We all bring our trauma with us to work every day. But if we build the right culture and relationships, we can also bring vulnerability and healing. If you’ve felt like you have to hide a huge part of yourself at work, this episode is for you. 

First, Morra speaks with Schroeder Stribling, President and CEO of Mental Health America, about how her trauma from her youth impact the way she works and leads today; and her expertise around addiction and the workplace. Then, we hear from Bobby Hoffman, chief deputy at the Hampden Massachusetts County Sheriff’s Office, who is part of a program bringing therapy dogs to the often macho and not-so-mental health friendly work of policing.

The bias against accents and the perception of how well someone speaks English has huge impacts for individual contributors, leaders, and the business world at large - but it is often ignored. In the wake of a number of DEI related initiatives being cancelled in the federal government, we revisit this conversation with Heather Hansen on what accent bias is, why it matters, and what we can do about it. We also discuss effective business communication in English, a key skill in this global world.

Learn more about Heather’s work: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/hansenheather_trumps-war-on-dei-freezes-diversity-work-activity-7288020003105226753-Ymir?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

Have you ever had a boss who just infuriated you? Bosses and leaders often have the ability to make or break our experience at work. In this episode, host Morra Aarons-Mele speaks with Columbia Business School professor Adam Galinsky about the attributes that differentiate great leaders from terrible ones, and how leaders can have a outsized effect on others. His research also looks at attention and shows that anxiety and anger have the ability to narrow our viewpoints and hold us back; plus how talking ourselves up when we are insecure can actually backfire. Galinsky’s new book is Inspire: The Universal Path for Leading Yourself and Others.

Check out Galinksy’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Inspire-Universal-Leading-Yourself-Others-ebook/dp/B0D3CCHW45?ref_=ast_author_mpb

 From afar, Luvvie Ajayi Jones seems to have it all together; to be thriving as an entrepreneur and author, complete with New York Times best-selling books and a viral Ted Talk. But all careers face downturns, and Jones has shared how one of the hardest years of her life affected her company, her finances, and her mental health. In this conversation with Morra Aarons-Mele, she talks about entrepreneurship, transparency, and making hard choices. 

Listen to Luvvie’s podcast here: https://luvvie.org/podcast/

Experience is not always seen as an asset in a world that equates innovation and youth – particularly in fast-moving industries like tech and art. How do you convince others that your work still matters…now more than ever? This week, Anne and Frances help digital artist and TED Fellow Julie Freeman break free from her own story about aging and relevance.

Together, two of the top leadership coaches in the world, Anne Morriss and Frances Frei, move fast and fix stuff by talking to guest callers about their workplace issues and solving their problems in 30 minutes or less. Both listeners and guests will receive actionable insights to create meaningful change in the workplace — regardless of their position on the company ladder.

And they can solve YOUR biggest work problem too! Text or call 234-FIXABLE or email [email protected] to be featured on the show next season.

When you are neurodivergent, it can feel like you are always behind, don’t fit in, or even worse - wreak havoc on the lives of those who love you. But Penn and Kim Holderness faced ADHD as a couple and a family head on. Through five years of research, they figured out ways to harness Penn’s superpower of ADHD and even built a business around it. The former Amazing Race winners share their perspective and tools on how to have a successful family life -- and business--when your brain works differently. 

Check out their YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@holdernessfamilylaughs

Read their book: https://www.amazon.com/ADHD-Awesome-Guide-Mostly-Thriving/dp/1400338611

In the high stakes world of technology companies, a lot of lip service is paid to well-being and mental health. But Meredith Arthur has been researching practical ways to manage anxiety and overthinking since before it was cool. In this episode, Morra speaks with the author and Beautiful Voyager creator about everything from polyvagal theory, clinical somatics, self-regulation and internal safety. They share their favorite routines for managing anxiety and stress.

Learn more about Meredith here: https://bevoya.com/about

Listen to Meredith’s previous Anxious Achiever episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5B88kIsQfcvPRR3Ut8wynX?si=6jCXb7mLRvKZAIbAcYPRKQ

Ongoing stress can affect not just your emotional and mental health, but also your physical health. The connection between mind and body is often overlooked in the work world, but leadership development expert Jason Miller has spent his career trying to change that. In this episode, host Morra Aarons-Mele hears more about Miller’s experience that landed him in the ER. Plus, Dr. David Barlow, Professor Emeritus at Boston University, shares tips on how to right-size your phobias and better cope.

To succeed in sports and in the corporate world, you might need more than just resilience. Enter the concept of anti-fragility, which focuses on the idea that meaningful resistance and meaningful difficult situations can be approached in a way where you actually come out better on the other side. 

Dr. Nick Holton is a performance coach for professional athletes and Fortune 500 Executives. Adam Wright is the Director of Mental Performance at the Washington Nationals MLB team. Together they founded The Anti Fragile Academy, and they speak with host Morra Aarons-Mele about how they train corporate leaders to withstand pressure, and improve as a result.

It turns out, a lot of our beliefs about how we are performing at work - and how we choose to label that performance - can negatively impact our jobs and our mental health. Basima Tewfik is an Assistant Professor of Work and Organization Studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management, who looks deeply at our social behaviors and psychology at work. And she’s found that labels like anxious, neurotic, and imposter syndrome can actually be really detrimental to our success. Even impostor feelings, in her research, can lead to positive outcomes at work. Tewfik thinks of each like a double edged sword and explains how her research focuses on the positive side of phenomena like these.