Creating a Culture of Wellbeing:
Why Authenticity Matters
A guest blog by Christopher Phoenix, Wellbeing Facilitator and Co-Founder of Phoenix Support for Educators.
When we hear the word authenticity, we often think of it as simply “being yourself.” Maybe it brings to mind someone boldly speaking their truth, staying true to their personality, or wearing their heart on their sleeve.
But what if authenticity is deeper than that?
What if being authentic isn’t just about expressing who we are, but about how we navigate the shared world we live in?
At the heart of wellbeing, whether we’re talking about personal wellbeing or the wellbeing of a whole workplace, is this question of authenticity. And it matters. Especially in places like education, where how we show up each day shapes the wellbeing of the people around us.
So, what do we mean by authenticity?
In my wellbeing workshops, I often start by asking: “What does authenticity mean to you?”
Some people say honesty.
Some say integrity.
Others might say being true to yourself.
All of these are great answers. But in these workshops, we explore authenticity as something even more dynamic. Not just as something we are, but as something we do.
In this sense, authenticity is about the choices we make, and the responsibility we take for those choices.
It’s about moving beyond simply “being an authentic person,” to asking, “Am I undertaking authentic actions?”
Let me explain with a little philosophy…
The difference between a pen and a person
If I hold up a pen and ask, “What is this?” most people will say, “It’s a pen.”
But if we really stop and think about it… is that all it is?
Physically, and first and foremost, it’s just a plastic cylinder filled with ink. The reason we call it a pen is because we’ve all agreed that this object is for writing. Its meaning comes from the purpose we’ve given it. And because we all share this understanding, we don’t even have to think twice. Therefore, we see its purpose first, and then its physical properties. Why is that?
For one, that purpose, or, meaning of this object, existed before the pen itself did. Someone designed it with that purpose in mind. Therefore, the pen’s ‘essence’ came first. Its ‘existence’ followed. Furthermore, due to its inability to make choices, that pens purpose remains the same for its entire existence.
But what about human beings?
Are we born with a fixed purpose, like the pen?
The philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre argued that we’re not. Instead of being born with a ready-made life-long purpose, or fixed identity, he believed we are born first, and then, through our choices and actions, we create who we are.
Sartre called this idea: “Existence precedes essence.”
It means we don’t arrive with a label that tells us who we are meant to be for the entirety of our lives. Instead, we exist first. We live. And only then do we create who we are through what we choose to do with our lives. That’s why different periods of our lives can reflect different passions, different priorities, and different ways of being.
This is what Sartre calls freedom. But not freedom in the “I can do whatever I want” sense.
It’s freedom as the capacity to shape who we are through the choices we make, every single day.
Freedom always comes with responsibility
Sartre also warned us about something important: freedom comes with responsibility.
Whether we like it or not, we are always choosing. Choosing how to act, how to respond, how to show up. Even choosing not to choose… is still a choice.
And here’s where it gets really interesting, these choices don’t happen in isolation.
They happen in what the philosopher Martin Heidegger called the shared world.
Heidegger famously wrote: “Being-in-the-world is always being-with-others.”
We are not just individuals dropped into space.
We are shaped by the relationships, cultures, histories, and environments we are part of.
Our identities, our actions, and even our meanings are formed together, through the shared understandings we build with each other.
In other words: Our choices shape not just ourselves, they shape the world we share with others.
So, although I am free to choose, I am never free from the consequences of those choices. And every choice I make, is made on behalf of everyone, because we exist in a shared world.
Wellbeing is shared, not separate
So, what does all of this have to do with wellbeing?
It’s this: Wellbeing isn’t just about individual self-care.
It’s about the culture we create together.
If we want to build a culture of wellbeing, whether that’s in a school, an early learning service, or any workplace, we need to recognise that how we show up matters.
How we speak to each other.
How we listen.
How we make space for different voices.
How we navigate conflict.
How we hold ourselves accountable.
All of these are choices, and those choices contribute to the environment we are all working in.
Authenticity, then, means taking ownership of that.
It means recognising that freedom isn’t free from consequences. It’s freedom with responsibility.
Choosing the culture we want to create
Every action we take, every small choice we make, expresses what kind of workplace we are choosing to create. That includes every one of us. Whether we are choosing connection, compassion, and care, or something else entirely.
A culture of wellbeing doesn’t happen by accident.
It doesn’t happen because we have good policies on paper.
It’s built, one intentional, authentic choice at a time.
Boogie Mites’ April webinar Educator Wellbeing & Music will combine the Phoenix Cups Framework with Boogie Mites’ uplifting songs to bring you an exciting, practical training experience. Join Boogie Mites Trainer Tasha and Christopher Phoenix from Phoenix Support for Educators, as they show you how to use music and the Phoenix Cups Framework to support your wellbeing, develop a sense of community cohesion, and consider how our authenticity shapes the wellbeing of those around us, affecting our wellbeing environment.
EDUCATOR WELLBEING & MUSIC
📅 Monday 28th April 2025
⏰ 7pm – 8:15pm (Recording available from 30th April – 7th May)
📍 Live on Zoom
👉 Book now! https://www.boogiemites.co.uk/shop/music-and-wellbeing/
