About HumanFirst
We believe in doing business in a human-centred way. Returning to our inherent needs & values and building businesses from a truly authentic place.
What We Do
Support people who:
Feel dissatisfied with their 9-5 but don't know what to change
Want to build out their business/project idea but need actionable support
Have work-related issues e.g. career transitions, negotiations, colleague relationships & office politics
Struggle with fatigue, anxiety and managing work or entrepreneurship-related stress
Support organisations who:
Have wellbeing or burnout issues within their workplace
Need to boost culture & connection between employees
Are experiencing a dip in employee productivity, engagement or retention
Want to build a healthy, human-centred workplace but don't know where to start
Our Story
Our founder Beth James spent 18 years working at organisations experiencing a range of things including: being an intern "coffee runner," difficult bosses, salary negotiations, toxic work environments, rising up the ladder to head of department level, transitioning roles, managing people and navigating office dynamics/politics. Her career in branding, marketing & startups gave her a deep knowledge of business development and building brands. In 2017 she was nominated for Rising Star of the Year in the Masters of Marketing Awards (UK) and the following year she led a team through a successful IPO.
However after more than 15 years she was on the verge of burnout which led to a 5 year long healing journey that included detox retreats, plant medicines, sound healing, studying breathwork & meditation in a Balinese ashram, spending time at a Buddhist monastery, energy healing and so much more. She became certified in Tantric Hatha Meditation, Pranayama and Yoga Nidra and accumulated more than 450 hours of Yoga Alliance certified training.
It was the culmination of these experiences that inspired Beth to create the HumanFirst Initiative. When reflecting on this period of her life she realised that so much of her time had been spent working in a way that was out of sync with her humanity. She wanted to change the way we work and use her business knowledge to help people build their projects & companies in a human-centred way.
About Beth
Began her career in the fashion industry as a wide-eyed intern with a dream of becoming Anna Wintour (Editor in Chief - US Vogue)
Worked in magazines and travelled to locations like Greece, Mauritius and Fiji to do photo shoots
Felt a pull to learn more about marketing and took on a Business Marketing Diploma, studying at night while holding down a full time job
Worked at some of Australias top advertising agencies leading client accounts like Heineken, Subaru & Levis where she routinely worked in the office past midnight
Backpacked solo through 8 countries in Europe
Felt a spark with Berlin, Germany and spontaneously decided to make a life there - ended up staying for 10 years
Worked at a number of prolific tech startups in Berlin, supporting organisations with branding, culture/engagement and scaling their business
Worked for a tech "unicorn" and led a team through a successful IPO
Managed multiple marketing departments & culture/wellbeing teams
Created a culture & engagement program for a major European tech company that became the blueprint for employee engagement and was rolled out across more than 25 markets
Trained in Tantric Hatha Meditation, MBSR (Mindfulness), Yoga Nidra & Pranayama and accumulated more than 450 hours of certification
Questions?
Don't hesitate to reach out to Beth.