It’s the end of season one for Culture Shock, and the end of a momentous year for HappyHQ and we’re feeling grateful. In this wrap-up episode, we wanted to explore with you the act of gratitude and what it can really mean for your life and for company culture.  So, we're also grateful to be able to share highlights from our conversation with Alex Ikonn, Co-Founder of Intelligent Change. Alex has created a very successful business by helping people bring the practice of gratitude into their lives through the five-minute journal, which has sold over 1.7million copies globally. 

We talk about:

• what gratitude is and why it is so important 
• how to create a practice of gratitude
• the link between gratitude and appreciation
• ways to incorporate gratitude into your company culture

Gratitude is such a powerful tool both personally and professionally. We hope that today’s episode has inspired you to think of ways to incorporate gratitude into your workplace and beyond.

Useful resources:

Mindful - How to practice gratitude 

Gallup report on employee recognition

Traction by Gino Wickman

About your hosts:

Janine Jacobs and Louisa Mourdant co-founded Happy HQ, a people-first company culture specialist. In a world where culture is central to company success, HappyHQ helps guide companies along the way. We have dissected culture into 8 key areas and 70 topics. From workshops and culture mapping to policy writing and change implementation we can help across it all.

Janine Jacobs: 

Janine Jacobs is a people-first culture specialist and co-founder of HappyHQ. Together with her co-founder, Louisa, she guides companies and HR leads with the tools, frameworks, and practical support they need to create people-first cultures. Previously an agency lead and communications strategist, Janine has lived and worked in multiple countries, delivering multi-market campaigns for some of the world's leading brands. Her studies in positive psychology, and experience working with multicultural, global leadership teams, all inform her mission; to change the world of work as we know it. 

Louisa Mourdant: 

Over 10 years’ experience working directly with leaders on people, culture and recruitment strategy. Alongside HHQ, Louisa is also the Founder of I Love My Job, a scaling B Corp accredited recruitment company bravely doing things differently and experiencing huge success. 

Find us here:

Website: https://happyhq.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/happyhq_uk

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/happyhq/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HappyHQ.UK/

In this week’s episode of the podcast, we are delighted to interview Vanessa Belleau, the Director & Founder of High Fifteen Ltd all about the importance of inclusion and belonging in the workplace.

We talk about:

● A culture of belonging without bias should be for everyone

● What creating an environment where people can feel respected, valued and seen does for both the employee and the company

● The difference between stereotypes, bias, prejudice and discrimination

● The importance of leaders showing vulnerability and curiosity 

● How to encourage companies to start the discussion around inclusion

Vanessa is full of joy and clearly shows her passion for bringing the discussion around inclusion and belonging to companies that are ready to make a positive impact. The benefits of implementing Vanessa’s work are huge for the company making the investment of time, energy and money in their culture and their people. What conversations are you having around belonging and inclusion, and how can you make them more impactful?

About Vanessa:
Vanessa Belleau is the Director & Founder of High Fifteen Ltd. She has over 16 years of experience in various industries (Fashion, Beauty, FMCG and Services). She contributes positively to the world by delivering Diversity, Equity, Inclusion + Belonging Consultancy & Training, Executive Coaching and Inclusive Marketing & Brand Consultancy. She has worked with over 80 brands to date, and she loves it! From start-ups to big names to charities, she is very committed to empowering people to do better and think in a more inclusive manner.

About your hosts:
Janine Jacobs and Louisa Mourdant co-founded Happy HQ, a people-first company culture specialist. In a world where culture is central to company success, HappyHQ helps guide companies along the way. We have dissected culture into 8 key areas and 70 topics. From workshops and culture mapping to policy writing and change implementation, we can help across it all. 

Find us here:
Website: https://happyhq.co.uk/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/happyhq_uk
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/happyhq/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HappyHQ.UK/ 

In this week’s episode of the podcast, I'm delighted to interview Katy Murray, author of the book Change-Makers – a woman’s guide to stepping up without burning out at work.   

We talk about: 

• The normalisation of busyness, work addiction, and the sacrifices we make 
• The impact of overworking, overscheduling, and over functioning  
• How micro-breaks can support our productivity  
• How we can start to make a change to purposeful productivity 
• The role workplace culture plays in creating opportunities for everyone to thrive 

Since reading Katy’s book, it's clear that whether you’re a change-maker, an individual, or a company,  overwork and burnout is a real problem that impacts most of what we do. Hearing the benefits of being more purposeful and changing the culture surrounding toxic productivity can have so many benefits for your employees and the organisation as a whole. I wonder what stood out for you most from today’s episode and what conversations it will start within your organisation?

About Katy:

Katy Murray is a leadership coach, equity and inclusion facilitator, author and speaker. She’s the founder of culture and leadership consultancy Catalyst Collective, recently named one of UK’s top 50 DEI leaders and her first book Change Makers a Woman’s Guide to Stepping Up without Burning Out is published by Kogan Page. Her writing is featured in Psychologies Magazine, Chartered Management Institute, HR Europe, Grazia, Metro and I News. 

Buy Katy’s book Change Makers and there’s currently a 30% discount code at Kogan Page here

Download FreeBonuses (including thriving visualisation and affirmations) here 

Join the waitlist for Katy’s next Change makers programme here

Winter Reset online retreat is here 

Connect with Katy on Linked In and Instagram 

About your hosts:

Janine Jacobs and Louisa Mourdant co-founded Happy HQ, a people-first company culture specialist. In a world where culture is central to company success, HappyHQ helps guide companies along the way. We have dissected culture into 8 key areas and 70 topics. From workshops and culture mapping to policy writing and change implementation, we can help across it all.

Find us here:

Website: https://happyhq.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/happyhq_uk

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/happyhq/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HappyHQ.UK/