Morra Aarons-Mele on rethinking our relationship with success

Your Team Doesn't Need a Boss, They Need a Human with Selena RezvaniIn this episode of The WorkWell Podcast™, Jen Fisher speaks with Selena Rezvani, Wall Street Journal bestselling author and Forbes-named premier expert on standing up for yourself at work. Selena returns to the podcast to discuss her latest book, "Quick Leadership: Build Trust, Navigate Change, and Cultivate Unstoppable Teams." Drawing from her personal experience losing her workaholic father at age 13 and years of coaching leaders behind closed doors, Selena shares practical, actionable strategies for becoming the kind of leader people want to follow—without sacrificing your humanity or health.Episode Highlights:The shocking statistic: Your manager influences your mental health on par with your spouse—more than your doctor or therapist (UKG research)Trust killers in leadership: Why over-promising on small things destroys credibility and what "being impeccable with your word" really meansThe "Shit Umbrella" concept: How great leaders shield their teams from chaos, unrealistic pressure, and distractions from aboveUrgency culture: How to recognize when anxiety is being passed like a baton and why marking emails as "urgent" is eroding workplace trustThe difference between boss and leader: Why giving away power creates unstoppable teams instead of diminishing your authority"Ask three before you answer": A practical technique to build autonomy and critical thinking in your team membersRe-engaging disengaged employees: Why viewing lost spark as temporary (not permanent) changes everythingQuotable Moments:"People don't want this stoic pillar of a leader—they want a human." - Selena Rezvani"Your questions are expected, not tolerated." - Selena RezvaniResources:Book: "Quick Leadership: Build Trust, Navigate Change, and Cultivate Unstoppable Teams" by Selena Rezvani

Why Nobody Talks About Being a Caregiver at Work (& What It's Costing Us) with Jennifer LevinIn this deeply personal episode of The WorkWell Podcast™, Jen Fisher speaks with Jennifer Levin, television writer, journalist, and founder of Caregiver Collective, about her powerful book "Generation Care: The New Culture of Caregiving." While we're in meetings and hitting deadlines, millions of workers are simultaneously managing something most colleagues know nothing about—caring for aging or chronically ill family members. Jennifer became a caregiver at 32 when her father was diagnosed with a rare degenerative illness, and what she discovered changed everything about how we should think about work, support, and what it means to show up.Episode Highlights:What makes millennial and Gen X caregiving different—and why "you don't have other responsibilities" is a dangerous assumptionWhy most young caregivers don't identify as caregivers—and what that silence costs themThe role reversal nobody prepares you for: becoming your parent's parentWhy our culture doesn't value family care as strong social capital—and the discrimination that followsThe real cost to companies: employees leaving not because they want to, but because unpaid leave forces impossible choicesSigns a team member might be struggling with caregiving (even if they haven't said anything)Ambiguous loss: grieving the person who's still here and the life you thought you'd haveWhy guilt is the one word every caregiver mentions, no matter what aspect of care they're discussingHow to create a culture of care awareness without requiring people to sacrifice their careersThe "waiting for the other shoe to drop" reality—and why caregiving emergencies don't follow a scheduleQuotable Moments:"People will question your decisions all the time when you're a caregiver. But the person you're caring for wouldn't want you to give up on yourself either." - Jennifer LevinResources:This episode of The WorkWell Podcast™ is made possible by Lyra Health, a premier global workforce mental health solution. Learn more at Lyrahealth.com/workwell.Jennifer's Book: "Generation Care: The New Culture of Caregiving" by Jennifer LevinJoin the Caregiver Collective: A national online support group for caregivers who feel younger than expected in this role

In this episode of The WorkWell Podcast™, Jen Fisher speaks with Zach Mercurio, author of "The Power of Mattering: How Leaders Can Create a Culture of Significance." Despite billions invested in engagement programs and wellbeing initiatives, employees are more disengaged than ever—and the problem isn't what most leaders think. This conversation reveals why mattering can't be addressed through programs and perks, and what leaders must do differently at the interaction level to help people feel truly seen, valued, and significant.Episode Highlights:Why engagement is at its lowest point in a decade despite $2 billion invested in programsThe difference between mattering, belonging, and inclusion—and why mattering is what's missingHow we've lost the skills to care for each other after 25 years of digital communicationThe "sprinkler issues" that silently kill motivation and create learned helplessnessWhy high performers and frontline workers are most at risk of feeling invisibleThe three practices that help people feel significant: noticing, affirming, and showing they're neededWhy you can't give effective feedback to someone who doesn't first feel that they matter to youHow showing others they matter actually regenerates your own sense of significanceQuotable Moment"You don't show people that they matter in spite of their low performance. You show people that they matter so that you can regenerate their energy and confidence to perform well." - Zach MercurioLyra Lens:Sarah Haggerty, Clinical Psychologist and Neuroscientist at Lyra Health, explores the practical skills managers need to notice when someone's struggling and how to check in appropriately. She also breaks down the concept of "10% more depth" in workplace relationships.Resources:This episode of The WorkWell Podcast™ is made possible by Lyra Health, a premier global workforce mental health solution. Learn more at Lyrahealth.com/workwell.

In this episode of The WorkWell Podcast™, Jen Fisher speaks with Mita Mallick, leadership expert and author of "The Devil Emails at Midnight: What Good Leaders Can Learn from Bad Bosses." Mita shares powerful stories from her own experiences with toxic leadership and reveals how she learned to recognize—and address—her own bad boss behaviors.Episode Highlights:The origin story behind the provocative title and how a flooded childhood home led to discovering a "burn book" of bad bosses13 types of toxic bosses including "The Sheriff" who refused to learn her name and renamed her "Mohammed," and "Medusa" who ruled through fear and public humiliationThe three moments when bad boss behavior emerges: external marketplace stress, absorbing behaviors from your own bad boss, and personal life catastrophesWhy bad bosses aren't born, they're made and how grief, trauma, and unprocessed emotions show up in leadershipThe midnight email phenomenon and why normalizing around-the-clock work expectations is unsustainable and counterproductiveHow fear-based leadership drives short-term results but destroys long-term productivity through turnover, disengagement, and organizational damageThe shame and power dynamics that keep people trapped in toxic workplace relationshipsSelf-reflection strategies for recognizing your own bad boss behaviors including career journaling and asking for coaching (not feedback)The importance of vulnerability in leadership and creating psychological safety for teams to discuss grief, personal struggles, and workplace challengesQuotable Moments:"Names were given to us by someone who had big hopes and dreams for us. Let that sit in. That's who someone named you. And so think about the promise of what your life is to be. And someone can't respect you by saying your name correctly." - Mita Mallick"Your culture becomes defined by the worst behavior you tolerate." - Mita MallickResources:Book: Order "The Devil Emails at Midnight: What Good Leaders Can Learn from Bad Bosses" by Mita MallickAvailable at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and local independent bookstores

In this episode of The WorkWell Podcast™, Jen Fisher and special co-host Dr. Joe Grasso from Lyra Health speak with Dr. Marc Brackett, founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and Professor in the Child Study Center at Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Brackett's bestselling book "Permission to Feel" has revolutionized how we think about emotions in schools and workplaces, and his new book "Dealing With Feeling" challenges us to stop running from our emotional lives and start actually living them.Episode Highlights:Why there's no such thing as a "bad emotion" and how all feelings are simply dataThe difference between being an "emotion scientist" versus an "emotion judge"How toxic masculinity teaches men to disconnect from their emotions, perpetuating cycles of loneliness and isolationWhy "being emotional" doesn't mean you're weak—it means you're humanThe Meta Moment: A four-step process for healthy emotion regulation in high-pressure situationsHow to have difficult conversations at work without avoiding or attackingWhy bringing your whole self to work includes bringing your emotionsPractical strategies for managers to create emotionally intelligent team culturesThe importance of checking in with your emotions before they leak into unrelated situationsQuotable Moments:"Emotional intelligence... is not emotional reactivity. Emotions are on a continuum. There's a little bit of anger, which is annoyance, and there's a lot of anger, which is enraged." - Dr. Marc Brackett"Just because you're feeling strong emotions doesn't mean you're not capable. Doesn't mean you're not strong. Life is about emotions." - Dr. Marc BrackettResources:Free app: "How We Feel" (available on iOS and Android) - A mood tracking tool developed by Dr. Brackett to help build emotional vocabularyThis episode of The WorkWell Podcast™ is made possible by Lyra Health, a premier global workforce mental health solution. Learn more at Lyrahealth.com/workwell.

In this eye-opening episode of The WorkWell Podcast™, Jen Fisher sits down with researcher Tamara Myles, who studied over 2,000 workers across 25 industries and discovered this: your job doesn't actually suck—you just haven't unlocked its potential yet.Forget "follow your passion." Tamara reveals the real science behind work that matters, including why a hairstylist who sees herself as a "day maker" literally saved a client's life, and how a simple 40-second interaction can transform your entire workplace experience. Whether you're flipping burgers or running boardrooms, this conversation will change how you think about Monday mornings forever.Episode Highlights:Debunking meaningful work myths: Why it's less about what you do and more about how you experience what you doThe crucial difference between purpose and meaning: Why mission-driven nonprofits still struggle with burnoutThe Three C's framework: Community, Contribution, and Challenge as the building blocks of meaningful workThe 40-second connection rule: How micro-moments build workplace belongingThe power of recognition: Why one weekly "thank you" cuts burnout and disengagement in halfOn stage, backstage, and after the show: A framework for meaningful appreciationThe goldfish principle: Why humans are "indeterminate growers" shaped by their environmentBurnout vs. bore-out: The surprising ways people disengage from workQuotable Moment:"Meaningful work is less about what you do and more about how you experience what you do—and every job can, and should be meaningful." - Tamara Myles 

Meet Your Mind’s Dysfunctional Family (And How to Make peace with Them) with Britt FrankIn this episode of The WorkWell Podcast™, Jen Fisher speaks with Britt Frank, licensed neuropsychotherapist, keynote speaker, and author of "The Science of Stuck: Breaking Through Inertia to Find Your Path Forward" and "Align Your Mind: Tame Your Inner Critic and Make Peace with Your Shadow Using the Power of Parts Work." Britt's research-based approach combines neuroscience, trauma therapy, and humor to help people understand why they do what they do—and more importantly, how to change it.Episode Highlights:The difference between "gas pedal stuckness" (workaholism/burnout) and "brake pedal stuckness" (procrastination)How anxiety functions as your mind's "check engine light" signaling underlying problemsWhy there's no such thing as self-sabotage—and what's really happening insteadUnderstanding "parts work" and how your mind contains multiple inner voices and charactersHow to transform your inner critic from enemy to ally through dialogue, not silenceWhy asking "why" keeps you stuck while asking "how" and "what" creates momentumPractical strategies for leaders to recognize which "parts" of their team members are activatedThe difference between professional success and professional fulfillmentHow to shift from reactive parts brain to your "inner CEO" in workplace situations Quotable Moment:"All behaviors, even suboptimal ones, even bad ones, are doing a job and they're serving a function." - Britt FrankLyra Lens:In this segment, Dr. Joe Grasso, VP of Workforce Transformation at Lyra Health, explores how high achievers with their "foot always on the gas" can create (and reveal) systemic organizational problems. He discusses values-based working, moving from blame to curiosity when addressing performance issues, and how managers can shift from treating individual behavior problems to addressing systemic workplace challenges. Resources:This episode of The WorkWell Podcast™ is made possible by Lyra Health, a premier global workforce mental health solution. Learn more at Lyrahealth.com/workwell. 

Mind the (Future) Gap: Preparing for What's Next in Mental Health Special Live Episode from Lyra Breakthrough 2025In this special live episode of The WorkWell Podcast™, recorded at the Lyra Breakthrough Conference, Jen Fisher hosts a dynamic panel discussion exploring how AI, shifting demographics, and evolving expectations are reshaping mental health support in the workplace.Panel Experts:Dr. Tom Insel - Former Director of the National Institute of Mental Health and visionary behind the bold statement that "AI is to mental health what DNA was to cancer"Briana Duffy - Market President at Carelon Behavioral Health, witnessing mental health become a mainstream conversation across generationsDr. Alethea Varra - Senior Vice President of Clinical Care at Lyra Health, pioneering the integration of technology and clinical excellence in modern mental healthcare deliveryEpisode Highlights:Why AI represents a transformational force in mental healthcare, offering precision in diagnosis and treatment like never beforeThe critical difference between AI as a "GPS system" versus autonomous "Waymo" therapy - and why we're not ready for the latterHow predictive algorithms can identify individuals at risk for self-harm up to five months in advanceThe challenge of responsible AI implementation: why human oversight is essential to prevent dangerous "drift" in AI responsesYoung people now listing "been in therapy" as a requirement on dating profiles - and what this means for workplace expectationsWhy 70% of students prefer community-based care over traditional one-on-one therapyThe generational divide: younger workers prioritizing mental health support versus older workers' "tough it out" mentality - and how to leverage both perspectivesThe shift from "mental health" to "mental fitness" - expanding the conversation beyond crisis care to preventative wellnessValue-based care revolution: paying for outcomes and results rather than time spentReal ROI data: 30% reduction in overall healthcare spend for engaged members in sophisticated care programsQuotable Moments:"AI is like the number one use of therapy. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I put this into a timeline where I think about how we did navigation... we had these paper maps to go on a trip, and now we use GPS. The question is, are we ready for Waymo?" - Dr. Tom Insel"My job as a therapist so very often is to sit down with a human in front of me and to tell them something that is actually not going to make them happy. Generative AI tends to drift, and we've seen examples of that." - Dr. Alethea Varra"If this (therapy requirements in dating apps) is the new mainstream norm in the dating world... it's not going to look materially different in the workplace." - Briana DuffyResources:This special live episode of The WorkWell Podcast™ is made possible by Lyra Health, a premier global workforce mental health solution trusted by leading companies like Starbucks, Morgan Stanley, Lululemon, and Zoom. Lyra provides personalized care to over 17 million people with fast access to evidence-based providers and tools that deliver proven results.Learn more at Lyrahealth.com/workwell. 

The TikTok-ification of Self-Care (And How to Fix It) with Dr. Pooja LakshminIn this episode of The WorkWell Podcast™, Jen Fisher speaks with Dr. Pooja Lakshmin, psychiatrist, mental health advocate, and author of "Real Self Care." Together they unpack the commercialization of wellness and explore why so many women feel caught between achieving everything and finding time for authentic self-care. They navigate the complexities of caregiving, adult friendships, and finding hope in challenging times.Episode Highlights:The four principles of real self-care: boundaries, compassion, values, and powerWhy the "pause" is the true boundary - not simply saying noThe invisible burden of elder caregiving and why it's so difficult to discuss at workHow to maintain meaningful adult friendships when life gets overwhelmingUnderstanding hope as an active practice rather than wishful thinkingThe importance of finding small moments of joy and connection in daily lifeQuotable Moment:"Real self-care is an internal process. Boundaries, compassion, values, and power - those four internal principles, that's the work of real self-care. And then once you've done that, then you go to yoga, then you do your meditation. But if you're not using those internal principles and not doing that internal work first, then the external tools will be empty." - Dr. Pooja LakshminLyra Lens:In this edition, Dr. Kendall Browne, Clinical Psychologist and Director at Lyra Health, unpacks the concept of "the pause" that Dr. Lakshmin identified as crucial for boundary-setting. She explains that while pausing seems simple, implementing it proves challenging—especially for women who feel pressure to respond instantly. Dr. Browne offers practical strategies for habitualizing this pause and distinguishes between different boundary types: porous (saying yes too often), inflexible (saying no reflexively), and purposefully permeable (thoughtful decisions about when to engage).Resources:This episode of The WorkWell Podcast™ is made possible by Lyra Health, a premier global workforce mental health solution. Learn more at Lyrahealth.com/workwell.

That Difficult Coworker is Just a Character in Your Success Story with Tessa WestIn this episode of The WorkWell Podcast™, Jen Fisher speaks with Dr. Tessa West, Professor of Psychology at New York University and author of "Jerks at Work: Toxic Coworkers and What to Do About Them" and "Job Therapy: A Psychologist's Guide to Finding Your Most Fulfilling Job Yet." Her research reveals surprising patterns about difficult workplace relationships and career satisfaction.Episode Highlights:The five types of workplace jerks: Kiss Up/Kick Downers, Credit Stealers, Free Riders, Bulldozers, and GaslightersWhy gaslighters are the most psychologically damaging but also the rarest type of workplace jerkHow to strategically document and address problematic workplace behavior without making it personalWhy confronting office jerks alone is often the biggest mistake people makeThe surprising truth about "toxic rockstars" and whether you really have to put up with themThe five sources of career frustration: identity crisis, drifted apart, stretched too thin, runner-up, and underappreciated starWhy "follow your passion" is terrible career advice and what to focus on insteadHow to use the Working Week Audit to identify your true workplace stressorsA fresh perspective on work-life balance as psychological integration rather than time managementQuotable Moment:"We all are jerks. When we're tired, when we're stressed, when we're overwhelmed, we probably all got to know this person pretty well during the pandemic. Learn to identify what your inner jerk is and start looking for those red flags, and you'll be a better person for it." - Tessa WestLyra Lens:In this edition, Keren Wasserman, Senior Manager of Organizational Development at Lyra Health, explores how workplace jerks thrive by manipulating systems - and how understanding those systems is key to overcoming them. She highlights that when we take back our power through actions like building connections and amplifying other voices, "we not only shift the power dynamics, but also improve the quality of the work itself." Keren also connects Tessa's job-person fit framework with burnout research, offering a workplace version of the Serenity Prayer to help us recognize "our needs and what we can change about our environment.Resources:This episode of The WorkWell Podcast™ is made possible by Lyra Health, a premier global workforce mental health solution. Learn more at Lyrahealth.com/workwell.