Why Supporting Mental Health Is the New Leadership Superpower : a Talk with Nisi Bennett
Episode 14
Is your company doing enough to support workplace mental health?
If you're an HR leader or business owner, you’ve likely struggled with how to recognize burnout, support employees without crossing boundaries, and build a culture that truly values mental well-being.
In episode 14 of The People Success Circle, we’re joined by nurse and mental health advocate Nisi Bennett for a powerful conversation on why workplace mental health is the new leadership superpower.
You'll learn how mental health impacts productivity, what signs to watch for, and how to build a supportive culture from the ground up.
🎧 Tune in or read on for actionable tips and takeaways.
In Episode 14 of The People Success Circle, I sit down with Nisi Bennett—nurse, speaker, and workplace mental health expert—to explore what it truly means to prioritize well-being at work:
How workplace mental health became Nisi Bennett’s focus after nearly 20 years in nursing and public health
The biggest challenges companies face when trying to support employee well-being—and why “checking the box” isn’t enough
Signs of burnout and declining mental health at work that every leader should know
Why belonging, empathy, and psychological safety are essential for workplace culture
How HR teams can build thoughtful, proactive policies to support employees before discipline is ever needed
Tips for making your EAP and mental health resources more visible, accessible, and actually used
Insightful strategies job seekers can use to protect their mental health during long or uncertain job searches
🎧 Tune in or read on for insights that can help your whole team thrive.
🔗 Helpful Links
🌐 Mindy’s website for business consulting: https://www.limerockcareerco.com
🎧 Listen to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts
Episode 14: Watch or Listen
Key Takeaways From My Conversation With Nisi Bennett
Belonging Is the Foundation of Workplace Mental Health
When employees don’t feel like they belong, their well-being and performance suffer. You don’t need a big budget or extensive training to foster belonging—just a willingness to pause, ask questions, and lead with empathy. This is something every leader can begin doing today.
Recognizing Burnout Requires Paying Attention to the Shift
Burnout doesn't usually happen all at once—it starts with distraction, moves into disruption, and can end in crisis if not addressed. Nisi shared the signs to watch for, like presenteeism, absenteeism, and changes in behavior or physical health. The key is to look for what's different from an employee’s normal.
Prevention and Advocacy Should Come Before Discipline
Before jumping to write-ups or performance improvement plans, ask: Is something else going on here? Building a culture of soft advocacy—where mental health resources are visible and accessible—helps us support people before issues become performance problems. Policy should support this mindset.
Make EAPs and Mental Health Resources Visible and Trusted
If your employees don’t know how to access your mental health resources, they won’t use them. And if they don’t trust them, they’ll avoid them. Don’t just mention your EAP during onboarding—keep it front and center in your culture. Consider simple tools like business cards, posters, or digital reminders.
Cross-Functional Support Builds a Resilient Culture
Your mental health strategy shouldn't live in HR alone. Legal, marketing, finance, and leadership all play a role in responding well when challenges arise. When everyone is aligned, you can act quickly, compassionately, and responsibly.
Leaders Must Model Boundaries and Vulnerability
Creating a psychologically safe workplace starts with us. Modeling healthy boundaries—like not replying to emails after hours—and being open about our own limits encourages our teams to do the same. It’s not weakness; it’s leadership.
People First, Profits Follow
If you’re struggling to get leadership buy-in, here’s what I remind my clients: when the people side of the business isn’t working, everything suffers. Sales, service, retention, culture—it’s all connected. When you invest in your people, you build the foundation for long-term success. And it all starts with seeing what’s really going on behind the curtain.
🎧 Want the full story, examples, and action steps?
Listen to the full episode of The People Success Circle for more insights on building a thriving culture that drives results.
Read the full transcript
Mindy:
Love it, love it. The first time I did an interview on here, I forgot to plug in my microphone. That was good. Oh my gosh, yes. And I was so lucky that the guy I was interviewing is one of my favorite clients, and he was like, "It's fine. No worries."
So Nisi, thank you so much for joining us on this episode of The People Success Circle.
Nisi:
Thank you for having me. I'm excited to get some information out about mental health at work.
Mindy:
It's such an important topic, and I'm really glad that you took the time to be with us today because I feel like it's something that leaders everywhere are wondering about. I know this episode is going to help answer some questions. So let's start out—I would love it if you can share a bit about your background and what led you to focus on mental health in the workplace.
Nisi:
Yeah, absolutely. I've been a nurse for almost 20 years now, and I actually started off more in emergency management. Then I kind of shifted a little bit into public health. But the common denominator was everyone's mental health and well-being. If they were not okay mentally, they were not compliant patients. They weren’t taking their medication or things of that nature. That’s when I realized there was a huge gap in understanding and recognizing those signs and symptoms early. That’s what led me to become such a mental health advocate.
Mindy:
It's such important work, and I love being able to see the work you're doing and learn from it personally as an HR leader.
Workplace mental health has become a hot topic and a big challenge to companies in recent years. In your experience, what do you feel are some of the biggest challenges that companies and employees face with regard to mental well-being at work?
Nisi:
Yeah, I think probably the first challenge is understanding the difference between a cultural change and just checking a box. Sometimes we get initiatives put on us at our places of employment, but we don’t really have the means to make a cultural shift. So it feels difficult or performative.
There’s still stigma around mental health. People come from different backgrounds and experiences, and they bring their own beliefs about mental health to work. So do we talk about it? Does it make me seem like I’m not a good employee? Does it make me feel weak? Those are real biases.
For management, I think the issue is a lack of proper training. You can’t learn what you need from a slide deck. Mandatory training doesn’t work in this space. And there’s often a disconnect between truly understanding belonging and how that relates to mental health. When people don’t feel like they belong, their mental health suffers and their work production goes down.
Then there’s the issue of privacy and knowing when to step in. If a team member is going through something, at what point do I speak up as a peer? As a supervisor? These complexities are often put on one group of people to figure out—and that’s not their job.
Mindy:
Absolutely. I don’t think most people who go into management or leadership think about the mental health and well-being of their employees first. I think they care and want to be strong leaders, but there's always that line: Where do I get involved and where do I not? I love that you were talking about how it starts with belonging because that’s something all leaders can focus on.
Nisi:
Absolutely. Belonging doesn’t take special training. It just takes the opportunity to pause and be empathetic toward the people you work with.
Mindy:
Empathy is such an important first step. So I want to ask you this a little differently—what do you think is the biggest challenge employees are facing right now with regard to mental health at work?
Nisi:
Employees are showing up already exhausted from their personal lives. For some folks, work used to be a little bit of an escape. I could come in and be a version of myself that was different from home—maybe more productive, maybe more assertive. But now people are just exhausted from everything going on in their lives. They come into work already defeated.
And if there's not a culture of acceptance or understanding, they don’t feel like they can be themselves. They end up masking—putting on a version of themselves that isn’t their best. And it shows up in their performance.
Employee engagement is key, and it’s at an all-time low. That’s because people are carrying the weight of both personal and professional challenges.
Mindy:
So what are some early warning signs that employees or leaders should watch for when it comes to declining mental health or workplace burnout?
Nisi:
We always tell people to focus on three stages: early signs, worsening symptoms, and crisis.
In the early stage, people are distracted. They can still get their work done, but maybe they’re a little slower, the quality isn’t quite as high, or they’re just on time when they used to be early. A good example is when you have an argument with someone in the morning and you spend the whole day marinating in that conversation. You’re still functional, but it’s sitting with you.
Next is worsening signs—this is where you start to see disruption. For managers, this might look like presenteeism. I’m showing up, but I’m not really here. I’m doing the bare minimum. That’s when it starts to affect the team. If you’re late on your report, now I’m late on mine.
The final stage is crisis. This is when someone needs immediate support—maybe even law enforcement or a local mental health authority.
So the rule of thumb is: look for a shift. What’s different from someone’s usual behavior? Are they late when they used to be early? Are they not coming in at all? Are they suddenly talking about headaches or stomach problems? Mental health shows up in physical ways if it’s not addressed.
Mindy:
Those are very clear, and I think that’s really helpful. At what point should a leader initiate a conversation when they start to see these signs?
Nisi:
The biggest thing we can do is operate from prevention and soft advocacy. Before an employee even starts, we should already have information about mental health awareness and resources posted everywhere—break rooms, email signatures, anywhere visible. If an employee has to go looking for the resource, we haven’t done our job.
Once you start seeing signs, you need a policy in place that outlines what happens next. For example, instead of going straight to a performance improvement plan (PIP), consider an advocacy conversation first. What else might be going on? Are they missing tools for success? Are they neurodivergent and need accommodations?
So I always say: Prevention, then advocacy, then policy and procedure. Policy helps everyone—it proves that you’ve done everything reasonable to support the employee before moving to discipline.
Mindy:
I love that you talked about the policy piece. A lot of companies don’t even think to include this in their handbook. So what would that look like if a company wanted to update their employee manual?
Nisi:
We always start with a cultural assessment. Do your employees trust HR? Do they trust management? Or do they already feel like any slip-up will lead to punishment?
Once you have that assessment, don’t make excuses. From there, build in stages: prevention, advocacy, and then policy.
Advocacy policies could include updating emergency contacts—not just who they are, but when to contact them. If someone is having a mental health crisis, and their partner is the source of stress, maybe that’s not the person to call.
Also ask questions like: How do you work best? How do you respond to feedback? Some people need time to process internally; others are ready to act immediately. Those answers can shape how managers support their teams.
When it comes to discipline, look at it through a lens of inclusion. Yes, people are hired to do a job. But we want to avoid punishing someone for not being well in a moment. What boundaries can we set instead?
Mindy:
That makes so much sense. And it’s such a good reminder that our approach can be tailored to the person. I had never thought about the emergency contact issue in that way—such an eye-opener.
A lot of workplaces offer EAPs and wellness initiatives, but engagement is low. What are some ways companies can encourage employees to actually use these resources? Or are there better alternatives?
Nisi:
A lot of times, managers and HR have never used the EAP themselves—so they don’t know what the experience is like.
The first thing I recommend is: Use the tools yourself. Know what’s private, what’s not, what the process feels like. People worry: Who will know? Will this come back to my employer?
Next, make it visible all the time. Your EAP rep should be sending you regular updates and materials. Use them! Don’t just mention EAPs at onboarding. Put up posters, pass out wallet cards, even suggest saving a photo of the EAP info to your phone.
And don’t overlook local mental health authorities. Every county or region has one, and they offer services like telehealth, in-person counseling, and community support. These are often more trusted, especially in professions like law enforcement where privacy is a concern.
Mindy:
Yes! In one company I worked with, we handed out EAP info on business cards so employees could keep it in their wallets. That kind of accessibility really matters. And you’re right—people often don’t know everything their EAP offers.
So how can leaders create an environment where employees feel comfortable talking about mental health or serious life issues without fear of stigma or consequences?
Nisi:
Model vulnerability. Be human.
That could look like having healthy boundaries—thanking someone for an after-hours email but letting them know you'll respond in the morning because work-life balance matters.
Let your team know they won’t be penalized for being honest. That builds confidence on both sides.
We also offer mental health first aid training—it’s a one-day course that teaches leaders how to identify signs and symptoms and respond appropriately. It gives you a method, not just vague guidance. And it applies at work, at home, anywhere.
Lastly, don’t be the only resource. Your team should know there are other people and places they can turn to for support.
Mindy:
I love that. It's so important. One of the questions I get asked a lot by companies is: how often should we update our employee manual? Most are outdated, and this sounds like something we should absolutely include—how we handle employees experiencing mental health challenges. So let me ask this for myself too—are there policy examples available that support everything you're sharing?
Nisi:
Yes, absolutely. You can even use AI to get started if you’re a smaller company without much bandwidth. I always suggest starting with a template or example—pull from another organization if needed. In our trainings and in our Holistic Leadership Academy, we provide templates for this kind of thing.
Get the best version you can, then bring in your HR, legal, and even marketing teams. Sometimes when something happens to an employee, you want to make sure your PR approach is thoughtful too. Those departments—HR, legal, marketing, finance—they all need to understand the policy and their role.
This shouldn’t be a set-it-and-forget-it document. Think of your mental health policy like a dashboard. You should be checking in on it regularly—like during leadership meetings, ask: “Are there any mental health challenges we need to be aware of or support someone through?” That opens the door to real advocacy.
When we train leaders, we ask: if an employee is diagnosed with breast cancer, how would your team respond? People say they’d bring food, help with transportation, cover their work. Then we ask, what if the person is facing a mental health crisis instead? Most teams realize they’d respond very differently—or not at all.
That’s where design and communication matter. We need to support all health—physical and mental—and help leaders identify what kind of support and boundaries are appropriate.
Mindy:
Such a good point. And I love the idea of asking in a leadership meeting if there are any mental health concerns we should be aware of—it normalizes the conversation.
So for businesses just starting to think about mental health initiatives, what’s the most impactful way for them to start?
Nisi:
Start with mental health training. Mental health first aid is a great general training, but there are more specific ones too. Some companies call us when something serious happens—like a suicide or emergency detention at work. But ideally, this happens before a crisis.
Awareness training sets clear boundaries. HR is not there to counsel or diagnose. Training helps them recognize signs, listen nonjudgmentally, and connect someone to appropriate support. It prevents that awkward water cooler conversation where people are guessing what to do.
Next, train your leadership team on how to build policies and contingency plans. What happens if someone needs time off? What if a team member is struggling and you need coverage?
A good starting point is a cultural assessment—what do your employees currently believe or feel about mental health at work? This is similar to a feasibility study in the nonprofit world. It tells you where your gaps are and whether you're ready for new initiatives like DEI, wellness programs, or corporate mental health strategy.
And don’t forget to review your existing policies. Do they even mention mental health? Most don’t. We tend to show more compassion for visible health challenges than for invisible ones. That has to change.
Mindy:
In your experience, how does mental health impact productivity and retention?
Nisi:
It has a huge impact. When people feel safe, valued, and supported, they show up differently. You’ll see more loyalty and stronger performance. They're not just checking a box—they're invested.
There’s also improved cognitive function. When someone is stressed, they’re in survival mode. There’s no room for creativity or innovation. Mental well-being changes that.
You’ll also see lower healthcare costs. People will call in sick for mental health challenges—but they’ll still show up if they have the flu. It’s about perceived legitimacy. That has to shift.
And finally, you build a strong employer brand. People talk. If your company takes care of its people, word spreads. That helps you keep great talent and attract more of it.
Mindy:
I love that you brought up employer brand. It’s something I talk about a lot with my clients. A strong employer brand can help you re-recruit the team you already have and also attract top candidates. People want to work somewhere that genuinely values their well-being.
Nisi:
Absolutely. That’s why we always say: bring everyone to the table. HR, legal, marketing, finance. At some point, mental health touches all of those departments. If you’re aligned ahead of time, you’re prepared when something happens.
Mindy:
Yes. That cross-functional support is so important—and honestly, it's rare in the companies I’ve worked with. But it’s such a good best practice.
So for the professionals out there in all industries who are experiencing stress and anxiety at work, what are some simple, actionable strategies they can use to protect their mental well-being?
Nisi:
First, have a real self-care plan. Not just “I survived the week, so I’m getting a glass of wine.” That’s coping, not care.
True self-care is about pouring into yourself: rest, movement, nutrition, and social connection. Even taking five extra minutes in your car to listen to a song or talk to a friend can be powerful.
Next, set boundaries—but make them about you. Don’t say “Don’t email me after 6 PM.” Say, “I don’t check email after 6.” Boundaries are about your own behavior, not controlling others.
Also, try mindfulness. Deep breathing, pausing before a meeting—these small things make a big difference. There’s a study that shows people often crave cigarettes not for nicotine, but because of the deep breaths they take while smoking. That pause is what helps regulate their stress.
Mindy:
That is so interesting! And so true—just pausing and breathing can be a form of mindfulness. We actually had Marcy Westcott on the show recently, and she gave some great advice about mindfulness at work. I’ll link that episode in the show notes for anyone who wants to listen.
Now Nisi, you know that I also help job seekers and teach them the skills to stand out and get hired. One thing I see all the time is that when people don’t know how to navigate the job search, it affects their mental health in a big way. So I have to ask—what advice do you have for job seekers when it comes to protecting their mental well-being?
Nisi:
The first step is to identify your coping skills. A lot of us use habits like shopping, eating, or drinking to cope. But those aren’t sustainable.
Ask yourself: How do I respond when things don’t go my way? If you don’t recognize your patterns, you can spiral and not even realize it.
Job hunting has changed. It’s not just “apply and wait.” You need support. Don’t do it alone. Isolation is one of the top indicators of mental health decline. The opposite is social connection—even if that means finding someone to partner with in the job search.
And honestly, if your coping habit is something like shopping or dining out, redirect that spending to invest in a coach or support group. You’ll get more value in the long run.
Mindy:
That’s exactly why I’m launching a group career coaching program. I’ve seen how much it helps people to know they’re not alone. It also makes coaching more affordable when we can do it in a group setting. And truthfully, the mental health piece is a huge reason I’m doing it—because job searching can be so isolating and discouraging.
In the U.S., it can take five to seven months to find a job. That’s a long time to live with uncertainty.
Nisi:
Absolutely. And just remember—it is your right to be in an environment that supports who you are as a whole person. You are already enough. You don’t earn your worth through productivity. You walk in worthy.
Mindy:
Thank you so much for being here, Nisi.
Nisi:
Thank you for having me. Bye!
