.uk Clare - https://www.auburnconsultancy.co.uk We discuss: What does wellbeing actually mean? How do we know when someone, or an organisation, is genuinely well? Why should a business leader care? What goes wrong commercially when wellbeing deteriorates, and are some of the biggest costs hidden? The leadership question - What can a leader actually do that genuinely improves wellbeing? Psychological safety in practice - What does it really mean, and how do you know whether your organisation genuinely has it? Why wellbeing initiatives fail -What are the things organisations do with good intentions that simply do not work? Can you have a wellbeing programme sitting inside an unhealthy culture? What should organisations actually do? - If you know you are not doing this particularly well, where do you start on Monday morning? What about the leaders themselves? - Can you genuinely create a healthy organisation if the senior leadership team are exhausted? The Three Steps Ahead - What are the three practical things leaders can do next to improve wellbeing in their organisations ? We finish by asking one simple question - What does a genuinely healthy workplace feel like? About Three Steps Ahead Three Steps Ahead is a business and leadership podcast for business owners, founders and senior leaders who want practical strategy that actually works. Most business podcasts talk about what happened - Three Steps Ahead is about what you should do next. • Who it’s for: business leaders, founders, senior managers • What makes it different: practical strategy, simple thinking, real experience • Why now: 2026 is shaping up to be volatile — clarity matters more than ever Drawing on decades of advisory, mentoring and peer-group experience, the podcast focuses on how leaders plan well, think beyond the immediate, and navigate uncertainty with confidence. Listen & follow: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon https://threestepsahead.buzzsprout.com Hosted by: Martin Gibbs | Simon Cossey | Richard Miller Three Steps Ahead - Practical strategy for the next move
