Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas

Your Presence Is Enough: Building Peer Support Programs That Don't Burn Out the Helpers with Sarah Bueno

Your Presence Is Enough: Building Peer Support Programs That Don't Burn Out the Helpers with Sarah Bueno

Peer support programs often start with a beautiful honeymoon phase. Then six to twelve months in, a very different story gets told. Psychotherapist and group practice expert Sarah Bueno joins Dr. Sally to share the two things every organization needs to build before launching: define the role before the crisis, and support the supporters.

When the Bet Comes to Work: What Employers Need to Know About Problem Gambling with Saul Malek

When the Bet Comes to Work: What Employers Need to Know About Problem Gambling with Saul Malek

Online sports betting grew from $4.9 billion to $121 billion in six years. And 94% of those bets were placed on a phone. The phone your employee has in their pocket right now. Saul Malek, speaker and problem gambling prevention educator, joins Dr. Sally to give workplaces a practical, shame-free framework for responding.

Silence Is Not Neutral: How to Welcome Employees Back From Mental Health Leave With Dignity with Jennifer Moffett

Silence Is Not Neutral: How to Welcome Employees Back From Mental Health Leave With Dignity with Jennifer Moffett

Returning from mental health leave means walking back into a room where everyone knows something happened but no one knows what to say. Jennifer Moffett, technology leader and suicide prevention advocate, joins Dr. Sally to share two things every manager needs: rebuild confidence before productivity, and support recovery without sacrificing dignity, trust, or accountability.

Are You What You Do? Supporting Early-Career High Performers Before They Burn Out with John Brown

Are You What You Do? Supporting Early-Career High Performers Before They Burn Out with John Brown

Gen Z employees are not disloyal. They are discerning. John Brown, therapist and former Apple and Stanford leader, joins Dr. Sally to explain why early-career high performers burn out when workplaces see only productivity, and what managers can do today to build the loyalty that actually makes teams run through walls.

From Awareness to Action: How Construction Is Leading the Way on Workplace Mental Health with Sonya Bohmann

From Awareness to Action: How Construction Is Leading the Way on Workplace Mental Health with Sonya Bohmann

Who would have thought construction would lead the way on workplace mental health? Not tech, not healthcare, not corporate America. Construction. Sonya Bohmann, Executive Director of the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention, joins Dr. Sally to share two lessons every industry needs: move from awareness to action, and make mental health a 12-month-a-year conversation.

Beyond Narcan: How to Build Overdose Prevention Into Your Workplace Safety Culture with Dr. Virna Little

Beyond Narcan: How to Build Overdose Prevention Into Your Workplace Safety Culture with Dr. Virna Little

For every 1,000 construction workers who die on a job site, over 11,000 die from overdose. Narcan saves lives, but it only works after an overdose has already happened. Dr. Virna Little, co-founder of Zero Overdose, joins Dr. Sally to show workplaces how to prevent the event in the first place.

Stop Fixing, Start Leading: How to Show Up in Your Team's Hardest Moments with Mitch Wallis

Stop Fixing, Start Leading: How to Show Up in Your Team's Hardest Moments with Mitch Wallis

When a team member says they're not okay, most managers do one of five wrong things. Mitch Wallis, who has trained over 10,000 leaders across Microsoft, KPMG, and American Express, shares the five-step ELSA-B model and the single mindset shift that separates managers from leaders who actually change people's lives.

Get Real With Your Why: What Leaders Need to Know About Rethinking Their Relationship With Alcohol with Dr. Abby Medcalf

Get Real With Your Why: What Leaders Need to Know About Rethinking Their Relationship With Alcohol with Dr. Abby Medcalf

Most leaders attack habit change like a business problem: make a plan, take action, get results. But Dr. Abby Medcalf says that's exactly why it fails. Whether it's alcohol, sugar, or any high-stakes habit, lasting change doesn't start with what you do. It starts with getting radically honest about why you want to change.

While There's No Panacea for Human Suffering, the Power of Human Connection Comes Pretty Close with Nick Freud

While There's No Panacea for Human Suffering, the Power of Human Connection Comes Pretty Close with Nick Freud

Most workplaces wait for crisis before offering support. But what about the breakup, the demotion, the quiet "I don't know who I am anymore" phase? Nick Freud, founder of Fellow Humans, joins me to make the case that the most powerful support isn't clinical, it's human. And it belongs at work.

SPECIAL EPISODE: Work-Related Suicide - How Do We Define and Measure Work-Related Suicide? with Liam O'Brien and Jørgen Gullestrup

SPECIAL EPISODE: Work-Related Suicide - How Do We Define and Measure Work-Related Suicide? with Liam O'Brien and Jørgen Gullestrup

What if we treated psychological harm at work the same way we treat a fall hazard or faulty equipment? Australia is already doing it. ACTU Assistant Secretary Liam O'Brien joins Dr. Sally and Jørgen Gullestrup to unpack work-related suicide as a regulatory issue, not just a mental health one.

The Cost of the Chase: Can You Build Profit and Protect People? with Aaron Witt

The Cost of the Chase: Can You Build Profit and Protect People? with Aaron Witt

What if chasing profit is quietly burning out the people who make it possible? BuildWitt founder Aaron Witt joins Dr. Sally to explore how leaders who prioritize their own wellbeing and invest in relationships before the crisis hits build teams that are stronger, more resilient, and more profitable in the long run.

The Hidden Safety Crisis: Sleep, Mental Health, and Workplace Fatigue

The Hidden Safety Crisis: Sleep, Mental Health, and Workplace Fatigue

Sleep loss isn’t just a wellness issue. It’s a workplace safety crisis. Workers with sleep problems face a 60% higher injury risk, and 17 hours without sleep impairs you like alcohol. In this episode, I break down the mental health–sleep–fatigue cycle and shares five organizational strategies leaders can act on today.

From Pain to Purpose: How Workplaces Can Support Post-Traumatic Growth with AnneMoss Rogers

From Pain to Purpose: How Workplaces Can Support Post-Traumatic Growth with AnneMoss Rogers

What does it look like to grow through profound loss and not just survive it? AnneMoss Rogers, advocate, author, and suicide loss survivor, joins me to share two powerful strategies workplace leaders can use to support employees through grief, trauma, and the unexpected journey toward post-traumatic growth.

Lessons from Police Suicide Research: Improving Mental Health Support Across Industries with Dr. Simon Hatcher | Ep. 61

Lessons from Police Suicide Research: Improving Mental Health Support Across Industries with Dr. Simon Hatcher | Ep. 61

As someone who started their career in police psychology, I've always been deeply interested in understanding how high-risk professions impact mental health. Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Simon Hatcher from the University of Ottawa about his fascinating research on police suicide and what we can learn from it to help other high-risk industries. Our conversation revealed some critical insights that can benefit workplaces across various sectors.