From Programs to System: Building Whole-School Wellbeing That Works with Justin Robinson | Season 4: Episode 7

Most schools have wellbeing programs or initiatives. Very few have wellbeing embedded into the way they function and flourish. That is the difference between bolting something on and creating real, lasting change.

In this episode, I am joined by Justin Robinson, co-founder of the Wellbeing Distillery and formerly the founding director of the Institute of Positive Education at Geelong Grammar School. Justin has worked with hundreds of schools across Australia and internationally, and his approach is built on the idea that wellbeing has to be embedded across the whole school community, including leaders, staff, students and families – not delivered as a series of disconnected initiatives.

We unpack what it actually takes to move from add-on programs to embedded practice, and why so many schools get stuck in the cycle of doing more without seeing more results.

In this episode:

• Why a collection of programs is not the same as embedded wellbeing
• The four partners every school needs to engage: leaders, staff, students and families
• The most common mistake schools make when rolling wellbeing out across the whole community
• What schools are telling us right now: leaders want strategy support, teachers want professional learning, families want to understand the language their children are learning
• How adopting the mindset that “wellbeing is a shared responsibility” changes the way you design your whole approach
• Practical starting points for schools that want to shift from doing wellbeing to being a wellbeing-led school

About Justin Robinson

Justin Robinson is the co-founder of the Wellbeing Distillery, an organisation supporting hundreds of schools across Australia and internationally to embed evidence-informed wellbeing in ways that are practical, sustainable and genuinely transformational.

He was previously the founding director of the Institute of Positive Education at Geelong Grammar School, a role he held for eight years, during which the Institute became one of the world’s most recognised hubs for positive education practice and research. Justin is an honorary fellow at the University of Melbourne and co-author of My Manifesto, a resource that supports individuals and communities in thriving.

His current work spans the Wellbeing Compass, a suite of evidence-based surveys developed in partnership with Adelaide University and Resilient Youth Australia, and the Seven Habits of Well-Being Wise Families, a parent course designed to extend the school’s wellbeing language into the home.

LINKS AND RESOURCES

• My Manifesto by Justin Robinson
• 7 Habits of Wellbeing-Wise Families 
• Wellbeing Compass Brochure

Connect with Justin:

• Website: thewellbeingdistillery.com
• Email: justin@thewellbeingdistillery.com 
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jrobinson-wellbeing

Connect with Adrienne:

• Website: adriennehornby.com.au
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adrienne-hornby-a4126a205
• Email: hello@adriennehornby.com.au 
• Staff Wellbeing Survey: adriennehornby.com.au/staff-survey
• Well-Led Schools Partnership Program: adriennehornby.com.au/school-partnerships