Year in Review: Workplace Mental Health, Leadership, and Hope

Year in Review: Leading with Humanity in the Places We Work

In this special year-in-review episode of Headspace for the Workplace, I reflect on a year of advancing workplace mental health and suicide prevention across high-risk industries, global conferences, and organizational systems. The episode blends practical insights for leaders with candid reflections on burnout, leadership pressure, and what it takes to stay human while building cultures of care at work.

What This Episode Covers

This episode explores:

  • The evolving role of leaders in workplace mental health and suicide prevention

  • Lessons learned from job sites, safety meetings, and executive conversations

  • What it takes to move from awareness to action in organizational mental health

  • Burnout, imposter syndrome, and leadership fatigue

  • Building systems that support people before, during, and after crisis

  • Sustaining hope and meaning while working in emotionally demanding roles

Workplace Tools and Approaches Highlighted

Throughout the episode, I share tools and strategies developed or scaled this year to support mentally healthier workplaces, including:

  • Mental health safety guides integrated into existing safety systems

  • Peer Ally and Mental Health Literacy training models for high-risk industries

  • Leadership tools that help managers notice and respond to distress early

  • Postvention resources that support organizations after a suicide or traumatic loss

  • The H.O.P.E. Certification, a structured, evidence-informed pathway for building sustainable workplace well-being

Industry Partnerships and Organizational Impact

This year’s work was strengthened by partnerships with organizations committed to embedding mental health into leadership, safety, and operations, including Xcel, TDIndustries, Rosendin, NECA, Gilbane, and Hensel Phelps.

A special focus is given to the leadership of the United Association of Piping Trades, whose large-scale implementation of VitalCog in Construction and in-depth Peer Ally training continues to model what meaningful, worker-centered mental health leadership can look like.

Conferences and Places Where the Work Showed Up

This episode reflects on insights gathered from:

  • Global conversations at the International Association for Suicide Prevention World Congress

  • Industry leadership at the Construction Working Minds Summit

  • Cross-border collaboration at the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention Annual Conference

  • Professional “homecomings” with safety, EAP, and suicide prevention peers

Each space reinforced the same truth: how work is designed deeply shapes mental health outcomes.

A Leader’s Personal Reflection

In a candid segment, I share my own leadership struggles — aging, burnout, imposter syndrome, anxiety about letting others down, and the emotional toll of witnessing suffering — offering a rare and grounded perspective on what it takes to prioritize mental health while carrying responsibility for others.

Who This Podcast Is For

This episode is especially relevant for:

  • Workplace leaders and managers

  • Safety and HR professionals

  • Union leaders and supervisors

  • Mental health champions at work

  • Anyone navigating burnout while trying to lead well

Key Leadership Takeaways

  • Workplace mental health requires systems, not slogans

  • Leaders need skill, support, and permission to be human

  • Early intervention matters more than crisis response alone

  • Culture change happens through consistency, not heroics

  • Hope is built through action, trust, and connection

Common Questions This Episode Answers

Why does workplace mental health matter for leaders?

Because leadership practices, job design, and organizational culture directly influence stress, burnout, and suicide risk.

What can managers realistically do to support mental health?
Learn how to notice early warning signs, respond with confidence, and connect people to credible support.

How can organizations prepare for mental health crises at work?
Through proactive training, clear postvention planning, and leadership accountability.

If you’re leading people in challenging times, this episode offers reflection, practical insight, and reassurance that you’re not alone. Listen, share with your leadership team, and explore tools designed to support mental health where work actually happens.