The Social Dialogue

What it means to be well at work, with guest Jillian Bernstein

• Shane & Jenna • Season 2 • Episode 10

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0:00 | 39:02

What does it really mean to support employees beyond the typical HR handbook?

In this episode of The Social Dialogue Podcast, Shane and Jenna sit down with Jillian Bernstein, founder of The Wellness Extension, to talk about the evolving role of workplace culture and why true employee well-being goes far beyond traditional HR programs.

With more than 20 years of experience in human resources and consulting, Jillian has seen firsthand where many organizations fall short when it comes to supporting their people. Through her company, she partners with leadership teams and HR departments to create meaningful programs that help employees feel connected, supported, and engaged at work. 

Jillian shares how personal experiences shaped her passion for workplace wellness and how that journey led her to create The Wellness Extension. Her approach focuses on bringing empathy and human connection back into the workplace, helping organizations build cultures where employees can thrive both professionally and personally. 

The conversation explores the realities of modern work environments, especially in hybrid and remote settings, and why companies need to rethink how they build community, communication, and engagement among employees.

Shane and Jenna also dive into the importance of leadership, authentic connection, and why investing in employee well-being is not just good for people, but also good for business.

Whether you’re a leader, entrepreneur, HR professional, or someone navigating today’s workplace culture, this episode offers practical insights into how organizations can create environments where people truly feel supported.


Connect with Jillian directly: 

https://www.wellness-extension.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillianbernstein/

https://www.instagram.com/wellness_extension/

Looking to up your social media marketing efforts? Reach out to Big Voice Social at bigvoicesocial.com 

Need help with your company's social media? Reach out at bigvoicesocial.com. 

SPEAKER_02

All right, so we're gonna open this up. I have a short intro so that I can introduce you. Okay. And then Jenna, can you stay on at the end so we can do our intro? Yeah, but I have Pilates at noon. So we'll have we'll be fine. We'll have plenty of time. 11:40-ish.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, we'll be good.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, we'll be fine. We'll be good. Okay. Um, okay, so welcome to the Social Dialogue Podcast. We're a mother-daughter team, both working in the world of social media management.

SPEAKER_01

Join us as we share our different perspectives on life today, including trends, fashion, friendships, and career, and how social media impacts it all. Together, we bring two perspectives to one conversation.

SPEAKER_02

I'm Shane, and I'm Jenna. And we're excited to bring you this new episode of the Social Dialogue Podcast. Hi, Nana. Hi, Moby. I want to introduce you to my friend Jillian today. Okay. As you know, I have made not just work colleagues, but true friends through the Dear Founder network. And Jillian was the first person I had a one-to-one with where we were like, we want to get to know each other better. Um, I think you had questions because I had mentioned something somewhere about stuff going on at our school with anti-Semitism, and you were like, Can I talk to you? So Jenna, Jenna's fully versed in that part of my life. But Jenna, let me tell you a little bit about Jillian and why she's here today. Jillian is the founder of the Wellness Extension and a seasoned HR leader with more than 20 years of experience bridging the gap between traditional HR programs and what employees truly need to feel supported. With a background that spans compensation benefits, performance management, and executive leadership roles, she brings both analytical expertise and a deep passion for human connection to her work. She has it all, and she calls herself a data nerd, but she also is a true people person. Today, she partners with small businesses to strengthen their people operations, foster authentic workplace culture, and help teams thrive in hybrid and remote environments. She is using social media to tell people all about the wellness extension. Jillian Bernstein, we are so glad that you're here today and that you get to meet Nana.

SPEAKER_00

I am so excited to be here, and it is so excited to meet you, Jenna and Nana. However, I love that you guys have that pet name back and forth. It's so sweet. I have loved, loved listening to your podcast, and I know my daughter enjoys as well. So thank you.

SPEAKER_02

Jillian has a daughter on her way to college next year.

SPEAKER_00

Yes.

SPEAKER_02

Decisions have not yet been made. Is that right? No decisions.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, yeah. We she's applying. She'll be a senior next year.

SPEAKER_01

She'll be a senior next year. Our fashion is a senior on.

SPEAKER_00

They're on their tours.

SPEAKER_01

Go Hoosiers.

SPEAKER_00

Are you actually one of our good um friends and neighbors, he just started his freshman year at Indiana. He's having a blast.

SPEAKER_01

Good. That's so exciting.

SPEAKER_00

What a good year with football.

SPEAKER_02

Insane. It's it's crazy. I mean, what a year. So we're gonna start off today. We're gonna talk a little bit about pivots because Jillian, you weren't always in HR. You started out in a whole other career. Will you talk a little bit about sort of how you got to where you are today and sort of with the angle of how you would explain it to someone at Jenna stage who's about to head toward her career?

SPEAKER_00

So when I was graduating, I went to GW. When I was graduating, I graduated with a degree in economics. And I was really like that analytical kid who wanted to just explore what the world of consulting was like. So that's what I did right out of school. I essentially supported law firms analyzing stock prices. It was when that IPO bubble was bursting, and I enjoyed kind of the data and analyzing all the numbers for a bit. And then I realized that even in that role, I was finding that I was volunteering to help show the new hires around, that I wanted to be interviewing new hires, that I kind of like latched on as like the buddy to help them kind of acclimate to their new job. And I was like, hmm, like I took kind of notes of this, but I stayed in the consulting world for about three years and then we moved. So I had to get another job that used those skills. And then when we moved back to the DC area, I was like, I'm ready for a career pivot. I have been really leaning into the people part of every single role. And the data analysis was just not for me. I was sitting behind a computer all day mining statistics. And even though I loved that economics taught me how to read a newspaper and understand what was going on in the world, I thought I could use my skills, expertise, and really the interpersonal skills in a different way. So I pivoted to HR and essentially spoke with a friend of mine who was in that area in terms of fields. And she's like, I have the perfect job for you. And I was like, what? And she goes, Mine. And I said, Oh, that would be amazing. Because I was, we lived in Chapel Hill at the time. I was moving back to DC. And she was leaving because she got engaged to someone at the office. And she's like, I can't be an HR here anymore. So why don't you interview? It was a generalist position I would learn from the ground up. And what I think kind of set me apart was actually that analytical experience that I had because chart is all about the people. It really is about human connection, and that's what I truly believe. But having that analytical ability when it comes to compensation and kind of analyzing survey data and things like that, that really set me apart when I was interviewing for the job. So you never know, Jenna, where you're gonna like end up. I would never have thought of HR when I was graduating.

SPEAKER_02

That's a great story. I mean, just the the fact that I love the fact that the HR person got engaged to someone.

SPEAKER_00

And they're our like such, they're our closest friends. Like my kids call them aunt and uncle, and we are so close with them. Um, and the husband is still there.

SPEAKER_02

Okay. Oh, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_00

That's really funny. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

I mean, yeah, I had coworkers who started dating and it was like a whole thing. They had to like report it to HR, and then it's like everyone's watching you. Like you've been dating like a week, and everyone's like staring at you to see if this is going somewhere. And we were like at we were in our 20s, everybody was like getting engaged. It was like, yeah, yeah. So it's really funny. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. It was and it and it's it's a great story, and I can still talk to her about all HR things to today. So it really, she really was the impetus for me being able to move into that field, which was great.

SPEAKER_01

I love that. What was the like switch transition? I don't know the word. Yeah. It's it's before I wake up usually. What what was your transition like? And like what were the biggest challenges that came along with that?

SPEAKER_00

So I think for me, one of the biggest challenges was the fact that I got this first role and I knew when I was interviewing that the the vice president of HR was going to be leaving. So I already knew I was gonna get a new boss coming in, and I did, and I I loved him, I adored him. He's an incredible mentor. Um, but he had some health concerns, so he left after six months. So then you have me, six months of HR experience and like a mountain to climb in terms of learning on the job. So I think my biggest challenge was learning the basics, the foundation, not only operationally about how that particular organization ran the people piece of the business. There were 80 employees at the time. Now the company is public and over a thousand employees, but it was really understanding the the different pieces of HR, the benefits, performance management. What do I do if somebody goes out on disability leave? Like I didn't know any of that. And so I leaned on um a few different kinds of organizations that would help support my learning. My parents always said to me growing up, if you could be a student forever, you would. And that's so true. I just love learning. And so I went to conferences, I went to webinars and classes in person. There were a lot more in-person classes um back then. And I also leaned on um like brokers, like for benefits and things like that. So I've really tried to kind of be a sponge and soak up what I needed to know. The big things that happened was there was a 401k miss. And so we had to analyze. This is where, again, my analytical skills came into play, but we had to analyze some data and correct some 401k um contributions that happened. So all of that really played in in terms of my skill sets really well to managing the challenges. But I think it's also about learning what you don't know and being open to saying, I don't know that. And I need somebody, I need to find the right person to help mentor me in that. And that was also a learning curve, making sure I was finding the right resources. And that was all about networking and trying to get out.

SPEAKER_02

I have found that one of the most freeing statements I can make is I don't know. And I feel like when I first launched my business, you know, I'm supposed to know everything about social media. And so if peop my clients would ask me a question, there's a lot I don't know. Sometimes I was asking her, and she was like 12, you know. I mean, yeah, there's a lot of things I don't know. And so it was very freeing to finally say, I don't know. And I can find the answer and then I don't have it right now. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And I think um, you know, Jenna, that's a really good piece of advice for you when you're interviewing is talk about and give examples of how you're resourceful. I think that these days that is, and I am a huge believer in soft skills because I think like I'd rather have somebody who is willing to learn, has incredible passion and drive, and I can teach them something, they're open to it, rather than someone who's like a know it all in some particular field. I like a multiple employee who's willing to kind of learn the ropes. And if you're resourceful and you're proactive, I think that really does set people apart in the interview process.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, for sure. I like that a lot. Yeah. Yeah. It's more than just, well, let me just put this in chat. And she knows that. She knows how to find the right answers. So then you had another pivot. You did you kind of conquered this position and you learned as much as you could about HR. And then you decided you were gonna go out on your own. And I've I've let you've been you've been around the ropes lately. I heard you live with Lisi, and then I heard your podcast with Lindsay. So I know a little bit about how you made that transition and you you did it very methodically and over time. Will you talk a little bit about sort of the thought process of I'm ready to go out on my own?

SPEAKER_00

Sure. I um so I was at that first company for over 10 years. You don't hear that these days. And then I went to um a second company for over nine years, um, all in HR. And then when I was at that second company, it's kind of during like, but at the end of like when it was safe to travel again, pandemic. And I was like, you know, I have this bug. I really want to go out on my own. All because in the back of my head, since I was a senior in high school, my calculus teacher had said to me that I would be a CEO one day. So this is like playing rewind in the back of my head for years. I was like, now's the time. And I had been listening to Lindsay um and her podcaster found her. And I had seen her interview with Jen Sherman, and she also had interviewed uh my business coach, Corinne Moorhan, and I was like, hmm, like I think this could be really helpful for me because I do not have a degree in business. This is all about the learning, no idea how to market myself. I had put the pieces in place. I LLC'd my business coach. She still like helps guide me today, which is amazing. And I was ready to make this transition, but there were a couple things holding me back. One, I super loyal, as is evident by how long I've spent at two different employers, and I didn't want to leave them in the large. So I started building this nights and weekends. And I ended up, um, and this is why connections, again, are so important. I ended up getting my first client through someone my husband met when he did a volunteer trip to Israel. And I worked for her in evenings and weekends and got kind of the foundational HR support for her setup. And I was like, I think this has licks. And so I knew I wanted to focus on well-being for employees because in my many years in HR, I saw things and policies and programs that I was like, I don't want companies leaving this way. I said, I think I want to just bring well-being to companies. I know I have a client that's paying. I'm doing some foundational HR stuff for her, but I want to bring more well-being to employers. And I started putting that out in the world through the wellness extension. And by learning and marketing made simple how to use social, how to use Instagram, how to raise awareness about well-being in the workplace, I thought I was doing a really, really good job of just getting messaging out there. And then I realized I needed to make another pivot even within my business. So I don't know if you want me to go into that yet, Shane. Yeah, are you talking about the vault?

SPEAKER_02

Um, well, let me ask you one question before you go on. While you were working nights and weekends and your full-time job, yeah, how old were your children?

SPEAKER_00

Gosh, um, the kids were, I was like pretty much going through the mitzvah stuff with my son. So he was 13 and I feel like well, 12 and 14, and then 13 and 15 with all this going on. And the whole reason I wanted to kind of go out on my own eventually was to be able to have more time with them. My son always says to me, I thought you were gonna be working less when you were on your own.

SPEAKER_02

And I'm like, But those, I mean, those are tough years, you know. Nobody had a driver's license but you and that's hard.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, it and it would it is a juggle. I would say it's still a little bit of a juggle. Sometimes when they're doing homework, I'm working, even though it's later at night and I'm a little exhausted from schlepping, but it happened. So um I and and the reality is working nights and weekends to kind of build something before I could go out on my own. It was more taxing, I feel like, than now. And then eventually um I had given notice to my full-time employer uh in November of 24 that I was gonna make the transition. And I ended up continuing to work part-time hours for that employer through April of 25. So really, it's been just shy of a year that I've not been kind of having a chunk of my time supporting them. But I I am so, and this is something else, like I so believe in in loyalty and not burning a bridge. And I didn't want to leave them in the lurch. So I made sure the team was set. I had built up, I was VP of HR, I built up the team to make sure there would be a smooth transition. And now they're still a client, which is great. So I support them about 10 hours a month, which is fantastic.

SPEAKER_02

So you were gonna tell us a little bit about the vault and how you sort of narrowed in on that.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so so what I determined was that, and I would love to also hear your thoughts, Jenna, on this in terms of like what you're gonna be looking for in an employer. But from what I've read and also what I saw in my over 20 years of HR is that well-being is so critical in the workplace. Thinking about your employees not just lifting weights or eating healthy, but like their psychological safety at work, making sure that you're having programs and policies that are really supporting the whole individual as they show up in the work. So I really feel that companies like Google and Meta, they're able to have huge departments focused on the people. But in a small business, you don't necessarily have that. You're kind of winging it. And I started thinking about what could make HR and the people piece so accessible to small business owners and really help them focus on well-being of their people because the most, in my opinion, based on a lot of the research I do, the most expensive um kind of budget line item is the people piece. That they're your talent, they're your the salaries that you're paying. And so when somebody leaves, that's a huge cost in terms of turnover and having to hire and then train someone new. So, how can you make it a meaningful and engaging place to work? And that's why I started the small business owner's vault. And it's really for HR support for small business owners. So about three to five small business owners meet in each cohort and we kind of tackle similar HR challenges. They learn from each other. Uh, I always share an HR nugget. Yesterday, we actually had a meeting, we talked about core values and core competencies and how you want to try and find your ideal candidate by blending those two. And then we go kind of in a round-robin fashion and they each have time to talk about their challenges. And what's so cool is how they each help solve some of the their other problems, which is nice that it's just so supportive. So I've been really enjoying that. I'm gonna be launching another cohort soon. And I also do fractional work too, which is great for them to support their individual businesses.

SPEAKER_02

You said something the other day on Instagram that you don't think small businesses should check references. That kind of fascinated me because I'm thinking of Jenna's had five internships in college. So, like, she's got great references if somebody called. Why, why do you say no?

SPEAKER_00

So here's my thought. In over 20 years, I've called references many times. I've never gotten a bad reference. Like, who's gonna give, like, I if you made a good impression, the people that you're writing down or sending um to a potential future employer are not gonna give like a negative reference. They really aren't. But what would be really helpful for small business owners is to find out who they might be connected to at the organization that the candidate had worked at. So that way they can really kind of circumvent the reference route and ask some questions about what was it like working with so and so? And I think that's a little bit of a clearer picture without the pressure too. And for a small business owner to have a a true idea of what it's like working with someone if you go that kind of circuitous route, but still connecting within that company, if you have one.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, good to know. Um, okay, so we're gonna transition, pivot, if you will. Yeah. That's the word. Pivot.

SPEAKER_00

We're big, we're big friends. We're big friends, but we're not taking a couch up the stairs.

SPEAKER_01

So we're gonna bring it to social because obviously we're a social podcast. Yeah. And obviously you use social for the wellness extension. So how did you use it? What are your objectives for it? And frankly, like, how's it going?

SPEAKER_00

So I knew absolutely nothing about Instagram and rely on my 17-year-olds at the time she was 15 to help me like with some posts and setting how do I post this to a story? Oh my gosh, let me take it down. And now I feel so much more confident in social media. I used it to just start posting. For a while, I couldn't post much at all. When I was building this nights and weekends, nothing with my face on it, nothing on LinkedIn, not you know, that was for sure now. So I kind of stealthily did this Instagram account. And I mean, Shane saw the whole metamorphosis in our Marketing Made Simple program, but it was like so liberating when I could put my story out there and put my picture out there and use social to really get my message out there about bringing well-being into the workplace in a meaningful way. And um, I kind of look back on some of my old posts and I'm like, oh, these are good tips. But like what really makes the impact is the personal and the story. And so I've been doing that more and more. Talk about my mom passed away when I was 27. And I talk a lot about how I felt in the workplace and how that shaped how I want no one else to feel when they go through something like that. And I think it's important for people to hear why well-being in the workplace for me. And that's what Instagram and LinkedIn now both allow me to do is get my personal story out there. So I think that's super critical. I am still a novice. I have just like literally dipped my toe into edits this week and I didn't like how it came out. So I was like, I don't know how to use this. I need to like, I need a tutorial. So my plan for the weekend is to watch some stuff online on how to use edits, but it's part of me learning and growing. And it's really, really critical, I think, in in this day and age, like to make sure your message is out there and also to have consistency. And that was something else I learned. And I'm sure you guys, I mean, Shane, I know you do this in your business. And Jenna, I am sure all of your internships, you kind of support them with like a content calendar, ideas about social. So I've been really relying on making sure I have kind of a thread of ideas, content calendar, and making sure I'm consistently posting. So somebody, if they pop in, don't see a dormant account.

SPEAKER_01

Jenna, do you use edits at all? No. I used to use edits all the time. I don't know. I use Canva right now, but I love Canva. Yeah. Like most But you use it for video, you use Canva?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. That's interesting. I was using a lot of Cap Cut and then all these changes happened in CapCut and TikTok and all this stuff. And so I'm using edits, but it's taken a minute to figure it out. Now it's like I I use the tools I know how to use. I don't necessarily know how to do everything in there, but I know how to make the videos I I need to make.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Yeah. And so I feel like I'll get there, but I am a big I mean, I just made a post that's gonna go up like hopefully today in Canva. I love Canva. I find it's very intuitive. So yeah, that's another, another one of my many kind of tools that I lean upon that planally, you know, all the all the social to make sure it's consistent.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. So let me ask you this. Uh, and I know you've got a daughter looking for her right fit for college right now. Jenna is at the next stage looking for the right fit for her career. Talk a little bit, and and Jenna, you can weigh in here on like how do you find the right fit for that first job? Because I think we all know whatever job she takes first is probably she's not probably not gonna be like you and stay there for 10 years. Yeah. So, you know, I would love to hear from both of you, sort of, you know, Jenna, in general, what are you looking for in an employer? And then Jillian, like what advice do you have as far as making those kinds of decisions, what to apply for, what to interview for, and then ultimately, how do you know when it's the right position to accept? And of course, she's working with Heather also. So she's getting some really good advice. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Hey, that's awesome. All right, Jenna, do you want to take this first or do you want me to take it?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I'll start.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_01

I guess for me, obviously someone who's kind, like has good values, you know, the normal stuff, but also someone who allows me to like be creative and like have the opportunity, not just like, oh, you have to be creative in this set amount of time, but like sometimes I'll think my best ideas will come at like three o'clock in the morning, you know, like things like that. And just an employer who allows me to have like the creativity and allows me to share my crazy ideas, and a majority of them are not something we can do, but like they they're very like they don't ever say like straight no, they're always like, maybe that's not the best thing, but like what if you think about this? You know, they challenge me without being like too mean, and most of the creativity thing, just like allowing me, because I am a creative person, like allowing me to just like have the freedom to like think outside the box.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I love I love that. And one of one of my big kind of onboarding notes for one of my clients is we want you to think out of the box and we want you to raise your hand, obviously in a professional way. And if you don't, like, how will we ever know? Like maybe that idea isn't used this time, but it might be used next time. So that's what I I agree like 100%. Don't uh dim that creative light. And when you're looking for employers, I would ask them about, you know, how do you get you embrace um kind of creativity in the workplace? And how can, you know, individuals, even if they're coming in new to the environment, provide their thoughts and ideas on things. And I think there are really great ways that employers kind of looking for that kind of talent need to be thinking about that in the well-being mindset when they're looking at Generation Z applicants, is really, and I want to know too from you, Jenna, is like in addition to looking for kind and an employer who would be um, you know, that creative, a new candidate coming in. Um, I I would want to know from you, like what kind of mentoring do you want? What kind of support do you want? If you are most creative at 3 a.m., then let's talk about what a flexible work schedule looks like. Because sometimes the someone is an early bird, and sometimes someone is a night owl, and you have to like be able to work in your what I call kind of like your high productive time frame. So I think as an employer, what I've seen and with my clients, et cetera, is they want people who are open to learning and open to being mentored, and at the same time have an a solid self-confidence, but not like an air about them where they're really egotistical. Like confidence, I got this and I can learn this. And if I give you feed, you're gonna take that feedback and run with it. Um, and that really, in my mind, makes the perfect kind of match in a workplace. And if you are really able to internalize feedback that you're getting and then also be able to feel like your manager is approachable. So you can, like you were saying, the kindness element. Um, and I'm all about the whole be kind methodology, digit work. If you can really find an employer who embraces that, I think you've hit the gold mine. So um, I also think employers need to recognize what Shane hinted to at the beginning of the question. People aren't going to stay for 10 years anymore. And sometimes that's a good thing. Like you've trained them enough that now they're gonna go spread their wings and fly somewhere else and do an amazing job over there. And I just want employers to be able to celebrate that because if if we hold people back, they'll become resentful in the workplace. So we really want to be able to encourage that. So you can also ask potential future employers in interviews, like, you know, can you talk to me about what growth here looks like and, you know, where where people's paths have taken them, either in the company or maybe outside of the organization. Like, I think that's really important for incoming candidates to understand and to learn. And the other thing is you have to be interviewing them just as much as they're interviewing you. It's just like sorority rush.

SPEAKER_02

Everything goes back to rush.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. So my dad gave me the best advice when I was looking at colleges, and it just has stuck with me also through when I was like looking at employers, et cetera. Because I did, um, I did get another job offer after my mom passed away. I got really upset with my employer and I was like, I'm gonna take this other job. And I ended up not, and I kind of went with my gut, which I was glad about because that company ended up like folding and be whatever. So I was glad I kind of stayed the steady pace. But you have to go with your gut with an employer. Can you picture yourself working there? Are they kind of ticking off the main things on your list? There are gonna be things that aren't ticked off on your list, and that's okay. But make sure your top two or three are and just really try and picture yourself there. And that has never steered me wrong in terms of how I approach just life in general and even all of these pivots that I've had.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, that's great. So obviously, I mean, I've only known you for half an hour, but you sound you make sense. Yeah, exactly. So clearly you have this huge strive to you, this amazing personality. How do you kind of apply that to your business? And how does it come through for social?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. So one of the things that I've loved doing, and and and part of this is because of the Dear Founder community, um, is connecting other women. And what I've been able to do for my business, while my mission for organizations is to bring more well-being into the workplace through um policies, the programs, the benefits, I want to do that by lifting up other female business owners. And that has personally been very gratifying for me. I've partnered with a number, a number of people from the forum, also a number of people from my local chamber of commerce here, and really tried to lift up other women and give them opportunities to get into my clients and some other companies. And social has really kind of helped magnify that, right? Like allowed us to kind of get our message out there together. Like I'll give an example. One of my favorite series I did for a client was the back to school series. And I had three different women, all who I met through Digger Found her, come into a client. One did a session on time management, one did a session on parenting littles and getting them out the door with a new routine, and one did a session on teens and tech. And we did a fireside chat on that. So that filled my kind of bucket, and I have felt fortunate that social has brought all of these incredible female entrepreneurs and now many of them friends into my world, your mom included.

SPEAKER_02

Yes, I do. Remember, I was saying I was looking for someone to go with me to the ADL conference, and Jenna has a good friend who interned for the ADL, who I am also friends with. She's been a guest on the podcast, and she said, You should see if Rachel could go. I'm like, it's during the week. Rachel's in law school. She can go. My mom still asked her to go. But during the so um, so then Jillian was like my first person outside of like, you know, the people like Rachel, you know. I'm like, Do you want to go to this with me? And the answer was yes. I was like, we're going. I do. And I'm so excited. Peloton work too long. Yeah. Yeah, she's kind of Peloton while we're there. I'm not going because I'm getting in later than her, but that's okay. We'll still have a good time. We have a lot of people to see. It'll be fun.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_02

Jenna, any other questions that you wanted to ask? Do I have any other questions to ask? I'm not looking at the notes. Do you have any other questions to ask? Jillian, did you have any other questions that you wanted to, you know, squeeze out of this Gen Z or while you have her?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I I just when you talk to your friends, I'm just curious. I'm reading, I printed out like this big Deloitte um kind of study from 2025 on Gen Z and Millennials. And I'm very curious, because I'd love to hear from you, Jenna. What are like the top three things that you think you and your friends are looking for in general from a workplace?

SPEAKER_02

Wait, I can answer that. She wants to go to Pilates at noon.

SPEAKER_00

No, just one of my clients, we do online Pilates at noon once a week, which is like so fun. Like it gives people a break during the workday. But go ahead. So what's Pilates?

SPEAKER_01

Okay. So come, I think like the fucks, like hi. I mean, I'm a big, like I would love to work in a hybrid environment. I think that is huge for me personally. I also think like this takes a lot of time, but like trust, like right now, like they trust me to like get all my work, my like I we have all of our social done by Wednesday, and they trust me, you know, to just like get that done when I can. And I'll message them questions at 10 p.m. at night while I'm working. And I don't expect an answer from them until you know they see it. And there's also like that, like I trust them, you know, to get back to me as well. And I don't know, just like a place where I want to be able to like love what I do and like like want to come into the office, you know? Like, I guess that those are my answers.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I love that. I love that. I mean, I and I think it is incumbent upon the employer to really create that environment, um, whether it's having virtual Pilates classes available or whether it is like we did like for one of my clients, lots of cooking demos, like healthy cooking demos on site during the lunch hour, whatever it might be, even from a mental health perspective, you know, being able to process when big events happen and the workplace being supportive of that. So I think that that jives with what I'm reading, and that's really good to hear. So thanks for sharing.

SPEAKER_02

I think Gen Z has a really good handle on what they want. And, you know, we've talked about this before. We talked about with Heather, they get a bad rap. They get a rap that they are lazy and entitled. I don't see that at all. Not just from Jenna. I know tons of her friends. They are motivated, they're enthusiastic about getting to work, they have a great work ethic, and they're very clear about balance and flexibility. And I think that they get it. And she's had a really good experience with her internships. And um, you know, she's still working for one right now from her internship last summer. And she and her boss have a great rapport. They're friendly. Um, you know, I think that even at some point, if Jenna's not working at this place, I think this lady and Jenna will probably remain friends and have coffee. They just they have a lot of respect for each other. And I've watched Jenna learn from her and I've watched this woman coach her, and I it's been fantastic.

SPEAKER_00

I'm still friends with the first boss I had as an intern. So I I'm sure that will be a long kind of relationship for you, which will be really special. And I'm so excited to hear that like you're out there and it sounds like you've interned a lot during college, which is pretty incredible.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, but like I still need a job.

SPEAKER_00

I and I totally, I totally get that. And and there is that stress is real. The one thing I it's so interesting what you're saying, Shane, and I don't know, maybe like this kind of comes back to similarities. So, Shane, you're Gen X, right? Just like me. So in work-life balance was huge for Gen Xers, and I think it's similar.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, and one of our recent guests, we had Kate Latson recently with her daughter. She's um the co-president of Heaven Hell Brands, and she said she doesn't like the phrase work-life balance. She prefers work-life integration. And I think that makes sense, and I think that's what Gen Z gets. They're not trying to be like, I'm gonna balance and work, and then I'm gonna go home and do what I need to do. Like they kind of get it all goes together, and I I think that will serve them well.

SPEAKER_00

I a hundred percent it will. And I feel like Gen Xers, like you and I, Shane, have kind of molded into that, but I think Gen Zers, and I just watch it with my kids too. Like they've been able to help me see, like, oh, we could do this later and just enjoy being in the moment now.

SPEAKER_02

Absolutely. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Well, Jillian, I I want to thank you for giving us your time today. You have given us some great nuggets, some really good advice, not just for people in Jenna's stage, but also for fellow business owners out there. And um, so tell us for people who need help and need HR help or they want to in put some wellness into their company, how can people find you?

SPEAKER_00

Sure. So on Instagram, it's at wellness underscore extension, and then on LinkedIn, Gillian L. Bernstein. So just reach out, connect. And then my website is wellness hyphen extension.com. My small business owners vault is open now. So if you wanted to even check out a cohort, people are welcome to do that.

SPEAKER_02

Awesome. Thank you so much, and best of luck on all the college applications and decisions. And might be reaching out for advice. Would Farron need any advice? Jenna is here to help. And and if she goes down the road of sorority recruitment, Jenna is a really good sounding board for that. I love that. Thank you. Thanks, thank you. Thanks for joining us on the Social Dialogue Podcast. If you like today's conversation, be sure to leave us a five-star rating and a review and share it with a friend.

SPEAKER_01

Keep the dialogue going with us on social. Find us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube. I'm Shane. And I'm Jenna.

SPEAKER_02

Thanks for listening.