Left to Our Own Devices with Erica Keswin

If this pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we’re dealing with multiple crises at once, one of the most critical being a mental health crisis. That’s where organizations like Modern Health and Empower Work step in. This week two guests join the show—Founder and CEO of Modern Health, Alyson Friedensohn and Founder and Executive Director of Empower Work, Jaime-Alexis Fowler. Alyson shares how her company, Modern Health, offers comprehensive mental well-being support for companies like lyft, Pixar, Zendesk, and Rakuten, among others. Understanding that mental health falls on a spectrum, Modern Health offers everything from digital courses and meditation to certified coaches to licensed therapists, depending on each employee’s needs. Alyson also shares how she stays vulnerable and open with her own team during quarantine.

But what about employees at companies that don’t offer mental health services, like Modern Health, as a part of their benefits? Enter Empower Work, a free, volunteer-run, text-based counseling service. Jaime-Alexis saw a huge inequity with those who didn’t have access to mental health resources, so she founded this easy, free way for any worker to get support. Peer volunteers are trained, working professionals and often come away from an exchange feeling just as transformed as the person on the other end seeking help. Let’s face it, well-managed mental health is a human need, and having access to support is essential—not only during a global pandemic, but in day-to-day life during more normal times too. A must listen for every human.

How does a CEO keep their team connected and aligned with an organization’s values during quarantine? By starting with vulnerability. CEO of Bank Leumi USA, Avner Mendelson, shares some deeply personal, very human strategies with Erica on how he keeps open communication with his team. His Quarantine Letters are emails that Avner sends to update the team on the state of the organization, while at the same time giving himself a platform to reflect honestly and openly on this extraordinary (and stressful!) experience.

He’s found that when he opens up, employees respond in kind. He’s also maintained a daily 15-minute huddle with the senior team to connect, to share updates and challenges, and most importantly, to share Core Values Stories where someone on the leadership team shares a story of an employee living the Values in Action.

For anyone charged with leading a team of any size or industry, this episode is a must-listen.

How did NBA agent Danielle Cantor negotiate the largest guaranteed sports contract by a female agent in history? By seeing everyone around her—the clients, players, team owners, managers—as people. And by being disciplined. When she was a kid, she saw the power of getting 100 touches on the soccer ball everyday, which taught her the power of focusing on “the things I could control...if I focused on the controllables, I would get better.”

One of the things Danielle can control is how she relates to people, and in her industry, nothing matters more. She makes a point of getting to know the people she works with as holistically as possible, especially the young NBA talent that’s looking for someone to represent them who truly cares. In fact, it’s one of the main reasons athletes seek her out. Danielle sits down with Erica to share how her strong sense of self-motivation paired with her care for her clients has enabled her to thrive in an incredibly male-dominated industry—professional sports.

How can you give yourself permission to sell in the midst of a pandemic? After all, no one likes to feel pressured in a sales transaction, much less in the middle of a global health crisis. Guest Dorie Clark will be the first to tell you—selling is nothing to be ashamed of—if you’re honest and authentic, that is.

What happens when the woman who literally wrote the book on how to manage screen time hits quarantine with her kids? You guessed it! Meet Randi Zuckerberg, entrepreneur, producer, radio show host, investor, and Broadway star, and listen to her share her struggles as even she can’t follow her own best advice. But that doesn’t mean she hasn’t figured out new ways to help her kids be good online citizens. Don’t miss Erica and Randi chatting about quarantine and the challenges Randi’s family is facing with screens, homeschooling, and how to use tech meaningfully.

It’s no surprise that this men’s basics company is booming. Learn how to keep your business afloat by tuning into this informative and personal chat with Brian Berger, founder and CEO of Mack Weldon, a menswear basics brand focused on design performance and functionality.

With so many of us feeling displaced and insecure, this is the perfect time to create intentional communities that last beyond our current crisis. In this powerful episode, Erica speaks with Shiza Shahid, entrepreneur, investor, activist, speaker, founder of the Malala Fund, and co-founder of Our Place.