Why Today's Leaders Must Prioritize Mental Health—Theirs And Yours

Forbes

18-05-2025

What should companies do to improve their employees' mental health? And why will that improve their company's productivity? In the U.S., stress-related absenteeism attributed to loneliness costs employers an estimated $154 billion annually. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one-third of adults report feeling lonely.
There is an epidemic of loneliness in the U.S., and lacking connection can increase the risk for premature death to levels comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day, according to a new advisory from the Surgeon General.
Companies Should Help Employees Reduce Stress and Eliminate Burnout
Arianna Huffington, Thrive Global Founder
Thrive Global
Arianna Huffington, Huffington Post co-founder, author of 15 books, on Time magazine's list of the world's 100 most influential people and Forbes Most Powerful Women list, founded Thrive Global in 2016. It helps companies reduce stress and improve productivity through wellness strategies. Its goal is to provide a wake-up call to change the way we work and live.
Arianna says, 'Creating the culture of burnout is opposite to creating a culture of sustainable creativity. This is something that needs to be taught in business schools.' She explains, 'We're working to change the culture of companies and society at large, because we are all facing this delusion that burnout is the price you must pay for success. If you take care of your mind, you take care of the world.'
The Importance of Creating Healthy Boundaries
FinTech growth strategist Samantha Paxson is the founder and lead investor of Power & Light Collaborative. She says the most powerful thing a leader can do today is model "wholeness"— not just performance. 'Workers today are struggling with burnout, navigating complexity, and trying to balance hyper-connectivity with mental well-being."
Samantha explains, " I have learned that healthy boundaries are guardians of our wholeness. Far from being barriers to connection, boundaries enable deeper, more sustainable relationships by clearly communicating our needs and limits.'
Ending the Epidemic of Loneliness
Jessica Zemple is the founder of Life Shucker and producer of Cracked – A short documentary breaking stigmas around mental health. She told me, 'One of the most common challenges leaders bring to me is loneliness. Despite being surrounded by people, many feel deeply isolated. They tell me they can't be vulnerable with their teams, afraid that showing emotion or uncertainty will be seen as weakness. Over time, this disconnect strips away their humanity. They begin to operate more like robots than real people.'
Jessica adds, 'The truth is, leadership doesn't require perfection—it requires connection. And when we create space to lead with both courage and vulnerability, we don't just become better leaders—we become more whole humans.'
Jessica explained, 'We are facing a connection crisis. We are disconnected from nature, each other, and ourselves. How can we truly be happy without connection? Because when we remember how to really connect — we don't just survive…We come alive.'
The Importance of Protecting Your Mental Health
In talks around the country, Jessica tells people, 'Your mental health is the most precious wealth you can have. Protect it like it is. Say no. Set boundaries. Ask for help. Slow down. Reconnect. When we're constantly busy, we end up living life by default —reacting to what comes our way — instead of living by design, guided by intention and meaning. No wonder so many people feel unfulfilled. It is time to slow down to truly hear yourself and go in that direction.'
Best Practices For All Companies
These are some of the solutions for companies to implement that catalysts for change in this arena like Arianna, Samantha, and Jessica find are extremely helpful:
Demonstrate healthy behaviors from the top.
Respect boundaries with no e-mail, slack messages, or texts outside of business hours unless truly urgent.
Take mental health days and talk about it.
Be vulnerable. Without oversharing, speak about your own challenges or growth.
Design for connection by rethinking meetings, team events, and physical space to facilitate authentic connection.
Promote No Meeting Days to give people space to think and to be.
Encourage walking meetings, lunch away from the desk, and taking a real vacation.
Praise presence, not just performance.
Reinforce that asking for help is a strength, as opposed to a weakness.
Lead with humility.
It's important for leadership to demonstrate to others that they value mental health; that they want to create a space where everyone feels safe expressing vulnerability; and that they want their employees to know they are valued. People can be lonely even if they are busy. Secure, confident, respected, appreciated employees are not only happier people, they are also more productive.