EP05 | Wellbeing, Energy & Balance

High performance means very little if people cannot sustain it.

In this episode of People & Peloton, host Dorien Leyers sits down with Erwin Janssen, Team Director at Team SD Worx-Protime, and Bruce Fecheyr-Lippens, Chief People Officer at SD Worx. Together, they explore how energy, focus and wellbeing can be protected in demanding environments without losing sight of results.

Starting from Mischa Bredewold’s exceptionally long and intense season, the conversation looks at recovery, warning signs, boundaries and the habits that help people stay strong over time. Whether you are leading a team or part of one, this episode is a reminder that performance is not just about pushing harder. It is also about knowing what keeps people well enough to keep going.

People & Peloton

What can business learn from the peloton, and what can elite sport learn from the workplace?  In People & Peloton, we bring those two worlds together.

Hosted by Dorien Leyers, this SD Worx podcast pairs conversations from the boardroom with insights from the road. In each episode, leaders from SD Worx and Team SD Worx-Protime explore a topic that shapes performance today, from teamwork and resilience to leadership, growth, wellbeing and culture.  

Expect practical ideas, honest reflections and stories from high-pressure environments where decisions matter, trust matters, and people make the difference. Because whether you lead a company or ride in a team, success rarely comes down to talent alone. 

It comes down to how you work together when it counts.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:06

Welcome to People and Peloton, the SD Works podcast where cycling and business come together. In every episode, we put two conversations next to each other, one from the boardroom and one from the Peloton. And together we'll discover their similarities and what both can learn from each other. And today we'll talk about well-being, energy, and balance. Not a trend, but an instrument to keep employees and riders feeling good. The question isn't how do you stay motivated? It's how do you stay healthy enough to perform without losing yourself along the way. My name is Doreen Leyers, and with me today are Erwin Jansen, team director at Team SD Works ProTime, and Bruce Fischerlipens, Chief HR officer at SD Works.

SPEAKER_00 0:55

To stay fit and energized during such a long season is uh pretty challenging. But it's also a nice challenge actually. You need to find the balance between work and relaxation and some time for yourself, some time with your friends, and of course, your work and your training and focus. And I think actually doing multiple disciplines also keeps it more fun because you're changing and you're changing your focus, and especially doing gravel and um riding on the track, it doesn't feel as much of a pressure as on the road. So it's uh it's a little bit I'm cheating a little bit because I'm still working and I'm training, but it doesn't feel like it. So yeah, I think having the perfect balance between work and fun, and yeah, training and having time off is uh is the most important. Um I think doing different disciplines doesn't require that much of a different approach because in the end it's all still cycling and it's uh it's um a similar effort, although it does require some different kinds of trainings, of course, especially in the technical part. The graffle is of course very different than the track, and it requires different technical trainings and different focus. But overall, the the physical training I think it's it's quite similar, so that's why it's it's easy to combine them.

SPEAKER_02 2:28

Hello, gentlemen. Hello, very welcome.

SPEAKER_03 2:31

Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 2:32

Maybe if I can dive straight into it, Edwin, we just heard Misha, and I wonder what does a long season mean in terms of strain and recovery? Because what we see is usually that one-day race.

SPEAKER_03 2:46

Yes. Now, what you see is of course uh a long season, but uh what is important uh first of all, of course, that we uh before the start of the season, we have of course uh with our with our riders, we make the plan for the year. And um there's a plan that can be from February till December, but uh yeah, the most important is that it's the peak moments um changed by uh the rest uh moments, but also with the team camps, the trainings camp or attitude. So uh the the balance in the program uh is the most important, and then it can be also a period between February and December.

SPEAKER_02 3:30

Because Misha even said it's the most important thing, the balance between the training she said, and can I just say having fun? Relaxing.

SPEAKER_03 3:40

Of course, yeah, of course. Uh it's important that we try also to to have um periods in the in the year, uh in the series season, and that they have um time enough also just to relax uh and and to make fun, uh, because it are there are also uh girls from uh between 20 and uh 35 years old, so it's important. Uh but everything they do must be in real good balance. Uh, if we don't do that like that, so it's more programmed, uh, even the fun parts. Um, but uh it's really important that we uh we organize and plan it like that.

SPEAKER_02 4:21

Do you still decide what they do if they say Bruce, um I'm sorry, Erin, tomorrow I'm gonna go bungee jumping, are you like uh no, you're not?

SPEAKER_03 4:29

No, no, of course not. But of course, there are things that we uh say they can better not do. Uh uh and they they are top sporters, so they know what is good and what is not good. But from the other way, uh, we we go every year with the team before we start a new season uh to to learn each other better uh in a new team. And then, for example, we we went the many years also with skiing, a ski weekend. So, and that's also not what general is in cycling. Yeah, yeah, it is, and but of course, uh how we make fun, and this is that part what you what you just mentioned. Uh, it's it's so important to have fun and also to can deconnect. Yeah, deconnect. Um, but of course, we say take care, yeah, do don't do stupid things, uh, etc.

SPEAKER_02 5:19

Yeah, yeah, of course.

SPEAKER_03 5:20

But that's really important for to keep to keep it all sharp all the season.

SPEAKER_02 5:25

Bruce, obviously, someone who works at the company, it's year-round, it's not even February to October, but it's maybe not always a high performance period. But let's say it is. How do you maintain energy and focus in in that moment without burning out people?

SPEAKER_01 5:41

Yeah, it's a very good question. And uh, I'm myself a cyclist, I like to do that too. 15 years ago, I had my moment where for me in the business world it's important to be a corporate athlete, I call it. So it's really important. I think we have on a daily basis we need to be high performing. I compare it with you sprint, you need to recover. You sprint, you recover, and you need to keep on doing that. So, yes, I do have my uh healthy habits, I would say. I try to come with a bike to work. It's a moment of rest when I come. Uh, I and it's a moment of rest when you go home. When I come home, the three kids, uh, wife, you want to be present. So I try to put my phone on silent mode at least for a few hours. These are small things that are helping during the day as well. It's sometimes a day packed of meetings, discussions, sometimes an emotional one, sometimes a strategic one. Just two minutes going outside, breathing in, putting some water on the face. All those little habits uh help. And um, and typically I find that people are exploring what those habits are, and then you just need to be honest with yourself and just try to do them.

SPEAKER_02 6:46

On a daily basis, maybe Edwin, that's best case if you try to have certain habits would that help, let's say, in a high performance period?

SPEAKER_03 6:57

Yeah, sure. Sure. And I think uh if you look to the riders, uh then it's really important that they have really, let me say, a balanced day from rest rest. Um just lay lay down, uh watch a little bit of television, sleep, uh, and that's really important if they are going to to their peak moments uh to have on a daily basis uh this uh this rest moment.

SPEAKER_02 7:27

But again, we have this wall of where theory ends and where reality kicks in because you can have the best rest uh in your head, let's say you have the best uh schedule and then you have a shady night. And then you don't sleep or you get sick.

SPEAKER_01 7:44

That's where and that's where you have to be adaptable as a person.

SPEAKER_02 7:46

Sorry for my French.

SPEAKER_01 7:47

No, that's where you have to be adaptable, I think, as a person. Yeah. Uh it's good to have a schedule. It's it's perfect, even to have that, your daily habits. But if something unexpected happens, it's also a strength to be able to adapt yourself to a new situation. If you're too much a victim uh of your own schedule day in, day out, then a strength becomes also a bit of a weakness. Absolutely. And I had the luck because uh our CEO and myself, I were writing a book uh for SD Works, and we for the company SD Works about culture, but we were able to interview four of your riders and they all spoke about those daily habits that it really helps them to have it's super powerful to help them. But sometimes, indeed, when you have, as you say, a shitty night, you have to say, Okay, stop for me too shitty night. Okay, now I will take the train to work and not the bike to work because otherwise I will be sick, and that's also not to zoom out.

SPEAKER_02 8:41

Or when uh what was it recently? Uh a virus uh starts to spread uh in the whole team, and then suddenly your well-being energy schedule is out of the window, I think.

SPEAKER_03 8:50

Yeah, yeah, good. That that's you know that can happen, and yeah, it's what Bruce said. Then you need to trust in the process that you're always doing and and to keep it easy in your mind, because otherwise, if you if you lose it in your mind, yeah, you will not win the next race.

SPEAKER_01 9:08

And even their habits actually help because you could say something unexpected happens. Do I directly go into the impulse, or do I have the habit to say I'm gonna close my eyes, I'm gonna need to think two minutes? Do I stick to my schedule or do I do something else? That's also a habit that helps you to make it. So resilience we talked about.

SPEAKER_02 9:27

Yes, yeah. In another episode, we talk about resilience, which is also I think something very important when it comes to well-being. Maybe if I can ask Bruce, um is there one example that SD works a moment where in your role, of course, well-being was at risk? And I'm not talking about a virus, I'm talking about this culture of well-being.

SPEAKER_01 9:50

Yeah, and and for us, it's really important that that there is well-being for the teams to keep on uh going, of course. So we had a moment that it was a few years ago where we had a red flag in our employee engagement survey results where we saw there were hundred teams in the red zone. Uh hundreds, but we have thousands of teams, but in the red zone, then we said, okay, that's that's not okay. Let's have the discussion, what is really happening there. And then we took action, uh, and now we are monitoring uh the amount of teams that are in the red zone. So it does happen, and you can be blind for it. Uh, and then you need to quickly listen to what's really needed and adapt and and take action. Because in the bigger picture, we want people to yeah, to be sustainable uh in the work they're doing.

SPEAKER_02 10:35

Okay. Do you does that resonate with you, Edwin? This this type of working with a a survey, or or do you say, uh huh, with athletes, you shouldn't ask every second, are you okay? Because then they get to this place of doubt.

SPEAKER_03 10:49

Yeah, that's right. Um because uh they they know what they are doing, and they are top athletes. So of course uh we give them all the facilities, we help them uh on all bases. Uh but don't ask too much. Don't ask too much exactly because they are knowing what they are doing, and and the most of them are pretty pretty clever girls. So if they need something, they they they they ask for it, and of course, we we keep an eye on that, of course. But uh our rule is also on don't ask the too much every day. But the culture is there that they know they can always we have a really open culture, they feel safe, they feel happy, so and there are there are always people um who they can ask absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 11:41

And that that's a nice bridge to the business world, too, is that psychological safety that you have a culture where people can talk exactly if they want to. We also try to have that, that they know okay, these are five or six people I can always talk to if there is a difficult moment. Because indeed you cannot always guess. No, yeah. Some people are more extrovert, some people more introvert, don't always share it, of course.

SPEAKER_02 12:02

Edwin, is there an early sign in your experience that a writer is going over the edge physically and mentally, where you do say, I need to step in, this is this is not going the right way.

SPEAKER_03 12:15

Um yeah, of course, it's different for every rider, every every character, every person is different. But in general, what you see if if if they are if it's too far, yeah, then they are getting quite more quiet and more quiet. That's in general. Okay. So then they are more on their own, don't talk a lot, also not uh they don't talk a lot with the other girls. That's what we see mostly. The good with the top sport team is that we see them so much, yeah. Um so yeah, or sport directors or performance guys or doctors or medical staff, they have so much contact with everybody, so that we are pretty we we are pretty fast. Yeah, yeah. That's and that's that's the good, so we can directly come to action. Um I think there's a difference with the big company, and of course it's organized that achieved sees his his his own.

SPEAKER_02 13:13

I was about to say there is not a a day-to-day um feedback conversation with the with one of your it's harder maybe to to notice to say.

SPEAKER_01 13:23

I think yes and no, because we do have daily moments and interactions with each other, and if you have a culture where people care about each other, uh it's not the manager per se, yeah, we have 360, you have your colleagues, but you notice when somebody has more doubt, when somebody has puts his or his or herself more in a victim mode, is blaming others faster, then you see okay, wow, and then if you have the courage, then we say, Let's have the conversation. Can I do something to help? That's a nice question to ask between colleagues, and I'm sure it happens between the writers amongst themselves, too. It's not always the doctor that needs to say something because then you feel like okay, we are in it together as a gang of sisters and brothers, yeah, there to help each other. We we need to carry each other's loads, and I think the team above an individual is super important here.

SPEAKER_03 14:16

Yeah, and I think there's one big difference, Bruce, is also that if you look to a sports team, the girls and the staff they are around, let me say, 150 till 200 days a year traveling. So they are 24-7 together. Yeah, so that's not only those eight or ten hours a day, but also in their free time in the evening. So then you really find out much faster than the other. Maybe you notice differences faster as well because you're they are sleeping in the same room with each other. So fully agree with you, Erwin. That's a big difference. That's a big difference. And that's yeah, that in that is in our uh advantage.

SPEAKER_02 14:52

Yeah, I know it's a cliche, the work-life balance, yeah, but let's try to go there anyway. We're talking about well-being, energy. Um, do you see a difference, for example, with let's say 10 years ago, how this is treated and how we look at that balance. I think yes, a big difference. The work hard, play hard atmosphere is behind behind us, or at least that it was considered cool to be that way.

SPEAKER_01 15:21

I have my very personal convictions about it, where in the sports world we know uh the Tour de France, you win on because you sleep enough, and more than that, of course. Sometimes in the business world, it's still like uh taboo, or it's like cool to say, uh, you know, I only slept four hours.

SPEAKER_02 15:36

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 15:36

Yeah, it's that's that's a no-go zone. If I even think about as he works, we have changed, I we have changed the culture of teams from indeed every week work hard, play hard towards let's be professional with each other, and of course you can have fun. But then at the end of the day, we are professional with each other. So I think we talk about it more, and that creates an atmosphere that people are actually more in sync with who they really are and what they really want to do. There's a bit less peer pressure, but it's still there, we're not yet there. It's still sometimes a bit taboo, huh?

SPEAKER_02 16:09

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 16:10

Yeah, I think in in in the top spots that works in a different uh way, because there we and for sure in a women's cycling team, we need we really try and need to promote to also play hard sometimes because there is such a hard top spot mentality. They the girls they think if we freak out one night, yeah, then uh good enough. Yeah, we are not good enough anymore. Uh the weeks after, and that's that's totally crazy, of course. So we stimulated so afterward after the classic springs, and that we go out and freak out and have fun together. Yeah, and that the in in our opinion, and I think if you ask the girls, and they really liked it.

SPEAKER_01 17:01

Yeah, and to make the parallel in the business world, it's also as a manager saying or to your colleagues, you're on holiday now, I do not expect anything. Please don't watch your phone for a week. That's a good just saying that helps so much.

SPEAKER_02 17:16

Oh, I don't want to get an email from you.

SPEAKER_01 17:18

No, it's even that even please don't send me one. Like, please really disconnect. And that's what you are thinking do is forcing those moments of fun. Yeah, absolutely. We also need to ensure we force those moments of mental deconnection.

SPEAKER_02 17:31

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. The top athletes have evolved as well. I don't I think in of images of the 80s where you had this smoking and drinking athletes. I I don't that that's gone. I mean, that is that is far behind us.

SPEAKER_01 17:46

So impossible.

SPEAKER_02 17:48

They're already so good. Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 17:50

You you would not even be able to perform. Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 17:55

Now, if we talk talk about recovery, this is um a very obvious word in the in the sports world, but do you think we maybe forget it too often in the business world, as you mentioned before?

SPEAKER_01 18:07

I we talk a lot about it, but I don't think we act always about it. Like what I said before, saying please disconnect for a week, or I don't expect anything after whatever, six. Uh uh, we don't stimulate each other, I think, enough sometimes to really, really disconnect. And it's so important because you again at least become stronger when you sprint, you you recover, that's where your muscle becomes stronger. It's the same with our mental muscle, our brains are also muscles. If we deconnect, you will be able to make much better and faster decisions the day after as a team. So the same logic holds.

SPEAKER_02 18:43

And celebrating the win and then the obvious day after where nobody expects anything. I don't think we do that enough in the business world.

SPEAKER_01 18:50

No, not at all. Enough. We should that do we should do that more. Uh we we started two years ago with a fun at works budget that we give to the employees, and they can use it uh for for various reasons because indeed you have to celebrate the wins, it gives you a boost of energy, and otherwise you see a big mountain there, but you have to celebrate the little steps in between, it gives energy, and uh yes.

SPEAKER_03 19:13

Yeah, but that that's in top spot also also difficult. We we we need to stimulate it, but from the other way, uh if you look now to the classic uh springs, and we win a race. Uh I can remember we uh we won uh last year the the first Milan Sanremo, so that was a big race, everybody was unbelievable happy. So I remember yeah, we wanted to drink a glass of champagne uh after that, but we came at the team bus, and the girls needed to go one and a half hour later to go to the airport to fly to the next race.

SPEAKER_02 19:52

So no time to do time.

SPEAKER_03 19:55

Often there was no time to celebrate, and that's why we try to do it on several moments in the year in the season, yeah, more structured to yeah, to to have that fun together.

SPEAKER_01 20:07

Yeah, but that's a good point to at least have those formal structured moments uh that in business I think we can do do a bit more often. Absolutely, yeah. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 20:17

Is there a habit that you can maybe create to have that recovery moment? How however small it is, you think?

SPEAKER_01 20:26

The answer is yes, but it varies for each person. I think every individual has moments of recovery, but it can be very different. Like for me, it's going with my bike to work, it's putting water on my face. For others, it can be something completely different. It might be I'm gonna watch something on television. It's very different for each person.

SPEAKER_02 20:46

For me personally, I uh when you have children, however crazy bad or good your day was, when you're at the school and you're picking them up and they run towards you, yeah, it just all forget everything. You recognize the feeling. Yeah, of course. It's a time ago. And it's their day.

SPEAKER_01 21:03

You're so right. It's the best way to deconnect for me. Yeah, we have we too, we have three kids, and uh you come home, and even after a day you had so many things on your head, you come home, it's like, ooh, wow, that's amazing to see the smiles and the and the love in the air. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 21:17

Sorry for those who don't have kids, but it's it's one of the reasons. We're fortunate. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 21:22

We're fortunate, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 21:24

There's other busy things coming in. Now, uh, gentlemen, I think we're coming towards the end, and uh let's discover how the story ends.

SPEAKER_00 21:33

Team SDRS Pro Time really helps me with finding this balance between on and off and uh choosing points to focus on. I think if you write the seasons from February till October or maybe even December, then you really need to pick your battles and pick your pick your uh moments where you want to pick. And I think the stuff of this team really helps me with that, and we can uh find The right balance, and uh it's something you do together. So, yeah, I feel very, very ready and recharged and excited for the spring classics this year.

SPEAKER_02 22:10

All right, well, perfect, guys. I think we're coming towards the end, maybe a rapid fire question session for you guys. One thing you'd steal from cycling into business.

SPEAKER_01 22:22

I would steal I would steal your structured moments of going to ski. Uh, maybe it's not ski for us, but having the structured moments where you have fun, you deconnect, and you also celebrate.

SPEAKER_02 22:32

Exactly. The celebrate the wins. Edwin, same question for you.

SPEAKER_03 22:37

I must say I like the idea of the fun budget. Yeah, me too. I will ask uh I will ask the girls what they will do with it.

SPEAKER_01 22:46

I will ask you next year what they what they have done.

SPEAKER_02 22:48

Yes, it might surprise us. Uh is there one habit that protects energy without lowering performance?

SPEAKER_03 22:58

Yeah, I think uh the habit is uh to have habits.

SPEAKER_02 23:04

Right. Right. Yeah, that's true. That's very true. We talked about that, and I think that's very, very true. Maybe one question every leader should ask themselves weekly or daily when it comes to energy focused well-being.

SPEAKER_01 23:19

For me, it's when you wake up in the morning. For some, it's a direct wake-up moment, the others need an hour, that's fine. Or coffee. Do you follow or coffee? But do you have energy in the tank and do you want to have and start your day? And sometimes it's good to close your eyes for a few moments, go inside you. Do you really have that energy, or is something wrong? And if something is wrong, be ready. What is it? Be radically transparent, open with it, and try to take it. Not easy. I struggle with it myself too, but I think that's a good question for everyone.

unknown 23:52

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 23:53

I like how Bruce took it to to himself, and I want to ask then the same question to you, Erin, not about your team, but about you. So, what is one question that you ask yourself when it comes to your well-being?

SPEAKER_03 24:06

For me, it's uh I must be sure, and I am, that um the writers and staff feel the energy that I still have to always want to be to bl to stay the number one in the world.

SPEAKER_02 24:24

That is that is a lot of things on your shoulders, Edwin.

SPEAKER_03 24:28

Yeah, okay, but we like it, and we did it already ten years, so So you like the high performance rhythm. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 24:35

You couldn't live without it. Bruce, one last question for you. What's your long-term vision on well-being?

SPEAKER_01 24:42

Yeah, two letters, ET, energy and trust. I think if you have a culture where we think about energy versus time, it's everything. Do all of our people have energy, yes or no? And do are we are we doing the things that are giving energy? Are we working with the people that are giving energy? That's sustainable in the long run, and trust. Trust, it's so hard, but if you work in a culture of trust where colleagues trust you, it's the positive air you breathe, it's not polluted air you breathe. And if you can have that, it's amazing to go in the positive, nice air every day, fresh air versus polluted air. So energy and trust, I think, makes it in the long run.

SPEAKER_02 25:26

All right. Well, this gave me energy, gentlemen. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you for me. Thank you. And if there's one thing we can take away from the Peloton into the workplace, it's this the strongest people aren't just strong, they're adaptable. Corporate athletes in the best sense of the word. When the unexpected hits, you don't rise to the occasion, you fall back on your habits. And that's why the small routines matter, especially on the messy days. Or, like Erin said, the habit of having habits. And maybe recovery could be your new habit. Deconnecting in business or having fun as a top athlete is as important as the performance itself. Thank you so much for listening and watching. Discover the full episodes of People and Peloton about cycling and business at SDWorks.com or on your favorite podcast platform. Until next time, bye bye.