Nathan Brisby
Chief People Officer
Institute for Integrative Nutrition
Episode 268
Why Your Company's Wellness Strategy Is Missing Its Soul: The Spiritual Imperative
Current chapter: Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built By PeopleMarch 20, 2025 · 17:07
Thesis
“Workplace wellness, truly holistic and human-centered, is a strategic imperative that requires acknowledging and fostering the whole person, including their spiritual identity, to unlock their full potential and drive long-term organizational success.”
Show notes
Research shows that employees who participate in a basic wellness program experience a 25% decrease in absenteeism and a 30% increase in productivity. Nathan Brisby's argument isn't that companies should invest in wellness for those reasons. He thinks that's the wrong framing entirely.
As CPO at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, Nathan has built a philosophy around what he calls the "first condition" of organizational life: wellness should be prioritized because it is the birthright of every human being — not as a productivity lever. The distinction matters, he argues, because employees can tell the difference. When wellness is framed as a means to better output, it feels transactional and rings hollow. When it's framed as a genuine organizational commitment to the whole person, it produces the trust and belonging that actually drives the outcomes leaders are chasing. His most provocative claim: if your wellness program doesn't include free, supportive health coaching, it probably isn't working. Healthcare systems aren't built for behavior change. Coaches are.
Nathan is one of the few HR leaders who names spirituality in the workplace directly — and distinguishes it clearly from religion. He's talking about meaning, purpose, connection, and the conditions that allow employees to bring their full selves to work rather than leaving part of themselves at the door. His KPI reframe captures it cleanly: every time you see "Key Performance Indicator," try reading it as "Key Purpose Indicator." The metrics that matter are the ones that measure the things that actually matter to human beings.
What you'll learn:
- Why framing wellness as a productivity driver is counterproductive — and what to anchor it to instead
- The case for health coaching as the missing piece in most corporate wellness programs
- How to introduce spirituality, meaning, and purpose at work without conflating it with religion
- The KPI → Key Purpose Indicator reframe: measuring what actually matters to employees
- How leaders can authentically champion wellness rather than delegating it to an HR program
- What "whole person" design looks like in practice — mental, emotional, spiritual, and financial dimensions
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What you'll take away
- 1Holistic Wellness is Paramount: True workplace wellness extends beyond physical health to encompass mental, emotional, spiritual, and financial well-being, honoring the 'whole person'.
- 2Behavior Change through Coaching: Incorporating free, supportive health coaching focused on behavior change is crucial for wellness programs to be effective and prevent health crises.
- 3Spirituality at Work: Organizations can foster meaning and purpose through practices like mindfulness, quiet rooms, integrating personal values into goal-setting, and even moments of silence or rest during meetings.
- 4Strategic Imperative, Not a 'Nice-to-Have': Wellness programs are a strategic business imperative, leading to significant decreases in absenteeism, increases in productivity, and lowered healthcare costs, rather than just an optional perk.
- 5Authentic Leadership: CEOs and HR leaders must genuinely prioritize wellness as a 'first condition' for human dignity, not merely as a means to boost productivity, to build authentic employee relationships.
What most organizations get wrong
- •Wellness is a Strategic Imperative: Pushes back on the pervasive misconception that wellness programs are 'nice-to-have' and not a top strategic priority, citing data on absenteeism and productivity.
- •Redefining KPIs to Key Purpose Indicators (KPi): Challenges the 'old school myopic MBA ways of thinking' about measuring success, advocating for an expansion of metrics to include lives impacted, community engagement, and employee purpose engagement scores.
- •Wellness as a 'First Condition' vs. Productivity Driver: Argues against framing wellness programs as tools to drive productivity, stating this makes employees feel manipulated. Instead, wellness should be prioritized as a 'birthright as a citizen of humanity'.
- •Health Coaches are a Missing Piece: Argues that the current healthcare system is insufficient at preventing health crises and doctors lack nutrition education, positioning health coaches as the missing piece for supporting behavior change.
In Nathan's words
“To me, the saddest thing about the workplace is that when we show up for work, more times than not, we leave some part of ourselves outside of the door.”
This quote powerfully articulates the core problem Nathan Brisby aims to solve by bringing the whole self to work.
“If your wellness program doesn't include access to free supportive health coaching, I can pretty well say your wellness program isn't going to make much of a change.”
This is a direct, actionable, and somewhat provocative statement highlighting a specific, often overlooked, component of effective wellness programs.
“My personal executive coach keeps reminding me that every time I hear someone say KPI, I should actually reinterpret it as a key purpose indicator.”
This reinterpretation challenges traditional business metrics and aligns with his broader thesis of purpose-driven organizations.
“The soul is like a wild animal. It's tough, it's resilient, it's savvy, self-sufficient, and exceedingly shy. And so if we wanted to show up, we can't go crashing through the woods shouting for the creature to come out. But if we can sit for an hour or two at the base of a tree, it will come out.”
A vivid metaphor illustrating the delicate approach needed to foster spirituality and deep human connection in the workplace.
“We prioritize wellness because it's our birthright as a citizen of humanity. We don't do wellness so that we can work harder or work better, and that may end up happening... but it's not the true answer to why.”
This quote encapsulates a core contrarian view, arguing for an intrinsic, humanitarian reason for wellness over a purely instrumental, productivity-driven one.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Employees leaving parts of themselves outside of work, leading to disengagement and untapped potential.
- •Lack of effective behavior change support in traditional healthcare systems and wellness programs.
- •Underestimation of wellness programs as 'nice-to-haves' rather than strategic imperatives by CEOs and HR leaders.
- •Workplace cultures that don't make it safe or normal for employees to utilize mental health or wellness resources.
- •Over-reliance on 'myopic MBA ways of thinking' for measuring success, missing broader organizational purpose and impact.
In this episode
Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built by People
I asked you to share a little bit more about your career journey
Your Career Journey
Nathan Miller: A truly holistic approach to wellness looks at workplace wellness
Workplace Wellness: A Multidimensional Approach
Organizations can create space for employees' spiritual identities while maintaining professional boundaries
Are Organizations Inviting Spiritual Life into Work?
Spirituality can show up in ways we measure success and impact
What Is Purpose in the Workplace?
When employees feel engaged in their work and supported in their personal wellbeing
Wellbeing Programs and Employee Engagement
There are some common misconceptions about workplace wellness and how to address them
Common Misperceptions about Workplace Wellbeing
Nathan says small changes can make a big impact at work
Wellness at Work: A Personal Challenge
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
Full transcript
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