At Work, Under Pressure

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What happens when the person holding everything together is the one who burns out?

In the very first episode of At Work, Under Pressure, Jessi Beyer sits down with Kristen Deskin, SHRM-SCP, past president of the South King County SHRM chapter and an HR leader for small teams, to talk about burnout, boundaries, career pivots, and the deeply human side of workplace culture.

Kristen did not start her career in HR. She began in early childhood education, working long hours, leading programs, and eventually experiencing the kind of burnout that forced her to step back and rebuild. That experience became part of what pulled her toward HR: the opportunity to advocate for employees, shape healthier workplace cultures, and help prevent others from reaching the same breaking point.

In this episode, Kristen and Jessi discuss:

• Why burnout often happens before people realize they are in danger
• How leaders unintentionally model overwork for their teams
• A practical way to ask your manager for help prioritizing without simply saying “no”
• The overlap between childcare, HR, leadership, and human behavior
• Why small-team HR can be such a powerful place to shape culture
• How SHRM and local HR communities can support career changers
• Why self-empathy is not just a personal wellness tool, but a leadership skill

Kristen also shares the quote she already has tattooed on her body, the musical that recently made her cry, and the question she wants to leave for the next guest.

This episode is for HR professionals, leaders, managers, founders, and anyone who has ever wondered whether setting a boundary means letting people down.

CONNECT WITH KRISTEN:

• South King County SHRM Chapter

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Welcome to At Work, Under Pressure — the podcast about what happens when real life shows up at work.

In this trailer episode, host Jessi Beyer introduces the story behind the show, the mission behind The Crisis Readiness Group, and why workplace suicide prevention, de-escalation, and crisis readiness cannot stay locked behind clinical degrees and professional licenses.

Jessi is a SWAT negotiator, licensed mental health professional, and suicide prevention trainer whose work started long before the credentials. As a teenager, she found herself trying to support someone she loved through suicidal ideation with no training, no roadmap, and no idea what she was supposed to do. That experience became the thread that eventually led her into psychology, crisis response, field-based mental health work, SWAT negotiation, and now suicide prevention education for high-impact organizations.

In this episode, Jessi shares:

• The personal story that pulled her into suicide prevention work
• Why one social worker’s small act of humanity changed the trajectory of her life
• What field crisis response taught her about connection, dignity, and saving lives
• How SWAT negotiation shaped her approach to communication under pressure
• Why so much suicide prevention training fails to create real-world skill
• Why leaders, HR professionals, safety teams, and coworkers need practical crisis skills before someone is in danger
• What this podcast will explore in future conversations with executives, HR leaders, safety professionals, and workplace wellness experts

This show is for leaders who understand that people problems become operational problems — and profit problems — when organizations are not prepared.

If you lead people, support people, manage risk, shape culture, or simply want to be better prepared for the human moments that happen at work, this podcast is for you.

CONNECT WITH JESSI

• LinkedIn
• Crisis Readiness Group
• TEDx Talk: How To Think Outside Your Own Box