Changing the Narrative: Mental Health Leadership Starts with Us

A Letter from One Mind CEO, Kathy Pike, PhD

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

May is Mental Health Awareness Month – a moment to reflect, recommit, and reimagine how we prioritize mental health in our own lives, in our workplaces, and in our communities. I want to take this opportunity to ask: What can each of us do, right now, to advance and champion mental health?

This is a question of leadership – not only in the formal sense, but in the more expansive, essential sense. Courageous leadership in uncertain times is not just a show of strength. It is, above all, an act of generosity. Most often, we think of courage as a response to danger or fear. But the deeper truth is this: when we lead with vision during periods of disruption and difficulty, we offer a powerful gift to others. We help people recognize uncertainty without being overcome by it. We create space for hope. We model a belief in the possibility of a better future.

Anyone who has spent time working in or around the field of mental health knows that there are still so many challenges. We continue to seek answers to fundamental questions about the origins of mental health conditions. We have effective solutions that remain out of reach for too many due to barriers in scale and access. We have people suffering silently for years and even decades. And far too often, the systems and environments in which we live and work fail to protect and promote our mental health. They are harmful, toxic, or dismissive of our psychological wellbeing. Access to good care remains the holy grail. It is not evenly distributed, and it is not guaranteed.

But while the challenges are real, so too is the potential for meaningful progress.

Leadership in mental health can come from anywhere. You don’t need a title or a corner office to make a difference. Leadership comes from clarity of purpose, a willingness to speak up, and a conviction that change is possible. Yes, those in senior roles have a unique opportunity – and a responsibility – to signal that mental health matters. When they use their influence to champion wellbeing, it serves as a beacon for others across the organization. But meaningful leadership can come from anyone and happens in everyday interactions, in how we support a colleague, design a policy, or choose compassion over judgment.

At One Mind, our recent report from the Mental Health at Work Index offers a clear call to action – and a roadmap. The evidence is compelling: when we lead with a focus on mental health, when we apply sound science and real metrics, we improve not just people’s wellbeing, but also organizational health and performance. I invite you to read the report and allow it to inspire action in your workplace and community.

As the journalist Kate Woodsome recently wrote, “Changing the narrative generally requires rethinking the questions.” (If you haven’t yet subscribed to Kate’s Invisible ThreadsSubstack column, I highly recommend you do – her voice is one of the most thoughtful and essential in the space today.)

In response to Kate’s suggestion to rethink the questions, I find myself reflecting that too often, when we talk about mental health, we frame it through deficit: What’s wrong? And: How can we fix it? These are important questions, but they are not the only ones. What if instead we asked: What’s possible? And: Who cares?

Because it turns out, a lot of us care. And when those who care come together with courage, when we speak up, act boldly, and model what’s possible, the future we yearn for starts to come into focus.

So this Mental Health Awareness Month, I invite you to lead. To care. To ask different questions. To look inward, yes, but also to look outward and see the ways you can be part of building a world where mental health is a universal priority. Whether it’s starting a conversation, championing a new initiative, rethinking workplace culture, or simply showing up for someone who is struggling, your actions matter and you have a chance to lead with mental health in mind.

Thank you for making mental health part of what matters to you. Your leadership, in whatever form it takes, matters deeply. And better is not only possible, it is within reach.

Best,

Kathleen M. Pike, PhD
CEO, One Mind