Wellhub

**LIVE from the Transform Conference in Las Vegas**

In this episode of Culture Uncovered, Jena Dunay sits down with Lívia Martini, Chief People Officer at Wellhub, to explore what it looks like to build a people-first culture at a global wellness company operating across 18 countries.

Lívia shares her unconventional path from investment banking and management consulting into HR leadership, why Wellhub’s mission deeply resonated with her, and how the company has scaled from 350 employees to 3,000 while staying intentional about culture, flexibility, and employee wellbeing.

They also discuss why meaningful collaboration matters, how Wellhub approaches flexibility without mandates, and why employee wellness isn’t just a perk — it’s directly tied to performance, engagement, and retention.

What you’ll learn:

•  What Wellhub does and how it helps companies support employee wellbeing 
•  Why Livia Martini left investment banking and consulting to join a mission-driven company 
•  How Wellhub scaled from 350 to 3,000 employees across 18 countries 
•  What “meaningful collaboration” looks like in practice 
•  How Wellhub builds culture across a globally distributed workforce 
•  Why flexibility only works when paired with accountability and ownership 
•  How wellness impacts employee performance, engagement, and retention 
•  Why Wellhub encourages employees to actually take their PTO 
•  The types of employees who thrive at Wellhub 
•  Why leadership development is a major focus area for the company 

Wellhub Highlights:

•  Headquarters: New York, New York 
•  Team Size: ~3,000 employees 
•  Global Presence: 18 countries 
•  Major Employee Hubs: Brazil, Portugal, Mexico, Argentina, Italy, Spain, Germany, UK + more 
•  Industry: Corporate wellbeing / HR tech 
•  Culture: Flexible, collaborative, mission-driven, wellness-focused 
•  Workforce Style: Hybrid and globally distributed 

Unique Perks & Programs:

•  Complimentary Wellhub Gold Membership for employees 
•  Ability to add family members to wellness plans 
•  Access to gyms, fitness studios, wellness apps, nutrition, sleep, mental health, and financial wellbeing tools 
•  Flexible work environment with no company-wide office mandate 
•  Strong emphasis on PTO usage and manager accountability around time off 
•  Team wellness activities like yoga classes and pickleball outings 
•  Global town halls and team rituals designed to maintain connection across distributed teams 
•  Leadership development support for first-time managers 
•  Employee-first approach to wellbeing, flexibility, and work-life integration 

To learn more about Wellhub:

Careers Page (They're hiring!)
LinkedIn Page
Lívia's LinkedIn

Transcript

Jena Dunay: Hello friends, and welcome back to another episode of Culture Uncovered, where each week we go behind the scenes of a cool company to work for.

Today, I have the honor and privilege of speaking with the Chief People Officer of Wellhub, Livia Martini. Thank you so much for joining us to talk a little bit about culture — and specifically, culture at Wellhub.

Livia Martini: Thank you for having me. It’s a pleasure.

Jena Dunay: For those who may not know, tell us a little bit about what Wellhub actually is. What do you all do?

Livia Martini: Absolutely. Wellhub is a corporate wellbeing platform. We provide HR teams with a product that gives employees access to a wide range of wellbeing solutions — everything from gyms and fitness studios to personal trainers and wellness apps.

And it goes beyond physical wellness. We support all areas of wellbeing: nutrition, sleep, physical health, mental health, and even financial wellbeing.

What’s great about the platform is that people can tailor it to their own needs — and those needs change over time. One month you might be focused on building muscle, while the next you may need yoga, meditation, or sleep support. That flexibility is really the beauty of the product.

Jena Dunay: It must be interesting for you, as a people leader, to work for a company that serves people leaders and genuinely cares about employee wellbeing.

Tell me a little bit about why you joined the company.

Livia Martini: For me, one of the fun parts is that I’m actually our client. I get to test everything firsthand — I’m basically the beta user for all Chief People Officers out there.

My career path is a little unconventional. I started in investment banking, then moved into management consulting. Eventually, I realized I wanted to do something different with both my life and my lifestyle. I wanted to work on something mission-driven that aligned with values that were important to me personally.

That’s what brought me to Wellhub.

At the time, we were about 350 people across seven countries. Today, we’re about 3,000 employees in 18 countries. It’s been an incredible journey.

What I hoped to find was a group of people passionate about making an impact — and that’s exactly what I found.

Jena Dunay: Let’s talk through those numbers again because they’re impressive.

How many employees do you have now, and where are you located?

Livia Martini: We’re around 3,000 employees globally. The company is headquartered in New York, but we have a significant employee base in Brazil and Portugal as well.

We also have teams in Mexico, Argentina, Italy, Spain, Germany, the UK — really all over the world across 18 countries.

And yes, we’re hiring in all of them.

Jena Dunay: I honestly didn’t realize you were that large.

Livia Martini: Yes — we’ve grown quite a bit.

Jena Dunay: That’s amazing. And I’m sure it’s been such a ride getting to be part of that growth.

What do you love most about working at Wellhub?

Livia Martini: I think we’ve built a culture that’s very genuine and truly centered around caring for people.

We recognize that people have different needs at different times, and we try to reflect that in everything we do — from flexibility policies to celebrations, events, and the way we structure work.

We try very hard not to create “one-size-fits-all” mandates. Instead, we give people the autonomy to make decisions that work for their lives.

The other piece is the people themselves. We’ve been fortunate to recruit a group of individuals who are passionate, collaborative, and deeply invested in our mission. That energy really shows in the results we achieve together.

Jena Dunay: I was actually telling you before we started recording that I have a dear friend who works at Wellhub, and she absolutely loves it there.

Whenever someone says, “You need to interview our people leader because I genuinely love where I work,” I take that seriously.

Livia Martini: Honestly, that’s the best compliment we could receive.

Jena Dunay: How would you describe the culture at Wellhub?

Livia Martini: We’re very flexible — which naturally aligns with the type of work we do.

But flexibility only works when it’s paired with autonomy, accountability, and ownership. We empower people to own their scope fully and determine how they work best.

For example, we don’t have an office mandate. People can choose whether they want to work remotely or go into the office. Some teams decide to meet every Wednesday, while others create their own rhythms.

Jena Dunay: So almost like subcultures within the broader culture?

Livia Martini: Exactly. We allow those team-level dynamics to form organically within the larger framework.

Another huge aspect of our culture is collaboration. During interviews, we intentionally assess for what we call “meaningful collaboration.”

We don’t just want people who are polite or friendly. We want people who can build deep, trusting relationships that improve how work gets done.

Because our business is so interconnected, nobody can truly work in isolation. Collaboration isn’t optional here — it’s essential.

Jena Dunay: How do you build and maintain culture when your workforce is spread all over the world and people work in different ways?

Livia Martini: I always say that any culture can work if you make deliberate decisions about what you’re trying to build.

Culture can’t just be a word on a wall, and it’s never “one and done.” It’s something you reinforce every single day.

It starts all the way back with employer branding and recruiting. We try to make sure that what candidates see is what they actually get. That also allows people to self-select out if the culture doesn’t resonate with them.

Jena Dunay: I always say it’s talent attraction and talent repellence. Sometimes we need to repel the wrong fits too.

Livia Martini: Exactly. It’s a two-way relationship.

Then you reinforce culture through policies, rituals, communication, and everyday interactions.

For example, we have country-level town halls, team town halls, and global town halls to ensure employees understand how the business is operating and how they can contribute.

But honestly, I think the small things matter the most.

At one point, we intentionally encouraged employees to start meetings by asking, “How are you doing?” — and then genuinely listening to the answer.

That sounds tiny, but those moments matter. I know people’s family members’ names. I definitely know all the pets’ names.

Jena Dunay: Pets are somehow always easier to remember.

Livia Martini: Exactly.

You need people who genuinely care about others. That’s what sustains culture day to day.

Jena Dunay: I love the way you broke that down — the big things, the middle things, and the small things all working together.

Let’s talk benefits and perks. What are some of the unique things Wellhub offers employees?

Livia Martini: The biggest benefit is definitely the Wellhub product itself.

Employees receive a Gold membership at no cost, which gives them access to a huge range of fitness and wellness providers. They can also add family members to the plan.

And what’s really fun is how employees use the platform together. Instead of saying, “Let’s grab drinks after work,” people might say, “Let’s take a yoga class together,” or “Let’s go play pickleball.”

Jena Dunay: I actually love that because activities create a different kind of connection than just sitting at a bar.

Livia Martini: Exactly. Shared experiences build stronger relationships.

The second big area for us is time off. We have a generous PTO policy, but more importantly, we actively encourage people to use it.

If someone’s PTO balance keeps growing, managers receive reminders. Employees receive reminders too.

If you’re not taking care of yourself, you simply won’t perform at your best.

Jena Dunay: I love that intentionality — especially at a company your size.

Livia Martini: Honestly, the bigger the organization gets, the more intentional you have to become.

And when people do wellness activities together, it creates accountability and momentum. People encourage each other to take that first step toward healthier habits.

Jena Dunay: Tell me a little bit about the origin story of Wellhub itself.

Livia Martini: The company was founded because the founders themselves had unhealthy lifestyles. They traveled constantly and struggled to maintain consistent wellness routines.

They realized that wellness can’t just be something you do on weekends. It needs to be integrated into everyday life.

Initially, the idea was focused on individuals, but they quickly realized the impact was much greater when companies became involved. Organizations can help employees take that first step.

And over time, we saw the business impact as well: better wellbeing leads to better performance, lower turnover, higher engagement, lower absenteeism, and even reduced healthcare costs.

Today, one of our biggest differentiators is our global reach. Companies can now offer a consistent wellbeing experience across multiple countries through one platform.

Jena Dunay: It really does make such a difference. I remember my own investment banking days — wellness was not exactly encouraged.

And even now, I know I perform better when I’m well-rested and taking care of myself.

Livia Martini: Exactly. Even something as simple as sleep has a massive impact on performance and mental clarity.

Jena Dunay: What types of employees tend to thrive at Wellhub?

Livia Martini: People who genuinely believe in our mission and want to improve lives.

We expect employees to take ownership — not just of their work, but of their own wellbeing too.

We provide the flexibility and support, but people also need to take action themselves.

One thing that doesn’t work well here is the “I just work here” mindset. We want people who see problems and think, “How can we solve this together?”

We also value empathy, curiosity, and openness to working across different cultures.

And while we take our work seriously, we genuinely like having fun together too.

Jena Dunay: I once heard another Chief People Officer say, “Fun is a strategy.”

Livia Martini: It absolutely is — but again, it has to be intentional.

You can’t claim to care about well-being while simultaneously expecting people to work 80-hour weeks nonstop. Those things have to align.

We also don’t really believe in the traditional idea of “work-life balance.” You’re one whole person. It’s more about integration.

If you need to put your child to bed, structure your schedule around that. We trust people to manage their responsibilities while also taking care of themselves.

Jena Dunay: As we wrap up, what’s one area your organization is still working to improve?

Livia Martini: Leadership development is a big focus for us.

Because we’ve grown quickly and many employees are promoted internally, we have a lot of first-time managers who need support and development.

The other area is communication flow — ensuring that information moves clearly throughout such a large, global organization.

We constantly ask employees for feedback so we can improve how we communicate and support them.

Jena Dunay: I’ve loved getting to chat with you about Wellhub.

For people listening who want to learn more about the company or explore opportunities, where can they go?

Livia Martini: You can visit our careers page at Wellhub.com. All open roles are listed there.

Our LinkedIn page is also a great place to learn more about our culture through videos and employee stories.

And of course, our talent acquisition team is always happy to connect with candidates and answer questions.

Jena Dunay: Amazing. Thank you so much for joining us today, Livia.

We’ll include all the links and information in the show notes, and we’ll see you next week on another episode of Culture Uncovered.

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