Beyond the Checkbox

Rob Stephenson is the founder and CEO of FormScore and InsideOut LeaderBoard and has had personal experience living with bipolar disorder, where he was first diagnosed at the age of 30. Rob lived through mental health stigma throughout his career, where he hid his mental-ill health from colleagues and said he was attending physio appointments when he was in fact receiving regular mental health the...

Dr. Rahim Kachra has been instrumental on the front lines of the healthcare system during the COVID-19 struggle, training physicians at Foothills Hospital to help when cases surge and supplies are limited. Dr. Kachra joined us on the podcast in the early stages of COVID, and now almost exactly one year later he joins us for an update on how things are going for him and his colleagues as the pandem...

Karla Kochan is the Chief People Officer at Agricultural Financial Services Corporation (AFSC), and joined us on the podcast to talk about the unique mental health challenges faced by the farming community during the pandemic. She also spoke about how they’ve had to train employees who interface with farmers in how to have the mental health conversation, the urgency of doing this and the overall s...

The modern workplace is one that must create safe spaces for employees to live their truths and be their authentic selves. In the case of David McDine, this safe space provided by their employer as they came out as genderqueer was a life-changing experience. David McDine is the Director of Strategic Initiatives at NAIT and walks us through their journey of coming out as genderqueer, how their empl...

Tyler Smith and Ryan Straschnitzki are survivors of the devastating bus crash in April, 2018 that killed 16 members of the Humboldt Broncos organization and shook everyone around the globe. Coming up on 3 years since the tragedy, Tyler and Ryan walk us through life after the accident, how they are coping mentally with everything they've experienced and how they're helping others by shari...

Part 2 of our season's best of, featuring some of our favorite interviews from Season 1. This episode highlights conversations with the CEO of EdApp, Darren Winterford, workplace mental health thought leader and multi-published author, Dr. Bill Howatt, and former NHL goaltender and TV broadcaster, Kelly Hrudey.  👉 Connect for the latest insights directly in your feed: Headversity on LinkedIn...

One full season of Beyond the Checkbox is in the books! In this 'Best of' episode, we feature clips from some of our favorite conversations including former NHL player, anti-abuse and anti-bullying advocate, Sheldon Kennedy, ATB Financial CEO, Curtis Stange, and Founder of Depressed While Black, Imadé.  👉 Connect for the latest insights directly in your feed: Headversity on LinkedIn  

Ben Fanelli has had quite a journey. Formerly a major junior hockey player with the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL, Ben was poised to become a professional athlete. But in the early stages of his career, Ben was the recipient of a terrible hit that fractured his skull in 3 places. Doctors said he would never play again, but after a year of rehabilitating, Ben returned to the OHL and finished his fin...

Darren Winterford is the CEO of EdApp, an Australian-based tech company that has built a market-leading mobile LMS platform and have gone against the trend, experiencing 300%+ growth during COVID-19. This episode covers everything from managing a culture in a fast growing and international workforce, to how mobile learning is paving the way for organizations in the new COVID world.  👉 Connect for...

A recent study published out of the University of Houston reports employee uneasiness of returning to work due to COVID-19 in the energy sector. Dr. Ramanan Krishnamoorti is the Chief Energy Officer and Dr. Christiane Spitzmueller is a Professor of Industrial Organizational Psychology, both at the University of Houston. The two of them were principal researchers in the study, and they joined the p...

Kaitlyn Apfelbeck is an HR Consultant and founder of Hello HR. Her extensive HR background includes being in a high growth business that quadrupled in size in a very condensed period, and now consults small and medium sized businesses on their HR needs with Hello HR. Kaitlyn joins us to discuss the ‘compassion fatigue’ of HR professionals as they deal with a spike in mental health conversations th...

Jared Lindzon has been an authoritative voice during the pandemic, penning articles that are helping guide businesses and leaders to survive in this 'new normal' we are all facing in the pandemic. His work has been featured in the Globe & Mail, The Guardian, the Toronto Star, Fast Company, and Rolling Stone, to name a few. Jared talks about why 'soft skills' are so importan...

Dr. Michael Mousseau is a PhD in neuroscience, studying neurotransmitters in the brain such as oxytocin, serotonin and dopamine, which he now applies to workplace productivity and best practices for employee engagement with Gallagher Benefit Services, one of the largest consulting firms in North America. Dr. Mousseau talks to us about all things workplace productivity and in particular, how our br...

Dr. Beth Milliard is a Sergeant with the York Regional Police in Ontario, Canada. She's developed a Peer Support Unit that is dedicated to providing York Regional Police members and their families with important mental health services and support. Beth is tasked with creating and implementing a mental health strategy for all York Regional Police Employees, and shares with us how this has evol...

With everything going on with Black Lives Matter, this week's episode takes a critical look at mental healthcare and how it too plays a part in systemic racism in today's society. Our special guest, Imadé, is an award-winning writer that's been featured in major publications including Vice, The Huffington Post, Refinery 29, Forbes, The Mighty, and many others. She's also the co...

COVID-19 has brought many issues to light, but arguably its biggest impact collectively has been on our mental health. Global Well-being Leader, Wendy Poirier of Willis Towers Watson, has consulted organizations all over the world on best practices in leading mental health programs through this pandemic. Wendy joins the podcast as a leading expert in organizational well-being and mental health, an...

Mark C. Crowley is the author of the Amazon top 100 best seller book on workplace culture, 'Lead from the Heart'. Mark reveals how the movement behind Lead From the Heart initially had slow adoption in business circles, and discusses how the concept is now gaining traction with leaders of top organizations around the world. The episode centres on a key finding that leading through empath...

Evan Rand is the Director of Hockey Operations at the United States Hockey League. His organization has taken a leading stance among amateur and professional sports leagues on a number of social issues including diversity and inclusion, and this past season, mental health. Evan joins the podcast to discuss this shift in preparation as teams, coaches, and players begin to embrace the mental side of...

Dr. Bill Howatt is one of the most influential thought leaders in workplace mental health today. Dr. Howatt is the Chief of Research and Workforce Productivity for the Conference Board of Canada. He also runs Howatt HR Consulting which has worked with leadership groups on addiction and mental health for over 25 years, is the co-creator of the Your Life at Work initiative through the Globe & Ma...

Mary Ann Baynton has been dubbed the 'Godmother' of Psychological Health & Safety. She's formerly Co-Chair, and now member, of the Technical Committee for the National Standard of Canada: Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace. Mary Ann breaks down 'The Standard'  and helps shed light on how employers today can develop a psychologically safe workplace.  👉 Co...

Dr. Rahim Kachra is a General Internal Medicine Specialist at the Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary. He is also on a task force of about thirty doctors that are planning for this COVID-19 crisis and what is coming, including: increase in death rates, shortage of ICU beds, limited medical supplies, recommending social distancing measures, and emergency planning around deaths of front-line medical...

The worldwide COVID pandemic has everyone looking for answers. From an employers perspective, what are your obligations during this time of crisis? Benjamin Kormos and Kent Jesse, partners at the law firm Walsh LLP, specialize in employment law and dive into all the burning questions that employers are asking themselves as we navigate this transition to a remote workforce.  👉 Connect for the late...

Kelly Hrudey is a Canadian hockey icon. From his NHL playing days to his broadcasting career with CBC, Sportsnet, and Hockey Night in Canada, few have touched the game of hockey like Kelly has. In recent years Kelly has also been a vocal advocate for mental health, inspired by challenges his family faced through his daughter's personal experiences. Kelly opens up about his daughter Kaitlin&ap...

Kara Gillespie is the VP of People and Culture in one of the largest transport companies in the world - Trimac Transportation. In such an established company it can be hard to break the mold of tradition. Kara takes us through her experience in HR of navigating change in a traditional organization and industry, and why invoking a culture of psychological safety is so critical in the industrial sec...

Sheldon Kennedy is a former NHL player and has led numerous initiatives that have advocated for children and victims of abuse. Most recently he's founded the Respect Group, which has certified over 1.3 Million people in workplaces across Canada in bullying, harassment, and discrimination training. On this episode, Sheldon shares his remarkable story as an abuse victim and how these experience...