Andy Mauer on Bridging the Gap Between Mental Health and Business

Converge: The Business of Creativity Podcast with Dane Sanders

Your Story

Each of us has a story to share that starts at birth and goes into this very moment. Both consciously and unconsciously, we push parts of our stories aside. We do this because we find them either uncomfortable, painful, or so overwhelming that we cannot deal with them in that moment. Andy’s background in trauma and abuse helps him to help people understand why their trauma is causing this push. People are often afraid of looking back simply because they are scared of what they will find. Pouring into and being excited about work is a vulnerable process when trauma is present within our lives, and that is something Andy has researched and studied.

Psychological Safety

Psychological safety is when team members feel safe to take risks and to be vulnerable with one another. This doesn’t mean that the workplace needs to be nice, but instead it means being willing to take risks with a sense of curiosity and empathy rather than judgement. Without that feeling of safety, there is less openness in the workplace impeding open development. The workplace is not set up to fully deal with people’s emotional issues, but there are some ways that a business can be more effective in facilitating a community that respects mental health. One way is through developing a culture that recognizes that healthy people produce healthy companies. Businesses need to pour into both the emotional and mental healthy of employees to help employees perform to the best of their abilities.

Trauma

When trauma presents itself, disconnection from ourselves, others, and our work can occur. Andy touches on why this is important to note and how it can impede our progress in business. When we have unresolved trauma our ability to communicate what we think and feel is greatly limited. Then, when we do experience emotions we do not want to feel, it can be easy to push them down. The problem with that is it turns to burnout which turns to depression. Unresolved trauma can cause the part of our brain that deals with making choices, balancing emotions, being focused, and communication to deactivate. When this occurs, we cannot perform well in business.

In the Workplace

Not all business fosters an environment that values mental health, and so one question discussed is "What do you do in a culture that does not support you?". One thing that Andy suggest is acknowledging that you are not an asset to be leveraged and your worth is not in how you perform. Practicing mindfulness is about observing your emotions and observing your depression, anxiety, and when you are critical of yourself. This can be difficult in a toxic work environment. If you are interested in more tips and tricks for guidance on these stations, reach out to Andy Mauer.

Timeline

[03:32] Background of Andy and how he transitioned his business out of a clinical setting.
[05:10] Charity Mauer and he experiences in the business field.
[06:32] The larger the gap between personal brand and mental health, the more people will lose time with themselves. When that time is lost, people start to develop rates of depression, anxiety, and burnout.
[06:44] The high need for a polished image in this business.
[07:00] The fear that drives creatives causes them to be constantly be running towards or away from from something.
[08:05] 95% of our behavior is subconscious. Why does this matter?
[08:33] Your story is a combination of thoughts, memories, feelings, and relationships from birth to now.
[10:38] Psychological safety in the workplace.
[11:20] What is the number one thing that drives success in teams in business?
[12:51] Active disengagement.
[13:18] Why do people find themselves at work and anting to do a good job yet disengaged?
[13:55] External factors vs internal factors in engagement.
[15:11] Why people are afraid to make progress in business.
[16:14] Trauma is about disconnection from ourselves, others, and our work.
[16:27] “Trauma is an event or series of events that happen to use that we perceive as emotionally or physically harmful.”
[19:37] The outcome of pushing emotions down.
[20:32] How does trauma impact our performance or productivity?
[21:26] Unresolved trauma can limit our ability to communicate what we think and feel.
[22:25] As a business owner, why does my mental health and the mental health of my employees matter?
[25:47] Separating your sense of worth from your productivity.
[26:58] Practicing mindfulness.
[27:43] Importance of being with a company that supports where you want to be emotionally.