From Surviving to Thriving: A Conversation with Tina Lifford

Employee wellbeing in the workplace is evolving — and it starts with self-awareness, healing, and the courage to grow.

In this powerful episode, Sara Maude welcomes Tina Lifford — actress, playwright, CEO of the Inner Fitness Project, and author of The Little Book of Big Life — to explore what it truly means to thrive.

Tina, best known for her role on Oprah Winfrey’s Queen Sugar, opens up about the moment that changed everything: a 5th-grade trauma that launched her personal journey into healing and inner wellbeing.

The Stories We Tell Ourselves

Tina dives deep into the inner narratives that keep people stuck in survival mode — stories formed in childhood that shape how we see ourselves and the world. Her insight? These patterns are not fixed. When people become aware of them, they can evolve.

That evolution starts with a simple yet powerful mindset shift:
“Up until now... and from this point forward.”

Inner Fitness for Outer Impact

Tina and Sara explore how leading-edge wellbeing in the workplace means supporting employees to move beyond surface-level resilience training. True transformation happens when people reconnect with their thriving self — not just their surviving self.

Whether you're leading a team or navigating change personally, this episode offers powerful tools to integrate into your own development or your company’s wellbeing programmes.