Episode Summary
This Mental Health Awareness Month, listen in for a heartfelt conversation between host Meg McKeen and guest Marissa Rutkowski as they talk about creating space for mental health discussions in the workplace, how it feels - literally - to consciously blur the line between “work” and “life,” and boundaries. Can we even have a conversation on this podcast without talking about ‘em?
If you or someone you know are struggling or in crisis, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org to reach the resources available by SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
meet Marissa rutkowski, cic, crm
Marissa is an accomplished relationship manager, blending skills acquired across 25 years in the Chicago insurance market and 10+ years insurance technology product management. A connector who works in the spaces between disparate teams, Marissa is a Certified Mental Health First Aider with deep interest in reducing stigma of mental and physical disabilities, through open dialogue and community safe spaces.
Connect with Marissa on LinkedIn here.
noteworthy quotes
“I said this in my head – this is who I am today. I can do my work competently. I can do my work with tears on my face. But this is who I am today. And I opened the door and walked in the building and went to my desk and people saw me and some people asked if I was okay. And I said yes I am. And that for me was a revelatory moment because it was hard to put a boundary around the personal and the professional. And I decided in that moment it was okay to let them bleed together.” [8:46-9:20]
“It's okay to detach and it's okay to unplug. That's a hard lesson to learn. And I think it's really important for people to do that. And I think we're hard on ourselves on either side of the equation, we judge ourselves, because I’m not paying enough attention here and enough attention there. So I think that trying to just set boundaries is the most important thing. And it really is a learned skill. It's something that people have to practice.” [10:10-10:40]
“They were just telling us a story about their lives, and they just wanted people to hear it. And it's just turned into such a fulfilling thing to be able to be present, and have people let you moderate their conversation. Like thank you, you're here moderating my story, I have found out doing that a couple of times, it's such a gift. It's such a gift to just hear people talk about their lives. And that's been really, it's just been very fulfilling.” [25:38-26:16]
“I truly believe that people rise to the level of expectation that you set for them. And if you expect them to act like adults, they're gonna act like adults.” [28:43-28:51]
Links & resources mentioned in this episode
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