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Anja Oppenheim Barešić
Episode · #727

MISLIŠTE Anja Oppenheim Barešić

Guest Anja Oppenheim BarešićHosted by Sandro KraljevićMay 3, 2026
About this episode
What you'll hear in this conversation

Anja Oppenheim Barešić spent a decade navigating the corporate world, deeply embedded in human resources, yet her early interest in clinical psychology never faded. Unable to find a single role that combined her two passions — organizational effectiveness and individual therapeutic support — she did what many entrepreneurs eventually do: she built the role herself. Psihopeja is the result, a venture that requires Anja to constantly switch between the distinct ethical frameworks of an HR consultant and a psychotherapist. This conversation explores the deliberate choices required to manage such a demanding blend, from the critical support needed to make the leap to the bespoke approach required for genuine organizational wellbeing. You'll leave understanding not just how to build a business around seemingly disparate skills, but how to ethically manage the tensions when individual and organizational needs diverge.

Insights from the conversation
What to take from this episode
01
Anja's path to entrepreneurship began with a clear realization: she kept thinking, as she puts it, "What if I don't look for an organization, but create one?" When the ideal role combining your interests doesn't exist, the most direct solution is often to build the structure that allows it to flourish.
02
Combining her two professional identities, Anja states that she "cannot wear both hats simultaneously." She constantly distinguishes between the HR consultant's focus on the organization and the psychotherapist's focus on the individual. When professional roles carry distinct ethical centers, constant, conscious awareness of which hat you are wearing is not just good practice, but an ethical imperative.
03
When defining wellbeing in organizations, Anja notes, "There are as many definitions of wellbeing as there are companies." A generic, off-the-shelf program, she says, risks failure. Effective wellbeing initiatives are not universal; they must be custom-built from an understanding of a specific company's culture and its employees' identified needs.
04
Anja emphasizes the critical role of management, stating, "Leaders are very important. Leaders are actually wellbeing ambassadors." She suggests an "onboarding for leaders" as a first step for any new wellbeing initiative. Any internal program, especially one touching employee welfare, requires upfront engagement and advocacy from leadership to gain traction and be perceived as genuine.
05
The decision to launch Psihopeja was not made in isolation; Anja credits crucial support from her former employer, who enabled a "soft transition" by retaining her as an external coach. A successful entrepreneurial leap often hinges not just on personal conviction, but on the grace of a former employer willing to provide a bridge during the initial, vulnerable phase.
06
Despite her background, Anja acknowledges that for some employees, "it might be more beneficial to play badminton with their team members than actually go to a psychologist." The ultimate measure of a wellbeing program's success is its individual impact, not its adherence to a prescribed list of activities, even if those activities are conventionally seen as beneficial.
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