Wellgood Wellbeing - Wellbeing For Everyone.

Aim

I'm on a mission to create an inclusive, accessible & affordable employee wellbeing programme focused on creativity, curiosity and kindness.

Hey! I'm Zoe.

I'm a GP, a wife, a mother, a creative entrepreneur, a passionate mental health advocate, a lover not a fighter, a little bit wild, a whole lotta daft, a proud Glaswegian and a fierce believer in social equality. 

I have worked as a doctor in the NHS for 16 years. 

In those 16 years, I have never had access to any formal or consistent programme that looks after my well-being.  As NHS workers, we spend our whole lives looking after the health and wellbeing of others. And yet - consistent staff wellbeing programmes are a rare thing indeed.

On the other side of the coin - I briefly dabbled in working for a private healthcare company whose idea of employee wellbeing was offering up free cereal and Friday night "social" drinks - which were an exercise in brown-nosing and ladder climbing.

These events were also entirely un-inclusive for those of us with young family commitments and a life outside of work. It was frustrating and upsetting, as I felt completely excluded from the so-called "wellbeing" programme.

Worst of all,  when my mental health took a nosedive after having a miscarriage, the lack of genuine support and care for my wellbeing was palpably absent.  And the Monday morning yoga sessions and free kale smoothies offered up by this company as "wellbeing support" had never felt more disingenuous.

So I decided I wanted to make a change.  And that's when the idea seed for Wellgood Wellbeing was planted.

What is Wellgood Wellbeing?

Wellgood Wellbeing will be an affordable, inclusive tiered membership platform for individuals and businesses, based around 3 core values: Curiosity, Creativity and Kindness.

Through our EVERYWELL project - we will raise funds to subsidise memberships for NHS and key workers, as well as people on a low income, to offer our Tier 1 membership at a discounted rate.  In doing this, we ensure that our platform is accessible to EVERYONE, and not just a lucky few.

We will use the wheel of well-being (check it out here: https://www.wheelofwellbeing.org/) to structure our platform around the 6 pillars of well-being: Body, Mind, Spirit, People, Place and Planet.

How will it work?

When members sign up to Tier 1 - they gain access to the Wellgood Members Area which will look a little like this:

From here - members click through on each wellbeing icon to access a range of resources - from workouts, yoga, evidence-based health education articles and nourishing recipes in the BODY area, to mental health education articles, mental health signposting and resources, mindful craft tutorial videos, and guided meditations under MIND.  

PLANET has articles on how to live a greener, eco-conscious life - as well as giving access to the amazing Ethical Brand Discount Directory - showcasing the best sustainable businesses around, and giving access to exclusive discounts - only available to Wellgood members.

Each wellbeing section is richly populated with up to date, current, on-trend and relevant content in a variety of forms - from "how-to" videos, animations, written articles, and interactive discussions - all presented in engaging and bite-size format - to stimulate the mind and maximise concentration.

Tier 2 membership will give access to all of the above - plus access to an entirely customisable programme of creative and health education workshops - this will be a mixture of pre-recorded workshops and live workshops, creative workshops with craft kits sent straight to your door, and interactive health discussion panels with experts from all areas of healthcare.

On Tier 2 membership you also receive a quarterly, seasonal wellbeing themed gift box, filled with UK independent brands who put sustainability at the heart of their business.  

The wellbeing gift box is also totally customisable by members. This means that members feel in control and will receive a selection of products that they have specifically chosen to enhance their own personal wellbeing.

To further support our social mission - we are deliberately working with up and coming, independent brands who would benefit from being thrown into the spotlight - consciously seeking out female and black-owned businesses, as well as seeking out ethical, sustainable and eco-friendly businesses who try their hardest to tread lightly on Mother Earth.  The gift boxes will be filled with these amazing brands - and we can't wait to show you what's in store! 

How is Wellgood Wellbeing different?

There are two very big ways in which we are different to all the other wellbeing programmes out there:

1) We are an EMPLOYEE led wellbeing programme

2) We are a social enterprise company

So what does that actually mean? Lemme tell ya!

Your Wellbeing - Your Way.

Wellgood Wellbeing puts employees front and centre, fully in control of their own employee wellbeing programme. 

Why? Because we believe that empowering employees to coordinate and control their own employee wellbeing programme, gives back a sense of control and trust that will automatically improve their mental health, as well as helping them to feel valued within the organisation that they work for.

From personal and professional experience - I have found that most employee wellbeing programmes tend to be focused on business outcomes for the employer. There's so much emphasis on hitting targets, getting people back to work and increasing productivity.   

Something about this approach just wasn't sitting right with me. And then it hit me.

Where was the voice of the employee?

Where was their power? 

Where was the genuine care for their wellbeing both in and outside of work?

It struck me that - if you show your employees that you truly VALUE them - with a genuinely helpful, engaging and fun employee well-being programme that they can tailor to their OWN needs - this would naturally reduce staff sickness and staff levels stress.  

Their commitment and engagement with the company would naturally increase because they are working for a company they know genuinely cares about their wellbeing - not just at work but also in life.

It's about EMPOWERMENT

It's about TRUST

But most of all it's about humanity and kindness.

Members of our programme choose the content they read and watch and can save articles and videos in their own personalised member's area to watch and read later, allowing them to build up a library of their own wellbeing resources. 

Members on Tier 2 choose which workshops they want to attend and pick exactly what goes into their wellbeing gift box.  

Members also get to suggest and vote on topics, skills and themes they would like to see in future workshops - and we use that feedback to shape and form our future events.

Affordable, Accessible, Inclusive

This is the most exciting part of this whole project. We aren't just an employee wellbeing programme accessible to the lucky few. We are a well-being platform for EVERYONE, no matter your financial or social situation.

We are a social enterprise, on a mission to bring comprehensive, supportive, fun, accessible, bullshit-free and genuinely engaging wellbeing strategies into everyone's lives.  

Through our EVERYWELL project - we raise funds to subsidise memberships for NHS and key workers, as well as people on a low income, to offer our Tier 1 membership at a discounted rate.  As our project grows and funding rolls in (we hope!) we will eventually be able to offer Tier 1 membership for FREE.

Setting up Wellgood Wellbeing as a social enterprise company means that a large chunk of the profits we make goes straight back into the company to help us achieve our social mission. This model allows us to be self-sufficient, whilst making an impact on the social issues which matter to us the most.  

Why are we qualified to do this?

I am an NHS GP, I have worked in a wide range of areas, meeting patients from a range of cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. I have experienced first-hand exactly how NOT to look after your employees - through absent or poorly thought out wellbeing programmes. 

I am completely and utterly committed to helping support, manage and prevent mental health issues. I am passionate about destigmatising mental health and. "normalising" the mental health conversation.  I am a fierce advocate for equality and I believe that everyone should have fair access to wellbeing support.

I already run my own creative business called Make and Create, which helps people use creativity as a tool to quieten the mind and soothe anxiety.  I have been running creative workshops for 3 years now with Make and Create - so I know exactly what workshops work really well both virtually and in person.  

I am passionate about this new business venture and am driven by a desire for change, not profit.  

It's time for employee wellbeing programmes to start putting employees, rather than businesses, first.  And that is exactly what I am going to do.

Why do we need your support?

In order to build the all-singing, all-dancing, all the bells and whistles platform that I want Wellgood Wellbeing to be - I need to pay a team of very clever content writers, web-designers, branding experts, marketing peeps, crafting geniuses, creative workshop leaders, health education panellists and more - to actually make this dream a reality.   

Wellgood Wellbeing is a multi-layered and multi-faceted platform, which will involve quite a complex website build.  And that doesn't come cheap - so the funding will help me to fund that (as well as everything above and more) - and make this the incredible platform (that currently only really exists inside my brain!!) a reality.

What are the rewards?

Luckily for you guys - I am not just a passionate business owner - I am also a Maker and Creator - and I make a whole range of bangin' products that you will receive if you dig deep into those pockets to support our project - have a read below for more details (and if you want to read more detail about the products included in the gift boxes - visit my Make and Create website here: make and create e17

Donations of £10 - £100 or more

You guys ROCK. Thank you SO much for your kind donation.  Your name will be entered into a prize draw to win an ENORMOUS gift box, as well as receiving access to the Wellgood Wellbeing platform when it launches (see rewards listings for details on what's offered for each donation amount)

The gift box prize will include:

4 x Make and Create Neurotransmitter candles

1 x DIY essential oil blending craft kit

1 x Dip Dye Macrame wall hanging kit

1 x Essential Oil Room Diffuser from the Scent Memory Collection

1 x 'and still I rise' necklace with rose quartz crystal

2 x Marbled Jesmonite coasters

10 x Mini soaps from Myrtle and Soap

2 x You Got This pin badges

£150 or more

Such generosity will be repaid in kind with 3 months membership to Tier 1 of the Wellgood Wellbeing programme, plus your very own Make and Create wellbeing gift box - filled with:

1 x DIY essential oil blending craft kit

1 x Marbled Jesmonite Trinket Tray

1 x Dip Dye Macrame wall hanging kit

2 x Essential Oil Soy Wax candles from the popular Neurotransmitter collection

1 x Essential Oil Room Diffuser from the Scent Memory Collection

£250 or more

Oooooh you absolute legend - £250?! Thank you SO much! Have 6 months access to our Tier 1 membership programme, plus your very own Make and Create wellbeing gift box and my eternal thanks for your generosity in helping me get this project off the ground.

£500 or more

Whaaaaaat?! 500 squid?! Ya wee dancer!!! Thank you SOOOOO much - have a 6-month membership, a bangin' gift box AND a private Make and Create virtual Jesmonite Workshop for up to 5 people.  Your donation will make such an enormous difference and I am eternally grateful to you for your kindness.

So that's it!  I hope you enjoyed reading about my passion project and that you feel you can donate to help make it a reality.  Every donation, no matter how big or small is so so appreciated.

Peace and Love

Zoe xxxx

This project successfully funded on 3rd August 2021