Dr Julie Bajic Smith
Wise Care is led by Dr Julie Bajic Smith (PhD), a senior organisational wellbeing advisor with deep experience in psychosocial risk, emotionally loaded work and leadership support. Julie works with organisations navigating complexity, change and high emotional demand, helping leaders respond with clarity, steadiness and care.
Her approach is grounded in evidence, shaped by years of working alongside frontline teams, and informed by a calm, practical understanding of how people and systems function under pressure. Julie brings a steady presence to environments where the work is complex, the stakes are high and the human load is real.
With a background spanning organisational psychology, wellbeing strategy, leadership coaching and emotionally intensive workforces, Julie supports organisations to strengthen psychological safety, reduce risk and build sustainable ways of working. She partners with WHS, P&C and executive leaders to create workplaces where people can do meaningful work without burning out.
Julie partners with organisations across Australia, particularly in health, community services, education and other emotionally intensive sectors.
Wise Care exists to support the people who hold everything together — the leaders, teams and organisations carrying emotional, relational and operational load. The work is grounded, senior and practical, with a focus on clarity, capability and sustainable performance.
READ MY STORY
Qualifications & Professional Affiliations
Dr Julie Bajic Smith is a registered psychologist, Board‑approved supervisor, and senior organisational wellbeing advisor with deep expertise in high‑emotion, complex workplace environments.
Professional Titles
Registered Psychologist (AHPRA)
Board‑Approved Psychology Supervisor
 Qualifications
PhD — Wellbeing in Home Care Workers
MBA — Health Service Management & Corporate Sustainability
B.Psych (Hons)
Graduate Diploma in Psychology
Professional Memberships
Australian Psychological Society (APS)
Australian Institute of Health & Safety (AIHS)
International Association on Workplace Bullying & Harassment (IAWBH)
Why did you choose to focus on psychosocial safety and organisational wellbeing?
My early career in aged care, mental health and community settings showed me the emotional load carried by people who support others. I saw burnout not as an individual issue, but as a systemic one — shaped by culture, leadership, boundaries and organisational structures. That understanding continues to guide my work today.
How has your research shaped your approach?
My doctorate explored wellbeing in home care workers, and my postdoctoral research focused on supported decision‑making in dementia. Both reinforced a core truth: people thrive when systems support them. That lens now informs my work with organisations — helping them build environments where leaders and teams can think clearly, work sustainably and feel psychologically safe.
What experiences have influenced your perspective?
I’ve witnessed the quiet courage of leaders, carers and practitioners who hold space for others, often while balancing multiple roles themselves. I’ve also lived the realities of burnout and reinvention. These experiences shaped my approach: practical, compassionate and grounded in the belief that emotional safety is not optional — it’s essential for healthy teams and sustainable leadership.
How did Wise Care begin?
I founded Wise Care in 2011 to bring evidence‑based training, leadership development and emotional safety frameworks to aged care providers, community organisations and workplaces across Australia. Over the years, I’ve delivered more than 100 workshops on resilience, boundaries, communication and sustainable leadership.
What does Wise Care focus on today?
Wise Care has evolved into a senior advisory practice. My work now centres on psychosocial risk, leadership wellbeing and organisational systems — helping organisations navigate complexity, reduce emotional load and build cultures that support sustainable, psychologically safe work.
Today, Julie is recognised for her ability to guide organisations through complex cultural, behavioural and psychosocial transitions — helping leaders navigate risk, emotional load and change with clarity and confidence.
Julie’s work spans senior advisory, organisational consulting, leadership capability development and her podcast From Aged Care to Everywhere, where she explores the human side of complex work with clarity and grounded insight.
At the centre of her work is a simple belief: Wellbeing shapes the way we lead, decide and connect — and emotionally safe systems create sustainable organisations.
Her mission is to help leaders and teams navigate complexity with steadiness, build healthier organisational cultures, and create workplaces where people can think clearly and work sustainably.
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