79: Rethinking Health & Wellness for Manufacturers with Laura Timbrook

Laura Timbrook is a national board-certified health and wellness coach who is focused specifically on the manufacturing industry, particularly on shift workers. She’s also a speaker on the topic and runs her own podcast Outspoken Nutrition. We haven’t really approached this topic on the show before, but it’s one that Laura is uniquely qualified to cover.

Health and wellness isn’t a topic that’s discussed much in the manufacturing industry. But that doesn’t mean it’s not been an important issue since the inception of the sector. In this episode, Laura discusses the evolving nature of occupational health and wellness, especially as it stretches to accommodate the needs of workers in the manufacturing industry.

She also shares her thoughts on what she believes health and wellness will look like in the near future. She then goes on to share some words of advice for industry leaders looking to embrace the notion of a healthier workforce.

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3 Quick Things from this Episode

  1. There’s a whole population out there that thinks that healthy doesn’t work for them, and they’ve given up.
  2. Wellness is a key issue for the younger workforce coming in, so they’re a lot more conscious about their health and how their career affects that.
  3. In an organization, employees need to trust that you’re not going to look through their health records and that the information there doesn’t end up affecting their employment.

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Tweetable Quotes

  • “If you start small, you’ll make bigger changes.”
  • “When we talk about what encompasses health and wellness, it’s not just sleep, nutrition, movement, it also covers relationships and an overall sense of purpose.”
  • “Give your employees access to their “numbers,” once they start to see specifics on their health it suddenly hits home.”

Please Scroll Down for Recommended Resources from this Episode

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What We Discuss with Laura

  • What being healthy looks like from a broader perspective
  • How to reframe the health and wellness conversation for a shift worker in manufacturing
  • How wellness contributes to retention and productivity in the workplace
  • The evolution of wellness in the manufacturing industry
  • What companies that have a thriving health and wellness culture are doing right
  • How COVID has changed the general attitude towards health
  • Common mistakes organizations make when implementing health and wellness initiatives
  • Advice for manufacturing leaders looking to adopt a health-conscious culture

Recommended Resources

  • Outspoken Nutrition, a podcast that focuses on simple and doable ways to lead a healthy lifestyle and make better health-related choices.

Connect with Laura

LinkedIn | Twitter