October is Mental Health Awareness Month, and Born Bred Talent has responded by giving every employee a ‘Wellness Hour’ every week. It’s paid time that they can dedicate to their wellbeing, whether it be a walk, therapy session, going to the gym, or even catching up on life admin.
As mental health awareness changes how agencies approach leave entitlements and flexible work arrangements, Born Bred Talent is taking a small but tangible approach.
B&T sat down with general manager Stephanie Scicchitano to learn about the initiative’s genesis and why other agencies should consider mental health initiatives, too.
“Initiatives like this aren’t just about wellness—they’re about building a culture where people want to stay, grow and do their best work,” said Scicchitano.
This isn’t the agency’s first wellness rodeo either with “3 pm early mark Fridays” and a “reset and recharge” getaway. In fact, Born Bred has long been carving out space for its employees to find breathing room in their careers.
The Wellness Hour is designed to encourage rest and is structured to avoid disruption. Each Monday, Born Bred employees log their chosen hour into a shared schedule on a Google Drive, ensuring no overlaps. Monday mornings and Friday afternoons are off-limits to keep team meetings and schedules in sync.
“We’ve set up parameters to make it easy and fair. No two people take the same day off, and everyone adds their hour by midday Monday. It’s a simple process, but it gives everyone ownership and flexibility,” Scicchitano said.
Born Bred Talent has six employees and its small size does help it implement initiatives like this one. Scicchitano stressed, however, that larger operations can take a leaf out of its book.
“Implementing structured wellness time doesn’t have to be complicated. For bigger agencies, it’s just about the process. Once you have systems and clear expectations in place, it becomes scalable. It’s thinking, how to make it easy for the team and for leaders?” she added.
Scicchitano said the idea came after seeing similar wellness-led approaches overseas.
“I saw how other agencies were creating fun, meaningful ways to give back to staff. We’re a small, close-knit team, and I wanted to do something that recognises their hard work but also genuinely helps them reset, because in today’s world, everything moves at a million miles an hour,” Scicchitano said.
A millennial approach to leadership
As a millennial leader, Scicchitano said initiatives like the Wellness Hour stem from a broader rethink of what leadership looks like.
“We’ve come from very traditional ways of working, where we wouldn’t challenge our bosses. Now, there’s more sensitivity around things like mental health, work-life balance, and wellness. So for millennial leaders, it’s about evolving and constantly educating ourselves and asking, How can I better lead to maximise my team’s performance while keeping them happy and inspired?” Scicchitano said.
Scicchitano isn’t alone in her focus on wellness at work. Digital agency Rocket has its ‘No Jerks’ company value, House of Brand has a four-day working week, and Chello has its informal “walk around the block” sessions every fortnight. These are new approaches and takes on wellness at work.
“It comes from trying to innovate in this space as a millennial leader, and hopefully inspire other millennial leaders that might not be as open to certain things like this to show that when you build that trust with your team, you’ll get back what you want,” Scicchitano said.
“For me, it comes down to what drives me personally. I want balance. I want to look after myself so I can show up as the best version of myself for my team,” she added.
Trust and Balance
Wellness Hour joins a range of ongoing cultural initiatives that Born Bred Talent runs to support connection and wellbeing.
“For happiness day, we put a note on everyone’s desk, along with their favourite lollies. Little things like that increase wellness and give employees something to look forward to when they come to work,” Scicchitano said.
“It’s about showing them we care. We don’t want our team to feel like they’re just a number. They’re an extension of the business, an asset. When people feel valued, productivity and retention naturally follow”.
Scicchitano’s leadership philosophy centres on trust. With hybrid and flexible work becoming the norm, she believes that autonomy, and not micromanagement, builds better teams.
“I’ve had micromanagers before, and it doesn’t work. If you give people the rope to grow, they’ll earn your respect and trust,” Scicchitano said.
Born Bred Talent’s team spans three generations—Boomers, Millennials and Gen Z—which makes building mutual understanding essential.
“Managing across generations can be tricky. But a good leader understands both sides. You have to bring it back to what the business actually needs. Gen Zs want balance, Boomers value structure, and both are important. We can’t thrive without each other,” she said.
As the creator and influencer economy continues to grow, Born Bred Talent’s approach to wellbeing is also about staying competitive.
“The industry’s fast-paced and ever-changing. To keep up, we need to innovate, not just in the work, but in how we support the people behind it. Wellness initiatives aren’t a perk; they’re how you build a culture people want to stay in,” she said.
As Adlanders expect more from their employers, categorising mental health as part of a business’s growth plan might be just the way to retain employees as well as clients—and to do so sustainably. After all, employees are what keep the heart of the business pumping.
