Byron Talks: The Happiest CEO Podcast Host Sebastian Mierau
By Kate Love
Photos by Mattea McKinnon
From infrared saunas to conscious leadership, this Byron Talks conversation explores what it really means to live — and lead — well. We sit down with Sebastian Mierau, the co-founder behind Clearlight Saunas and Helsi Global to talk about The Happiest CEO podcast, the deep connection between wellness and responsibility, and how Byron Bay’s landscape, lifestyle and conscious business culture continue to shape a more human approach to success.
You’ve built Clearlight and Helsi as global leaders in wellness. What inspired you to expand that mission into podcasting with The Happiest CEO?
Clearlight and Helsi are product-based companies - we create hardware that helps people improve performance, overcome health challenges and live healthier lives. What those products don’t do on their own is educate people on how to live a healthy life.
Our products are tools, and they work very well, but there was missing context — the knowledge behind why they work and what else people can do to live a healthy, happy life, expand their health span and ultimately their lifespan.
The podcast isn’t designed to create revenue. It’s a complementary offering for our customers and our community, and it also helps me stay up to date with the latest wellness, health and leadership thinking. In that sense, leadership and wellness are deeply connected.
The podcast explores the intersection of well-being and entrepreneurship. What defines a happy or fulfilled CEO in today’s world?
I take the term “CEO” very broadly. A CEO is anyone who is in charge — of their business, their career, their family or their life. This isn’t about a job title or about me personally. It’s about responsibility and ownership.
Happiness, to me, comes from being conscious about your decisions. That starts with how you lead. Whether you lead with pressure and force in your relationships and work, or whether you lead intelligently, creating flow and joy.
This applies to wellness as much as leadership. You can work very hard in the gym, for example, but we’ve seen over the last 50 years that many fitness approaches simply don’t work. When people are unhappy or overstressed, it actually becomes more work.
The same applies to nutrition and psychology. What tools are available today? What mindsets work? How do we build resilience?
If you’re not resilient as a leader, in any role in life — you won’t perform at your best. And if a parent, for example, is completely stretched and overwhelmed, they can’t fully show up for their family. Everything is connected.
Many of your guests have ties to Byron Bay’s conscious business scene. How has that community influenced your approach to wellness, leadership and meaningful work?
The Byron Bay and Northern Rivers region attracts a lot of entrepreneurs who are driven by vision — people who want to change something and are quite idealistic in the best sense. That’s created some beautiful, far-reaching companies that started with a genuine desire to make a difference. It’s a special place because it’s an incubator for ideas and people here dare to try.
Great companies come from vision. They come from caring about people and aligning with what people care about. The formula is actually quite simple: look after your people, give them a vision they believe in, help them see progress toward that vision and allow them to grow along the way.
Long-term team members bring passion, loyalty and identity into a company. And because Byron Bay already has a strong identity around wellness, food and progressive thinking, those sectors thrive here.
Happiness, to me, comes from being conscious about your decisions. That starts with how you lead. Whether you lead with pressure and force in your relationships and work, or whether you lead intelligently, creating flow and joy.
Do you think the landscape and lifestyle also play a role?
Absolutely. The climate and the natural environment have a powerful effect on your nervous system. Being close to nature calms you down, allows you to dream and creates space for creativity.
There are also influential people here who support ideas and invest in them, which makes a big difference.
If you can go surfing early in the morning and then work on your dream, you’re in a very different headspace than commuting underground to sit in a cubicle all day. The environment supports people in giving their best.
And honestly, I do believe there’s an energetic quality here as well — ley lines, song lines, whatever you want to call it. You can feel it when you arrive.
You often discuss biohacking and holistic health. What daily practices have made the biggest difference in your own life?
One of the most underrated practices is gratitude. When you’re in a grateful state, your body shifts into rest-and-digest mode, making you more resilient to stress and adversity. It also supports your immune system.
As a leader, it’s easy to focus only on what’s going wrong — that’s often the core of meetings — but maintaining gratitude is essential.
Practically speaking, sauna is a daily non-negotiable for me. I use infrared and will likely move to a combo sauna. I also do red light therapy — full-body, nasal red light and head-focused red light.
Hydration is another foundational pillar. Drinking high-quality, well-filtered, properly mineralised water is essential. It’s both a joy and a necessity.
Nutrition matters too - fresh, local food whenever possible. We’re lucky to have great farmers’ markets here.
For exercise, I lift very heavy weights every two days. I’ve never seen my body respond as well as it has over the last couple of years. Movement overall is highly underrated - walking, hiking, being active with your kids. I also use a treadmill under my desk to increase daily steps.
Consistency is the key across all of this.
Your mission is to empower people to live healthier, longer, and more purposeful lives. What’s next for you and The Happiest CEO?
The Happiest CEO extends what our company does, but it also inspires our team internally by exploring wellness, leadership, mindset, and consciousness.
My focus is on finding true thought leaders, people who can clearly articulate their ideas and experiences. That clarity is essential for communicating meaningful messages to an audience.
I’m also refining my interview skills so I can help unearth the key insights guests want to share. Lifting humanity’s consciousness is something I’m deeply passionate about because it benefits everyone.
I also like presenting different perspectives — not being dogmatic. Two people can teach the same subject in very different ways, and that’s okay. People resonate with different teachers, different formats, and different styles.
The goal is to make it easy for people to find what works for them.
The Happiest CEO Podcast is available to listen to on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube
About Sebastian
Sebastian Mierau is the Co-Founder and CEO of Clearlight Saunas International and Co-Founder of Helsi Global, living in Byron Bay, Australia. Raised in a small working-class town in Northern Germany, Sebastian’s entrepreneurial journey began in his teens and has since evolved into a career at the forefront of the global wellness industry.
With a background in business consulting and auditing, he blends strategic insight with a purpose-driven leadership style, guided by a deep belief in innovation as a catalyst for healthier, longer and more meaningful lives. Passionate about holistic wellbeing, conscious leadership and sustainability, Sebastian is committed to building businesses that not only succeed internationally but positively impact individuals, communities and the future of modern wellness.