A Measurable Cultural Shift When Two Teams Become One

When Sanitarium opened its new state-of-the-art national distribution centre they faced more than just an operational shift. Two distinct teams were coming together for the first time with different habits, relationships, and expectations.

They saw a unique opportunity: not just to manage the transition, but to reset how the team connects, communicates, and leads.

So they launched Reset & Elevate. A bold, human-centred culture programme designed by Chelsea Lang and Dani Garrett, Elephant Riders inside Sanitarium. Their goal: bring people together, rebuild trust, and lay the foundation for a team culture where everyone feels respected, supported, and proud to belong.

The results were extraordinary.

The Emotional & Cultural Shifts

Chelsea and Danii embedded The Emotional Culture Deck into the programme helping leaders and team members have more honest conversations, build emotional literacy, and set a clear tone for how the team wants to work together.

Over the course of the programme, we saw significant emotional and cultural shifts, including:

• 85% increase in recognising the emotions of others

• 70% increase in psychological safety and care from managers

• 60% of employees said their team treats each other with more care and respect

• 50% improvement in employee voice

• 45% felt more motivated and enthusiastic about their job

These aren’t just numbers. They’re signs of something deeper a team stepping into a new chapter together, with shared language and leadership that makes space for both performance and humanity.

What Made It Work?

Reset & Elevate wasn’t a cookie-cutter programme. Chelsea and Danii tailored it to the real-world complexity of Sanitarium’s operational teams. They focused on:

• Strengthening trust and relationships across shifts

• Supporting new Leading Hands as they transitioned into leadership roles

• Building confidence and capability in emotional leadership

• Creating shared clarity around what “good” looks like day to day

The programme made space for reflection, conversation, and emotional connection, giving people permission to speak up, feel seen, and reimagine what work could feel like.

What’s Next...A Research Collaboration Teaser

As a final step in the Reset & Elevate programme, we embedded a new workshop experience called Unspoken Conversations, developed in partnership with Professor Michael Parke from The Wharton School.

This 60-minute session invited employees to voice unspoken concerns and label how they felt, while giving leaders a space to listen deeply without trying to fix. It’s part of a groundbreaking research collaboration exploring the intersection of employee voice, emotion, and leadership capability.

Below is a sneak peek at what the leaders involved in this workshop said about it...plus we'll be able to share more on this soon, including new tools, insights, and opportunities for our community to be part of the next stage of this research. Read more about this work here →

Why it Matters

At riders&elephants culture change doesn’t start with theory. It starts with a conversation. Chelsea and Dani made space for their teams to have the conversations that matter, and the results followed.

They’ve shown how emotional leadership and clarity of culture can be built into everyday operations. Reset & Elevate is a powerful example of what happens when emotionally connected leaders step up with courage and care. Chelsea and Danii have not only helped shift the culture at Sanitarium they’ve shown what courageous, clear, emotion-first leadership looks like in action.

We’re proud to have played a small part in their story. And we’re excited for what’s coming next.