Being Human with Andy Holmes
Conscious Leaders Podcast Episode: Reimagining Well-being and the Human P&L with Andy Holmes
Episode Summary: In this episode of Conscious Leaders, host Gret Batchelar is joined by visionary well-being pioneer Andy Holmes. They discuss how corporate well-being has evolved over the past two decades, shifting from an authentic practice to a highly commoditised industry. Andy shares his profound insights on the "why behind the what," the importance of personal daily architecture, and his groundbreaking work developing the Human P&L at Korn Ferry.
Whether you are a corporate leader seeking to shift your organisation's culture or an individual wanting to perform at your best, this episode offers a deep dive into connecting with human capacity and building sustainable performance. About the Guest: Andy Holmes is the Client Partner for Well-being and High Performance at Korn Ferry. Originally an ice hockey player from the north of England, Andy holds a degree in physiology, biomechanics, and psychology.
Before founding his own consultancy, C4 Human, and joining Korn Ferry, he spent 12 years at GlaxoSmithKline and 13 years at Reckitt. During his time at Reckitt, travelling 70% of the year exposed him to the poor well-being choices of travelling executives, sparking his deep curiosity about human consistency, capacity, and the biology of performance.
Key Topics Covered: The Evolution of Corporate Well-being Andy reflects on how well-being started out as organic and authentic but has unfortunately become highly commoditised, focusing too much on measuring output rather than true impact.
The "Why" Behind the "What": Instead of reacting to surface-level data like engagement surveys or burnout metrics, leaders must understand the underlying sentiments and personal experiences of their employees. Creating a Human P&L At Korn Ferry, Andy is working to combine massive behavioural datasets with human biology to create a Human P&L. This reframes the conversation to include not just well-being, but performance, engagement, diversity and inclusion, and retention within a sustainable corporate ecosystem.
Bottom-Up Cultural Change: To create a culture of well-being, organisations should avoid top-down mandates. Instead, they should allow small teams to organically set their own rhythms and boundaries, sharing what works before formulating broader company values. The Pillars of Good Leadership Successful leadership boils down to three core emotions: Trust (knowing resources are shared and protected), High Equity (ensuring everyone has belonging and skin in the game), and High Optimism (providing hope and degrees of freedom for the future).
Mastering Your Daily Architecture: Instead of starting the day by looking at a stressful to-do list, Andy suggests asking yourself, "Who do I want to be at the end of the day?" By identifying your desired emotional state — calm, reflective, proud — you can intentionally structure the phases of your day to get you there. Personal Non-Negotiables: Andy shares how he structures his day around environment, movement and a small trusted network of ideators, reflectors and listeners — weaving them intentionally into his daily rhythm to show up as his best self.
Tips for Individuals Starting Out: Before jumping into generic solutions like 5am workouts or fad diets, start by mapping your energy levels. Draw a line on a piece of paper tracking your physical and emotional energy throughout the day for a week to discover your personal patterns and what truly works for you.
Memorable Quotes: "I always believe that before you try and solve a problem, you should experience it first." "We as human beings can do more than we'd ever anticipated by being more than we'd ever appreciated." "Busyness has become the new business."
Connect with Andy Holmes LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-holmes-005/
