We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nathalie Figaro a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Nathalie, thanks for joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Nathalie Figaro’s journey into wellness started in the Information Technology (IT) industry, where she excelled as a leader, and wore hard work, disguised as workaholism, as a badge of honor. She believed this was the key to personal and professional fulfillment, but beneath the surface of her achievements, a sense of discontentment and disconnection led her to realize the unsustainable pace she was on. This epiphany led her to pivot her career towards creating environments where employees thrive not just professionally, but personally.

For over a decade, she nurtured employee wellness from within the walls of a corporate company, testing, implementing and refining wellness strategies with employee input and support all along the way. Her bottom-up approaches increased employee engagement, and satisfaction scores, but it didn’t stop there. Because of the alignment to organizational goals and the impact to a positive and productive corporate culture, the wellness programming earned the stamp of approval and full participation of the C-Suite – validating the “employee-vetted and CEO approved” tagline.

After engaging over 12K global participants across 54 countries, it was a natural progression to launching Ignite Your Health – a corporate wellness company designed to make wellness initiatives be as dynamic and diverse as the workforce they serve.

” Our mission at Ignite Your Health is to create joyous workplaces with vibrant wellness. I believe work can be a place where every employee has the opportunity to achieve their fullest potential, both professionally and personally. True leadership is measured not just by the success of a business but by the well-being of its people.” – Nathalie Charlot

Ignite Your Health supports CEOs and IT leaders who want to re-energize their teams. IYH provides holistic employee wellness programming with a 3-pronged approach – physical health, educational resources and accountability infrastructure.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Nathalie Charlot’s journey into wellness started in the Information Technology (IT) industry, where she excelled as a leader, and wore hard work, disguised as workaholism, as a badge of honor. She believed this was the key to personal and professional fulfillment, but beneath the surface of her achievements, a sense of discontentment and disconnection lead her to realize the unsustainable pace she was on.

From Busy Badge to Wellness Wisdom

The turning point came when Nathalie faced the reality that her personal life was in shambles. It was a wake-up call that prompted a journey of deep introspection. The path was not without its challenges. Nathalie had to confront her tendency to internalize struggles, learning the hard lesson that opening up and accepting help was not a sign of weakness but of strength.

Guided by a counselor, her faith, and a pivotal encounter with a pastor who taught the four pillars of a balanced life, Nathalie experienced a profound lightbulb moment. This guidance sparked a desire to change, leading her from the brink of burnout to the foundation of holistic well-being.

Patience became her new mantra, as she navigated the complexities of transforming not just her life but her career.

It was out of this experience; Ignite Your Health was born. Ignite Your Health is not just a business, it’s a mission to create joyous workspaces with vibrant wellness.

Ignite Your Health – Employee Vetted and CEO approved

“I can relate to both employees and executives because I’ve been there,” Nathalie says. “I’ve lived the imbalance and felt the toll it takes. But I’ve also seen the other side, where wellness and work can coexist harmoniously. This is what I bring to the table with Ignite Your Health.” (Nathalie Charlot)

After engaging over 12K global participants across 54 countries for over a decade with wellness programming inside the corporate walls, Nathalie felt it was time to fully pursue her passion, and let other CEOs and IT leaders who want to re-energize their teams experience this.

Charlot – a former IT leader and Wellness Executive created, tested, implemented and refined corporate wellness programming that increased employee engagement and satisfaction scores with full C-suite support – leading to her “employee vetted and CEO-approved” tagline.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

My decade-long journey in the corporate wellness sector includes one particular experience that stands out as a testament to resilience. At the onset of my career, I was tasked with transforming a wellness program in a company where employee engagement needed improvement. Initial attempts to introduce new wellness initiatives were met with skepticism and resistance from employees who were wary of yet another top-down mandate.

Realizing that a different approach was necessary, I pivoted to a bottom-up strategy. I actively involved employees across the organization in the design and implementation of wellness programs. This meant conducting numerous surveys, focus groups, and one-on-one discussions to truly understand their needs and preferences. It was a painstaking process, requiring patience, persistence, and resilience to continually refine and improve the initiatives based on their feedback.

Over time, the results spoke for themselves. Employee engagement and satisfaction scores began to rise as employees felt heard and valued. The success of these programs extended beyond just the employees. Due to the alignment with organizational goals and the visible impact on fostering a positive and productive corporate culture, the wellness programming earned the endorsement and full participation of the C-Suite. This milestone validated our efforts, giving rise to the proud tagline, “employee-vetted and CEO approved.”

This journey was not without its challenges, but the unwavering commitment to a bottom-up approach and the resilience to adapt and persevere ultimately led to a thriving, engaged workforce and a wellness program that stood the test of time.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best source of new clients for me has undoubtedly been my professional network and peers. Over the past decade, I have built strong, lasting relationships within the industry. These connections have not only provided support and collaboration opportunities but have also been a significant source of referrals. Many of my clients come from this network of peers whom I’ve known and worked with for over 10 years. The trust and credibility established through these long-term relationships have been invaluable in attracting new clients who are confident in my expertise and commitment to their success.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.igniteyourhealth.net
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathalie-charlot-9a617817/

Image Credits

Image by Brandpreneur (Nick)