77. What if work gave more than it took?
Work shouldn’t cost you yourself.
The shit we need to talk about this week: your company would rather fund your therapy than fix your job.
I sat down with leadership coach, culture architect, and people strategist, Shenelle Brooks (she/her), to unpack why workplace wellness programs, self-care initiatives, and mental health resources can only go so far when the systems themselves aren't designed to support people. We talk about burnout, grind culture, psychological safety, leadership, boundaries, communication, and what it actually looks like to create workplaces where humans—not machines—can thrive.
Main takeaways:
Your well-being isn't just an individual responsibility.
Organizations have a responsibility to create environments where people can actually thrive—not just survive. Wellness programs aren't inherently bad, but they become band-aids when the culture, workload, expectations, and systems stay exactly the same.
Addressing symptoms isn't the same as addressing root causes.
Coping skills matter, but they can't solve broken systems on their own. Burnout has become so normalized that many of us assume it's just "part of work." It doesn't have to be.
Psychological safety is more than a buzzword.
People need to genuinely feel safe speaking up, setting boundaries, asking questions, and being honest about what they need. Better communication, trust, transparency, and consistency are some of the biggest opportunities most workplaces are missing.
Our lived experiences and identities don't disappear when we clock in.
They shape how we experience work, leadership, communication, and belonging. We don't need one-size-fits-all solutions because people aren't one-size-fits-all. Human experiences are nuanced, and our workplaces should reflect that.
Change is uncomfortable—for employees and leaders.
Two things can be true at once: individuals have work to do, and organizations do too. Leadership isn't about having all the answers. It's about listening with curiosity, communicating clearly, and creating conditions where people can do their best work.
Start small.
If you're trying to advocate for yourself at work, tiny boundaries practiced consistently can create meaningful change over time. If you're in a leadership position, start by actually listening to your people. Ask how they're doing—and mean it. Get curious about what they need instead of assuming you already know.
Ask yourself: What's the cost?
What's the cost of overworking? Of abandoning your needs? Of staying silent? Of sacrificing yourself for a version of success you may not even want? Work should support your life—not require you to lose yourself in it.
There’s so much to this episode!
My biggest hope from this conversation is that it opens your mind to possibility. Maybe the examples we shared aren't exactly what your situation calls for—and that's okay. The goal isn't to copy someone else's path. It's to start asking different questions, trusting yourself a little more, and remembering that small, intentional changes can build toward something much bigger.
As always, if you leave this episode with more questions than answers, that's not a bad thing. Sometimes that's exactly where meaningful change begins.
Jump in for all the goodness!
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Additional resources from this episode: Get the episode transcript here.
Shenelle B. (she/her) is a leadership coach, culture architect, and people strategist with over a decade of experience helping leaders navigate complexity, change, and care. Founder of B.L.A.Z.E. Careers, she works across corporate and nonprofit spaces to close the gap between intention and impact, translating human behavior into practical leadership decisions. Her work sits at the intersection of emotional intelligence and systems change, grounded in the belief that how we show up internally shapes what we build collectively. Recently named an Outstanding LGBTQ+ Voice by the Philadelphia Business Journal, she holds an MS in Human Resource Management and is pursuing her doctorate in Industrial-Organizational Psychology.
How to connect with Shenelle:
Instagram: @_withshenelle
Website: https://blaze-careers.com/
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