Writing + Mental Health | One Year Later
When I got back from my #sabbatical in September 2023, one of my mentors (of more than twenty-five years) said to me over a mound of excellent Arkansas barbeque, “None of us are worried about you Heather, we are simply grabbing some popcorn and sitting back to see what you do next.”
To be clear, I was worried about me.
His words soothed my nerves.
I left Norway with a pretty good idea about what four areas I wanted to focus on professionally going forward, but my knees were knocking (and continue to knock).
One of those areas is writing, and I have to say the biggest thank you to Arkansas Business Publishing Group. They made me a published author for the first time back on November 28, 2011, when they published an essay in Soiree that I wrote about CALS Library. I nearly died that day from pure joy.
One year ago, nearly twelve years to the day from my first, they published me again with an essay from the book I have been writing off and on now for over a dozen years.
My journey in therapy years ago is an essential part of my book (a whole chapter) and my personal story. Therapy is something that I continue to be surprised by how surprised others are by my transparency in talking about it. I say that to say that I am proud of the essay chosen from that chapter and humbled beyond words that ABPG included it in their special publication, Executive Mental Health.
My hope then and now is that it is a conversation starter in offices, coffee shops, and beyond. I hope it makes someone feel seen. I hope it gives someone the courage to reach out for help, make an appointment, etc.
…and on this, the first anniversary of that publication, I am thrilled to announce a new event at Arkansas State University - Catalyst | NEA Leadership & Economic Development Forum. The inaugural event will be on Thursday, January 9th, and I hope you will click the link and learn more. The entire event and panels are so important, but one is especially important to my heart—the one on wellness, mental health, and leadership. I will moderate this panel with a slate of panelists I admire and respect, and I have hand-selected them for their essential voices on these topics. More and more, we see companies and their leaders embrace the need to prioritize mental health and wellness. When I first started talking about it back in 2016, I could not have imagined I would be writing publicly about my own journey or moderating a panel like this.
The times are changing, and so are we.
Learn more at the links embedded above throughout the essay.
