Evolving Minds

Yesterday I shared how Amy Eslava from New Futures talked about how 'barriers broke loose' when she connected with her team beyond titles. In our interview, she also shared something powerful about her personal transformation: "I was never one to discuss emotional feelings, especially in the workplace. But after learning Connected Cultures, after participating, now I'm ready for it. I regularly have a genuine interest in it. I feel joy. It's a big shift I never felt that I needed. That right there was a wide opener for me that we're having this new shift of thinking. But it was also empowering to know of a space in the workplace that allows you to be vulnerable. I had the background of working before New Futures in a toxic work environment. I was still ingrained in that setting. But knowing different tools, such as the Mindful Pause, purposely having the moment to have a connected space, to get to know fellow co-workers, that has allowed me to not only take advantage of that at New Futures, but also being mindful in my personal life, my daily life. If I need to ground myself, Mindful Pause has been my number one. It lets me see things in a different light. Not everything has to be rushed. Take a pause and if a connection is there, definitely make an effort to make a connection worthwhile." Next week I'll be sharing the final two insights from my interview with Jamila Williams, wrapping up our Connected Cultures interview series with New Futures team members!

Over 600 people have registered for my upcoming webinar, where I'll be breaking down Dr. Vivek Murthy's Surgeon General Framework for workplace mental health and well-being. Since its release in 2022, I've shared this framework with thousands of workers across America, from Hawaii to Texas to Washington D.C., and one pattern has emerged: Most people have never heard of it. I'll never forget walking into a bakery and asking the team of bakers, "What is organizational culture?" Someone twice my age looked at me and said, "I've never heard that term before." While we've made incredible progress raising mental health awareness over the past two decades, we're like a baby taking its first steps when it comes to workplace mental health. But what I've found is that when people learn the essentials of this framework (connection and community, work-life harmony, mattering at work, protection from harm, and opportunities for growth), it's the humanity within it that resonates most. Join me and Niche Academy on Wednesday, November 5th at 2pm EST to learn how you can create a healthier, more connected workplace using the framework. Register for free here: https://lnkd.in/eaPaCg6X Spread the word! P.S. I keep it engaging with Mentimeter, and you'll learn one of my favorite mindfulness stress-reduction skills that I practice weekly!

Earlier this week, I shared Jamila's reflection about creating space for authentic leadership. In our interview, she also offered this insight about what builds lasting trust in uncertain times: "We're building trust. Trust can be built in a number of different ways, but I think this program specifically has allowed us to dig a little bit deeper beyond our titles. It helped to shift and remove some of the hierarchies that exist in organizations to see each other as human beings first versus our titles first. And in a world of chaos, it has also created some sense of peace, knowing that the people that I'm being grouped with during a Connected Cultures session are also feeling anxiety about political issues. It has been really nice for our staff, our frontline staff, specifically, to hear from our leaders that, 'Hey, we're in this together. We're also just as scared and nervous about what's going to happen next.' I think we kind of put on this face that things are going to be okay, or that we're trying to keep calm, cool and collected, when inside, we're feeling all the jitters and anxiety. So it's nice to have space where we can say, 'Hey, me too. I'm in this with you.'” This concludes our Connected Cultures interview series with New Futures team members. I want to give a big shoutout to Ramiro F., Amy Eslava, and Jamila for their vulnerability and for sharing their powerful insights about building a people-first work culture!

Yesterday I shared how Ramiro F. from New Futures talked about getting uncomfortable to build authentic relationships with teammates. In our interview, he also shared this insight about what it takes to sustain community building in the workplace: "It's an investment in the long run, being able to have these conversations. It's an investment in the longevity of our culture and how we can all support each other. Doing things like the Connection Circles, when we passed around the ball and we had a Connection Question, people were inspired by other people's answers. It was one of those situations where, 'they're opening up a bit more. Let me do the same.' You know?" Next week I'll be sharing insights from my interview with Amy Eslava, another team member at New Futures!

Connecting the Dots: Building a Logic Model for Connected Cultures Earlier this year, Evolving Minds unveiled a comprehensive logic model for our signature workplace mental health program, Connected Cultures. Join Emily Meeks, evaluation consultant, and Anthony Sartori, Executive Director and Founder of Evolving Minds, for a behind-the-scenes conversation exploring what logic models are, why they matter, and how we built one to drive clarity, alignment, and impact for Connected Cultures. Whether you're new to logic models or looking to refine your own, this LinkedIn Live session offers practical insights and lessons learned from our journey.

This week I'm featuring insights from my interview with Amy Eslava, also from New Futures. When we talked about leadership and connection, she shared this powerful reflection: "Definitely allowed us to be open and connected. Without Connected Cultures, I probably would have never talked to staff the way I had to sit down with them after a Connected Cultures debrief. Some staff were intimidated to speak to me, or they didn't know how to approach me because of my title, but after a Connected Cultures debrief, we were able to find common ground, and all barriers broke loose. That has definitely allowed empathy, a lot of trust came through it, but just feeling more connected and recognizing we're all human." Tomorrow I'll share another insight from my interview with Amy about her personal transformation!