Northumberland born and bred, Anni Hood is the visionary voice of human capacity: being radically human in the AI era. Simon Rushworth meets the inspirational businesswoman building a better future for communities and workplaces across the North East.
Where so many organisations point to a gamechanging product or process as their USP, it’s clear what makes AstralMandala and sister company Well Intelligence stand out.
Meet Anni Hood, the founder behind the new name in human capacity- her passion proof positive that the right people remain an irreplaceable asset. “Human capacity is the currency of connection,” she says. “The reality of that perspective will only grow.”
Raised in Alnwick and shaped by crisscrossing the globe, Anni is the jewel in both companies’ crowns. One conversation with her and everything feels possible.
“I feel earnestly reconnected to my North East roots,” says Anni, who built Talise Wellness – the world’s first integrative health model in global luxury hospitality – for Jumeirah Group. “I’ve taken the long way round, but it feels very ‘right’ to be working with business leaders and communities across the region.”
“Recently I read an article with Ian McElroy of Develop North. He painted a picture of a region on the cusp of something special and described the energy that’s sparking a sense of optimism and ambition. I couldn’t feel more aligned with Ian and his view.
“I’ve lived in London, Dubai, Paris and Merida but I want our work to have a firm foothold here – I want to watch the North East’s individual and collective human capacity soar.”
So what is human capacity? “It’s the amount of life, complexity and challenge a person can hold while still being able to think clearly, feel fully, relate well and act effectively,” explains Anni.
“There is endless talk about human potential. Capacity is different. Potential is what is possible but capacity is what is available to us now. Its value has been misunderstood for too long. Well Intelligence provides the insight and business advisory, AstralMandala the infrastructure and solution. The growth factor is simple: if you’re a human being, you will gain from it – and so will your workplace, community and society at large.”
AstralMandala’s roadmap is rooted in science and evidenced practice. “Most people are in a depleted state,” says Anni. “Knowing our own biology is a cornerstone of recovery and expanded capacity. We focus on a graduated nervous system recalibration that helps people function in a fully human, engaged way. Not only will you feel better, you’ll be better at feeling too.”
As chief executive of Well Intelligence, Anni has worked with global leaders to embed proactive wellbeing culture into business and public sector organisations, while her Jumeirah work created a category-defining model in one of the most demanding commercial settings.
“AstralMandala is decades of insight, research and experience coming together,” she says. “I’ve always managed human capacity. Only the setting has changed – from five-star resorts to boardrooms, insurers and grassroots communities.”
Anni has already put the AstralMandala protocol and Still Point Leaders Series into practice at Newcastle’s Crowne Plaza Hotel and Northumberland-based Weir Insurance. “We turn capacity into commercial value,” she says. “AstralMandala is effective in the B2B space, but it’s also tailor-made for the people at the heart of the region’s public and third sectors.”
Anni’s summary of what AstralMandala provides? Infrastructure for de-risking human capital. And she relishes the scrutiny. “I’m not naïve enough to believe people won’t have questions – it’s my job to make clear the value that raised human capacity unlocks.”
www.astralmandala.com
www.wellintellect.com