Does Your Workplace See The Human in You?

Hello, Hello Fam!

It’s been a very long minute. I’ve missed musing with you here—and yet, I haven’t. My hiatus wasn’t because I lacked stories to share; on the contrary, I’ve always had thousands of them living rent-free in my head.

I had to pause. A pause to reflect, to reorient myself. As a regular reader, you probably know my life mantra: Reinvent Yourself, Always.

This pause gave me the space to carefully evaluate: What stories are calling to be told through me? What does my soul long to express?

Earlier this week, I met up with a friend over coffee. We hadn’t seen each other for a while because I was on the road most of the year. It’s only recently that I’ve felt my 2024 has begun.

As soon as she saw me, her face lit up. “Wow, you look so peaceful, so calm, and so physically good!” I smiled back gently and replied, “Thank you.” She’s a beautiful woman in her 60s—elegantly tall, healthy, and active—so I joked, “I’m following in your footsteps.”

That gentle smile and humor were a disruption. It was a difficult day for me. But I chose to leave all that behind when I walked out of my house. I embodied my most joyful and calm presence, channeling it for our time together.

The truth is: staying extremely calm and focused in the midst of chaos and challenges is my superpower. My whole world could be crashing down, but you wouldn’t have a clue.

But I am not alone.

Over the last ten months, I have met dozens of people like me. Humans who show up every day—dressed up, vibrant, and seemingly confident. Until they can’t keep up the show anymore...

I’ve met others who never gave a thought to mental health until something deeply personal and traumatic happened, activating their bipolar disorder.

I’ve met a brilliant journalist in their 50s who lost their career due to alcoholism—yet no one in their family had ever struggled with it.

I’ve listened with my heart torn to pieces as people repeated the same sentiment over and over: “We’re not bad people.”

And I’ve been mesmerized by humans who are healing from depression, creative blocks, and anxiety through art and biking.

I've also heard stories of those who cried every morning in the shower before heading to work or were called “stupid” and “ugly” by their bosses.

These stories have moved me deeply. What has surprised me the most is realizing that most of the people I’ve spoken to—those who have been diagnosed with various mental health challenges—never thought it would happen to them. Not until something started to feel completely off. Not until doctors couldn’t find any physical illness.

These are stories of bravery. Stories of humans who found within themselves the courage to ask for help, seek treatment, check into healing institutions, find support groups, and create healthy channels to keep living balanced, meaningful lives.

With World Mental Health Day around the corner on October 10th—and the theme, “**It’s Time to Prioritize Mental Health in Workplaces**”—I can’t help but echo one storyteller who said, “We cannot continue to ignore workplaces as family. We spend so much time there, and these experiences become embedded into our bodies and emotions. We must strive to create workplaces that feel safe and supportive for humans to thrive and be productive.”

Having spent 14 years working global multicultural teams, I can tell you without a doubt that only a handful of organizations live this out intentionally. I hope some of the best practices and aspirations shared by the humans whose stories I’ll be sharing here can be adopted. Because, honestly, it’s not rocket science.

It all comes down to this: As a leader, how willing are you to remove the mask and see the people who walk into the office every day as they truly are?

Humans. Like you and me. Trying their best, in the best way they know how, to navigate this little thing called life...

Stay tuned!

Spreading Joy

Martha D.