Headspace for the Workplace with Dr. Sally: Helping Leaders Build Human-Centered Workplaces Podcast By Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas cover art

Headspace for the Workplace with Dr. Sally: Helping Leaders Build Human-Centered Workplaces

Headspace for the Workplace with Dr. Sally: Helping Leaders Build Human-Centered Workplaces

By: Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas
Listen for free

Headspace for the Workplace – A Podcast on How to Cultivate a Vibrant and Psychologically Safe and Healthy Workforce with your host Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas

In our brain-based economy, we depend on fully engaged, mentally healthy teams. Organizations that have figured this out not only have a competitive advantage, they are awesome places to work. Take a listen to the lessons learned and actionable take-aways to promote mental health and wellbeing and support people through tough times – at work.Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas Economics Hygiene & Healthy Living Psychology Psychology & Mental Health
Episodes
  • From Pain to Purpose: How Workplaces Can Support Post-Traumatic Growth with AnneMoss Rogers

    From Pain to Purpose: How Workplaces Can Support Post-Traumatic Growth with AnneMoss Rogers
    Apr 14 2026
    In this episode of Headspace for the Workplace, I am joined by Anne Moss Rogers - a nationally recognized suicide prevention advocate, keynote speaker, and brain tumor survivor who has channeled the devastating loss of her son Charles into a powerful career helping others heal. Charles died by suicide in 2015 at age 20 after struggling with depression, anxiety, and heroin addiction.Together, AnneMoss and I explore one of the most complex and hopeful concepts in mental health: post-traumatic growth. Unlike resilience (returning to baseline), post-traumatic growth describes the positive psychological changes that can emerge after profound trauma. It is not automatic. It requires intention, support, and the courage to move through a painful, messy process.The conversation is honest, warm, and deeply practical. We both speak from lived experience as suicide loss survivors who turned grief into purpose, and we challenge workplace leaders to see profound loss not as a productivity problem, but as a human opportunity for deeper connection, loyalty, and culture-building.For more information on this episode go to https://www.sallyspencerthomas.com/headspace/92
    Show more Show less
    28 mins
  • Connection Beats Complexity: How Caring Contacts Save Lives at Work with Cheri Skelding

    Connection Beats Complexity: How Caring Contacts Save Lives at Work with Cheri Skelding
    Apr 7 2026
    In this episode of Headspace for the Workplace, I sit down with Cheri Skelding, Clinical Director of Rocky Mountain Crisis Partners, to explore one of the most evidence-backed and underused tools in suicide prevention: caring contacts.Caring contacts are brief, non-demanding outreach moments, such as a text, a voicemail, or a handwritten note, that communicate to someone: “I see you. I’m here. You matter.” Simple as they sound, they carry decades of rigorous research behind them, including randomized controlled trials showing they reduce suicide risk by more than two times for people leaving psychiatric hospitalization.The conversation spans upstream prevention (building belonging before crisis hits), midstream support (reaching out during difficult transitions), and downstream follow-up (what workplaces can do after a mental health emergency). Cheri and I make the case that the most powerful thing an organization can do may not be an expensive program or an elaborate protocol. It may be a two-sentence text message sent at the right moment. For mre information on this episode go to https://www.sallyspencerthomas.com/headspace/91
    Show more Show less
    28 mins
  • Creating a Tipping Point for Change in Workplace Mental Health and the Manager Multiplier Effect with Laura Putnam

    Creating a Tipping Point for Change in Workplace Mental Health and the Manager Multiplier Effect with Laura Putnam
    Mar 19 2026
    In this episode of Headspace for the Workplace, I sit down with workplace wellbeing expert Laura Putnam to explore one of the most overlooked drivers of mental health at work: managers.We move beyond traditional mental health approaches—like EAPs and awareness training—and focus on what actually shifts culture: how leaders show up every day. Laura shares why workplace wellbeing is less about fixing individuals and more about improving “the water” employees are swimming in.Together, we unpack two powerful and practical strategies leaders can implement immediately:
    • Creating a “safe harbor” within teams
    • Understanding how leadership style directly impacts mental wellbeing
    This conversation is essential for leaders, HR professionals, and organizations committed to building psychologically safe, high-performing workplaces. For more information in this episode go to https://www.sallyspencerthomas.com/headspace/90
    Show more Show less
    21 mins
No reviews yet