Happy Tuesday!
We all know that we are living in extraordinary times and I have written about some of the stressors that we are all facing when it comes to work, life and COVID-19. A newly released study from Vanderbilt University notes that the global pandemic has had an adverse effect on our collective mental health. As someone who has always had the privilege of frequent travels and an active social life, I have found being home since March 6th has had a negative impact on my wellbeing and it is something I have to work on daily.
Many of you may know that my husband, Sean, works on the veterans’ team for the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute. Since early March, Dr. Andy Keller, the president, closed the Meadows’ offices and has had his staff working from home. I have been privileged to be able to listen to Dr. Keller’s morning calls and witness how he has managed the institute and the staff through this time. As you may imagine, for an organization focused on mental health, this is a regular subject of conversation. I have observed Dr. Keller lead an inspirational ongoing dialogue across the Institute with a focus on strengthening his staff both individually and as a team preparing them for a vastly changed working environment.
Sean has commented to me many times that since March, the cohesion, resilience and effectiveness of the overall Meadows staff has improved at the same time they were facing more demand for their services as the strain of the pandemic takes a toll on our collective mental health. Many of the insights Sean has shared with me have been both helpful and inspirational and I am grateful to have tangentially benefited from Dr. Keller’s approach.
Stress comes hand in hand with a career in finance, so it occurred to me that many of our members are facing challenges both personally as well as in their roles as employees and managers. Managing teams in this environment is especially challenging, and this is why I asked Dr. Keller to do an event for us. On August 26th, Dr. Keller will share his insights on what he has done to support himself, his family, and his team at Meadows. Whether your interest is for yourself, your family or to help you more effectively manage a team, you will not want to miss this event. More details can be found here.
You will note below that we have scheduled both our State of the Markets and C-Suite events virtually this year. We are thrilled that Danielle DiMartino Booth and our fabulous CIOs will all be participating. We have broken the event into 2 separate sessions on different days, and you are welcome to attend one or both events. We also have some great speakers coming your way for C-Suite at a time when we all need insightful mentors. More information on the events may be found here.
I would ask each of you to consider corporate sponsorship of TXWSW. Benefits include attendance at our flagship events and recognition for your firm. And most importantly, you help us support the life-changing work of the Young Women’s Preparatory Network. To learn more about YWPN, you can find a short video here. To learn more and sponsorship, you may find our sponsor information here. Additionally, we would be happy to create a custom sponsorship for you. Please contact Bianca King at developmentdirector@txwsw.com
Kind regards
Christine
