For years, discussions about workplace performance have centred on technology, automation and skills gaps. Yet one of the most powerful drivers of productivity is something far more fundamental: personal health. As demographic shifts push more people to work later into life, economists are increasingly examining midlife wellbeing as a core factor in national output.
This is the backdrop in which Alex Neilan, founder of the UK coaching company Sustainable Change, has become an unexpected voice in financial and policy circles. Though his work focuses on women’s health and sustainable lifestyle change, the ripple effects reach far beyond individual wellbeing – into organisational performance, workforce resilience and even national economic potential.
“Health isn’t just a personal asset,” Neilan says. “It influences how people think, lead and show up. When you help someone reclaim their energy and confidence, their whole economic footprint changes.”
It’s a claim with growing evidence behind it.
A workforce challenge hiding in plain sight
The UK’s economic future depends heavily on the productivity of people in their forties, fifties and sixties – now the fastest-growing segment of the labour market. Yet this is also the group most affected by chronic fatigue, weight gain, confidence loss and stress-based burnout, often compounded by caring responsibilities and hormonal transitions.
These challenges don’t simply show up in health statistics; they show up in absenteeism, presenteeism, stalled career progression and early workforce exit.
Neilan argues that this is where traditional health programmes fail: “Most wellness advice is built for people with perfect schedules. But the reality is that most women in midlife don’t have the luxury of time. You have to create systems that survive real life, not ideal circumstances.”
Where coaching meets economics
Sustainable Change – which Neilan founded in 2016 – focuses on behavioural structure rather than restriction. The approach has resonated with thousands of women across the UK who felt overlooked by mainstream fitness culture.
But its relevance to business and the economy is just as clear. Clients routinely report improvements in: energy levels, cognitive clarity, decision-making, stress tolerance, and work satisfaction.
These factors correlate strongly with measurable productivity gains – something organisations are beginning to track more closely.
Neilan puts it more simply: “People perform better when they feel better. It’s not complicated. The mistake is thinking health and performance are separate things.”
A national community, a national trend
Alongside Sustainable Change, Neilan hosts the Sustainable Weight Loss Support Group, a Facebook community now approaching 100,000 members. While the group focuses on practical, everyday health strategies, it has become a barometer of a broader shift: people want systems that work long-term, not short bursts that fail as soon as life becomes busy.
Posts from members routinely describe outcomes that go far beyond weight loss – better sleep, improved focus, increased confidence, reduced sick days, and the ability to manage demanding weeks without hitting burnout.
What emerges is a picture of health improvement as an economic accelerator, not merely a personal benefit.
The cost of getting wellbeing wrong
The UK loses billions each year to workplace stress, illness and low productivity, yet employers often focus on downstream solutions – corporate wellness days, step challenges, or motivational talks that fade within weeks.
Neilan’s critique is blunt: “Motivation isn’t a strategy. Structure is. If you want people to thrive, give them systems that actually work with their lives.”
He argues that sustainable health isn’t about extremes but about reducing friction – the subtle barriers that make good decisions feel harder than bad ones.
“When clients learn how to design their routines, rather than fight against them, everything changes. They stop starting over. That consistency compounds – economically as well as personally.”
A leadership issue disguised as a health issue
The most forward-thinking businesses, Neilan says, are beginning to understand that wellbeing isn’t an add-on – it’s infrastructure. Just as organisations invest in digital transformation or operational efficiency, they increasingly recognise the need to invest in employee energy and capacity.
“Burnout destroys performance quietly,” he says. “People don’t fall behind because they’re incapable. They fall behind because their bandwidth collapses. If you solve that, you’re not just improving wellbeing – you’re improving output.”
This is why Neilan is often invited to speak with leadership teams about designing cultures that support long-term consistency rather than short-term intensity.
A different conversation about value
The financial world has long understood compound interest. Neilan’s work applies the same logic to human performance: small, repeatable actions stacking up over time.
He puts it this way: “You don’t need to overhaul your life to get better results. You need a reliable rhythm. When people have that, they become steadier, calmer, more capable – and that shows up in every part of their work.”
In an economy increasingly shaped by knowledge work rather than manual labour, these qualities matter more than ever.
What’s next for Sustainable Change
As Sustainable Change continues to expand its programmes, Neilan remains focused on scaling without losing the human connection that underpins the company’s impact. His long-term mission – to help one million women achieve sustainable health and confidence – aligns closely with a wider push toward a more resilient, productive UK workforce.
Whether policymakers fully recognise the economic implications of wellbeing is another matter. But Neilan believes the direction of travel is clear.
“Health isn’t a perk,” he says. “It’s a productivity engine. When people feel strong and in control, everything else performs better – business, communities, families, the economy itself.”
For a country grappling with stalled growth, chronic burnout, and a shifting labour landscape, it may be time to take that message seriously.
