Rise With Reb
Jo & JJ Go Mental
Jo and J.J. welcome the inspirational Reb, Transformational Life Coach who is the driving force behind the Rise With Reb programs and community. Reb shares how she went from a wheelchair to walking, despite what the doctors said. She, Jo, and J.J. discuss why it’s so hard to let go of old habits, the responsibility we have of sharing our story on social media, the importance of advocating for yourself and doing your own research, and how not to live in a pity fest.
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Carrying Ourselves and Others Through Grief
Jo & JJ Go Mental
Today Jo and J.J. focus on grief, both from the perspective of the griever and from the person trying to comfort others through their grief. They explore the right approach to carrying ourselves and others through grief. Jo also shares an experience about willfulness and effectiveness in DBT and why people really need to learn to let go of the need to be right and just accept what is. They talk about defining values, setting boundaries, and, on a lighter note, why #begrannymolly is Jo’s new life goal.
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Emotional Intelligence: When Is It Real, and When is It Self Serving?
Jo & JJ Go Mental
They’re baaack! Jo and J.J. kick off Season 2 the only way they know how - by spelling out that sometimes we can get this emotional intelligence piece wrong. Many well intentioned leaders approach emotional intelligence as a tick box exercise, merely going through the motions, rather than really understanding the objective. That faux emotional intelligence in corporate societies will likely try to cover up a more self serving agenda.
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Season 1 Recap and Looking Ahead To Season 2
Jo & JJ Go Mental
What a season! As Jo and J.J. wrap up Season 1, they identify a few of the themes that came up with the fantastic array of guests. Between fear, shame, embracing your weirdness and much more, Season 1 was chock full of learning from each other and calling in new perspectives. This week, they highlight a few stand-out moments and give us a sneak peek of what we can look forward to in Season 2.
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We Can Be Different Together: Faith Clarke
Jo & JJ Go Mental
This week, Jo and J.J. welcome Faith Clarke, Organizational Health and Inclusion Specialist who works with value-driven and diverse teams so they can deliver on business and social impact promises at the highest level. Faith is extremely passionate about inclusion for BIPOC and neuro-distinct individuals and advocating for those who “don’t belong”. She discusses the importance of mental health and how her children taught her to focus more on wisdom than having control.
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One foot on the gas, one foot on the brake with Reverend Erika Allison
Jo & JJ Go Mental
Jo and J.J. welcome Reverend Erika Allison, Queer interfaith minister, speaker, author, and spiritual counselor. Rev. Erika talks about her own experience with conversion therapy, and how harmful it can be, causing long-term effects and even high cases of suicide.
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Tax consultants don’t wear pink with Marie Louise Ashworth
Jo & JJ Go Mental
This week, Jo and J.J. are joined by Marie Louise Ashworth, President of The Network, a network of female entrepreneurs and professionals in Luxembourg. The Network is devoted to developing a supportive community of women and helping them build resilience, avoid burnout, and thrive as they meet their personal and professional goals.
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Changing Perceptions of Burnout Through The Generations
Jo & JJ Go Mental
Jo is on her own this week and shares her reflections on how the attitude around burnout has shifted throughout the generations, especially since the pandemic. Jo discusses three perceptions of burnout that she has seen a shift: that if you burnout that means you are broken or weak; that burnout and exhaustion is just a side effect of being busy which is a good thing, and that life is just tough and you should just get on with it and not complain.
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Honoring The Anger
Jo & JJ Go Mental
They discuss why doing the deep work of anger is like wading through that infamous tunnel scene in The Shawshank Redemption, how anger signals that our boundaries are being crossed, and how letting go of anger needs to be a conscious choice. They also talk about how to process anger if you can’t really act on it right then and there, and why women have such a tougher time showing anger in public.
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Letting Go and Learning To Smile With All Four Cheeks - Interview With June Burgess
Jo & JJ Go Mental
This week, Jo and J.J. are joined by June Burgess, Equine Coach, Business Director, and Entrepreneur. She talks about how she began her Equine Assistance Workshops and why working with horses can be so powerful for our mental health. Jo shares her own experience in learning to relax around the horses and how that mirrored so much about business and the need for perfectionism.
info_outlineSo often we hide our differences so we can fit in and belong. For some, doing this at work is extremely difficult or not even an option. This week, Jo and J.J. welcome Faith Clarke, Organizational Health and Inclusion Specialist who works with value-driven and diverse teams so they can deliver on business and social impact promises at the highest level. Faith is extremely passionate about inclusion for BIPOC and neuro-distinct individuals and advocating for those who “don’t belong”. She discusses the importance of mental health and how her children taught her to focus more on wisdom than having control. She talks about how organizations can change one small thing at a time and the importance of listening to the underserved and those having difficulties directly rather than assuming what they need.
Takeaway:
[3:46] Faith talks about the importance of mental health in parenting children with complex needs. She is a mom to autistic children, and it became very clear to her early on that maintaining her own self-care was the only way to nourish herself and her children in the process; staying in fixing mode 24/7 was never going to be sustainable.
[5:29] Faith explains why she refers to her children as neuro distinct rather than neuro-typical. We are all diverse, and it fits better because her children deal with a wide range of distinct experiences including OCD, depression, and characteristics of autism.
[8:42] The more we operate in the illusion that we are in control of everything and everyone, the more suffering we will feel. Faith talks with Jo and J.J. about mining from wisdom rather than the past. As a Caribbean woman, she quite literally has faith that she is able to handle challenging times and has a deep resilience for what life throws at her.
[10:50] Half of the struggle in autism is being in a world not quite meant for you. A large part of Faith’s mission is helping people create an environment that helps those who are neuro-distinct feel as though they can fully contribute in a way that fits for them.
[12:29] The stuffing down of emotions like anger and sadness is often what leads to the messes that need cleaning up and the bigger reactions like anxiety or panic attacks.
[17:24] Why do we have to fight for advocacy in the United States? Jo questions why it isn’t just the case that if someone gets diagnosed, they get the support and information they need without so much red tape and the need to jump over hoop after hoop. Jo’s jaw hits the floor thinking about the challenges built into the United States medical systems (particularly as she comes from a country with a free national health system). Faith explains that the person saying yes is often not the one being affected, and the system is built on a very old and patriarchal one with a lot of conscious and unconscious biases and blind spots.
[28:09] Smart people can self-medicate their anxiety with certainty and control, and when dealing with the neuro-distinct, that can be a recipe for disaster. Instead, we are better off starting from the ground floor to make the workplace more inclusive with recommendations by the people themselves that are affected most day to day.
[28:56] We come up with the right solutions when we ask the right questions to the right people. Faith says we should start with including the people actually at the table and hear what barriers they face in contributing.
[30:12] It may seem too good to be true, but work can actually be restorative and nourishing. It doesn’t have to be soul-draining, and when we build a workflow in a way that works with people instead of against them, we are more effective and productive.
[36:42] There are some key things companies should look for to see if there really are barriers in contribution: are people disengaged, is there too much or not enough conflict? (the point on not enough conflict is an interesting one, as this can often be symptomatic of a team environment that does not allow its members to speak up). Does new talent start strong and then seem to dwindle their light down? Is your leadership flexible or rigid? When people make it to the top, are they able to be more of themselves and lead in their own way, or are they exhausted in a cemented system? More people than ever are opting to leave their jobs instead of settling for what they don’t want, which is arguably why we maintain the same patterns for years and years.
[42:00] We know that diversity creates better opportunity, but we are creating a defense of apathy and productivity in people that would normally be enthusiastic.
[43:08] The pandemic has shown us that we can pivot quickly when it’s important. Faith talks about her vision for the future, where we connect research and speed it up to commit to doing even one small thing at a time right now.
[45:50] If everyone having a voice and ability to contribute is not enough to entice leadership, the money aspect surely will. Money motivates, and if we look at lost income and productivity due to not letting everyone have a seat at the table, we can see just how much is at stake.
Connect With Us:
Joanna Denton | Dr. J.J. Kelly