4 Tips on Occupational Wellness from Julia Stewart, Founder & CEO of Alurx and Pioneer in the Hospitality Industry

1. Everyone should work in retail or a customer-facing role at some point in their career. 

Julia explains: “I truly believe serving others at some point in your life makes you appreciate the millions of people who serve every day. They inspire you to say thank you and say it more often.” She started her career in the hospitality business as a food server at IHOP, where she eventually became CEO. She would never do a final job interview unless it was in a restaurant: “what I was assessing was how a candidate responded to a food server, and if they were rude or disrespectful, I would not hire them”. Being of service and making a difference in people’s lives is the cornerstone of Alurx and her “vision of love”.

2. Getting feedback from your management team is a real gift. 

On her first job at IHOP, she loved the family culture and the notion that she was getting daily feedback, either from guests or from the management team. “It was a real gift that you could get feedback every day - about how you were doing and the difference that you were making”, states Julia. “You can change someone’s entire outlook and for me, that is very inspirational.” She has included this “gift” in her leadership style throughout her career.

3. Be strategic about your career choices.

Early on in her career, Julia focused on “getting greater experience and volunteering for jobs that nobody wanted which required taking risks.” Learning, growing, and demonstrating her skills were extremely important to Julia. She explains “I really did want to run something, and I knew no one would make me CEO if I stayed in marketing. So, I left the marketing side of the business after 18 years and worked as an Assistant Restaurant Manager, starting at the bottom, learning the operations side of the business, and managing a P&L. I had a plan and ran with it." By the time she was in senior management, she was paying it forward, leading by example and giving hope to others. “It’s a privilege to be able to lead, and if you really want to take advantage of it, then bring people along with you!”

4. Understand your WHY.

Following the onset of her mother’s cognitive illness, Julia started thinking of wellness differently. She researched choices that her mother never had, which included, “education, services, products vetted by doctors and experts, to guide others on their wellness journey.” She concluded: “Thus the idea of Alurx came to life as an all-in-one wellness hub.”