The EAPA Podcast

Elite Performance and Mental Health with Former Elite Gymnast Theresa Kulikowski-Gillespie Theresa Kulikowski-Gillespie was an elite gymnast who was an alternate on the 1996 Olympic Team, and went on to have a very successful career competing at the collegiate level. Teresa is a licensed physician assistant and certified mindfulness meditation teacher. She discusses her fascinating journey, the perspective/strength she drew from missing the Olympics by one spot (one spot!), the connection between mental health and elite performance, and her new book, "Beyond the Battlefield: Stories of Tenacity and Mindful Guidance Along the Warrior's Path."

We're joined by Dan Boissonneault, District 26 Senior EAP Coordinator with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, and the new EAPA President.  Dan discusses his goals as EAPA President, the need to underscore and communicate the body of evidence-based methodologies EAP brings to the workplace, a candid overview of the industry's key challenges in the years ahead, and the role technology can play as EAPs evolve to meet these challenges.  

We speak with Dr. Kaoru Ichikawa, CEO of Resilie Laboratory Inc., board member of EAPA International, chairperson of EAPA's Japan Branch and co-editor of the just published EAP Handbook, an EAP “primer” on promoting health and productivity management for Japanese workplaces.  Kaoru is joined by Dr. Mark Attridge, President of Attridge Consulting, the lone non-Japanese contributor to the handbook. We talk about EAP in Japan, EAPA's online CEAP Credentialing Program for Japanese EAPs, how to measure EAP effectiveness and the future of EAP in Japan.  https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4760821902/

We're joined by Renee Tajudeen, Director, Policy Communication and Outreach, Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor (ODEP) to discuss the Campaign for Disability Employment, a national public education collaborative that showcases supportive, disability-inclusive workplace policies. We talk about the CDE's latest public education campaign, “Mental Health at Work: What Can I Do?,” EAPA's role in helping shape it, and what EAs can do to get involved. 

Dr. Mark Attridge is President of Attridge Consulting, Inc., which focuses on workplace mental health and employee assistance programs. He is also the author of the 2021 Workplace Outcome Suite (WOS) Annual Report, which is based on research spanning 2010-2021.  Mark joins us to discuss the report's support for EAP's positive impact on in work presenteeism, hours of missed work, distress over the workplace, employee engagement in their work, and overall life satisfaction (and why improvements in work-related outcomes were consistently obtained across many contexts even during the challenges of delivering counseling during COVID-19). Check it out! 

Tyler Clary is the fourth Olympian in our “elite performance and mental health” series. At the 2012 Summer Olympics Tyler won gold in the 200-meter backstroke, and in his career won sixteen medals in major international competitions. Tyler talks about his mental preparation, the importance of self-belief, his focus on helping his clients achieve financial wellness and its impact on performance, and the need for more elite athletes – and people generally – to have ready access to mental health support and resources.

The vastly accomplished Dr. Ron Goetzel is Senior Scientist and Director of the Institute for Health and Productivity Studies (IHPS) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Ron discusses his research and public health work in both the business and academic worlds, and his various projects and initiatives, including: the Health Project (which gives out the highly selective C. Everett Koop Award), NIOSH and the Carolyn C. Mattingly Award for Mental Health in the Workplace. He also shares his insights on the key role EAPs play in promoting positive workplace outcomes. 

The EAPA team joins us to discuss all the exciting initiatives on tap for 2022 - we'd like to give you a sneak preview, but you'll just have to listen! A special shout-out to all of our members for your support through a challenging year. On behalf of all of us at EAPA, here's to a happy, healthy, safe  and mindful new year!

We're joined by Sean O'Neill, an Olympic athlete with over 40 years of experience at the international level in the sport of table tennis. He discusses what it takes to be an Olympic-level player, table tennis as a vehicle to promote relationships, and the connection between elite performance and mental health. Bonus chat that explodes the long-held myth that ping pong=table tennis. 

A conversation with Adriana DiNenno, Product Manager, for Infor People Solutions, providers of cloud-based HR talent products, and the company's Wellbeing Co-Chair, which focuses on all dimensions of an employee's wellbeing - mental, physical, financial, etc. - to create a safe environment at work and an inclusive, positive culture. Bonus chat on Broadway Musicals with a mental health theme. 

Dr. Deryk Van Brunt, a professor at UC Berkeley's School of Public Health and CEO of Credible Mind, the one-stop-shop for personalized mental wellbeing apps, whose mission is to help everyone optimize their mental and spiritual health. Their AI-based platform is an “evidence-based gateway” to thousands of mental health and well-being apps, enabling employers, EAPs and users to identify which ones meet specific needs. We discuss how EAPs can partner with Credible Minds to cost-effectively address mental well-being issues while facilitating a handoff to employee assistance professionals. For more, visit https://crediblemind.com/

Tracee Talavera, a member of the silver medal-winning American team at the 1984 Olympics, and a member of the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame, on the day-to-day life of an elite gymnast, what it takes from a mental health standpoint to perform at the highest levels with everything on the line, why elite sports organizations need to lower the stigma around mental health and the progress we're making.  

Dr. Ian Quamina, Chair of the Employee Assistance Certification Commission (EACC), and head of clinical services for Families in Action, providers of EAP services across the Caribbean, discusses the new CEAP© Certification Course, an exciting development for people in the field, people just getting into the field and for businesses looking for real workforce management solutions at a time of dramatic change. For more, visit https://zurl.co/DPxm.

We kick off our Elite Performance and Mental Health series with the remarkable Nancy Hogshead-Makar, née Nancy Lynn Hogshead, an American swimmer who won three gold medals and one silver medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics. Nancy discusses the mental preparation required to compete at the highest levels, coming out the other side of a traumatic experience, her advocacy work as CEO of Champion Women, and how the societal stigma that has long surrounded mental health is being systematically eroded as more of today's most celebrated athletes come forward to share their personal struggles.     

Kathleen Greer, founder of KGA, a nationally recognized leader in the field of Employee Assistance and Work-Life Programs, on the ways in which COVID drove her company to innovate, the 2-3 most important developments in EAP over just the past 10 years, the biggest challenges facing the field, her work with an angel investment group supporting women entrepreneurs, and highlights from a distinguished career stretching back to 1982. 

Joseph Boyle, an Employee Assistance Consultant with over thirty-five years of experience in the service and delivery of EAP, mental health, and chemical health services, gives new meaning to “multicultural,” having provided EAP support across corporate, public sector, military, and union cultures (his near-native fluency in Spanish is due to happily “marrying into” Latino culture). He discusses EAP's often-overlooked management consulting role, his embrace of technology, and the relative efficacy of internal, external, and hybrid EAPs. 

Traversing the globe (conversationally) with Edinburgh-based Buon, Tony Buon, a workplace psychologist, mediator, coach, speaker, author, and managing partner of the Buon Consultancy, who has worked with many of the world's leading organizations in over 30 countries - including starting China's first EAP. 

A conversation with Tamara Cagney, one of the nation's most respected employee assistance professionals, on her work with Sandia National Laboratories, a safety-sensitive, heavily regulated environment. We also discuss her work as a Clinical Consultant for the Teamsters' Assistance Program,  EAPA's DOT SAP Program, and the “perception gap” re the risks associated with CBD/cannabis use in the workforce. 

Greg DeLapp on EAP and the Employee Assistance Professionals Association based on his 40+ years in the field: how EAP has adapted during the pandemic to improve service delivery, utilization and outcomes…how EAPs around the world responded to COVID… lessons learned from and the innovations driven by the pandemic…and what's in store for those attending – or thinking about attending - the 2021 EAPA Institute & EXPO in Houston September 24-26!

John Pompe, the Global Manager of EAP and Employee Health Programs for Caterpillar, discusses the evolution of EAP during his nearly two decades with the iconic company, the benefits of internal vs. external EAP, how the pandemic affected their operations in 64 countries, and what needs to be done to change the way purchasers value EAP.

Rachel Kaufmann, a counselor with Beacon Health Options, has over 20 years of experience working in EAP in various settings and joins us to discuss her work supporting active military and their families: the particular challenges, the increase in EAP acceptance across all services, and the deep rewards of her work.

Dirk Antonissen, partner with the Pulso Group, one of Europe's top EAPs, joins us from Leuven, Belgium to discuss the evolution of EAP across Europe, how Belgians look at stress as an organizational problem, and what organizations need to do to prepare for change…plus, which Belgian beer to wash down an order of moules-frites.

Christina Isenhower, Director of Risk Management Services at First Sun EAP, a full-service EAP based in S. Carolina, on EAP as risk management, mentorship, technology, the future of EAP…and a bonus conversation on Abe Lincoln!

We're joined by Dan Boissonneault, Working Leader, Quality Assurance for Pratt & Whitney, the aerospace manufacturer, and Sr. EAP Coordinator with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. Having worked on both sides, he discusses how he helps facilitate productive relationships between management and labor, supporting “essential workers” through the pandemic, integrating technology in EA practice, and, as the incoming Prez of EAPA, his vision for the field.

Dr. Amina Oezelsel, CEO of Hanza Resources, a boutique EAP provider based in Hamburg, Germany discusses the Beatles, hamburgers, “problem trances,” engaging remote/hybrid workforces, delivering culturally-attuned services, and the therapeutic value of humor.

Dr. Sandra Turner, the first woman EAPA President, and a three-term councilwoman from Ohio, discusses EAP (employee assistance programs) and the role it's come to play in helping drive positive work outcomes, what fads are likely to last (from self-assessment apps to more empathetic company cultures), and how she helped steer companies through major crises.

Kristin Rantala, National VP, Sales and Client Management at United Healthcare Global, discusses the true meaning of “Minnesota nice,” leadership, her love of data, the future of EAP and her vision for growing the Employee Assistance Professionals Association (as of October 2020, she began a two-year term as President of the EAPA Board).

We kick off the EAPA podcast with Dan Hughes, Director of the Mount Sinai Health System's Employee Assistance Program, who discusses the evolution of EAP in the 35 years he's been with Mt. Sinai, his experiences helping steer a workforce of some 42K employees through the pandemic, and the shape of EAP to come.