Guest Author: Laura Putnam, MA
A LinkedIn Live Wellbeing at Work Series in Partnership with the Global Wellness Institute
This past year, I had the honor of hosting a series of LinkedIn Live conversations in partnership with the Workplace Wellbeing Initiative of the Global Wellness Institute.
Each conversation tackled a defining question of our time. Why are so many people struggling at work? How do we create cultures where people can actually thrive? And what does leadership look like in this new era?
Across all seven sessions, one message resounded. Our workplaces are not fixed structures; they are living systems. And we have the power to rebuild them in ways that support meaning, belonging, and wellbeing for everyone.
Below is a look back at each of these conversations and the insights that are shaping where we go next.
Jennifer Moss: Why Are We Here
We opened the series with Jennifer Moss, workplace culture expert and bestselling author of the book, Why Are We Here? Jennifer helped us confront a pressing reality. Many of today’s work systems are failing people. With only 27 percent of managers engaged at work (Gallup) and ongoing tensions around AI, DEI, and return-to-office mandates, many employees—especially women—are questioning the purpose and health of modern work.
Jennifer reminded us that unhealthy cultures are not inevitable. Leaders can redesign work so people feel safe, valued, and connected.
Watch the full session here and my three takeaways here.
Simone Stolzoff: The Good Enough Job
Simone Stolzoff, TED speaker and author of The Good Enough Job, invited us to rethink our cultural obsession with work as identity. He discussed how equating personal worth with professional output fuels burnout and erodes wellbeing.
Simone challenged leaders to build cultures that honor people as whole human beings, not just performers. Balance, autonomy, and humanity are not luxuries; they are essentials in the next era of leadership.
Watch the full session here and my three takeaways here.
Zach Mercurio: The Power of Mattering
Zach Mercurio, PhD, helped us name what so many are experiencing: feeling invisible at work. When people feel unseen or unnecessary, motivation, engagement, and performance decline. On the contrary, people do their best work when they know that they matter.
An aha moment for me was Zach’s distinction between belonging and mattering. Sure, we all need connection, but even more importantly, we want to feel seen, valued and needed. Leaders can make a difference by invoking three simple practices: Noticing, affirming and needing.
Watch the full session here.
Newton Cheng: Strong Enough at Work
Newton Cheng brought honesty and vulnerability to our conversation. A world champion powerlifter and former Director of Health and Performance at Google, Newton spoke openly about his personal experience with burnout.
He reminded us that sustainable performance is built on boundaries, recovery, and role modeling help-seeking behaviors. When leaders care for their own wellbeing, they create cultures where others can do the same.
Watch the full session here and Dr. Colleen Saringer’s three takeaways here.
Dr. David Katz: Rethinking Wellbeing on a Societal Level
Dr. David Katz helped us zoom out. Despite the booming wellness industry, population-level health continues to decline. Why? Because information alone does not create change. Environments do. As he put it: “The choices we make are subordinate to the choices we have.”
He encouraged leaders to design workplace ecosystems that make healthy choices the default. This means increasing the availability of nutritious food, opportunities for movement, and cultures that value rest. These are not extras. They are the infrastructure of a healthy workforce.
Watch the full session here and my three takeaways here.
Dr. Kerry Burnight: A Fresh Take on Longevity
There’s been a lot of conversation about lifespan, and more recently, healthspan. But who cares about length of life if you aren’t loving your life? Dr. Kerry Burnight introduced us to a new (and much needed) perspective on aging: Joyspan.
Dr. Kerry awakened us to the damage to our psyches, wrought by a multi-billion-dollar anti-aging industry that is designed to make us feel awful about ourselves. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way. We can shift from a “decline mindset” to a “growth mindset” (in relation to aging) by adopting four key practices: Grow, connect, adapt and give.
Watch the full session here and my three takeaways here.
Jen Fisher: Leading with Hope
We closed out the series and the year with the inspirational Jen Fisher, Founder and CEO of The Wellbeing Team, Deloitte’s first Chief Wellbeing Officer, and author of the soon-to-be-released book, Hope Is the Strategy.
Jen’s own journey from burnout to hope has fueled her mission to help leaders build sustainable and human-centered cultures. As she clarifies, what some perceive as burnout may be a loss of hope. By sharpening one’s “wellbeing intelligence,” every leader can foster systemic wellbeing by changing how we think about work, how we structure the organization, and how we measure success.
Watch the full session here and my three takeaways here.
Moving Forward Together
This series has reinforced a belief I hold deeply. Wellbeing is not an individual responsibility. People can only thrive when the surrounding systems support them. Workplaces have the power to become engines for wellbeing rather than sources of harm, but that requires intentional leadership, courageous design, and a willingness to reimagine what is possible.
I am grateful to the Workplace Wellbeing Initiative of the Global Wellness Institute for their partnership and their commitment to making the world a healthier place. I am also grateful to each guest who shared their wisdom so generously and to everyone who joined us each month.
Here’s to building workplaces where people don’t just survive but truly thrive, together.
** Disclaimer **
The blog submissions featured on this site represent the research and opinions of the individual authors. The Global Wellness Institute and the Workplace Wellbeing Initiative are not responsible for the content provided. We serve as an outlet for health coaches to share their blog work and insights. The views expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Global Wellness Institute or the Workplace Wellbeing Initiative. Readers are encouraged to consult with a qualified healthcare professional for specific health concerns.
