The Level Up! Podcast

After 2 years of amazing content, we’re bringing you the last episode of The Level Up Podcast. It's been a fantastic run - we will miss you guys! 

As 2021 comes to a close, we reflect on the year that was. Our most-listened Season 2 episode was How to Be Happy with Dr. Lia Bernardo - it's another how to guide that will support you on your journey to level up every aspect of your life, specially how to keep your head up and remember that YOU'VE GOT THIS!

Hear from Dr. Lia, our happiness doctor, about what you can do to practice love for yourself daily in order to be happy - there are more changes in the new year ahead, so it's worth another listen. Replay this episode every time want to be inspired to become best friends with yourself, and click through to savii.io/podcasts to revisit all of our previous episodes and show notes. 

In this episode, the conversation continues and we understand how we can keep our employees engaged virtually. We get specific about what initiatives you can include in your 2022 planning to empower employees and keep them invested in each other and in your company. 

As we've discussed extensively throughout this season of Level Up, It all starts with well-being. With homes becoming our offices, companies now need to consider the whole household in building work strategies and benefits. Join us as at this “virtual coffee break” with our HR expert guests and hear their take on how to revolutionize your HR Practices in the year to come.

Work-life is a constant challenge, but this pandemic made us feel a whole lot of emotions. This episode of Level up brings together some of the HR Leaders in the country to give you insights on championing employee engagement in the workplace. They all agree that building a sense of community addresses these anxieties from the employees from the lack of human touch that they are experiencing at the workplace. As HR leaders, they must initiate activities that involve everyone intending to help address their fears, build their morale and keep them motivated in their work. Meet our guests:

• Fleur Saguid, VP for People and culture at Uploan works closely with founders to establish a culture that keeps teams connected with culture. 
• Eppi Legaspi, Corporate Head of HR of Hospitality Innovators Inc., ensures that her team continuously builds the skills and knowledge of their people to drive people transformation necessary in the hybrid work setting, 
• Vanson So, Country HR and Head of People Central, Canva, for the past 10 years, he strives to unpack people's full potential by creating a conducive, safe, inclusive, and diverse environment founded on strong people-centric, and culture-inspired best practices.
• Patt Soyao, Founder of Icon Executive Search and Mikel Balansag, CEO of Circa Logica Group give us the consultant's perspective, on  hiring and holding onto the right resources. 

Listen to our latest episode to get tips on how to connect with your employees and create a sense of community in the hybrid work environment and know how our HR Leaders take care of their employees during these trying times.

To honor world mental health day, the 10th of October, Bea Lim, CEO of the award-winning integrated marketing experience firm TEAM ASIA interviewed our host Jenn for her podcast: Breakfast to Business. We talk shop, we talk life, we talk advocacy and we talk real about the top 3 interests of 14,000 employees surveyed by Uploan - We discussed the giant topic MENTAL HEALTH which was among the top 3 concerns, and provide a roadmap for a mental health policy for the benefit of all the business leaders currently preparing their business strategy for 2022. 

In case you missed it, and to honor mental health awareness month, we're replaying Episode 2 from the first season of the Level Up Podcast. 

In this episode, recorded in May of 2020, Mental Health first aider and Wellnest.ph founder Zarah Hernaez takes us through practical ways to rest your brain and recover from the sustained stress of these pandemic times. 

On this replay of the first ever episode of Level Up, recorded in March of 2020 (pre-pandemic), Uploan's VP for People and Culture Fleur Saguid tells us where to begin planning YOUR workplace wellness program. She also explains why wellness programs are essential in unlocking the potential of all employees. 

As technology advancements become more aggressive, self-actualization among employees is now seen to be the driving factor towards a happy and satisfied workforce. As an HR leader, how are you going lean in to be part of that journey?

According to Fleur, there is one simple solution: building a workplace wellness program. Elevating employee experience is crucial in keeping your staff engaged and committed.

Explore workplace wellness once more with a star of HR: Fleur Saguid, VP of People - she shows us the human in human resources and explains how the practice of employee service has changed since the pandemic has hit. 

People Management Association of the Philippines Chair for Engagement Julia Robillos and Sykes’  Vice President of Learning & Development Shane Baetz tell us why ongoing training is a must for your company - Spoiler alert: It keeps your leaders resilient and capable of managing change!

Employee champions in HR can unlock talent - learning is the key. It's essential to our existence, just like food that nourishes our bodies, continued education and training nourishes our minds and develops the skills that every leader needs to keep your company moving forward when the road ahead is uncertain.

Aside from planning your day ahead, what other things do you do to motivate yourself to do better for the day? 
For this week’s episode, Jenn and Firas did a makeup challenge to test if wearing one helps us be productive in our day-to-day lives. Let’s find out their conclusion about it here!

On this episode, we talk about the financial gatekeepers of the Filipino family; the women. How some outdated prejudices continue to make it hard for them to push for their own family's financial capability, and how we can break through them, with our guest, Jocs Pantastico.

Learning about finances and managing our money continues to be a challenge for most of us.

But this July, we help you start thinking about your money so that you can progress on your own terms. Our hosts Jenn and Firas review a new book entitled Money Quest: A New Perspective on Spending, Saving, and Investing. Ready to dig in? 

Still feeling stressed and anxious because of the uncertainty of our current situation? Don’t worry, you are not alone.

But learning to cope with stress in a healthy way will make you, the people you care about, and those around you become more resilient.

In this 2-part episode, we've spoken to Mitch Genato, one of the country’s pioneers in health care, to talk about stress management during the pandemic."

During these trying times, how do we really define and create overall wellbeing programs in a workplace?

In this episode, the Breakfast To Business podcast answers this question with our very own Level Up! Podcast host Jenn Simons-Castillo.

As one of the leaders of a company, what is she looking at or listening to in creating these types of programs for its employees? And as an employee, what are the important things you should say to help your managers create these programs for you?

Company culture and employee wellness are two entirely different things. One is to unify all the people in a company; the other to nurture individuals. But experts say both are vital for teams to succeed.In this episode of Level Up!, we say culture is important and so is your wellbeing. We speak with HR expert, Sar Castillo, who shares his thoughts on how company culture and employee wellness are helpful in a work environment.

Ultimately, everybody just wants to be happy. Most of the time, in this pursuit, we often hear that "Happiness is a choice." But what does that really mean? How do we really achieve genuine happiness just by choosing to be happy? On this episode of The Level Up! podcast, Dr. Lia Bernardo will teach us how to be friends with our past selves so we can embrace the present and create a harmonious future.

It’s important to invest time in developing a habit that helps your mental health, which also benefits your body. After all, mental health and physical fitness are connected. Our hosts, Jenn and Firas, tried two mental health exercises - Yoga with Kassandra and Raising Frequencies. Yoga with Kassandra is a 30-day yoga program, wherein you do a 10-minute yoga session every single morning for 30 days. Raising Frequencies is all about creating your own heaven on earth with four steps - move, learn, grow, and create.

Use this episode to clear your mind and control the stress in your daily life to raise your frequency, become happier, and create your own heaven on Earth.  Our hosts, Jenn and Firas, review this wellness tool in our next episode. 

So you've set up your monthly budget plan and you're working on your saving habits. Have you decided on the goals that your savings will fund?

When is the best time to pull the trigger on a major expense such as buying a car or having a child?

On this episode of the Level Up! podcast, our favorite financial guru, Ton Patron, gives us the lowdown on big financial decisions and how you can get there with the right moves and decisions early on.

Whenever we start even thinking about planning to improve our own Financial Wellness, we default to thinking about numbers and thinking of where to save, which expenses to cut and so on. But there's one key thing we often forget when we plan for these things; we forget about ourselves, leaving all of the planning essentially for naught as it will most likely be pushed down the list of the things we want to do. On this episode, our hosts Jenn Simons and Firas Abboud talk to award-winning financial planner, Mr. Fitz Villafuerte on the human side of financial wellness.

Creating your own budget plan is a basic skill you need to learn to start managing your finances. Tracking how much you spend daily is even easier with the help of free and freemium expense tracking apps. On this minisode, we try the best options available for download so budgeting can be a breeze.

The Level Up! Podcast is back! This time, we're bringing more practical tips and guides that will improve your financial and mental wellbeing both in and out of the workspace.

Investing in employee wellness makes business sense. Join us as we review the highlights of conversations with business leaders in our community. Learn how and why they are making changes to improve productivity through financial wellness and mental health programs, and stay tuned for more insightful discussion on these topics in Season 2 coming soon!

With the various levels of quarantine we've experienced so far, things may seem like they are slowly going back to normal, but the truth is the threat isn't going away anytime soon. The pandemic has definitely taken a toll on everyone's mental health. But now, we have the tools and capacity to shift our mindset from simply surviving the pandemic to thriving. This week, mindfulness and leadership coach Shian Chuan joins us to provide a roadmap that you can set for yourself to grow and continue to improve amidst the pandemic.

The global pandemic has caused a lot of us to feel scared, anxious, and have a negative outlook in general. And for good reason. A number of studies suggest that the 2nd wave of the pandemic take place on the mental health spectrum as the long-term effects of isolation and lack of human interaction take its toll on the psyche. On this episode of The Level Up! podcast, our host Jenn Simons interviews Dr. Omy Romero on how the light of positivity can help us guide through the sea of uncertainty.

You've heard about good and bad credit before, but what exactly does it mean for you and your finances? On this episode, our host Jenn Simons gets to the bottom of this question with our esteemed guest, Atty. Aileen Amor-Bautista, OIC President and CEO of the Credit Information Corporation.

Having a great company culture is one trait that a lot of companies strive for. Some organizations even spend a good portion of their budget to build culture. But what most organizations get wrong is that company culture is not built on how much you spend for the wellbeing of an employee. It's in how inclined and aligned they are to the company's mission and it's not just for HR - it's everyone's responsibility.

Tune in to this episode as we talk to Qualfon's Chief Mission Officer, Roberto Sanchez-Mejorada on how you can keep you employees engaged, and how you can drive your mission to propel the organization forward.

With the onset of the pandemic, a lot of people realized how it feels like to be retired. Depending on how comfortable they are with the situation, people have since been thinking of investing for their retirement. But with the Philippines along with a lot of countries experiencing an economic recession, is it feasible to invest in your future at this time? Our esteemed guest Ton Patron returns for another episode as he and our host, Jenn Simons talks about how you can save for your retirement in the middle of a global pandemic.

With a lot of uncertainty in the world, a lot of people have flocked to insurance providers to invest in products in the hope that it will keep them safe from whatever else 2020 can bring. But just how important are insurance products for you especially now in the middle of a global pandemic? Our host Jenn Simons talks to JC Zozobrado as they find out which insurance product would work best for your needs.

The role of HR in an organization has always been continuously evolving. But with the global pandemic, our people managers who often act as a company's psychologist, lawyer, or even as a nurse are yet again seeing a massive shift in the role that they play in an organization - and this time, it looks like it's going to be permanent. Our host Jenn Simons interviews Ivy de Borja on how you can survive the new world of HR.

A couple of months back, no one could have imagined how the world would be affected by the global pandemic, let alone our own financial situation. Some say it's already too late to save up for your own financial safety net. On this episode, we discuss why it's never too late to save. As the saying goes, the best time to start saving was yesterday. The second best time to start saving is today.

One of the most harrowing effects of the pandemic are the mass layoffs that a lot of companies had to do to survive. In this episode, we will talk with Patricia Paredes and find out how she managed to survive being laid off and how she moved forward with her professional life.

With the quarantine affecting a lot of businesses, recruiters are also at the forefront of a lot of businesses in how their organizations respond to the pandemic. How manpower needs are fulfilled are as crucial as it as it has ever been. But despite all the need for haste, talent acquisition specialists still need to hire the right applicants with the right qualifications that fit the needs of their organizations. Our guest speaker Darwin Rivers, tells us key points to remember in hiring the right talents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Disclaimer : The views and opinions expressed by the speaker belong solely to the speaker and does not necessarily reflect the views of Uploan and its employees.

This week, we continue our conversation with Ton Patron and JC Abarca. This time, we talk about something we all dream of attaining: Early Retirement. Learn how you can achieve it yourself by knowing where to get the right information and having the right mindset for you to make the right decisions to reach your goal of financial freedom.

When was the last time you had a serious conversation with anyone about your finances? On this episode, we have Ton Patron, a personal finance adviser who has worked with the SEC and BSP to help our fellow Filipinos in managing their money. Tune in as we talk about retirement, how we can make better financial decisions by making small practical changes on how we perceive our finances.

On this episode, we talk about the relationship between one's mental health and their performance in the workplace, how HR practitioners are at the forefront of businesses' response to the global pandemic, and the value of gratitude, positivity and self-love.

On our first episode, we discuss the importance of developing a workplace wellness program, why HR is the backbone of a company, and why more employers should look into maximizing the potential of their employees by taking care of their needs.

If you're seeking to improve your skill set, get better at managing your finances, or if you want to upgrade your professional mindset, the Level Up! Podcast is for you!

Are you ready to Level Up?