Quick question, Reader: does your team have a well-being roadmap?

If not, you want to read this email and forward it to your team lead, executive director, or CEO. But before we dive, just a heads-up this note will be longer than usual. So grab your tea and take a deep breath.

Yes, time is flying. Believe it or not, in a few short weeks, the year will be half done. If you’re like many mission-driven professionals I know, chances are you’re busy making things happen while also struggling to find time to refill your own cup.

From the moment you wake up, you’re bombarded with distractions—emails, texts, social media notifications, and back-to-back meetings.

You're doing impactful work, but sometimes you feel the only way to get it all done is to sacrifice your well-being in the process. Maybe you tell yourself: “I’ll respond to just one more email” or “I’ll just work weekends until this project is done” or “I’ll take this after-hours call, but it’ll be quick.” How often do you keep your promise?

Why we need to prioritize workplace well-being

The truth is living a full life while achieving your mission can feel overwhelming. But workplace well-being isn’t solely your responsibility. It’s also the responsibility of the organizations we serve. This responsibility requires us to recognize we can recover from and prevent burnout and overload, but only when we intentionally approach well-being at all levels of our organization.

Ultimately, a healthier workplace isn’t a nice-to-have; it’s a must-have. It’s about more than occasional gift cards, branded swag, and happy hours. It’s about creating a culture that helps you:

• Do your best work better.
• Live your best life now.
• Sustainably address our greatest challenges.
• Create a better world for all of us.

I learned this first-hand the hard way. During my previous career, I was often on the edge of burnout doing my part to fulfill my organization’s vision of a world free of HIV and hepatitis. At my lowest point, I was severely depressed, the heaviest I’d ever been in my life, and feeling like a failure even though I was burning the candle at both ends. I was doing the work of an entire department while trying to build a team and steer a clear course for my organization. There were days I didn’t feel like getting out of bed. And there were more days I simply couldn’t get out of bed because my body wouldn’t let me.

But no matter how long, hard, or smart I worked, there was never enough time or resources to get it all done. I realized that even if I worked myself to death, the work wouldn’t stop. The emails would keep rolling in and the projects would keep moving ahead—this time without me.

Unfortunately, stories like mine are common among mission-driven professionals. Research shows we experience high levels of burnout, stress, depression, chronic illness, and weak personal and professional relationships. These challenges can have negative health consequences such as increased mental illness, substance use disorders, a weakened immune system, and increased risk for conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

The ultimate result is less effective organizations, demoralized teams, and high turnover, among other things. Not only does this create an unhealthy work environment, but it has very real financial costs. Some employers estimate the total cost to hire a new employee can be three to four times the position’s salary.

The good news is it’s possible to create a healthy organizational culture that supports you in changing the world without self-sacrifice. And I’ve helped countless professionals just like you over the years improve their well-being so they could have a more sustainable impact in changing the world.

But while mission-driven organizations recognize the importance of employee well-being, few are prepared to address it holistically.

What you can you do

The U.S. Office of the Surgeon General identifies five essential components of mental health and well-being at work that include: protection from harm, connection & community, work-life harmony, mattering at work, and opportunity for growth.

In the “Letter to Team Leaders” chapter in my latest book, How to Thrive When Work Doesn’t Love You Back A Practical Guide for Taking Care of Yourself While Changing The World, I discuss the five essentials and walk you through:

• How to assess your team’s mental health and well-being.
• Three things you can do right now.
• How to create a well-being roadmap for your team and organization.

I also discuss the five essentials in my interview with work systems engineer Dr. Katherine Sanders. Watch the full interview here: https://youtu.be/2-a8ExjC5Nk​

Your workplace well-being roadmap outlines the required steps to advance well-being for your team and organization. It’s a plan that clarifies your priorities and which tasks you will focus on to achieve your goals, and it holds you and your organization accountable for achieving the defined goals. Your roadmap also supports you in integrating well-being activities into your organization at all levels in an intentional way while allocating the appropriate resources. This type of planning moves you away from superficial wellness benefits and one-off activities to embedding well-being into the core of your organization.

Each organization has a different starting point. Having a roadmap will help you determine where you need to start with improving well-being so you can amplify your impact sustainably.

How I can help

I believe the need for what you do has never been greater. You are undoubtedly doing great work. But you can’t give your best if you’re not at your best.

Stress, burnout, and unhealed pandemic trauma will undermine your work if we don’t make personal and workplace well-being an urgent priority moving forward.

That’s why I'm on a mission to create a culture of well-being for mission-driven organizations and leaders who are changing the world.

I partner with you to create strategies and deliver programs that help you:

• Attract and retain talent.
• Build a culture of belonging and inclusion.
• Strengthen employee learning and development.
• Improve employee engagement.
• Create an exceptional employee experience.
• Improve performance and scale impact without self-sacrifice.
• Mitigate burnout risk.

How I do it

• Speaking, training, and facilitation
• Developing and implementing learning and development programs
• Coaching individuals and teams
• Serving as fractional staff (e.g. Learning & Development Manager or Employee Well-Being Director)
• Conducting well-being assessments
• Serving as your trusted organizational well-being consultant and advisor
• Developing and supporting the implementation of well-being strategic action plans
• Planning and delivering well-being programs

What others say

“Meico is a leader with a deep commitment to promoting wellness and mindfulness. Through his partnership with Keela, he’s created tools and shared resources that support thousands of nonprofit professionals to lead balanced, purposeful lives in a digital world.
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His contributions have significantly helped our team and users to tackle stressful situations and be more productive in the workplace. Working with Meico has proven to be an incredible decision and I’m looking forward to building on our great relationship.”

—Nejeed K., Former CEO, Keela

“I can't say enough good things about Meico's message or his delivery! I've had the opportunity to attend several of his workshops and have become a true fan of his. He thoughtfully explains the 'why' in his sessions, keeps the audience engaged, and delivers practical tips. I've shared his worksheets and ideas with my own team, and they too have become fans. I enthusiastically recommend taking one of Meico's courses and hiring him to present at your own conference.”

—Sandra M., Chief Operating Officer, Family Promise

Let’s get started!

The truth is if you really want to make a difference, you must start by taking time for yourself right now because you can’t “change the world” if you’re not around long enough to make that happen.

If you’re not sure where to start or if you want to book a free consultation for your team on improving well-being while well-doing, reply to this message and send me a note or book a free consultation here. You can also forward this note to your team lead, executive director, or CEO.

Meet Meico

Hello Changemaker! It’s nice to meet you. I’m Meico Marquette Whitlock.

I’m a workplace well-being strategist who helps mission-driven professionals prioritize their well-being so they can elevate their well-doing. During my previous career in the tech, nonprofit, and government sectors, I experienced more than my fair share of burnout and overwhelm in the name of making a difference. As a recovering workaholic, I use what I’ve learned to help changemakers like you make an impact without self-sacrifice.

I’m the founder and CEO of Mindful Techie, author of the Amazon-bestseller How to Thrive When Work Doesn’t Love You Back: A Practical Guide for Taking Care of Yourself While Changing The World and The Intention Planner: A Daily Planner & Structured Accountability System for Changemakers, and a certified trauma-informed mindfulness teacher.

I partner with you to create strategies and deliver programs that help your team scale impact while sustaining the right balance between life, work, and technology in today’s changing world.

I have worked with organizations such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Cigna, and Greenpeace, and have been a featured speaker on ABC News, Fox 5, and Radio One. I'm also a former triathlete, love salsa dancing, and make the world’s best vegan chili! :-)

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