You Know What Really Grinds My Gears? Why We Wait Until It’s Too Late to Care About Wellness
By Jamie Drew, WELL Faculty & Wellness Strategist
Founder of Jamie on Wellness, specializing in high-impact wellbeing solutions for leadership and living
You know what really grinds my gears?
When companies treat wellness like a fire extinguisher — only breaking the glass after everything’s already up in flames.
I’m talking about waiting until:
Your best manager hands in their notice out of the blue
Half your team is using PTO as a coping mechanism
You start hearing “I'm just tired” from the people who used to energize the room
Sick days are quietly becoming “mental health days,” but nobody's allowed to say that out loud
And then the knee-jerk fix is... what?
A mindfulness webinar? A pizza party? A meditation app no one actually opens?
This is exactly how organizations bleed out potential — slowly, quietly, and expensively.
“‘I don’t ever want to look like that again.’
That’s what I said the moment I realized burnout was written all over my body — and my coworkers’ too.”
Wellness isn’t a perk.
It’s a retention strategy.
It’s a leadership tool.
And it’s something you bake in — not bolt on.
The most high-functioning teams?
They don’t wait for people to burn out.
They design systems, spaces, and expectations that reduce the need to “recover” from work in the first place.
Here’s a thought:
Instead of trying to fix broken culture with freebies, what if we built a culture that doesn’t break people?
Life & Times of a Workaholic
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Life & Times of a Workaholic 〰️
Let me tell you something that stuck with me for years.
I was at a work conference once, checking into the hotel, when I noticed another group in the lobby. I couldn’t tell if they were there for the same event, so I leaned over to my coworker and asked, “You think they’re with us?”
She looked up, paused for half a second, and said:
“Yeah. They’ve got the look.”
I was like, “What look?”
She said:
“Overworked and underpaid.”
Whew.
I was speechless.
Because she was right.
We did have the look.
Tired eyes. Slouched shoulders. Quiet resentment in the air.
I remember thinking:
“Is that what we look like to other people?”
And then:
“I don’t ever want to look like that again.”
Here’s the thing:
When people feel devalued and depleted, it doesn’t just show up in performance.
It shows up in their posture. Their pace. Their presence.
And most leaders — especially those with the power to change it — don’t see it until it’s too late.
“They Never Said Anything” — Until It Was Too Late: Common signs of burnout most managers miss until it’s already impacted performance.
If you're in charge of people (or buildings), here are 3 signs you're reactive — and 3 shifts to start thinking proactively:
🔻 Reactive Signs:
You're offering wellness perks but not tracking if anyone uses them
Exit interviews mention burnout, but there's no internal system for measuring stress
Your HR team is constantly solving emotional emergencies — not preventing them
✅ Proactive Shifts:
Design spaces that reduce noise, promote natural light, and support autonomy
Offer preventative wellness programming, not just recovery support
Empower managers to spot wellbeing risks before they become HR cases
And here’s one that’s not on any checklist:
Ask your team — “What would help you feel good at work before something goes wrong?”
Then actually act on it.
Listen — I’ve worked with housing authorities, developers, corporate teams, and community leaders. You know what they all have in common?
They’re tired of playing catch-up with people’s wellbeing.
So let’s stop waiting.
Stop patching holes.
Stop pretending wellness is some trendy extra.
It’s not extra.
It’s essential.
And it’s my zone of genius.
I build strategies that integrate wellness from the inside out — so people stay longer, lead better, and burn brighter without burning out.
If this made you feel seen, it might be time to chat.
Jamie on Wellness is a boutique consulting studio specializing in wellbeing strategy for mission-driven teams, residential communities, and lifestyle-focused organizations. From wellness-centered design consulting to leadership retreats and cultural reset programming, we help our clients create environments where people actually thrive.
