What if wellbeing at work felt less like another initiative… and more like something people genuinely wanted to be part of?
That was the thinking behind the first Self Well Festival.
A day created to champion self-care for the selfless.
Because in many workplaces, the people who care for, support and serve others can be the very people who find it hardest to make time for themselves.
They keep going.
They put others first.
They are brilliant at what they do.
And sometimes, their own wellbeing gets pushed further and further down the list.
The Self Well Festival was created to change that.
Not with another wellbeing policy.
Not with a tick-box exercise.
But with a day that said:
This time is for you.
Where the idea came from
The idea for the Self Well Festival grew from listening.
Through conversations with staff, we began to see a common thread: people working in vocation-led roles, giving a huge amount of themselves to others and often putting their own needs second.
That sparked a question:
What would happen if we created a whole day where people could simply stop, breathe, explore and receive?
And so the Self Well Festival was born.
The intention was simple: bring wellbeing experts, inspiring speakers, practical workshops and opportunities to pause together in one place — and give people the freedom to choose what they needed from the day.
The result was a festival built around one central belief:
Self-care isn’t selfish. It is essential.
A different approach to workplace wellbeing
Traditional workplace wellbeing can sometimes feel like something that is done to employees.
A leaflet.
A webinar.
A policy.
A wellbeing email.
The Self Well Festival takes a different approach.
It creates an experience.
People are invited to step away from their usual role for a while and become the person at the centre of their own wellbeing.
There is no expectation to attend everything.
No pressure to take part in a particular activity.
No one-size-fits-all solution.
Instead, the day offers choice.
Come to a talk.
Try a workshop.
Have a treatment.
Learn something new.
Sit quietly with a coffee.
Talk to someone.
Laugh.
Move.
Rest.
Or simply take some time for yourself.
The day is yours.
What makes a Self Well Festival different?
🌿 It’s proactive
The festival isn’t designed to wait until someone is struggling.
It creates opportunities to discover tools, ideas and practices that people can take away and incorporate into everyday life.
The original festival brought together experts covering subjects including nutrition and brain health, the five pillars of wellbeing, change management and menopause awareness and coaching.
Alongside the headline speakers were practical sessions including laughter yoga, finding purpose, core exercises, sleep hygiene, virtual fitness, sound baths and exploring the benefits of crystals.
There was something for different people, different interests and different stages of their wellbeing journey.
💛 It’s personal
Wellbeing isn’t one-size-fits-all.
What helps one person switch off might not work for another.
That’s why choice is such an important part of the Self Well Festival.
People could explore different experts, subjects, experiences and approaches and decide for themselves what resonated.
The original festival also included exhibitors offering experiences such as personalised aromatherapy, Reiki, reflexology and massage, alongside signposting to wider wellbeing support.
It became a place to discover, rather than a place to be told what wellbeing should look like.
And perhaps most importantly… it was joyful
Wellbeing doesn’t always have to be serious.
Sometimes we need to laugh.
Sometimes we need to move.
Sometimes we need to be curious.
Sometimes we need to experience something completely different.
And sometimes we just need permission to stop.
That was one of the things I loved about the Self Well Festival.
It brought together learning, connection, curiosity, relaxation and fun.
Because finding your way back to yourself shouldn’t feel like another job on your to-do list.
The Self Well Festival is an invitation
An invitation to recharge and reframe.
An invitation to discover new ways of looking after yourself.
An invitation to put yourself back on the list.
An invitation to remember that wellbeing isn’t something we should only think about when things go wrong.
The original festival was deliberately designed so staff could access a free ticket, choose the workshops they wanted to attend and experience as much — or as little — of the day as they wanted.
That sense of autonomy matters.
Because sometimes the most powerful thing an organisation can give its people is not another instruction.
It’s time, space and permission.
Could your organisation create a Self Well Festival?
I believe it could.
You don’t need to recreate the first festival exactly.
In fact, I wouldn’t want you to.
The beauty of the idea is that a Self Well Festival can be shaped around your people, your organisation and your community.
It could be a full day.
A half day.
A staff wellbeing week with a festival-style programme.
A collection of workshops and experiences.
Or something completely different.
The important thing is the principle:
Create dedicated space for your people to explore their own wellbeing.
Bring different voices and approaches together.
Give people choice.
Make it practical.
Make it enjoyable.
And, above all, make it feel like something being given to your people — not another thing being asked of them.
I’m happy to share what I learned
Creating the first Self Well Festival taught me that bringing wellbeing together under one roof can create something quite different from individual wellbeing activities.
It creates energy, connection and conversation.
It gives experts an opportunity to share their knowledge with people who may never otherwise have found them.
And it gives employees the chance to discover something that might become part of their life long after the festival is over.
The festival doesn’t have to be the end of the wellbeing conversation.
It can be the beginning.
Are you a wellbeing expert?
I’d love to hear from you too.
One of the most exciting parts of creating the Self Well Festival was bringing together people with different expertise, experiences and approaches to wellbeing.
The festival works because it isn’t about one person’s definition of wellbeing.
It’s about creating a rich, welcoming mix of ideas and experiences.
If you’re a wellbeing practitioner, speaker, coach, therapist, facilitator or expert with something meaningful to share, I’d love to hear from you.
I’m particularly interested in people who can offer practical, accessible and engaging experiences that encourage people to pause, reflect, learn, reconnect or simply find a little more joy.
Whether that’s a workshop, talk, taster session, experience or something I’ve never thought of before…
I’d love to discover what you do.
Let’s create more Self Well Festivals
The first Self Well Festival started with one organisation asking:
“Could we do more for the people who give so much to others?”
I think that’s a question worth asking in many more workplaces.
Because looking after people shouldn’t only happen when they’re struggling.
Sometimes we need to create the space before we reach that point.
To recharge.
To reconnect.
To learn.
To laugh.
To breathe.
To find ourselves again.
That’s what a Self Well Festival is all about.
Championing self-care for the selfless.
Could your workplace be next?
