Ep. 1 - Bipolar Disorder | Rob Stephenson

This episode dives into something all us seem to want to know, but most of us are reluctant to ask for help with: how to be a good boss. What does it mean to be a good manager? How are we meant to navigate something that is rarely (usually never) explicitly taught to us? I asked one of the best manager-leaders I know, my friend Adam Waters, of British Forces Broadcasting Service, to help explain what it takes be a good boss, what we should avoid, and how we can lean into the human qualities that help us and our teams thrive.  (I apologize for the audio in this episode; I was in a very echo-y WeWork in Oregon the day we recorded.)

In this episode, Ari helps us understand what it's like for her and others to work with ADHD, the challenges it entails, and the huge skill set and gifts that also come along with her diagnosis. We talk about the difference between ADD and ADHD, the differences in the ADHD brain, why those with ADHD make such great entrepreneurs, and what managers can do to support people with attention deficit disorders in their organization. 

In this episode, Gareth Davies and I do a deep-dive in the topic of failure with Shervin Talieh, the Founder and CEO of PartnerHero. In addition to his vast experience in business and tech, Shervin has undertaken tremendous work on personal growth, mental health, and values-based leadership. We explore the experience of professional failure, the fetishizing of failure, the ability to re-think our beliefs about success and failure, and emotions that come up around failure. Shervin also shares the mental health issues that can often be connected to the experience of failing.  Shervin is the host of the "On Misogyny" & co-host of "What Am I Missing?" podcasts.

In this episode, Concinnity Partner Samantha Collins and I discuss personal and professional growth, and the tension that sometimes arises when our individual growth doesn't align with or isn't supported by our workplace. With nearly two decades of consulting experience, Samantha has witnessed how organizations either empower employees to thrive and succeed or fail to support and encourage the development of their workforce, and offers powerful advice for leaders looking to inspire change within their company. 

In this episode, Drew, Gareth, and I discuss what it's like to be let go. We get into what happened after Drew lost his job in his twenties, took time back at his parents' house to regroup, and how he coped with figuring out what came next. We explore the emotional toll of losing a job, what it looks like to identify and engage with a new career, and what happens in between while you wait for your next opportunity. Drew also offers us lots of insight into the expectations, held both by those close to him and himself, about how we navigate our career - and what it looks like to embrace humility, start over, and define a life path that feels aligned with your gifts and interests.  Drew is the director of Lights and Years, a NY-based video production agency, and can be reached at [email protected]. https://www.lightsandyears.com/ https://drewenglish.com/

Mack spent years working at some of the top tech companies, until one day he decided, for a variety of reasons, he needed to step away for the sake of his mental health. In this episode, Mack and I discuss what led him to leave is role, depression, COVID, and the importance of prioritizing your wellbeing and happiness. (We also nerd out a little on vanlife.) 

Rob Stephenson is a father, husband, founder and CEO, speaker, traveller, DJ - and he also suffers from Bipolar Disorder. In this episode, Rob and I discuss the process of arriving at his diagnosis, the challenges of bipolar on his work and personal life, and the organization and product he's created to empower others to track and manage their emotions.  https://inside-out.org/ https://www.formscore.today/

No matter what kind of work we do, emotions play a big part in our experience. In this podcast, I'll be joined by a different guest with a unique experience every week, where we'll discuss the intersection of emotions and work. Sometimes we'll talk about a specific mental health condition, and how that impacts life and work, and sometimes we'll look at emerging themes or issues when it comes to how companies support employees in the workplace. I hope you enjoy the podcast.