Tools and Tricks for Neurodivergent Leaders

When it comes to managing our mental health as AI takes over the workplace, there’s a lot on our plate. But in a world that is also driven by systems, it’s important to think about what organizations can be, should be, and are doing to remember worker mental health in the coming years.  To wrap up our month long series on AI, mental health, and work, host Morra Aarons-Mele speaks with Susan Quain, an expert in digital employee experience, about the best ways that leaders and companies can help workers adapt and thrive as AI becomes a more frequent collaborator.  Learn more: Seven ways digital workplace teams support the rollout of generative AI

When it comes to anxiety, the best thing we can do is figure out what is in our control and shift our energy away from the what ifs and the negative thinking. This applies when it comes to anxiety around GenAI taking our jobs as well.  In this episode, Morra Aarons-Mele speaks to two people sharing real tools to navigate today’s work landscape. We hear from author and disruptive leadership expert Charlene Li, who shares the real ways she’s currently using AI, how it can actually make us better workers and leaders, and how to think proactively about this new technology. Then, Morra speaks with Scott Barry Kaufman, psychology professor at Columbia University, about how we can use AI as an opportunity to self-actualize.

Sometimes, you have to look scary change in the eye and approach it with flexibility instead of fear. Dr. Diana Hill is a clinical psychologist and leadership coach who specializes in ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), and we speak to her this week as part of our month-long series on artificial intelligence and work.  GenAI and how it is impacting your job might be stirring up all kinds of emotions for you - including anger - and Hill explains techniques you can use to change your frame of mind and improve your relationship with all this change. We discuss the importance of values when navigating uncertainty and anxiety. More about Diana Hill: https://drdianahill.com/about Our episode on AI and work with Nilay Patel: https://morraam.com/blog/9ojwos1lawqrhhgmcxl87f2343km01

Host Morra Aarons-Mele recently spoke with Rufus Griscom on LinkedIn’s The Next Big Idea to talk about leadership. She speaks about how anxiety is an asset, resource and motivator - if you can learn to harness it the right way. And she offers up practical advice - with help from a pen, a banana, and science-baked research - on how exactly you can do that and take your leadership to the next level.  The Next Big Idea is a weekly series of in-depth interviews with the world’s leading thinkers. Listen to more of The Next Big Idea here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/anxious-achiever-how-you-can-turn-anxiety-into-a-superpower/id1482067226?i=1000666224026

Like anxiety or depression, AI is now a constant companion for millions of people around the world. We might be benefitting from the use of AI at work, but also truly worried about what it means for our future. For the next few weeks, host Morra Aarons-Mele is exploring what AI means for our work and our mental health, from what tech giants are planning to tactics for managing uncertainty to how the best companies are mentally preparing their work force for a new age.  In this episode, she speaks with Editor-in-Chief of The Verge, Nilay Patel, who also hosts The Decoder podcast. Nilay talks about what it is like to run an organization in this time of uncertainty, how the media is or isn’t helping the narrative around AI, what’s going on behind the scenes at tech companies, and what about human creativity truly is at risk in the next few years.

There’s often a direct connection between how much you achieve at work, and how high you climb, and how much passion you have for your work. It’s a huge motivator, but it has a downside for those especially geared towards overachievement: burnout. Jon Jachimowicz is an assistant professor at Harvard Business School and he shares what he’s learned from his study of passion, work, career longevity, and more.  More on Jon’s work: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=1175257

We humans need hope! A lack of hope contributes to much to mental health struggles across the board, and that’s why it’s important to learn more about the science behind hope and how it impacts us. Hope is a skill we can all learn. In this episode, Kathryn Goetzke, founder and chairman at The Shine Hope Company, explains what she’s learned about negative thought patterns, control, depression and more. She also shares her own story of anxiety, PTSD, and addiction and how better understanding hope helps her impact workplaces today.  Check out Snyder’s Hope scale: https://ospi.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/2023-11/hopescale_hys.pdf

We’ve come a long way in the last five years, but there’s so much still to be done when it comes to our working lives and our mental health. In this episode, host Morra Aarons-Mele revisits our very first episode, where she speaks with Scott Stossel. He’s a National Editor of the Atlantic magazine and author of the New York Times Best seller “My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search for Peace of Mind.” He shares his story of anxiety, and why it’s more important now than ever for leaders to recognize and work around the mental health challenges of their teams.  Read Scott’s book: https://www.amazon.com/My-Age-Anxiety-Dread-Search/dp/0307269876

What if all your assumptions about people with neurodivergent conditions… were all wrong? In this episode, host Morra Aarons-Mele speaks to two people living very different lives, but who have a Tourette Syndrome diagnosis in common. First, TV presenter Aidy Smith shares how he became the only person to host a show in the UK who has Tourette Syndrome, and how he overcame obstacles to get there. Then, we’ll hear from Tara Lerman, a listener who reached out to share her own journey in media and advocacy.  Learn more about Aidy Smith: https://www.aidysmith.com/ Why We Need to Change the Conversation Around Tourette’s Syndrome: https://www.madeofmillions.com/articles/why-we-need-to-change-the-conversation-around-tourette-s-syndrome

The news is overwhelming, and thinking about the upcoming election makes many of us anxious. Political veterans know how to get things done in a never-ending 24 hour news cycle, and somehow stay on course when the world is spinning too fast - but it isn’t always easy.  In this episode, host Morra Aarons-Mele speaks with Shaniqua McClendon, Vice President of Politics for the media company Crooked. She talks about her previous roles and experiences, toxic bosses and work environments, and how she tries to maintain some balance in a hectic election cycle.  Check out more of Crooked Media’s podcasts: https://crooked.com/podcasts/ Vote Save America: https://www.votesaveamerica.com/