Founder Ruth Limkin’s world-leading rehab is transforming the lives of burnt-out business executives
By BRANDVOICE
BRANDVOICE
An organisation can only ever be as healthy and productive as its leaders.
It’s one of the reasons Ruth Limkin, Founding CEO of The Banyans Healthcare, is so passionate about leading one of the world’s most renowned luxury residential rehabilitation retreats.
The Banyans Residence, located in Brisbane, attracts clients from across the globe, offering gold standard clinical treatment, one-on-one therapy and comprehensive wrap-around care for individuals, including high-level business executives, high net worth individuals, public figures and elite athletes.
The Banyans offers programs for individuals experiencing depression, anxiety, chronic stress and burnout, drug and alcohol dependency, eating disorders and other co-occurring conditions.
Limkin says that over the past 12 months, there has been a 684% increase in inquiries at The Banyans for burnout, a health issue that has been impacting business leaders acutely since the pandemic.
“Leading through the pandemic, many leaders went into crisis mode,” Limkin shares with Forbes Australia. “We all buckled down and gritted our teeth. Leaders just had to keep going because you do what you need to do to keep the organisation and your staff.”
“Now we’re at this stage where leaders are giving themselves permission to listen to their bodies and look after themselves.”
As Limkin describes, there is no question that wellbeing has risen to the top of the business agenda post-pandemic, with organisations deploying proactive wellbeing strategies for their leaders and staff.
It’s never been more imperative, with a recent Deloitte study showing that around 70% of high-level executives are considering leaving their jobs to better support their emotional wellbeing. What’s more, over 80% of the high-level executives surveyed said they thought improving their mental health was more important than their career.
Twelve months on from their stay at The Banyans, one client told Limkin that he considered himself to be 100 times more productive at work in the wake of his treatment.
“If you think about that from a strictly economic point of view, that’s a very good return on investment,” Limkin said. “And there’s so many other multiplied benefits – it was his sense of purpose and wellbeing, and his relationship with his loved ones and colleagues.”
“I absolutely, passionately believe that the health of an organisation is linked to the health of its leaders.”
Ruth Limkin
A colleague of another client told Ruth that treatment at The Banyans had turned one man into a healthier version of himself, and their business was flourishing as a result.
“He said the company has turned around now because he’s so much healthier,” Limkin said. “And you know, that company had over 100 staff, each of whom has benefitted from that shift.”
“I absolutely, passionately believe that the health of an organisation is linked to the health of its leaders. And so when you can help the leader get healthier, you actually help whole organisations get healthier.”
The Banyans are leading its field in delivering coordinated mental healthcare. The purpose-built residence is limited to ten guests, which means an exceptional level of personal attention and care is provided. As Limkin notes, it offers a “concierge approach” to care, enabling clients to access all the care and support they need in one place.
For those in high-pressure executive roles, including those facing the pressure of generational wealth and the pressure of stepping into family businesses, there can be an increased risk of mental health concerns, including suicidal ideation.
“What we do is really important because every person deserves to be able to get help, and because we have such a private model, it actually creates the opportunity for people with a public profile to get the best treatment possible in a way that is comfortable for them,” Limkin says.
“The traditional healthcare system has a very particular idea about what people need and it’s also really fragmented,” Limkin explains. “We are really passionate about coordinated care, it’s a concierge approach.”
The Banyans have also just announced a new partnership with The Network of Brisbane Broncos, an NRL club that is shifting the dial in the community development and health space across south-east Queensland.
“We often work with high-capacity people to help them stay at the top of their game, or get back to the top of their game,” Limkin says. “It’s such a great partnership because the Broncos understand what that’s about — whether it’s on the field or in the boardroom.”
In July, Limkin was named Westpac Business Woman of the Year at the 2023 Moreton Bay Business and Innovation Awards, in recognition of her leadership at The Banyans and the impact it is having as a global leader in the healthcare and performance of business leaders.
As an executive herself, Limkin is focused on practising what her business preaches, especially when it comes to her own employees. There has to be a sense of integrity that what you are advocating to clients is also what your team is experiencing day-to-day, she says.
“I really have a whole of business approach to what we are advocating. It’s this idea of learning, delivering on your ethos, and never feeling like we’ve got it all locked down.”
“Developing the well-being of our people is one of the smartest investments we can make as business leaders. We should actually be intentional about it rather than just happening when suddenly someone’s not doing so well.”