Épisodes

  • Mental Health on the Frontlines: How Situational Awareness Builds Resilient Leaders with Alex Willis

    Mental Health on the Frontlines: How Situational Awareness Builds Resilient Leaders with Alex Willis
    Nov 18 2025
    In safety-focused industries, leaders are trained to identify physical hazards before they cause harm. But what if those same situational awareness skills could be used to support mental well-being? In this energizing episode of Headspace for the Workplace, I sit down with Alex Willis, a former NFL player and founder of Leadership Surge, to explore how organizations can apply the core principles of safety awareness—such as real-time assessment, micro-adjustments, and field communication—to improve team well-being, reduce burnout, and build trust. For mor information on this episode go to https://www.sallyspencerthomas.com/headspace/78
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    20 min
  • Heroes Are Also Human: Mental Fitness and Culture Change in High Intensity Industries with Brandon Evans

    Heroes Are Also Human: Mental Fitness and Culture Change in High Intensity Industries with Brandon Evans
    Oct 14 2025
    What if we trained for mental fitness the same way we train for physical fitness?In high-intensity jobs like firefighting, healthcare, and construction, resilience is a survival skill. But the cultural story of “toughness” often silences the very people we count on to save lives.In this powerful episode, I chat with retired firefighter and mental health researcher Brandon Evans, founder of Fire to Light, to explore what it really takes to turn workplace wellness from just awareness into daily action. Using lived experience and global best practices, Brandon helps us rethink what it means to be strong, how to build psychological safety, and why incorporating mental health into our training routine—rather than just reacting to crises—must become standard practice. For more information on this episode go to sallyspencerthomas.com/headspace/77
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    27 min
  • 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
    Oct 8 2025
    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. For more information on this episode go to https://www.sallyspencerthomas.com/headspace/76
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    17 min
  • Lorna Breen’s Legacy: Why Policy Change Saves Lives at Work with Corey Feist

    Lorna Breen’s Legacy: Why Policy Change Saves Lives at Work with Corey Feist
    Sep 23 2025
    When it comes to workplace mental health, culture and self-care matter, but policy is the game-changer. In this episode, I sit down with Corey Feist, a healthcare leader who turned personal tragedy into national reform. After losing his sister-in-law, Dr. Lorna Breen, to suicide, Corey co-founded the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation, leading a movement to remove systemic barriers that keep workers from seeking mental health care.Today, their advocacy has reached more than 1.5 million healthcare workers nationwide, influencing laws, licensing, credentialing, and insurance practices across the country. Corey shares why changing applications and legal protections is a matter of life and death.Policy is prevention. Listen in as Corey Feist makes the case that changing systems saves lives and learn how your organization can take the first step this quarter to remove barriers and protect your workforce. for more information on this episode go to sallyspencerthomas.com/headspace/75
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    16 min
  • What Executives Can Learn from the 12 Steps About Healing, Humility, and Hope at Work with Brad Anderson

    What Executives Can Learn from the 12 Steps About Healing, Humility, and Hope at Work with Brad Anderson
    Sep 16 2025
    In this episode of Headspace for the Workplace, I sit down with Brad Anderson, executive at IMA and proud leader in long-term recovery, to explore how the wisdom of recovery can transform workplace culture.Brad opens up about breaking through bias, navigating the paradox of anonymity, and showing how qualities like humility, accountability, and service to others are just as essential in boardrooms as they are in recovery rooms.The conversation digs into the leadership lessons embedded in the 12-Step model. for more information on this episode go to https://www.sallyspencerthomas.com/headspace/74
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    24 min
  • Going Upstream: What Leaders Can Learn from Proactive Mental Health Promotion with Scott LoMurray

    Going Upstream: What Leaders Can Learn from Proactive Mental Health Promotion with Scott LoMurray
    Sep 2 2025
    Most workplace mental health efforts don’t start until someone is already struggling—crisis lines, EAP referrals, or stress leave. But what if we moved earlier?In this episode of Headspace for the Workplace, Scott LoMurray shares upstream wisdom and shows how these same strategies can transform the workplace. Leaders will learn how to bake strength-building and trust into everyday leadership practices, and why focusing on culture and connection today prevents tomorrow’s burnout, turnover, and disengagement. for more information on this episode go to https://www.sallyspencerthomas.com/headspace/73
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    19 min
  • From Rock Bottom to Rock Solid: Building a Sober, Stronger Workforce with Dave Argus

    From Rock Bottom to Rock Solid: Building a Sober, Stronger Workforce with Dave Argus
    Aug 20 2025
    What if your drug-testing program actually kept more people safe and employed? In this conversation, Dave Argus (Director of Operations, Karas & Karas Glass) shows how his team turned testing into early detection + a bridge to care, and why structured multiple-chance agreements outperform zero-tolerance for real-world safety and retention. In Dave’s words, “We don’t give up on them after they make a mistake — we get them more support.” You’ll hear how workers in recovery proactively request testing to catch slips before they “go over the waterfall,” and how clear guardrails, peer allies, and treatment partners make recovery part of safety, not separate from it. For more information on this episode go to https://www.sallyspencerthomas.com/headspace/72
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    28 min
  • Lost in Translation: Why Mental Health & Safety Resources Must Speak Everyone’s Language with Loretta Mulberry

    Lost in Translation: Why Mental Health & Safety Resources Must Speak Everyone’s Language with Loretta Mulberry
    Aug 12 2025
    What happens when critical safety and mental health information is only in English? Imagine stepping onto a job site where you can’t fully understand your supervisor’s instructions, can’t ask questions without fear of embarrassment, and can’t connect with your coworkers because the language barrier feels like a brick wall. For many Spanish-speaking workers in high-risk industries like construction, this is reality. And the stakes impact mental health, safety, and survival.In the U.S. construction industry—and many other high-risk sectors—Spanish is often the first language for a large part of the workforce. Yet too often, training, safety manuals, and mental health resources are only available in English. The result? A growing number of workers face avoidable risks of injury, fatality, and even suicide. for more information on this episode go to https://www.sallyspencerthomas.com/headspace/71
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    22 min