Zoe Fragou: Redefining Workplace Wellbeing and Culture

What it means to be an organisational psychologist today

When we asked Zoe what she’s up to at Stone Soup, she opened up and shared the diverse roles an organisational psychologist plays. Her focus includes corporate training, team building, psychometric tests, and especially programs around culture change in the direction of equity, diversity, inclusion, and mental health. Now, her work has grown way beyond that.

Zoe Fragou is the founder of Fragoulous Minds, which she described as more of an ecosystem than a company. “Half the people I work with are artists,” she said, because apart from training, they also produce comics, videos, podcasts, and are even working on a board game about personal development. “Everyone expected me to write a book,” she laughed, “but I said, no—not yet. Let’s make a board game instead.”

Are people happy to be at work?

Zoe pointed out that workplace wellbeing, mental health, and inclusion are finally on the agenda for more and more businesses. But not all of them get it—some just want to “tick the box.” Still, she sees a shift, especially thanks to Gen Z. “They have boundaries,” she said. “They’ll just say, ‘this isn’t for me,’ and leave. And that’s pushed companies to change, because they can’t keep people anymore unless they do better.

The impact of this type of work is measured with tools like pre- and post-intervention tests, retention rates, absenteeism, and how emotionally committed people are to their workplace. There are many ways to measure progress and the wellbeing of workers, but she stressed the importance of asking the simple question:  “Are people happy to be at work?” That feeling matters.

Trends in Coaching

Zoe’s favorite sessions are the ones that focus on promoting inclusion, especially “because a lot of non-inclusive behavior comes from lack of awareness, not bad intentions.” Also, a growth mindset—helping people believe they can change, no matter where they’re starting from.

The trend she’s not a fan of? Resilience. Not because resilience is bad, but because too many companies use it as an excuse. “They say, ‘You’re not resilient enough,’ instead of taking responsibility for the toxic environment they’re creating,” she said. “It shouldn’t just fall on the employee.”

At the heart of Zoe’s work is the idea that empowerment isn’t a buzzword—it’s a mindset, and one that needs the right environment to grow.

Being Part of a Coworking Space 

For the team, choosing a private office within a coworking space was a conscious decision. A place like Stone Soup offers the best of both worlds—the privacy of your own space, along with the chance to connect with others and meet people working on a variety of projects.

When it comes to professional circles, Zoe pointed out an unexpected alignment, “I would say it sounds weird, but we vibe more with tech people and marketing people and not so much with people from the mental health sector, although that’s who we are technically, but the way we approach business is closer to tech companies and media companies.” 

Check out Fragoulous Minds work and projects here