Lay the Course Podcast · Vela Creative Co.

Supporting Mental Health in the Workplace with Shara Ruffin

·35 min·2 clips

Shara Ruffin says her first Amazon bestseller began after she failed her board exam by two points.

Kelsey Stein introduces the Way the Course podcast as a place for business owners and entrepreneurs to get practical ideas and honest conversation. She brings on Shara for a talk about mental health in the workplace, entrepreneurship, and licensure. Shara says she is a licensed clinical social worker. She explains that she has worked in social work for about 20 years, with about half of that time as a therapist. She also says she is a LinkedIn advisor, and notes that the role sits inside an exclusive community where members give feedback on features and support. Kelsey keeps the discussion moving with friendly questions and simple follow-ups. The pair quickly get to the part that matters most for many founders and leaders: how to care for yourself while still showing up for other people. They talk about self-care as something more than a pampering session. Instead, it is framed as whatever helps you carry through your day. Kelsey shares a recent stretch of personal health issues earlier this year. Those issues affected her physically and also deeply affected her mental health while she was working with clients and a team. She talks about the pressure of feeling like she has to be the rock and not show that she is struggling. Shara responds by keeping the advice plain. She says it does not need to be overcomplicated. She points to her own therapy background as an example. In that setting, she would sometimes share experiences with a patient to bring down the power differential. Her view is that when one person is willing to be human, it gives the other person permission to be human too. That builds trust. It also deepens rapport. The episode stays in a casual, conversational register throughout. It sounds like two people thinking out loud together rather than delivering a polished lecture. The ending brings the usual show wrap-up and social links. The whole conversation stays focused on practical encouragement for people trying to lead while carrying real life.

As heard by us

A candid discussion of leadership, self-care, and mental health at work.

The episode ties mental health in the workplace to entrepreneurship and licensure through Shara, a licensed clinical social worker, therapist, and LinkedIn advisor.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

When you want a candid, human conversation about mental health at work and how to carry it as an entrepreneur.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Lay the Course Podcast