Suzanne Rath is a distinguished health and leadership coach, speaker, and entrepreneur based in Cairns, Australia. With over 20 years of experience as a physiotherapist and eight years as the founder of the award-winning Wellness Embodied clinics, Suzanne has dedicated her career to promoting holistic well-being. Her journey took a pivotal turn in 2013 following a severe cycling accident, leading her to establish clinics that address both physical and mental health. Recognized as the 2023 Cairns Businesswoman of the Year, Suzanne now focuses on empowering leaders and teams to enhance their purpose, productivity, and prosperity through self-leadership and healthy habits. Her mission is to inspire individuals to take control of their well-being, transforming common HR challenges like disengagement and burnout into opportunities for personal and professional growth.

In this insightful episode of Talking with the Experts, host Rose Davidson engages in a compelling conversation with Suzanne Rath, a renowned health and leadership coach, about the profound connection between self-leadership, healthy habits, and the resolution of common HR challenges.

Suzanne begins by sharing her personal journey, highlighting how a life-altering cycling accident in 2013 became the catalyst for her mission to integrate physical and mental health solutions. This experience led her to establish Wellness Embodied, a multidisciplinary clinic in Cairns, designed to treat the whole person rather than just isolated symptoms.

Drawing from over two decades of experience, Suzanne emphasizes that many prevalent HR issues—such as employee disengagement and burnout—are often manifestations of underlying health problems. She advocates for a proactive approach, where fostering self-leadership and cultivating healthy habits among employees can lead to enhanced engagement and productivity. By empowering individuals to take charge of their well-being, organizations can create a more vibrant and resilient workforce.

Suzanne outlines practical strategies for leaders to implement within their teams. These include promoting regular physical activity, encouraging mindfulness practices, and facilitating open dialogues about health and well-being. She underscores the importance of leaders modelling these behaviours, as their actions set the tone for organizational culture. By prioritizing their own health, leaders not only improve their performance but also inspire their teams to follow suit.

The discussion also delves into the economic impact of neglecting employee health. Suzanne points out that absenteeism and presenteeism due to health issues can significantly affect an organization’s bottom line. Investing in health-focused initiatives not only enhances employee satisfaction but also offers a substantial return on investment through improved performance and reduced healthcare costs.

Suzanne’s mission is clear: to inspire individuals to become the CEOs of their own health, leading to more purposeful, productive, and prosperous lives. Her approach transforms traditional HR problems into opportunities for growth by addressing the root causes and fostering a culture of well-being.

Three Key Points from the Interview:

1. Self-Leadership as a Solution to HR Challenges:
   Encouraging employees to take ownership of their health can mitigate issues like disengagement and burnout. 

2. The Role of Leaders in Modelling Healthy Behaviours:
   Leaders who prioritize their well-being set a positive example, fostering a culture of health within their organizations. 

3. Economic Benefits of Health-Focused Workplace Initiatives:
   Investing in employee health leads to reduced absenteeism and increased productivity, positively impacting the organization’s financial health.

This episode offers valuable insights for leaders and organizations aiming to transform HR challenges into opportunities by prioritizing health and self-leadership.

Podcast Introduction

• The podcast is called ‘Talking with the Experts,’ hosted by Rose Davidson, focusing on business topics for business owners.

• The guest is Suzanne Rath, a speaker, health and leadership coach, and health entrepreneur based in Cairns. 

Suzanne’s Background

• Suzanne suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2013 while working as a physiotherapist in Sydney, which led them to orchestrate their own recovery over several years.

• In 2017, Suzanne moved to Cairns and set up Wellness Embodied, creating multidisciplinary allied health clinics catering to body and mind.
• Suzanne has won multiple awards, including being named the 2023 Cairns Businesswoman of the Year. 

Current Focus and Advocacy

• Suzanne now focuses on speaking and coaching to amplify their impact, working with leaders and teams to empower people to be 20% more purposeful, productive, and prosperous through leading themselves and their health.

• Many business owners tend to ignore their health and blame business problems when health issues are often the root cause.
• Suzanne advocates for not ‘kicking the can down the road’ regarding health, finances, and retirement planning.
• They promote the idea of ‘micro retirements’ and maintaining healthy habits consistently rather than waiting for a future date.
• There is a strong link between how engaged people are in their lives outside of work and their engagement within work.
• Poor health habits, boundaries, perfectionism, and de-energizing relationships outside work can negatively impact work productivity. 

Five Pillars for Achieving Purpose, Productivity, and Prosperity

• Vitality is the core concept focusing on energy management and how energizing our lives are.

• Intake refers to what we consume and how connected we are to our food and drink choices.
• Thriving through movement emphasizes the importance of regular movement, as sitting is becoming a major health hazard.
• Adaptability involves how we adjust to change and build resilience in a rapidly evolving world.
• Leisure includes sleep quality and how we invest our downtime, focusing on energizing relationships and activities. 

ENDURE Formula Derived from Athletic Principles

• Envisioning involves setting clear goals and breaking them down into actionable steps.

• Navigating refers to planning the path to achieve the goals.
• Draw includes strategies for pushing through challenges and maintaining motivation.
• Utilizing recovery means implementing effective rest and recovery techniques, such as microbreaks.
• Reset and refocus is the ability to adjust goals and strategies when faced with obstacles.
• Setting new targets involves continuously evolving goals aligned with personal values and vision. 

Approach to Employee Well-being

• Individually designed programs tend to yield better results than one-size-fits-all approaches.

• Research shows employees stay longer with organizations that value their health and well-being.
• Traditional approaches like employee assistance programs and generic team-building activities are often less effective.
• Suzanne emphasizes the importance of listening to employees, understanding their motivations, and empowering them to co-design solutions.
• They have developed a tool called ‘Perch’ for measuring workplace health and self-leadership.
• External speakers and coaches can provide fresh perspectives and relieve some stress from business owners in implementing well-being initiatives. 

Upcoming Programs and Contact Information

• The Thrive 360 online program is a 12-week course starting February 18th, focusing on purpose, productivity, and prosperity.

• Renaissance in Rome is a strategy, leadership, and well-being retreat in September, co-hosted with Angela Cedron.
• Suzanne can be found on Facebook, LinkedIn, and their website suzannerath.com.au.

• Discussion about the importance of not blaming business for health issues and taking personal responsibility
• Introduction of the five pillars for vitality: Vitality, Intake, Movement, Adaptability, and Leisure
• Explanation of the importance of reframing negative language and avoiding phrases like “I can’t” or “I’m too busy”
• Introduction of the ENDURE formula for success, discussing elements like envisioning goals and utilizing recovery
• Discussion about the importance of aligning goals with personal values rather than external validation
• Explanation of why individually designed workplace wellness programs are more effective than generic team-building activities
• Introduction of the PERCH tool for measuring workplace health and self-leadership
• Announcement of upcoming Thrive 360 online program and Renaissance in Rome retreat

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