When our workplace is mentally strong, research show that there is:

What we've found in the year since we launched the book:

The book has generated an interest in recreating what Liv and Jane have developed in their weekly meetings Fridays at 5. We started a series of Fridays at 5 in Colorado Springs and found that what makes this beneficial is creating a place of confidence and psychological safety, which means it might be a group of women in the workplace, across the city, or virtually around the world who share the same context. Let's call it F5 for brevity. As we started hosting them around the city, highilghting a different woman-owned business each time, the attendance dropped off and this is why: we are not going to talk about our monkeys in front of strangers. The beautiful thing about trial and failure is that NOTHING is a failure (good lesson in life), only a learning opportunity. Here's what we're doing instead. A Fridays at 5 Toolkit.

My vision is to see women connect in cities around the world in a safe place to be honest with each other. But, you ask, how do I find my people? I'll share with you a few things that are working:

• We are launching the book in different markets to elevate the conversation and debunk the stigma about mental health at work. Really most mental healthy issues are basic human issues. Launching the conversation is one way to introduce like-minded people.

• Female CEOs are hosting intimate conversations in their homes or dinners in a private dining room where we can share the strategies that are working for us and talking honestly about the issues we haven't solved yet. Just talking about the monkeys out loud will remove their power over us because we learn that we're not alone. The resulting conversation catalyzes great personal and professional connections.

• Women are forming these catalyst conversations by leadership level (aka. founder/CEO, middle manager, etc.) and by industry (aka. corporate women, entrepreneurs, financial industry, male saturated industries, STEM, etc.).

One way I've been bringing women together is through the podcast. Right now the Crazy, as Usual, Podcast is highlighting the stories of female CEOs who have managed the monkeys and build successful sustainable businesses. Here's more on the podcast:

Fridays at 5 Launch Events

Community Forums on Mental Health at Work