The Wellbeing Rebellion

Ngozi Weller & Obehi Alofoje
The Wellbeing Rebellion

Welcome to The Wellbeing Rebellion, an award-winning podcast! We are Ngozi Weller, a corporate wellbeing and productivity consultant, and Obehi Alofoje, a psychologist and behavioural change specialist. We are the founders of Aurora, a corporate culture consultancy that specialises in creating psychologically safe workplaces that enable employees to thrive, and for us, wellbeing is personal. The problem with employee wellbeing support, in most workplaces, is that it puts the responsibility on the person struggling to seek help. And when you are unwell, that is just too big a burden to bear. It's not enough to say that your door is always open. We need to get better at supporting our employees, and that is precisely what this podcast is about. The rebellion is here, and it is long overdue. So this podcast is specifically for the HR or business leader who wants to make a difference to their employees. And the bottom line is we want to create psychologically safe workplaces where employees are empowered to bring their whole selves to work. We want to create a culture that is inclusive, supportive, and encourages everyone from the shop floor to the boardroom to play their part. On the wellbeing rebellion podcast, we'll give you weekly up-to-date insights, strategies and tips that cover leadership capability, executive burnout, mental health, equity, diversity and inclusion and employee challenges such as retention, productivity and emotional resilience. Sometimes, it'll be just us. Other times we'll interview industry leaders and experts. Don't hesitate - listen and follow wherever you get your podcasts, because The Wellbeing Rebellion starts now!

  1. 18 JUN

    Beyond the Backlash - Insights From Inclusion Leaders

    Ever wondered what it really feels like to lead inclusion work when the world seems to be pushing back?  In this episode, I’m sharing what came up at our recent executive roundtable in London - no recording, just a closed-door, honest conversation between inclusion and HR leaders who are doing the work and feeling the weight of it.  From burnout and budget cuts to shifting language and peer support, this one’s a reflective unpacking of where we are, what’s changing, and what’s still possible. Highlights: (01:02) Beyoncé and brave leadership? Yes please (04:11) Why Pride Month feels quieter this year (10:23) The tension between external comms and internal culture (17:52) Is DEI being quietly cut or rebranded? (22:14) The emotional toll no one talks about (29:08) Peer support isn’t a ‘nice to have’  Join the next roundtable: We're hosting our next Beyond the Backlash roundtable on Thursday 26 June 2025 in Manchester along with Global Recruitment Consultants Michael Page. Sign up HERE If you’re a senior HR Director, Chief People Officer, Head of DEI, Responsible Business lead, or hold a similar leadership role, and you’d like to join this session or a future roundtable in London, Manchester, or Birmingham, you can express your interest here. Join us to be part of the conversation shaping the next chapter of inclusive leadership. Take the Aurora 360 Quiz: How Effective Is Your Company's Wellbeing Strategy? Click Here Connect with us here: Website: aurorawellnessgroup.co.uk LinkedIn: Ngozi LinkedIn: Obehi Aurora Company Profile 2024 Book a Call here

    29 min
  2. 23 APR

    Driving Racial Equity at The Co-Op - Turning Data into Actionable Change

    In this episode, I’m joined by the brilliant Zahoor Ahmad, who’s leading the charge at the Co-op when it comes to turning big talk about racial equity into real action.  We’re getting into everything from unconscious bias to how data (yes, actual numbers) can help create fairer workplaces.  Zahoor brings decades of experience, loads of honesty, and the kind of clarity that cuts through the fluff.  This one’s essential listening if you’re serious about building truly inclusive cultures - not just performative posters in the hallway. Highlights: (2:10) Current Relevance of Racial Equity (5:20) Challenges and Misconceptions in EDI (11:34) Impact of Media and Public Perception (18:40) Structural Inequality and Data-Driven Change (37:43) Addressing Systemic Racism and Individual Experiences (46:07) The Role of Compassionate Leadership (49:31) Future Vision for EDI (55:37) Conclusion and Final Thoughts Zahoor Ahmad is Group Head of Social Mobility, Inclusion and Belonging for the Co-op group with over two decades of experience in equality, diversity and inclusion practice garnered across and range of industries, including the public, private and charitable sectors. He currently serves as a member of the Co-op Group’s Exec Board.  As a graduate of psychology, he fosters a behavioural approach, and has been instrumental in pioneering approaches to tackling non-inclusive behaviours and structural inequalities. He has led D&I teams in the MoD, the finance sector, the emergency services and the charitable sector. He has worked in a wide range of multi-agency environments collaborating and leading programmes across education, health and early careers. He is a specialist inclusive coach and mentor, and frequent keynote speaker on topics ranging from socio-economic inequality to re-imagining inclusive leadership. Take the Aurora 360 Quiz: How Effective Is Your Company's Wellbeing Strategy? Click Here Connect with us here: Website: aurorawellnessgroup.co.uk LinkedIn: Ngozi LinkedIn: Obehi Aurora Company Profile 2024 Book a Call here

    49 min
  3. 9 APR

    Bridging the Gap - Suzy Levy on Creating Truly Inclusive Workplaces

    This episode is one I’ve been itching to share with you.  I sat down with Suzy Levy, and we got straight into what it takes to build inclusive workplaces.  Not box-ticking. Not surface-level diversity.  Real inclusion that changes how people feel when they show up to work.  Suzy’s got the kind of clarity and experience that makes you sit up straighter and think, “Right. That’s what we’ve been missing.”  She’s also the author of Mind the Inclusion Gap, which, if you haven’t read, might just become your next highlight-all-the-pages kind of book.  Highlights: (06:14) Inclusion is not about being nice (11:12) You’re not helping if you’re just doubling down on being nice (35:28) We all sit somewhere on the IST spectrum (47:14) You can’t event your way into equity (48:33) Inclusion is a skillset - not a personality trait Find out more about Suzy:  Suzy Levy is a specialist in social change. She works with senior leaders across the public, private and third sectors to solve some of the most pressing social issues of our time.  Suzy has three decades of experience leading change - everything from major technology upgrades to new product launches and organisational mergers.  She brings a wealth of expertise, along with a combination of positivity and pragmatism, and is widely recognised for her strategic approach to inclusion and diversity. In addition to her client work as Managing Director at The Red Plate, Suzy holds a variety of board-level roles. She was a non-Executive Director in the UK government for 7 years (both at the Home Office and the Department for Education).  Suzy currently sits on the Advisory Board at creative agency Improper, is the Chair of the Women's Sport Trust, and Chair of the Wimbledon Beach Volleyball Club. In 2023, Suzy published her first book, Mind the Inclusion Gap. It summarises decades of learning and is designed to help readers move beyond fleeting (and often divisive) interactions to become more confident, capable, and conscious when it comes to inclusion and diversity. Originally from the Pacific Northwest of the United States, Suzy now lives in London with her partner and two children.  Social Media Details:  X Instagram LinkedIn Take the Aurora 360 Quiz: How Effective Is Your Company's Wellbeing Strategy? Click Here Connect with us here: Website: aurorawellnessgroup.co.uk LinkedIn: Ngozi LinkedIn: Obehi Aurora Company Profile...

    46 min
5
out of 5
11 Ratings

About

Welcome to The Wellbeing Rebellion, an award-winning podcast! We are Ngozi Weller, a corporate wellbeing and productivity consultant, and Obehi Alofoje, a psychologist and behavioural change specialist. We are the founders of Aurora, a corporate culture consultancy that specialises in creating psychologically safe workplaces that enable employees to thrive, and for us, wellbeing is personal. The problem with employee wellbeing support, in most workplaces, is that it puts the responsibility on the person struggling to seek help. And when you are unwell, that is just too big a burden to bear. It's not enough to say that your door is always open. We need to get better at supporting our employees, and that is precisely what this podcast is about. The rebellion is here, and it is long overdue. So this podcast is specifically for the HR or business leader who wants to make a difference to their employees. And the bottom line is we want to create psychologically safe workplaces where employees are empowered to bring their whole selves to work. We want to create a culture that is inclusive, supportive, and encourages everyone from the shop floor to the boardroom to play their part. On the wellbeing rebellion podcast, we'll give you weekly up-to-date insights, strategies and tips that cover leadership capability, executive burnout, mental health, equity, diversity and inclusion and employee challenges such as retention, productivity and emotional resilience. Sometimes, it'll be just us. Other times we'll interview industry leaders and experts. Don't hesitate - listen and follow wherever you get your podcasts, because The Wellbeing Rebellion starts now!

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes and get the latest updates.

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada