Wellbeing drive fuels record quarter for broker

A North East insurance broker has reported its strongest first quarter in more than 50 years after introducing a wellbeing programme for employees.

Weir Insurance, which was established in 1972, put a pilot team of ten staff through AstralMandala’s Mandala42 Protocol as part of a wider focus on workplace wellbeing.

The eight-week programme, developed by AstralMandala founder Anni Hood, measured blood biometrics and emotional capacity before, during and after the process.

Anni says the pilot group recorded improvements in blood pressure, while inflammation markers lowered in seven out of ten participants and cholesterol markers improved in four.

Participants were also assessed using AstralMandala’s Emotional Capacity Index (ECI), which uses the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale as an endorsed measure anchor.

The company says average ECI scores rose by 39 per cent, with Weir Insurance reporting its most profitable first quarter since launching more than five decades ago.

Anni said: “The Mandala42 Protocol is a limbic reset. 

“The limbic system is the part of the brain that governs how we regulate emotion, build relationships and respond under pressure. 

“The protocol works on the science of food, sleep, movement, social connection and time in nature, getting that baseline really solid.”

Office manager Laura Hall said the programme had a noticeable impact on her day-to-day interactions with both customers and colleagues. 

She added: “I had more emotional space internally. 

“I was not carrying stress into every interaction, and that changed how I communicated with customers and colleagues. 

“I became more grounded, more patient and more intentional, which helped me build better connections and handle situations more calmly.”

Karen Weir, managing director of Weir Insurance, added: “We have always been focused on wellbeing, and when Anni described what she was trying to bring into the world, I was hooked from the first line. 

“The protocol is about genuinely connecting with staff, which was something we had tried to do but were not quite reaching. 

“I wanted everybody to engage.

 “We communicate far better now, and everyone feels seen and heard. 

“We have just had our best performing quarter ever, better than anything in our history, and enquiries are higher than they have ever been. 

“I cannot separate that from the work we have done together as a team.”

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