216: Mental Health at Work with Megan Hammes
The Found Podcast with Molly Knuth
Release Date: 08/20/2025
The Found Podcast with Molly Knuth
Today’s episode feels extra special — because I finally got to sit down in person with someone I’ve admired online for months: Mandy Webber of the Wildly Intentional Podcast. She drove from West Branch, Iowa, to my home office in Cascade, and what started as a podcast interview turned into a three-hour, soul-filling conversation about motherhood, homesteading, family culture, learning (and unlearning), running a business from your values, and choosing a life that’s deeply rooted in intention. We recorded a double-pod, so you’ll hear the Found-side of our interview today, and you can...
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This week on The Found Podcast, we’re continuing our November series on family — and we’re going right into the tender middle: motherhood. Because motherhood changes everything. Your time. Your nervous system. Your calendar. Your priorities. Your sense of self. And if you’re an ambitious woman on top of that? It changes the way you define success, too. In this solo episode, I talk honestly about what it looks like to be a mom who loves her kids deeply and a woman who has dreams, goals, clients, and callings. We’ll name the myths, talk about the invisible labor, and tell the truth...
info_outlineThe Found Podcast with Molly Knuth
Hey listener, welcome back to The Found Podcast with Molly Knuth. November’s theme is family — not just the cute-holiday-card kind, but the real, evolving, sometimes-stretchy relationships that ambitious women have to tend to while they’re also growing businesses, teams, and impact. Today, I’m pulling back the curtain on one of those relationships: my marriage. This is not a “5 steps to a perfect partnership” episode. It’s a real-time reflection from someone who’s been married 16 years, building a business for 9, raising 4 kids, and learning (over and over) how to love a person...
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This week on The Found Podcast, we’re doing something a little different…and a lot more personal. I finally brought my real-life best friends to the mic — right here around my kitchen table — snacks, beers, belly laughs, squeals, and memories included. We’ve been friends for decades — from first kisses to first cars, from weddings to babies, from heartbreaks to hospital rooms. These women are my chosen family. And while this episode may not follow the usual structure… it might be the most heart-expanding one yet. Whether you’ve known your girls for 25 years or 25 days —...
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This week on The Found Podcast, we’re diving into the heart of friendship — the kind that’s rooted in laughter, ritual, and showing up for each other year after year. As ambitious women, it’s easy to let work and responsibilities crowd out connection. But our friendships, the chosen families we build, are what keep us grounded, joyful, and human. In this episode, I’m sharing stories of the traditions that have kept my friendships alive through every season of life, from Christmas candy-making and cookie swaps to spontaneous “meet the baby” dinners and annual scavenger hunts....
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What if the way we move through the world—our energy, awareness, and communication—has the power to shape how others move, too? This week on The Found Podcast, I’m sitting down with Terryn Drieling of The Good Movement Draws Good Movement Podcast to explore what she calls “good movement”—a principle inspired by her life on ranches in the Sandhills of Nebraska and rooted in stockmanship, connection, and emotional awareness. Terryn believes that, just like animals respond to calm, intentional movement, humans thrive when we learn to regulate our energy, validate others, and lead with...
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Friendship as an adult can be complicated — especially when you’re an ambitious woman balancing work, motherhood, and a full life. That’s why this week’s guest, Nina Badzin, has spent over a decade studying, writing about, and talking about what makes friendships work (and why they sometimes don’t). Nina is the host of the Dear Nina podcast, a Top 1% charted show that’s been featured in The Wall Street Journal, TIME, NPR, and The Washington Post. She’s made it her mission to help women rethink how we approach adult friendships with grace, intention, and a healthy dose of realism....
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Okay, real talk: I love my people, but when life gets ambitious, friendship is the first thing that slides off my calendar. Work, kids, and even rest often feel easier to prioritize than grabbing coffee with a friend. But here’s what I’ve learned: friendship isn’t optional — it’s survival. In this episode, I unpack: Why friendship matters for ambitious women (spoiler: it literally improves your health and longevity). My own struggles with friendship guilt when I’ve been “too busy” or spread too thin. The barriers that get in the way of friendships as we move through...
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Whether you’re just starting out or scaling up, there are certain non-negotiables every ambitious woman in business needs to thrive. These are the logistical foundations that prevent burnout and the mindset shifts that help you play the long game. In this solo episode, Molly shares her personal “Must List”—the tools, systems, and beliefs that have helped her grow and sustain a business while chasing big dreams. From financial systems to friendship, pricing to resilience, this episode is equal parts practical and inspiring. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why only 50% of small...
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Mid-September is here. It offers a fresh start, but the final months of the year are looming. That means Q4 energy is buzzing, but so is the pressure. Which got me wondering...How can we as ambitious women stay motivated without burning out or setting ourselves up for disappointment? In this episode of The Found Podcast with Molly Knuth, we dive into the difference between healthy pressure and harmful pressure, how to set meaningful goals, identify non-negotiables, account for seasonal rhythms, and break your work into manageable sprints. I share actionable strategies to celebrate micro-wins,...
info_outlineWhat if we thought about mental health the same way we think about physical health?
That’s the question at the heart of this week’s conversation with Megan Hammes, founder of Hammes Homestead and Consulting, workplace well-being expert, and long-time listener of The Found Podcast.
Megan brings over 20 years of experience in employee health and wellbeing management, and in this episode, she shares her personal journey from being on the team at a large organization to starting her own business after the pandemic. Her story is both deeply personal and highly relevant for ambitious women, entrepreneurs, and leaders navigating how to care for themselves and their teams.
Together we talk about:
✨ The slow, intentional process of leaving a place you love to start something new
✨ Why mental health deserves the same attention as physical health and how to talk about it
✨ The reality that 1 in 5 adults will experience a mental health challenge in any given year, and what that means for the workplace
✨ Why social connections are the most powerful thing you can do for your health
✨ How redefining success and leaning into your strengths can lead to more joy in life and business
This is a conversation for anyone who’s ever felt stretched too thin, wondered how to balance ambition with well-being, or wanted to better support themselves and others at work.
Resources & Links Mentioned:
- 2025 State of Workforce Mental Health Report | Lyra Health
- Robert Waldinger: What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness | TED
- Blue Zones
- Connect with Megan at Hammes Homestead and Consulting
- Follow Megan on LinkedIn
- Connect with Molly on Instagram: @mollyknuth
- Read the blog + full recap: mollyknuthmedia.com/blog