Circle of Wellness™
by Michelle Irving
What this framework is
The Circle of Wellness™ is a practical framework for understanding and managing personal capacity while living and working with chronic illness.
It provides a way to assess sustainability across key areas of life and work, rather than focusing on productivity, endurance, or symptom suppression.
The framework supports decision-making about boundaries, workload, timing, and support.
When this framework is used
The Circle of Wellness™ is used when someone is experiencing:
- Ongoing exhaustion or volatility around work capacity
- Difficulty maintaining boundaries at work.
- Over-working or prioritising other people's needs
- Afraid of how to sustain their capacity on low-energy, flare days.
- A sense that “something has to change,” without clarity on what
- Repeated cycles of over-extension and recovery
It is commonly introduced when sustainability is the primary concern.
Who this framework is for
This framework is designed for people living with chronic illness who are:
- Actively working, returning to work, or renegotiating how they work
- Managing fluctuating capacity rather than a fixed limitation
- Seeking structure without prescriptive rules
It is also used by employers, leaders, and organisations through Career & Chronic and Chronic Illness At Work programs as a shared language for capacity and sustainability.
Core elements of the framework
The Circle of Wellness™ examines capacity across interconnected domains, including:
- Physical and cognitive energy
- Emotional load
- Work structure and demands
- Relational and environmental factors
- Recovery and restoration inputs
The framework is circular rather than hierarchical, reflecting the reality that strain in one area affects the whole system.
How this framework is applied
The Circle of Wellness™ is applied through:
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Mapping current capacity across domains
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Identifying pressure points rather than “weaknesses”
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Making targeted adjustments that protect overall sustainability
It is not a diagnostic or medical tool.
It is a decision-support framework.
Where this framework is used:
The Circle of Wellness™ is used inside:
- Circle of Wellness Course
- Return to Work Program
- Chronic Confidence Program
- Career & Chronic Map™ applications
- Corporate programs delivered through Chronic Illness At Work
