Summary: Sir John Kirwan’s interview in The Sunday Times (UK)
Highlights from Sir John Kirwans profile in The Sunday Times following Groov’s launch into the European market.
Sir John Kirwan – known as JK – was in London last month to launch the European arm of Groov and announce Groov as the official wellbeing partner of New Zealand Rugby.
JK spoke to The Sunday Times rugby correspondent Stephen Jones about his journey to-date and the path that led him to co-found Groov, a workplace wellbeing platform empowering employers and their teams to feel and function better every day.
The Sunday Times article starts by reflecting on JK’s illustrious career as an All Black. A career that, on the surface, appeared untroubled. However, JK tells The Sunday Times how his performance began to suffer around 1990 “because I was living in fear”.
JK now understands the direct link between wellbeing and performance – this science is at the heart of Groov – but in the 1990s, there was still a lot to learn.
Once JK discovered coping strategies, he felt compelled to help others by speaking up about what he’d experienced – a decision that led to his knighthood for mental health advocacy in 2012 and co-founding Groov in 2018.
Fast-forward to today, and Groov is now the official wellbeing partner of New Zealand Rugby, including the All Blacks and Black Ferns. This first-of-its-kind partnership shines a light on the importance of preventative mental health as a core pillar of overall performance.
JK is drawn to how technology can support organisational wellbeing, especially in an era of information overload, which can quickly lead to burnout if left unchecked.
“There is no work/life balance anymore, so we need to free up the space, maybe just learn how to take five minutes. We have more inputs in our brains now in one day than our grandparents had in a lifetime – everything is back-to-back,” he reflects in The Sunday Times interview.
Groov solves for burnout, performance, engagement, and other workplace wellbeing challenges by delivering the right experiences, to the right employees, at the right time, and in the right way. This gives employees a choice over how, when, and where they take control of their mental wellbeing.
“It will start learning about you as you go,” he explains. Groov will then serve up science-backed insights and resources to support various challenges employees face throughout any given day, week, month.
When it comes to helping organisations find their Groov through lifting wellbeing and performance, it appears JK is still moving as he did on the rugby field – with courage, creativity, and legendary pace.
You can read the full article here if you have an account with The Sunday Times. To find out more about Groov’s partnership with New Zealand Rugby and launch into Europe, request a demo.