Headspace for the Workplace with Dr. Sally: Helping Leaders Build Human-Centered Workplaces

This episode covers the perfectionist's paradox in leadership. In the relentless pursuit of perfection, leaders often find themselves entangled in a web of unattainable standards. The paradox of perfectionism, touted as a virtue, becomes a silent accomplice to the insidious clutches of depression. Unveiling the facade of flawless leadership, this podcast episode explores the hidden struggles benea...

My friend Sarah Gaer explains the concept of soul exhaustion as a feeling that goes beyond physical exhaustion and seeps into the very essence of who we are. In our recent research survey on soul exhaustion, suicide and the workplace we found that 85% of people believed in the concept of “the soul” and that 45% of people reported that how the workplace responded to their mental health emergency ha...

If you're a manager, chances are at some point over the last three years you looked in the mirror and thought to yourself, “My give-a-crap motor is shot.”You are not alone. Managers everywhere are feeling a little bit toasty. Research conducted by Gallup has highlighted a concerning trend in manager burnout, revealing that managers experience higher stress levels, increased burnout, and compromise...

In neuroscience we often say “what fires together, wires together.”Imagine your brain is like a big network of roads. These roads are made up of tiny parts called neurons. Neurons are like messengers that help your brain send and receive information. When you learn something new or experience something, like riding a bike or learning a new word, certain neurons in your brain become active. Now, he...

If you are leaning into this podcast, my short answer to the question “How do we get guys in male-dominated industries to reach out?” is: to earn their trust. Connect with a shared vision of how investing in their mental health is congruent with their masculine ideals. Connect mental health to their mission. Show them how the time and money they might need to spend to get mentally healthy will hav...

According to the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, in the United States, approximately 53 million adults were unpaid caregivers to an adult or child with special needs in 2020. Most people identify the term “caregivers” with people who provide many forms of support for older adults, people needing medical assistance, or people with other special needs. According to the Family Caregiver Al...

Workplace mental health screening should be implemented with sensitivity, respect for privacy, and a focus on providing supportive resources to employees. Organizations can create a healthier and more productive work environment by fostering a culture that prioritizes mental health and well-being. In this podcast, I speak with Maggie Mortali, Senior Program Director at American Foundation for Suic...

While we are all so very attached to our devices, many do not truly appreciate the dark underbelly of the global electronics industry. In this podcast I interview Prof Jenny Chan, who exposed the hazardous working conditions that contributed to the alarming rates of suicide among workers. Her book “Dying for an iPhone” delves into the exploitative practices prevalent in factories producing popular...

Raising awareness about mental health issues in the workplace is crucial, but it is not enough on its own. Taking action is equally important. Awareness alone does not create tangible changes or provide support for employees who are struggling. Workplace mental health program development should go beyond simply acknowledging the issue and actively work to implement strategies that promote mental w...

Many workplaces are affected by the suicide death of an employee each year, especially considering that a large number of people who die by suicide are working-age adults. Even the suicide deaths of recently terminated employees can have a significant impact on their previous workplaces. The loss of a leader within an organization can cause chaos and trauma. Moreover, suicide deaths of family memb...

May 30, 2023Your Money and Your Mind -- Enhance Well-being with Financial Fitness: Interview with Robert Khachatryan | Ep 16 Coping , Leadership , Mental Health Promotion , Suicide Prevention , Workplace Well-being Your Money and Your Mind - Enhance Well-being with Financial Fitness Robert Khachatryan According to the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, people with debt are three times more...

Is “stress” all bad? No. In fact if you didn’t have any stress in your life you would be bored — and may even feel a little purposeless. Humans need to be challenged mentally and physically. The good side of stress — or Eustress — is what helps us grow and even reach peak performance. It’s where we are thriving. But sometimes our stress levels tip from Eustress to Distress. Unchecked distress can...

Often when people experience depression it feels like being in a deep, dark hole. At least I know that is what it felt like for me. When I went through an episode of major depression in 2012, the world felt incredibly dark and cold. My mind was filled with dread and overwhelm. Inside I was telling myself that I was a failure and the everything I had worked for would soon completely fall apart. I l...

Most workplaces agree that having a mental health program of some kind is good for their workers, and in turn good for their mission; however, most don’t know what to do besides get the benefit of an Employee Assistance Program. In this special extended episode, I speak with my right hand woman Dr. Jodi Jacobson Frey. Jodi and I co-chair the Workplace Suicide Prevention and Postvention Committee a...

While efforts to connect people going through tough times to counselors may be helpful, the efforts are not sufficient. For instance, it’s not good enough just to get “troubled workers” to treatment when the workplace environment is filled with psychosocial hazards like prejudice and discrimination. When we look at a more comprehensive approach to issues of trauma, addiction and distress, we see w...

Impact entrepreneurship (aka “social entrepreneurship”) happens when we bring together the mission and heart of a charity model of change and the efficiencies and accountability of a business model. In “Corporate Social Responsibility” models, the main focus is often still profit, but in impact entrepreneurship the “profit” is sustainable impact for the common good. In this episode, I chat with Mi...

International researchers and advocates from the International Association for Suicide Prevention’s Workplace Special Interest Group are working on a BIG idea. What do we do when work kills? How do we — as a global community — take urgent action in order to define, recognize, investigate and prevent work-related suicide? What are “work-related suicide” deaths? Suicide deaths that are caused in par...

For many, fostering well-being at the workplace historically equated to fitness or weight loss challenges. More recently, many companies have been integrating emotional well-being into their benefits programs by augmenting their mental health support offerings. However, what is often left out of these conversations is the spiritual component of workplace well-being. Some people may bristle at this...

Behind the masks of many of our most impactful leaders there is often a story – a story of childhood trauma. While the psychological insights of resilient childhood trauma survivors give them deep emotional intelligence into what makes other people do the things they do, many of these leaders do not talk about their trauma experiences. What we know about unresolved childhood trauma is that it ofte...

In 2015, researchers from the University of California Berkeley, the University of California San Francisco, and The Entrepreneurship Center at UCSF conducted a study on the mental health of entrepreneurs and found that self-reported mental health challenges existed across 72% of the entrepreneurs in their sample. Across their lifetime: 30% had experienced depression 27% had anxiety 29% had ADHD 1...

A when leaders are their authentic selves, they allow others to see more clearly their own self-identity. Isolating and concealing your true identity is exhausting – and wears on your well-being. When leaders are authentic and model their vulnerability through humility, they become more trustworthy. By building trust, they create psychologically safe teams. In this podcast I speak with HR professi...

Unaddressed or under-addressed substance use disorders and addictive behaviors result in costly and risky outcomes at work. Most people living with substance use challenges are able to “function” at work, but according to an article published by Harvard Medical School [1] , workplaces experiences $81 billion in lost profits due to addictive behaviors. These losses are connected to increases in abs...

Recruiting and retaining emerging talent is one of the biggest challenges facing employers today. Many try to sweeten the deal with higher salaries and impressive benefits, but one place that cannot be overlooked is the quality of mental health in a workplace. In this podcast, I interview Joaquin Diaz, the EHS Director for Skanska USA Building Inc. He shares their holistic approach to worker healt...

Stacey Freedenthal, PhD, LCSW, is recognized nationally and internationally for her expertise in helping people who have suicidal thoughts. Her new book is Loving Someone with Suicidal Thoughts: What Family, Friends, and Partners Can Say and Do (New Harbinger Publications, 2023). Dr. Freedenthal also authored the book Helping Someone with Suicidal Thoughts: Tips and Techniques for Professionals (R...

The “H” factor is the secret sauce in becoming an effective leader, according to Wally Adamchik. HUMANITY.Be a human first, boss second — these are not mutually exclusive experiences. What does this mean? It means take “empathy” beyond the buzzword and make it real. Leaders who understand empathy know whats important in the “disclosure exchange” and how to build authentic bonds with others. In thi...