Julie-Anne Whitfield is the Workplace Program Manager at R U OK? She sits down for a chat about building genuine wellbeing and connection into small businesses all year round, not just on R U OK? Day.
Julie-Anne explains why supportive workplace cultures matter, especially when business owners are carrying financial pressure, isolation, and responsibility for everyone else.
We cover the four-step ALEC framework, recognising early signs of burnout, checking in through texts or phone calls, and supporting someone without trying to fix them. Julie-Anne also shares practical ways for sole traders to create connection. Her central message is simple: “If you’re thinking it, ask it.”
Timestamped overview
00:00 Discussing mental health for business owners
04:30 Supporting Chefs with R U OK?
08:19 Addressing workplace mental health challenges
10:49 Discussing "Are You Okay?" question
13:13 Creating a supportive work environment
19:19 Encouraging workplace mental health check-ins
21:09 Small business support and connections
24:42 Recognising signs of burnout
28:16 Creating a supportive workplace culture
31:15 Creating supportive workplace environments
36:13 Sharing resources and episode wrap-up
Key Topics
Wellbeing Beyond One Day
- Julie-Anne Rickford says R U OK? Day should be a springboard for conversations and action throughout the year, not a once-a-year event at
- Small businesses face particular pressure from limited time, financial stress, and the absence of formal support structures .
- Meaningful wellbeing means creating workplaces where people aren’t left alone with difficult challenges .
- Regular check-ins can be as simple as adding “are you okay?” to a weekly meeting agenda or inviting someone for a walk and coffee.
How to Ask and Listen
- If your gut tells you someone is struggling, ask. Nine out of ten people who are asked “are you okay?” feel a sense of support, even if they aren’t ready to share everything
- The ALEC framework means ask, listen, encourage action, and check back in .
- The person asking isn’t there to fix someone. The goal is to support them with their next step.
- Listening requires resisting fix-it mode and allowing the other person to talk without making the conversation about you .
Supporting Solopreneurs
- One in two Australians report feeling lonely, with one in six experiencing loneliness severely enough to affect daily life.
- Julie-Anne Rickford encourages sole traders to join networks, associations, coworking spaces, and other small-business communities
- Connection often needs to be planned, whether that means working from a café, joining a class, or regularly visiting the same local coffee shop
- Beyond Blue’s small-business resources can help owners create more structure and connection in their working lives.
Recognising Burnout and Building Culture
- Pulling away from activities that bring joy, such as exercise, walks, or social outings, can signal that something is wrong.
- Julie-Anne Rickford recommends putting restorative activities in the calendar and treating them as priorities, not selfish extras,
- Cupcakes and yellow decorations may start a conversation, but support has to continue beyond the event to avoid performative wellbeing
- A supportive culture depends on practical, visible, consistent action, not good intentions alone.
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