Melissa Doman

And I was doing a mental health skills workshop for a group of leaders so they could learn how to talk about mental health to their teams.

About halfway through.

And one of the participants said, this information is great, but you haven't asked us how we even feel about doing this.

And we have our own stuff too.

I was mortified.

I couldn't believe that I, as a former therapist, I was part of the problem.

I looked at these leaders.

I was like, oh, they'll be fine.

Of course they can do this.

I didn't even think to consider what this person had shared.

So I was blinded by the sociological assignment of power like anybody else.

So it was that day in 2018 where I was like, oh my God, they're people first and they're leaders second.

Ever since then, and I've done a lot of leadership development, coaching with executives and senior leaders over the years,

I made it my business to make sure that they knew they didn't have to put on the act for me in private because they they so many of them would just come in with, you know, very poised.

And this is what I want to work on.

And very, you know, what we'll say out outwardly, mentally organized.

And there are many, many occasions where I would say, you know, you don't.

You don't have to put on the act here.

We can just be two people talking.

And every time I did that, there was crying.