Workplace Suicide

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Teacher Burnout is a Mental Health Crisis: Interview with Dr. Natalya Bogopolskaya & Dr. Kendrea Hart | Episode 115

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Teacher Burnout is a Mental Health Crisis: Interview with Dr. Natalya Bogopolskaya & Dr. Kendrea Hart | Episode 115

Anyone who has been a teacher knows the work is hard, and at the same time — when work is working well — immensely rewarding. The work can be purposeful and filled with close relationships a vibrant communities.

No one enters the teaching profession to become rich and famous — they enter for the difference they will make.

And yet, our nation is facing a mental health crisis among our educators; one of burnout and demoralization. Many are operating in survival mode due to complete emotional exhaustion. The stressors they face are significant:

  • Safety concerns related to mass school shootings and drug use

  • Funding deficits

  • Labor shortage

  • Meeting escalating physical and emotional needs of students

  • Unrealistic expectations from districts and parents

  • Just to name a few…

Teachers’ well-being is something most communities overlook in their intention to always put students first. In this episode I speak with two school psychologists who express grave concern about educators’ psychological health and safety — and also make concrete suggestions on what we can do to help them.

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The Pause - Rebooting after Reflection | Episode 111

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The Pause - Rebooting after Reflection | Episode 111

I took a pause.

Sometimes life forces you to pause. In this episode, I talk about why I took this four month break from the podcast and what I have learned. Life threw a couple of challenges and transitions that I needed to be present for, and gave me an opportunity to recover, to create space so I could reflect and learn by asking myself key discernment questions:

  • ·What do I need to refuel the tank?

  • What am I learning in this moment? What am I avoiding? How would I like to grow?

  • When it comes to the work…What is missing? How can I help fill the gaps? Build bridges?

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Lived Experience Informed Workplace Mental Health Strategies - Part 1: Interview with James Hill | Episode 109

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Lived Experience Informed Workplace Mental Health Strategies - Part 1: Interview with James Hill | Episode 109

How do we improve our workplace mental health programs?

Listen to the people who have lived through mental health emergencies.

In this episode James Hill shares his story of surviving suicidal intensity and becoming a national change agent for workplace wellbeing.

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Strengthening Suicide Prevention Efforts through Caring for the Caregivers: Interview with Johanna Louie | Episode 108

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Strengthening Suicide Prevention Efforts through Caring for the Caregivers: Interview with Johanna Louie | Episode 108

Did you know?

More than half of all adults know someone who has fought suicidal intensity (Harris Poll). When it comes to caregiving - suicide is different. Ample research about caregiving stress exists, but often this is underestimated when the caregiving role is about suicide. Thus, there is a gap in awareness, support and resources.

Our guest, Johanna Louie and her co-founder Daniela Zanich sought to fill that gap with www.SuicideIsDifferent.org — free digital resources that put the needs of the caregiver at the center of the conversation.

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Poetry as an Antidote to Burnout - A Nurse's Perspective on Healing Practices: Interview with Susan Farese | Episode 105

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Poetry as an Antidote to Burnout - A Nurse's Perspective on Healing Practices: Interview with Susan Farese | Episode 105

Burnout is costly to employers in several ways:

  1. Employee turnover

  2. Increased risk of worker injury or error

  3. Deteriorating culture as energy becomes misdirected toward scapegoating

Contrary to conventional wisdom, burnout is not solely related to workload, it’s also related to feeling like “a cog in a machine.” When an unsustainable workload becomes even more stressful due to a lack of clarity, lack of control and an effort-reward imbalance, relationships become strained and people become siloed.

According to leading researchers, burnout is identified when three psychological states exist:

  • High levels of cynicism: an indifference, negative perspective

  • High levels of exhaustion: emotional, spiritual and physical

  • Low levels of professional efficacy: the belief in ones ability to make a difference.

Burnout can creep into a workplace and worsen over time. It often starts with an erosion of engagement. Work shifts from important, interesting and meaningful to exhausting. Next comes the erosion of emotions, where cynicism, anger, anxiety and depression start to surface. Finally, burned out workers comes to experience a mismatch between themselves and the organization. They lose faith that the organization has their best interests at heart.

In this episode, I have a delightful conversation with Susan Farese, RN - a healthcare worker and mentor, a Veteran, a poet and photographer and the owner of PR firm “SJF Communications.” We talk about how burnout is taking its toll on our healthcare teams, and how she uses poetry, among other tools to cope.

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Workplace Violence Prevention - A Holistic Approach: Interview with Faith Kohler | Episode 103

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Workplace Violence Prevention - A Holistic Approach: Interview with Faith Kohler | Episode 103

In this conversation Faith Kohler talk about a holistic and multidisciplinary approach to mitigating and preventing workplace violence and our belief that trust and psychological safety are essential in any effective process.

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A Different Drummer -- Mental Health, Diversity and Inclusion and Corporate Wellness: Interview with Mike Veny | Episode 101

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A Different Drummer -- Mental Health, Diversity and Inclusion and Corporate Wellness: Interview with Mike Veny | Episode 101

Did you know?

9 our of 10 employers are investing more in mental health benefits than they ever have before (source: https://www.aihr.com/blog/workplace-wellness-trends/).

Concerns about burnout, employee churn, and psychological emergencies have led workplaces to developing a more comprehensive and proactive mental health and suicide prevention strategy.

Benefits like coaching, tele-mental health, personalized wellness plans and stress management tools are becoming increasingly popular for large employers.

In addition, workplaces are starting to shift away from reactive, downstream approaches to more proactive prevention. They are focusing on building caring cultures and psychological safety and they are connecting the dots between DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) work and mental health.

In this conversation, I speak with Mike Veny, a man who has been living these connections and is now training workplaces on how best to support their workers.

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Honoring the Legacy of Dr. Allison Milner: Interview with Professor Tony LaMontagne | Episode 100

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Honoring the Legacy of Dr. Allison Milner: Interview with Professor Tony LaMontagne | Episode 100

For this milestone episode of the “Hope Illuminated” podcast, I wanted to celebrate a hero to many of us: Dr. Allison Milner. Allison was a fierce and mighty leader whose work in suicide prevention and social justice was shifting the world’s views when she died tragically in an accident on April 12, 2019. In this episode Professor Tony LaMontagne and I share stories about her global impact in the areas of:

  • Workplace suicide

  • Unemployment and mental health

  • Psychosocial job hazards

  • Interventions that help people live through suicidal intensity

  • Socio-economic determinants of suicide

  • Women in research

  • People with disabilities and social justice

  • Indigenous people and social justice

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What if Suicide Prevention is Simple? Crisis Response Planning: Interview with Dr. Craig Bryan | Episode 99

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What if Suicide Prevention is Simple? Crisis Response Planning: Interview with Dr. Craig Bryan | Episode 99

Mental health providers — often well-intended and fearful — have made suicide prevention complicated. “Clipboard counseling,” interrogation approaches and highly restrictive interventions have not worked. What if a 5-step, 30-minute intervention made a huge difference? What if we could train peers to help with firearm safety counseling? In this interview I speak with Veteran and psychologist Dr. Craig Bryan about his evidence-based “Crisis Response Planning” intervention…

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On Being Fearless -- Intimate Partner Violence, Women Empowerment & Well-Being: Interview with J'Anmetra "JoJo" Waddell | Episode 90

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On Being Fearless -- Intimate Partner Violence, Women Empowerment & Well-Being: Interview with J'Anmetra "JoJo" Waddell | Episode 90

“I can breathe. I can think.”

When J’Anmetra was imprisoned in her home under the threat of her husband, this was her mantra. One that kept her alive and ultimately allowed her the ability to escape.

According to SAMHSA (Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration) survivors of intimate partner violence are twice as likely to have multiple suicide attempts, according to a study published in the Journal of Injury & Violence Research, intimate partner problems were identified as a precipitating circumstance in 30% of all suicide cases in the National Violent Death Reporting System. And yet, the connection between intimate partner violence and suicide is under-addressed on many fronts.

In this episode, we bear witness to the inspiring story of J’Anmetra Waddell and her courage to break free from the bonds of her abuser — her husband and the Pastor of her church. She shares her how her near-miss with suicide transitioned to her journey to becoming an advocate for other survivors of domestic violence.

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Transformational Leadership in Suicide Prevention -- Lessons Learned from the Construction Industry: Interview with Jerry Shupe | Episode 84

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Transformational Leadership in Suicide Prevention -- Lessons Learned from the Construction Industry: Interview with Jerry Shupe | Episode 84

Transformational leadership happens when people come together to rise for a daunting challenge to benefit the common good. Transformation leaders focus on impact and empower others to reach for higher and higher levels of motivation and morality. Transformational leaders are:

  • Bold

  • Idealized influencers

  • Creativity encouragers

  • Role models for a compelling vision

  • Process challengers

  • Purpose AND people driven

Today’s podcast is about transformational leadership in the area of construction suicide prevention. I interview Jerry Shupe, the Corporate Director of Safety and Health for Hensel Phelps, one of the nation’s largest construction contractors.

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Turn Off the Alarm Bells -- How to Prioritize Civility in a Divisive World: Interview with Sejal Thakkar | Episode 79

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Turn Off the Alarm Bells -- How to Prioritize Civility in a Divisive World: Interview with Sejal Thakkar | Episode 79

At the heart of civility is respect. Respect and dignity are essential for psychological safety, especially when others have diverse experiences and viewpoints. Civility is not about complacency or placating. It’s not about denying or pushing away strong feelings that can emerge when conflict emerges. It’s about temporarily suspending our alarm bells for a period of time so we can do the hard work of “climbing the empathy wall” to better understand the deep stories behind those we see as “the other.”

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"What Do You Do?" -- Reflecting on Work, Identity & Well-Being: Interview with Scott Mason | Episode 76

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"What Do You Do?" -- Reflecting on Work, Identity & Well-Being: Interview with Scott Mason | Episode 76

When we ask “What do you do?”, what we often mean is “What WORK do you do?” In many ways — at least in the United States — our culture tells us, “You ARE what you do for a living.” Not only as a provider for your family and a meaningful contributor to society (and “meaningful” is often defined by the paycheck and the status") but as someone who is earnestly chasing the “American Dream.”…

On the positive side, when work is working well, it gives us a sense of belonging and a sense of being a part of something larger than ourselves. Work gives us structure to our lives and the satisfaction that our skills and talents are contributing to the world in some way. This positive aspect of our identity protects us against depression, anxiety and loneliness. In this interview with Scott Mason, we explore the role of our work in our identity and well-being. We argue that we all need to cultivate a multifaceted identity where our personal worth is based on being loved for who you ARE not just on being admired for what you DO.

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Psychosocial Hazards on the Job -- Listening to the Voices of Suicidal Workers: Interview with Professor Sarah Waters | Episode 70

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Psychosocial Hazards on the Job -- Listening to the Voices of Suicidal Workers: Interview with Professor Sarah Waters | Episode 70

In this podcast, I have the honor of interviewing Professor Sarah Waters from the UK. She is a leading global researcher on the topic of work-related suicides, and a driver of legislation to improve working conditions and help make suicide prevention a health and safety priority at work. Here we discuss a number of large employers who have been held accountable for the suicide deaths of their employees in criminal court.

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Workplace Suicide Prevention Training: Interview with Gabriela Malafaia | Episode 65

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Workplace Suicide Prevention Training: Interview with Gabriela Malafaia | Episode 65

The workplace is arguably the most cross-cutting system in suicide prevention. Just about everyone who dies by suicide or attempts suicide was working, was recently working, or has a close friend or family member who is working. Thus, just like we promote CPR training at our job sites to save lives, we should also consider on-going, skill developing suicide prevention training programs. In this presentation I interview Gabriela Malafaia, a leader in People’s Management in the oil and gas industry. We discuss the many reasons why workplace suicide prevention training is the right thing to do and list several best practices to leverage a tiered approach. Sharing a number of case studies, we conclude that successful training initiatives not only improve the confidence and competence of a workforce dedicated to making suicide prevention a health and safety priority, impactful training actually helps drive a caring culture.

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Leading Others to Resilience -- 3 Ways to Accelerate Organizational Recovery During Crisis: Interview with Bob VandePol | Episode 59

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Leading Others to Resilience -- 3 Ways to Accelerate Organizational Recovery During Crisis: Interview with Bob VandePol | Episode 59

In this interview I speak with crisis response expert Bob VandePol on crisis leadership. We explore the questions of how do leaders embody resilience during trauma? How can leaders sustain a group commitment to a mission greater than the individual? How can leaders cultivate trust and social support when things feel out of control? How do we develop a resilience plan that transitions people to grow through crisis?

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Wellness at Work — What the Fire Service Can Teach Us about Creating a Kitchen Table Culture: Interview with Captain Dena Ali | Episode 51

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Wellness at Work — What the Fire Service Can Teach Us about Creating a Kitchen Table Culture: Interview with Captain Dena Ali | Episode 51

Our best bet in preventing suicide is to get in front of it.

Way in front.

Promoting protective factors not only will reduce the risk of suicide — it also is a great way to build a life worth living. In this podcast, I interview Captain Dena Ali about what we have learned about wellness at work from the fire service and the mitigating effects of social support, mindfulness and sleep. We also talk about the power of peer support to promote these buffering factors and how small interventions can go a long way. As you listen to Captain Ali, ask yourself, “How can these protective factors of the fire service be translated to other industries and workplaces?