If you fall into certain people-pleasing behaviors at work, we have news: it’s not just an individual problem. Kathleen Smith, therapist and author of the new book True to You, explains how relationships, family ghosts, and systems inform our behavior in all kinds of ways, both inside and outside of the workplace. She explains how family systems theory is a helpful frame in this context, and how people can break out of their people-pleasing ways. 

Check out Kathleen’s book: https://www.amazon.com/True-You-Therapists-Pleasing-Yourself-ebook/dp/B0CGRYFPNL

Just as working mothers increasingly feel pressure from all sides to achieve and be the best family members possible, expectations for fathers have shifted in recent years. But professor Brad Harrington and former TV anchor Liam Martin argue that the ecosystem of support for working fathers hasn’t been formed in the same it has for women. Brad’s research shows that working fathers increasingly feel conflicted about where they should spend their time, and how to manage the expectations society puts on them while balancing their own mental health. Liam shares his own personal story of recently leaving his job to protect his mental health and family’s quality of life. Like many of us, Liam hid his struggles and avoided asking for help. Many people manage "role conflict" - the struggle between being present for family and the need to be successful professionally, which can impact mental health.

Read Liam’s story of why he walked away from his job: https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2024/04/07/liam-martin-fatherhood/

Clayton Lord breaks the mold of what you might expect someone’s career to look like if they are on the autism spectrum. He’s Director of Programs at the SHRM Foundation and channels his strengths to create insight and order out of complex and messy problems. He also balances that with the fact that he isn’t always first to notice interpersonal issues at work. But he’s developed a tool kit - which includes keeping Post-it notes by his desk with reminders - that helps him achieve success as a leader, a partner, and a father. Lord shares his story of how he moves through a neurotypical world. 

Learn more about SHRM: https://www.shrm.org/front-door

Shirley Leung is a columnist at the Boston Globe and host of the podcast Say More, and in 2020, she hit “rock bottom.”Being stretched on all sides for years finally took its toll and she realized her work life balance needed a change. Four years later, Shirley went on a quest to better understand how to deal with and prevent burnout at work. In this episode, she talks with host Morra Aarons-Mele about how working from home no longer works for many people, the mental health challenges we still feel post pandemic, and being realistic about our priorities. 

Listen to Shirley’s burnout series on Say More: https://link.chtbl.com/saymore?sid=anxiousachiever

The No Club Book: https://www.amazon.com/No-Club-Putting-Womens-Dead-End/dp/1982152338

Craig Robinson, brother of former First Lady Michelle Obama, is a basketball legend, former NBA executive, coach, and Executive Director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. But he wasn’t always on that path: after playing basketball at Princeton, he ended up spending much of his career in finance before following his true passion. Robinson shares lessons he learned from his family, his insights on getting high performers to stay at their best, and how to keep going in the face of negativity and criticism. 

Listen to Craig’s podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ways-to-win/id1733309040

Starting June 5th, the Anxious Achiever is back to celebrate its tenth season. We’ll be diving into the topics and challenges you’ve asked about most:

And much, much more. The new season launches next week - be sure to let us know what you think!

Leaders of organizations have a large responsibility when it comes to their own mental health, and of those in their organization. When they speak up about mental health, others can too. But vulnerability comes with risks. How can leaders model openness around mental health without bumping up against stereotypes and judgment?

In this roundtable conversation, host Morra Aarons-Mele speaks with Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmonson – the pioneer of the concept of psychological safety at work; entrepreneur and best-selling author Peter Sims; and Megan Reitz of Oxford University and Hult International Business School about the leader’s role in speaking up and fighting mental health stigma.

Learn more about Amy: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=6451

Learn more about Peter: https://petersims.com/

Learn more about Megan: https://www.meganreitz.com/

Learn more about Thinkers50: https://thinkers50.com/

Burnout doesn’t come on because of weakness, and it doesn’t come about overnight. Many of us are walking around with some degree of burnout! On the flip side, it takes more than a vacation or loving your job to solve the problem. In this special Thinkers50 episode, host Morra Aarons-Mele explores some of the ways companies and individuals can more effectively avoid burnout and put in place more mentally healthy systems. She speaks with Alyson Meister, a professor at IMD Business School, Jon Jachimowicz, assistant professor at Harvard Business School, and Basima Tewfik, assistant professor at MIT Sloan School of Management.

Learn more about Alyson: https://www.imd.org/faculty/professors/alyson-meister/

Learn more about Jon: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=1175257

Learn more about Basima: https://mitsloan.mit.edu/faculty/directory/basima-tewfik

Learn more about Thinkers50: https://thinkers50.com/

As part of a month long series with Thinkers50 and The Silicon Guild, in this episode host Morra Aarons-Mele explores constructive ways we can improve our relationship with ourselves, instead of always being our harshest critic. She’s joined by Duke Professor Sanyin Siang, Lenny Mendoca, Senior Partner Emeritus at McKinsey, and Palo Alto City Council Member Julie Lythcott-Haims to talk about ways to change your self talk and your work. 

Learn more about Sanyin: https://centers.fuqua.duke.edu/cole/team_profiles/sanyin-siang/

Hear our past episode with Lenny: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/breaking-the-stigma-of-mental-health-for-men-in-business/id1480904163?i=1000601243370

Hear our past episode with Julie: https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/how-to-stop-the-cycle-of-overachieving/id1480904163?i=1000479076732

Learn more about Thinkers50: https://thinkers50.com/

What are some of the most important management ideas out there in today’s world? Thinkers50 is an organization that aims to identify and share these important ideas day in and day out, and all month long host Morra Aarons-Mele is partnering with Thinkers50 and The Silicon Guild for a series of roundtable talks about mental health and work. In this episode, she speaks with Columbia Business School’s Rita McGrath, Copenhagen Business School’s Poornima Luthra, and entrepreneur Andrew Barnes, founder of the Four Day Week Movement, about rethinking how we work to improve mental health for everyone. 

Learn more about Rita: https://www.ritamcgrath.com/

Learn more about Poornima: https://www.talented.dk/

Learn more about Andrew: https://www.4dayweek.com/andrew-barnes

Learn more about Thinkers50: https://thinkers50.com/