Compassionate Curiosity

Meeting People Where They Are -- Adapting Mental Health Strategies to Workplace Culture with Monica Kramer McConkey

Meeting People Where They Are -- Adapting Mental Health Strategies to Workplace Culture with Monica Kramer McConkey

Ever wonder why some workplace mental-health campaigns land flat even when the intention is in the right place?

In this episode, I sit down with Monica Kramer McConkey, an agricultural mental-health specialist who has spent three decades helping rural and blue-collar communities thrive. Together they unpack a truth many leaders miss: mental health efforts fail when we ask workers to enter our world instead of meeting them in theirs.

Monica grew up on a Minnesota farm and knows the invisible weight carried by farmers, construction crews, and shift workers who rarely see themselves in corporate wellness brochures. She shows us that if leaders really want culture change, they need to slow down, listen first, and meet people where they already live, work, and gather.

Compassionate Curiosity: How SAR Disease Can Transform Workplace Wellbeing with Michael Wright | Ep. 63

Compassionate Curiosity: How SAR Disease Can Transform Workplace Wellbeing with Michael Wright | Ep. 63

This week on Headspace for the Workplace, I speak with Michael Wright, an accomplished first responder and chaplain from Texas with decades of experience in EMS and a profound understanding of the human condition. Our conversation explored the intricacies of creating psychologically safe work environments by recognizing and acting upon subtle signs of distress—a skill Michael refers to as identifying "SAR disease" or something ain't right syndrome. His insights underscored the critical role of awareness in fostering workplace well-being.