As the Chief Health Officer at Cigna, Joyce Au-Yeung lives and breathes wellbeing. After observing the many obstacles to wellness faced by individuals in the corporate sector, she launched Happiness Factory with a mission to make Hong Kong healthier and happier through bespoke wellness experiences.
What made you decide to start Happiness Factory?
Over the last decade, I’ve managed health businesses for insurance companies across Asia Pacific and observed the many issues people face, from lifestyle health conditions to chronic diseases and cancer. I founded Happiness Factory with the vision of enabling people to be happier through a better knowledge of health and wellbeing. I want to improve access to five pillars of happiness: nutrition, movement, sleep, emotions,
and connection.
Any highlights or memorable moments from your events that you’d like to share?
We hosted an Eat Happy event at the end of last year, in collaboration with Ovolo Hotels. Our focus was on optimising our gut health through phytonutrients and the removal of common stressors such as gluten, dairy and artificial sugars. I worked with Ovolo’s Executive Chef Raul Tronco Calahorra to create a menu that showcased the benefits of each phytonutrient and how we can easily “eat the rainbow.” We also partnered with local brands Nuteese and On The Wagon to incorporate their vegan and gut-friendly products into the event. It was so much fun! One guest, a huge meat-eater, was dragged along by his friends. He kept saying how surprised he was at how good the vegan food tasted – which is always a great sign!
What does wellness mean to you?
Wellness is the key to our happiness. When my mind and body are well and good, I can optimise my performance in both my executive career and my entrepreneurial journey. I’ve been up against a number of health challenges, so I don’t take good health for granted.
Where do you see Happiness Factory in a year or two?
Right now, I am building out the offerings that underpin Happiness Factory’s five pillars of happiness, and testing out these ideas via events and experiences. In the next year, I will be focusing on sleep science, gut health and hormonal health, partnering with clinical experts, wellness practitioners and tech companies to deliver wellness offerings to the Happiness Factory community. In a few years’ time, I want Happiness Factory to also support people with chronic health conditions, as well as those living with cancer, by activating the five Happiness pillars.
What’s the number one barrier to professionals achieving true wellbeing these days?
Wellbeing isn’t black and white; there’s a huge grey area where many aspects of health and wellness lie. It’s common for people to think that if they’re fit – if they go to yoga or the gym or hike a few times a week – that they’re “well.” In reality, however, there is so much more to it, and a lack of understanding around how all the factors complement each other is a barrier to true wellbeing.
Learn more at happinessfactoryhk.com
