We’re thrilled to share that our CEO and co-founder, Renee Moorefield, was recently featured on the Deep Leadership Podcast with host Jon Rennie. In this conversation, Renee shares evidence-based insights on how we can all move beyond survival mode to truly thrive in today’s complex environment—something we’re passionate about supporting in leaders worldwide.
Watch the full interview below or on your favorite podcast platform.
Key Insights to Support Your Thriving Journey
What Does Thriving Leadership Really Mean?
At Wisdom Works, we define thriving leadership as “stewarding the conditions where all people can thrive.” This approach focuses on harnessing people’s potential and best energies to contribute to healthier organizations and ultimately, a thriving planet.
As Renee explains in the interview: “We’re really looking at whole people. People are coming and giving their life energy to this job—how do we harness that and support them in showing up well?”
The Science Behind Thriving
Our research and work with thousands of leaders has shown that thriving isn’t just about surviving challenges. It means being internally well-resourced to meet complexities and demands with a high quality of life, a sense of competence, and continuous growth.
What many don’t realize is that we’re biologically hardwired with circuits not just for survival and stress management, but also for thriving. Our work helps activate these natural resources that often remain untapped in traditional work environments.
Real Results During Challenging Times
During the podcast, Renee shared how we partnered with a Barilla executive during the COVID-19 pandemic when team engagement was eroding. Through our science-based approach, we helped the team:
- Support individual thriving during isolation
- Establish team routines and practices for resilience
- Leverage their brand to support consumer well-being
The results were remarkable—while engagement and well-being declined worldwide, this team saw improvements across all measured metrics from job autonomy to wellbeing indicators, demonstrating that thriving is possible even during the most challenging circumstances.
Why Thriving Matters for Performance
Our research confirms what you may intuitively know—thriving and performance are deeply connected:
“When we feel self-regulated rather than dysregulated and stressed, we are more creative, more expansive, more open to others’ points of view, more innovative, and more productive.”
In fact, our data shows that 34% of a leader’s impact can be explained by their own well-being—making it a critical factor in leadership effectiveness and something we can help you measure and improve.
Our Be Well Lead Well® Platform
During the interview, Renee shared insights about our Be Well Lead Well® platform, which includes:
- A comprehensive assessment examining 19 bio-psychosocial-spiritual factors linked to leadership effectiveness
- Customized programs and learning journeys for individuals and teams
- Data-driven insights from nearly 4,000 leaders worldwide
Leaders we work with are often surprised to discover factors beyond traditional wellness metrics—like one’s sense of awe or self-directed purpose—that significantly impact their leadership effectiveness.
Building a Healthier Relationship with Stress
One particularly valuable insight from the conversation focused on “emotional capacity”—the ability to hold responsibilities with lightness and joy rather than burden and heaviness:
“We all can learn how to build a healthy relationship to stress so that we see it as life-affirming. We need stress to really support our growth and development.”
This perspective shift is one we help leaders make every day, transforming how they experience and respond to challenges.
Your Capacity to Thrive
Renee left listeners with a powerful reminder that we share with all our clients: “You already have the innate capacity to thrive.”
This isn’t just inspirational talk—it’s backed by neuroscience. You’re biologically hardwired with this capacity, and by prioritizing and bringing it forward in your life and leadership, you can navigate even the most challenging circumstances.
We’re here to help you activate that innate capacity and create the conditions for thriving in your life, your leadership, and your organization.
Want to learn more about how we can support your thriving journey? Contact us to discover the best path for your thriving.
