Weir Insurance reports measurable improvements in blood pressure, lowered inflammation markers and expanded emotional capacity after putting a pilot team of 10 through AstralMandala’s Mandala42 Protocol.
A North East insurance broker has recorded its most profitable first quarter in more than five decades of trading following completion of the pioneering process.
Weir Insurance, established in 1972 and serving businesses across the region for more than five decades, introduced the Mandala42 Protocol, developed by AstralMandala founder Anni Hood, as part of a wider commitment to supporting employees. A pilot cohort of 10 staff completed the 8-week core protocol, with blood biometrics and emotional capacity measured before, during and after.
Karen Weir, managing director of Weir Insurance, said: “We have always been focused on wellbeing, and when Anni described what she was trying to bring into the world, I was hooked from the first line. The protocol is about genuinely connecting with staff, which was something we had tried to do but were not quite reaching. I wanted everybody to engage.”
Anni Hood said: “The Mandala42 Protocol is a limbic reset. The limbic system is the part of the brain that governs how we regulate emotion, build relationships and respond under pressure. The protocol works on the science of food, sleep, movement, social connection and time in nature, getting that baseline really solid.”
From the outset, AstralMandala designed the protocol to be measurable. “We knew that whatever we did had to be evidential,” said Hood. “Making it quantifiable is what gives it credibility, so we took blood.”
Across the cohort, every participant improved their blood pressure and inflammation markers lowered in 7/10 people and cholesterol markers improved in 4/10 people. Participants were also assessed using AstralMandala’s Emotional Capacity Index (ECI), which measures emotional and regulatory functioning using the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWS) as an endorsed measure anchor. ECI scores rose by an average of 39% evidenced further by empirical data.
For an industry built on measuring and pricing risk, Hood said that human capacity is the exposure few organisations track. “As AI scales, capacity is the scarce asset,” she said. “Technology is accelerating at an extraordinary pace, but organisations still succeed or fail because of people. The ability to communicate, adapt, regulate emotion and make sound decisions under pressure is becoming more valuable, not less. Most businesses neither acknowledge nor respond to that risk.”
The protocol supported professional growth for participants. Office manager Laura Hall said it showed up directly in her work: “I had more emotional space internally. I was not carrying stress into every interaction, and that changed how I communicated with customers and colleagues. I became more grounded, more patient and more intentional, which helped me build better connections and handle situations more calmly.”
Second tier impact was also observed. Account handler Charlotte Wade added: “My daughter, who was seven at the time, noticed I had not shouted at her once in two weeks, and my partner said I was calmer and more present.”
Karen Weir believes the effect has reached the bottom line. “We communicate far better now, and everyone feels seen and heard,” she said. “We have just had our best performing quarter ever, better than anything in our history, and enquiries are higher than they have ever been. I cannot separate that from the work we have done together as a team.”
