Anthony Hiscox – Health & Wellbeing Advisor

Since a young age, Anthony was always destined to help others, with dreams of being a doctor. After struggling with mental health issues he realised he wanted to go down an alternative yet equally fulfilling path and that was to share his passion for positive health and wellbeing with others as a professional advisor. 

What did you study and what are the steps you took to be where you are today?

I have studied a few things:
Bachelor of Science – Anatomy, Histology & Physiology
Diploma in Leadership & Management
Diploma in Human Resource Management
Cert IV in Training and Assessment

I guess the steps I took stemmed from my initial passion for wellbeing, particularly mental health. I was in senior management for a company that allowed me to explore my passion and create a Health & Wellbeing Program. This was very successful and gained momentum quite quickly (I was most definitely not expecting this response). From this, I knew this was something I wanted to do, so I started searching for large companies who were interested in doing something similar to what I had done. I applied for hundreds of roles (not all of them in the Health & Wellbeing space), and finally received an offer from Oracle.

What inspired this career path?

For many years, I struggled with mental health issues where I felt like I was alone and could not really talk about it with anyone due to the stigma surrounding the topic. Eventually, I did open up to my employer where we decided we needed these types of conversations to happen more frequently in the workplace. In order to do this, I had to create a mentally healthy workplace where employees could feel comfortable and empowered to not only talk about their mental health and wellbeing, but to take an active interest in improving it. In short, I created and developed a program to address this. My career has flowed on from this experience.

What did you want to be when you were younger?

A medical doctor

Tell us a little more about your role and explain a typical day at work

As my role is new for the company, every day is different and involves a great deal of research the different aspects of the business. This is done in order to help develop business-specific initiatives and programs to optimise the health and wellbeing of the workforce across Australia & New Zealand.
Honestly, almost every day is different and involves many new challenges and experiences. My calendar changes very frequently (I enjoy this constant change)

What’s the most interesting thing that’s happened to you in your career?

Very hard to say. This is a very new and emerging field that is constantly adapting due to the differing needs of the modern workforce. I honestly find the whole health, wellbeing and psychological safety very interesting as there are so many different perspectives on addressing the issue. I am yet to meet someone or attending a conference/seminar where I don’t find it interesting. 

Name the best and worst parts of your job

I honestly don’t have a bad aspect to my job. The best thing for me is seeing the inherent benefits associated with developing programs and initiatives that optimise the psychological health of the workplace.

What do you wish someone had told you before starting on this career path?

Be patient – things take time! As much as you may want things to happen overnight, this is rarely the case. 

What are qualities and skills people who want to get into this field should possess?

I think people should possess a great deal of empathy and resilience. You may come across adversity on your journey – your ability to overcome any obstacle or set back will ensure your success in this field.

Name a career highlight

Being asked to present and share my journey at national conferences.

Connect with Anthony on LinkedIn and see what else he’s been up to. 

Inspired by Anthony’s story and keen to make a difference of your own? A career in Health or Coaching could be your calling! Enquire about a course today.