Managing Anxiety When Passion Drives Your Work with Poppy Jaman, OBE

Mentally healthy workplaces require a culture where employees can bring their whole selves to work without fear of stigma or shame. Leaders foster this environment by prioritizing compassion over empathy, specifically by integrating human-centered check-ins like "How are you?" into routine management. Poppy Jaman, former CEO of Mental Health First Aid England, highlights that mission-driven work often masks personal struggles, necessitating clear boundaries between professional identity and private life. Effective self-care involves maintaining a "well-being toolkit"—a personalized list of stress signatures and restorative activities—to navigate periods of depression or anxiety. By normalizing mental health conversations and recognizing physical symptoms of burnout, organizations can move beyond performative support to create sustainable, supportive professional cultures that value human connection.