INTERVIEWS: Anna Murray, Andrew Gibson & Aisling Hassell

LOP: What’s been on your mind lately when it comes to the meaning of wellbeing?

AM: A big inquiry for me is: how can wellbeing encapsulate not just the individual?

I think quite a lot of the wellness industry is based on hyper-individuality – a mindset that leads to optimisation and increased productivity – instead of asking what it really means to embrace care. Care not just for ourselves, but for the planet and our communities.

 

LOP: Spirals feels very rooted in place. How did the natural environment shape the project and its community?

AM: The ethos was very much about connection – but not just with people. For me, community here in the countryside also means nature. That includes the river, the trees, the non-visible community always in and around the space.

We opened with a river blessing because I’m passionate about water – without healthy water, we don’t have wellbeing. That kind of mindset is so important. We worked with the equinoxes and solstices, really centring the living cycles around us.

 

LOP: Do you think the creative industries are waking up to that kind of thinking?

AM: I think there’s still a long way to go. In creative and brand spaces, nature is often an afterthought – or something to “give back” to in a marketing sense. What would it look like if care was embedded from the start of the process? That’s the shift I’m interested in.

 

LOP: What does wellbeing mean to you at its deepest level?

AM: It’s about a feeling of deep connection – to yourself, to your direct surroundings, to others, and to the wider living world.

For me, that relationship-based approach is the foundation. And that’s where Spirals came from.

LOP: Andrew, you’ve been involved in the wellness industry since its early days. Could you start by sharing your journey and how you’ve seen the concept of wellness evolve?

AG: Absolutely. My career actually started in banking, but I’ve always been involved in sports. I took a sabbatical, pursued a degree in recreation management, and also studied environmental conservation. This was in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when fitness was just emerging as a standalone industry.
My first real involvement in wellness was when I opened the UK’s first hotel leisure center. That was a pivotal moment because we were witnessing the transition from fitness into a broader concept of well-being. From there, I moved to Abu Dhabi and got involved in the fitness industry as it expanded into private health clubs.

Over time, fitness evolved into spa, and then spa evolved into what we now call wellness. I’ve had the privilege of working with brands like Six Senses, Mandarin Oriental, Raffles, Four Seasons, and One&Only. One of my more recent projects was creating the wellness brand Sensei, on an entire wellness island in Hawaii.
Today, I advise on a variety of wellness projects, ranging from community-focused wellness centers to large-scale government wellness strategies. It’s an exciting space because we’re still in a stage of evolution.

 

LOP: Wellness has become a massive industry, but it also sometimes feels like an overused term. Where do you think we are now in our understanding of wellness?

AG: We’re not mature yet – we’re in what I’d call the teenage phase of wellness. There’s rebellion, confusion, and a lot of buzzwords floating around. Terms like biohacking, longevity, and self-optimisation are all used interchangeably, sometimes without a clear definition.

Here’s my simplified take:
Wellbeing is a state or condition – you’re either in a good state of well-being or not.
Wellness is the journey to achieving well-being. And that journey is different for everyone.

For example, a glass of wine with a friend might be a wellness experience for one person, while for another, it’s a fitness routine or meditation. The problem is that wellness has been commercialised – everything is labeled as “wellness” to sell products, which causes confusion.
The spa industry went through this phase in the early 2000s. Initially, there was resistance to terms like “spa food” or “medical spa,” but eventually, people began to understand what spa meant. We’re now going through that same process with wellness.

One of the big shifts I’m seeing now is that hotels and resorts are no longer treating wellness as an add-on. Instead, they are integrating it into their very DNA, and are asking questions about what their version of wellness looks like for their customers. One of my main areas of work is helping operators clarify their vision, help them create a viable concept and create their own paths to wellbeing.

LOP: How does location influence what wellness looks like? Do different regions offer unique approaches to wellness?

AG: Absolutely. Wellness is deeply influenced by culture, geography, and societal values.

In Asia, I see wellness is deeply ingrained in daily life, practices like traditional medicine, Tai Chi, and mindfulness have been around for centuries. In more Nordic countries there’s a strong focus on nature – saunas, cold-water therapy, and outdoor activities play a major role – again this seems deeply engrained in their culture, and we’re seeing that expand more globally.
In the US, it’s a more fragmented landscape. Wellness can be hyper-commercialised or tech engabled, focusing on high-end retreats, or with people curating their own routines. This is contrasted with a really unhealthy and obese portion of the population too – it’s all really individualised, there isn’t a ‘culture’ like there is elsewhere.

LOP: The idea of wellness can be such an intangible concept – with often conflicting information or schools of thought on what’s best. How important is branding and communication in shaping people’s understanding of it?

AG: Branding can be everything in wellness because the experience is often personal and emotional. Many companies come to me saying, “We want to be a wellness brand,” but when I ask them what that means, they can’t define it.

Brands need to establish clear values first. Are they focusing on mental wellness, movement, nutrition, or something else? Once they define their pillars, they can build a wellness strategy, which can help direct what they do next.

Some of the most successful wellness brands are led by someone with an uncompromising vision, and who will consistently ensure this is delivered across the board.
Not all of these visions are the same, but its that clarity about what you can offer that really helps one brand stand apart from another

One brand that does this brilliantly is Six Senses. They don’t force wellness onto guests, but every element of their experience – from sustainability to mindfulness – is seamlessly woven into their brand. Sensory branding also plays a big role – scent, sound, and touch can all enhance well-being.

A huge part of building a wellness brand is also communicating your values to your staff – the people that are actually delivering the experience to their customers. How are you bringing them on board to have clarity about what vision is, but also more fundamentally, ensuring they are well too?

Let’s start with the employees. If they’re feeling good and your company’s supporting them and supporting their families – often in wellness destinations, which are in more remote places, the local community is thriving on your business – so you have to support them. If you’ve got the people that work for you in a happy place, your guests are going to come away a lot better.

 

LOP: Yes, I think we’ve really noticed how wellness needs to run deep in a brand or organisation in order to actually be authentic and deliver the transformation people want to see. But there is so much going on in the world that can also influence people’s relationship with wellness. How is the current socio-political climate shaping what’s happening right now?

AG: The biggest driver right now is safety – both physical and financial. People are navigating an unpredictable world, whether it’s economic uncertainty, political instability, or global crises. This impacts their well-being profoundly.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs applies here. If people don’t feel safe, their wellness priorities shift toward survival rather than self-optimisation. Mental wellness is also gaining traction as people grapple with stress, anxiety, and isolation, and so we’re seeing more spaces help offer therapeutic experiences for the mind as well as the body, as well as cultivating a better connection between people.
And I believe that connection between guests is really core to repeat business – so many of the best retreats in the world have people rebooking the minute they finish their experience, because people want to rejoin their like-minded cohort of friends that they just met and share more experiences together.

On a larger scale, urban planning is shifting to accommodate wellness – more cities are designing walkable spaces, integrating green areas, and prioritising mental well-being. This is a huge shift that is hopefully a positive step in the face of all of the troubling elements of the world right now.

LOP: And so finally, what do you think is next for wellness?

AG: I think we’re moving towards democratised wellness making it more accessible. Historically, it was reserved for the wealthy, but now, community-based initiatives and urban planning are making wellness a part of everyday life.

Another big shift is focusing on healthspan over lifespan. The focus is no longer just living longer but living healthier for longer. We’re seeing increased interest in longevity science, recovery-focused wellness, and bio-individualised wellness approaches. Some of this stuff is a bit extreme, but I do think this mindset shift is a really positive one, especially in the face of so many people having to take responsibility for their health due to failing healthcare systems.
It’s about finding ways for more people to take ownership of their wellbeing, and to be educational about what can shift the dial.

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LOP: What inspired the idea for Dāha? How did your experience of the wellness industry shape the vision?

AH: We started with wanting to move away from the idea that wellness has to be a luxury or something you travel far for. So many wellness retreats I’ve visited have been beautiful, but they’re exclusive – you need a lot of time and money to access them. And they offer an escape, rather than something that becomes part of your life.

Dāha is designed to be integrated into the everyday – something that’s accessible both in terms of location and affordability. The idea was: could we create something as transformative as Canyon Ranch, but on your doorstep?

 

LOP: The space you’ve created feels very intentional. What did it take to bring that vision to life?

AH: We transformed a derelict bank building into a serene, welcoming place. It had to feel different the moment you walked in – that sense of “this is for me.” People tell us, “Wow, it’s amazing to have this here,” and they really appreciate the little details that make the experience feel special in their own postcode.

LOP: You worked with us at Land of Plenty to define the brand. What was that process like?

AH: Crafting the brand was honestly one of the most important steps. We didn’t want to offer just facials or pilates classes – it had to feel like a holistic wellbeing practice. One that was personal for each visitor, but also community-focused.

We went through so many rounds on the tagline. Pages and pages of names and phrases. Eventually, we landed on ‘Find Your Feel Good’, and I couldn’t be happier with it. It’s personal, individual, and non-prescriptive. It’s not about what we think wellness should be – it’s about what feels right for you, today.

LOP: Once the brand vision was set, how did that carry through into the physical environment?

AH: That was essential. Once we had clarity on the brand, we could translate that into everything else. The room names, the scent we developed from scratch, the exact shade of green on the walls – all of it needed to reflect how we wanted people to feel.

The architects did an incredible job interpreting our brand playbook into a space that actually delivers on our intention. And that intention came from the deep foundational work we did with you. That gave us something to build everything else around.

 

LOP: Dāha is very grounded in community. How do you bring that to life day-to-day?

AH: It starts with accessibility – and that means more than just pricing. We wanted the space to be welcoming for everyone, including those with physical disabilities. Adding a lift into the old building was a big decision, but it was non-negotiable. We’re living our values, both in what’s visible and behind the scenes.

Community is also about creating opportunities to connect. We offer free wellness talks with experts on everything from mental health to nutrition. Our café, Ubuntu, is designed as a social hub – we see people chatting after tai chi, swapping stories, encouraging each other. That’s exactly the kind of ripple effect we hoped for.

LOP: A big conversation right now is around customer empowerment – not just engagement. How does Dāha empower people?

AH: We want to take the guesswork out of wellness. Our team is trained to guide people towards practices that connect the dots – to help them form a more complete picture of wellbeing. That means moving beyond a transactional model and really supporting someone on their journey.

We’re also expanding our programme to reflect more life stages – like prenatal and postnatal care, and recently we’ve introduced specialist events for people with endometriosis. It’s about meeting people where they are, and showing that wellness isn’t one-size-fits-all.

 

LOP: And how does Dāha fit into the bigger picture of wellness today?

AH: I think we’re filling a gap. In Ireland, religious spaces like churches used to offer that sense of community and care. That’s fading, especially with younger generations, but the need for connection hasn’t gone away.

We want Dāha to offer that sense of belonging – a safe space, especially in a world that feels increasingly unstable. Whether it’s global conflict, economic strain or political division, people are overwhelmed. Just being able to step away from that noise, even briefly, can be powerful.

LOP: What’s next for Dāha?

AH: We’re listening – always. The brand is evolving as the community evolves. At first, we didn’t plan to print brochures for sustainability reasons. But everyone who walked in asked for one. So we adapted. We created something as sustainable as possible that still met their needs.

That’s how a brand stays alive. It’s about co-ownership. People feel heard and valued – and that’s when real transformation happens.

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If these conversations resonated…
You’ll find more insights, ideas and provocations in The Shift: Health & Wellbeing – our latest report exploring how brands can support people to live, feel and be well.

[Download The Shift →]