🎯What problem are you trying to solve ? What do you need and How can we Help ?

I’m excited to share that today is my first day at Walk the Dragon as Enterprise Business Development Manager 🐉

Walk the Dragon has a clear mission: combining cognitive training and mindfulness to strengthen mindset, elevate performance and deliver measurable impact across organisations. 🧠✨🧘

Aussie innovation, blending neuroscience based cognitive training, mindfulness tools, and deep life reflections to elevate employee wellbeing and performance.

As enterprise leaders navigate increasing pressure, burnout risk and performance demands, the ability to systematically build focus, resilience and mental clarity becomes a competitive advantage, not just a wellbeing initiative.

The vision is simple and powerful: Provide the tools, for individuals to perform at their best in work and life, and in doing so, help enterprises build stronger, more resilient, high-performing cultures.

I’m looking forward to working with Deepak Nair and the team to bring this ‘first of it’s kind’ Australian innovation for the benefit of individuals, Enterprises and Organisations, launching first, here in Australia, then for the benefit of the rest of the world.

If you’re leading People & Culture, Learning & Development or Performance Strategy and want to be among the first to explore this unique solution for improving mindset and performance, let’s talk. 🚀🐉

#Enterprise #HighPerformance #Mindset #Leadership #PeopleAndCulture #FutureOfWork #NewChapter #WalktheDragon #Mindfulness #CognitivePerformance #InnovationInHR #lifereflections

Ian Hales

Walk the Dragon

🎯 People.Performance.Purpose

...☕ From the first coffee (thanks HiBob) to the final keynote, the themes were clear:
⚡ AI adoption is accelerating, but leadership capability and real implementation are lagging
 🛡 Psychosocial safety, compliance and regulation are intensifying
 📉 Employee engagement is in crisis (and directly linked to overall life satisfaction)
 🔄 Organisations are experiencing transformation fatigue
 🧠 Resilience and adaptability are now operational requirements

In roundtable discussions with HR leaders the conversation kept returning to one reality: HR is being asked to drive transformation, manage risk, improve engagement, adopt AI, and support wellbeing, often with limited time, tools and headspace.

One comment stuck with me: “Declutter the brain.”

That’s a real challenge.

Most organisations don’t need another system layered on top. They need preventative, scalable ways to strengthen resilience, clarity and adaptability at an individual level, before disengagement, burnout or psychosocial risk escalate.

This is exactly where Walk the Dragon fits. 

We’re not an EAP.
We’re not HRIS.
We’re not just mindfulness.

We’re building a new category, a world-first, world-class, Australian innovation, an enterprise platform, combining neuroscience backed mind fitness, proven mindfulness tools based on over 15,000+ hours of meditation, structured reflection, and practical tools that help individuals build self-awareness, resilience and performance capacity in a measurable way.🐉🧠💡

Thank you again, to Forefront Events and the incredible speaker & panel lineup for an excellent event.

The storm may be coming, but high-performing teams don’t just survive it. They adapt and lead through it.

Reach out ... book an appointment ... I'd love to continue the conversation. 🚀 

https://lnkd.in/gmqd8X_X  

😊  Ian - People. Performance. Purpose 

... and go Naara and good luck to all the teams, especially the Matilda's, in the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026.

Peter Berry Sharon Jones Shomaice Zowghi Anthony Mitchell Laura Hazell Kaylene Jacques Jane Hawkins Greg Day (he/him) Katrina Tsoutsoulis Oliver S. Kai Riemer Sandra Peter Rebecca Doyle Sam Sheppard Julie Tickle GAICD Emma Peir Greg Sellar Deepak Nair Nikola Hopkinson Kaustuva Ghosh Priyanka A. Walk the Dragon Harish P.Sally Laugesen Sarah Richardson Bryce Walter Andrew M. Silvana Avramovski Colleen Deagan GAICD Ivan Choi
 

#HRStrategy #FutureOfWork #EmployeeEngagement #PsychosocialSafety #Leadership #WalktheDragon #DiversityandInclusion #itsajourney

☔ A storm is brewing. And your umbrella may not be enough to keep you dry this time. 

AI, social and workforce change, and geopolitical instability are creating the perfect storm, according to Anthony Mitchell – set to transform how we work, live and play.

For the workforce, weathering this storm will require a new approach. One that leans into learning and curiosity, removes friction, and fosters adaptive, empathetic leaders who can guide people through change. 
 
That was just one of the countless takeouts from yesterday’s HR Strategy Summit NSW.

And the secret to future-ready workforce?

Building resilient, high-performing teams who have the tools to stay dry – or don’t mind getting wet – in the eye of the storm.

A big thank you to Forefront Events for hosting such a great event, and to the incredible line-up of speakers who shared their thoughts and ideas: Julie Julie Tickle GAICD, Sam Sheppard, Emma Peir, Katrina Tsoutsoulis, Rebecca Todd, Laura Hazell, Kaylene Jacques, Shomaice Zowghi, Sandra Peter, Kai Riemer and many more.

Deepak Nair, Ian Hales, Nikola Hopkinson
Image credits: Forefront Events

Countdown is on for today’s HR Strategy Summit NSW here in Martin Place ⏳

Everyone who knows me knows I genuinely love these days, the energy, the conversations, the new connections, and the learning that comes from being in a room full of equally passionate people, in this case HR and People Leaders.

Looking forward to meeting new people, hearing fresh perspectives, and diving into what’s shaping HR strategy for the year ahead.

Excited as well to share a little of our Walk the Dragon vision, blending neuroscience-based cognitive training, mindfulness, and deep life reflection to elevate wellbeing and performance. 🧠🔥🐉

Good luck to all the amazing speakers, moderators, exhibitors and organisers, and hope everyone has a great day!

Ian - People.Performance.Purpose 


Peter Berry Sharon Jones Shomaice Zowghi Anthony Mitchell Laura Hazell Kaylene Jacques Jane Hawkins Greg Day Katrina Tsoutsoulis Oliver S. Kai Riemer Rebecca Doyle Sam Sheppard Julie Tickle GAICD Emma Peir Greg Sellar Forefront Events Deepak Nair Nikola Hopkinson Walk the Dragon

#HRNSW #HRStrategy #PeopleAndCulture #FutureOfWork #Leadership #WorkplaceWellbeing #Innovation #Networking #WalktheDragon

Managing Director at Peter Berry Consultancy

Head of Diversity and Inclusion

People & Culture and Employee Relations Executive

Chairman and Chief Potential Officer, Bendelta Pty Ltd

Accomplished Capability and Learning leader, Coach, and Mindfulness Teacher.

Chief People Officer

Strategic Workforce Planning | Labour Model Transformation | Org Design | Talent Acquisition | Contingent Labour Optimisation | Total Talent Management

Enterprise Performance & Strategy Execution | Governance & Operating Models | Regulated & Public-Impact Environments

Culture and Psychosocial Safety Lead at Bupa Asia Pacific | Clinical Psychologist | Educational and Developmental Psychologist | Board Approved Supervisor

Vice President, Clinical, at Intellect (YC S21) | Clinical Psychology | Mental Health & Wellbeing | NUS

Professor, Futures Strategist & Board Advisor | Sydney Executive Plus, University of Sydney | Innovators in Future Proofing Leaders | 2026 Skills Horizon

Executive People & Strategy Leader

Chief People Officer at TAFE NSW

Director People, McDonalds Australia

Speaker, Corporate Leadership Facilitator and ICF-accredited Coach

Forefront Events

Helping brands find their storytelling edge | Strategic narrative | Content marketing leader

Yesterday was my last day at FundFindrs.

I’m genuinely grateful for the opportunity Jennifer Manuel and Kate Downing gave me, and for everyone I had the chance to work alongside.

I’ve had the privilege of meeting so many founders, startups, scaleups and partners across the ecosystem, people bringing incredible ideas, passion and capability to life, building new solutions and solving important problems. I wish you all the success you truly deserve.

As for me, I’m incredibly excited to be stepping into a new chapter, with a focus on strengthening mindset and elevating performance, helping individuals to grow in work & in life, and helping enterprises and organisations to thrive. 🧠✨🐉

Onwards and upwards 🚀

😊

Ian

#Grateful #Thankful #ExcitedForWhatsNext #Growth #Mindset #PeakPerformance #NewBeginnings #Mindfulness

FundFindrs

General Manager | Senior Marketing Professional | Leadership | Strategic Marketing | Business Transformation | Project Management | Angel Investing | Project & Stakeholder Management | Budget & Reporting

Senior Marketing Professional | Leadership | General Manager | Strategic Marketing | Comms & Business Transformation | Project Management | Angel Investing | Stakeholder Management | Budget & Reporting

🚨 Almost half of Queensland Health doctors are at risk of burnout.

That’s according to the latest Queensland Health Medical Workforce Wellbeing Survey (Feb 2026). 

https://lnkd.in/grUaB-88

Workload was ranked as the biggest negative driver of wellbeing, followed by organisational processes, culture, resources, support and professional development.

And while this data relates to doctors, let’s be honest…

This isn’t just a healthcare issue.

It’s a workplace issue. 🌍

Across industries, we’re seeing:

⚡ Rising workloads
 🧠 Cognitive overload
 🔄 Constant transformation
 📉 Declining engagement
 🔥 Burnout becoming normalised

How do we help strengthen the individual?

How do we help people build the resilience, clarity and mental fitness needed to operate in complex, high-pressure environments?

That’s where Walk the Dragon 🐉 comes in.

We’re not an EAP.

We provide structured neuroscience backed mind fitness, mindfulness, reflection and insight tools 💡that help the organisation prevent and predict burnout, at the same time helping individuals:

🧠 Declutter their thinking
 📊 Increase self-awareness
 💪 Build resilience capacity
 🎯 Strengthen performance and fulfilment

Burnout doesn’t start at breaking point.

It builds quietly, through overload, lack of clarity, and sustained pressure without recovery.

Employee engagement and life satisfaction are deeply connected, and organisations that ignore that connection do so at their own risk.

If you’d like to explore preventative, scalable ways to support your workforce before burnout escalates, we’re launching a first of it’s kind, Australian developed Enterprise platform that can help. Book a 30 minute discovery chat with me today!

https://lnkd.in/gmqd8X_X 

Catherine McDougall Nick Yim Deepak Nair Nikola Hopkinson Priyanka A. Kaustuva Ghosh Anabel Bielievitina Charul Mishra Harish P. Tamara Lee Sally Laugesen Sarah Richardson Shomaice Zowghi Katrina Tsoutsoulis Julie Tickle GAICD
 
#Burnout #EmployeeWellbeing #FutureOfWork #PsychosocialSafety #Leadership #HRStrategy #Healthcare #WalkTheDragon 🐉

calendly.com

30 Minute Walk the Dragon Discovery Call - Ian Hales

Chief Medical Officer Qld Health; Associate Professor University of Queensland; Orthopaedic Surgeon; GAICD

Australian Medical Association of Queensland President

CEO @VSF | Strategic Partnerships @Walk the Dragon | Spiritual-Tech for the Next Generation

Full Stack Software Engineer | Nodejs, Typescript | React | PostGreSQL | CircleCI, Jenkins | Sentry, NewRelic | AWS, Pulumi

Product designer at Walk the Dragon

Strategist | Advisor | Learner

Director | Future Workforce | Purpose driven with passion and vision for meaningful change

Champion of Organisational Development | Systems Thinker | Inclusive Culture Builder | Leadership Architect | Future-focused, People-first, Purpose-driven

People & Culture Lead at Everlight Radiology

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