The EAPA Podcast

Elite Performance and Mental Health with Former Elite Gymnast Theresa Kulikowski-Gillespie Theresa Kulikowski-Gillespie was an elite gymnast who was an alternate on the 1996 Olympic Team, and went on to have a very successful career competing at the collegiate level. Teresa is a licensed physician assistant and certified mindfulness meditation teacher. She discusses her fascinating journey, the perspective/strength she drew from missing the Olympics by one spot (one spot!), the connection between mental health and elite performance, and her new book, "Beyond the Battlefield: Stories of Tenacity and Mindful Guidance Along the Warrior's Path."

We’re joined by Dan Boissonneault, District 26 Senior EAP Coordinator with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, and the new EAPA President.  Dan discusses his goals as EAPA President, the need to underscore and communicate the body of evidence-based methodologies EAP brings to the workplace, a candid overview of the industry’s key challenges in the years ahead, and the role technology can play as EAPs evolve to meet these challenges.  

We speak with Dr. Kaoru Ichikawa, CEO of Resilie Laboratory Inc., board member of EAPA International, chairperson of EAPA’s Japan Branch and co-editor of the just published EAP Handbook, an EAP “primer” on promoting health and productivity management for Japanese workplaces.  Kaoru is joined by Dr. Mark Attridge, President of Attridge Consulting, the lone non-Japanese contributor to the handbook. We talk about EAP in Japan, EAPA’s online CEAP Credentialing Program for Japanese EAPs, how to measure EAP effectiveness and the future of EAP in Japan.  https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4760821902/

We’re joined by Renee Tajudeen, Director, Policy Communication and Outreach, Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor (ODEP) to discuss the Campaign for Disability Employment, a national public education collaborative that showcases supportive, disability-inclusive workplace policies. We talk about the CDE’s latest public education campaign, “Mental Health at Work: What Can I Do?,” EAPA’s role in helping shape it, and what EAs can do to get involved. 

Dr. Mark Attridge is President of Attridge Consulting, Inc., which focuses on workplace mental health and employee assistance programs. He is also the author of the 2021 Workplace Outcome Suite (WOS) Annual Report, which is based on research spanning 2010-2021.  Mark joins us to discuss the report’s support for EAP’s positive impact on in work presenteeism, hours of missed work, distress over the workplace, employee engagement in their work, and overall life satisfaction (and why improvements in work-related outcomes were consistently obtained across many contexts even during the challenges of delivering counseling during COVID-19). Check it out! 

Tyler Clary is the fourth Olympian in our “elite performance and mental health” series. At the 2012 Summer Olympics Tyler won gold in the 200-meter backstroke, and in his career won sixteen medals in major international competitions. Tyler talks about his mental preparation, the importance of self-belief, his focus on helping his clients achieve financial wellness and its impact on performance, and the need for more elite athletes – and people generally – to have ready access to mental health support and resources.

The vastly accomplished Dr. Ron Goetzel is Senior Scientist and Director of the Institute for Health and Productivity Studies (IHPS) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Ron discusses his research and public health work in both the business and academic worlds, and his various projects and initiatives, including: the Health Project (which gives out the highly selective C. Everett Koop Award), NIOSH and the Carolyn C. Mattingly Award for Mental Health in the Workplace. He also shares his insights on the key role EAPs play in promoting positive workplace outcomes. 

The EAPA team joins us to discuss all the exciting initiatives on tap for 2022 - we'd like to give you a sneak preview, but you'll just have to listen! A special shout-out to all of our members for your support through a challenging year. On behalf of all of us at EAPA, here's to a happy, healthy, safe  and mindful new year!

We're joined by Sean O’Neill, an Olympic athlete with over 40 years of experience at the international level in the sport of table tennis. He discusses what it takes to be an Olympic-level player, table tennis as a vehicle to promote relationships, and the connection between elite performance and mental health. Bonus chat that explodes the long-held myth that ping pong=table tennis. 

A conversation with Adriana DiNenno, Product Manager, for Infor People Solutions, providers of cloud-based HR talent products, and the company’s Wellbeing Co-Chair, which focuses on all dimensions of an employee’s wellbeing - mental, physical, financial, etc. - to create a safe environment at work and an inclusive, positive culture. Bonus chat on Broadway Musicals with a mental health theme.