Meet the hosts of Bettermental: Mike Veny and Leanna Lee! In this trailer for their upcoming podcast, they discuss how managing mental health has impacted their lives and careers and talk about what they each hope to bring to the arena of mental health.

In this episode (trailer) we discuss...

• “The name of the show is Bettermental...and it’s all about your mental wellness as a business owner.” [1:30]
• “...I call them disabilities; Mike...doesn’t necessarily agree with the term...” [4:10]
• “Let’s quickly...do a summary of what we’re planning for Bettermental.” [10:02]

Follow Mike and Leanna for Bettermental updates on Twitter (@mikeveny and @leannalost)

Welcome to Bettermental’s first episode! Mike and Leanna are excited to be back recording together again in person. In this episode, they introduce a three-part mini-series on stress, exhaustion, and burnout.

Starting with stress, they dive into exactly what it is, what it looks like for business owners (and themselves!), and several in-depth tips for recognizing and managing it. You’ll leave this episode with questions to ask yourself, strategies like brain dumps, worry lists, and gut checks to try, and a list of further resources to check out.

In this episode, we discuss:

• “So what exactly IS it [stress]?” [2:00]
• “Some examples of stimuli as a business owner…” [07:46]
• “Tips for you to manage your stress...first is, do your best to identify it” [17:29]
• “It’s good to have symptoms of stress...keep them in mind (Tip #2) [20:38]
• “Once you have a better idea...of what kind of feeling it is...then you can start to find the source of the stress (Tip #3).” [23:12]
• “Quick pro tip if you’re listening that you can use if you’re beyond overwhelmed…” [30:32]

Prefer to skim? Here’s our episode transcription!

Mentioned in the episode:

The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel A. Van der Kolk

Getting Things Done by David Allen

Gut Checks by Leanna Lee

Want to hear more from Mike and Leanna? Every month, we’ll be sharing our own content based on each Bettermental episode. Don’t miss Mike’s latest videos and Leanna’s mental health and business articles!

And we’d love to keep in touch. Connect with us on Twitter @leannalost and @mikeveny.

Welcome to Bettermental! To kick off their season on stress management, Mike and Leanna have introduced a three-part mini-series on stress, exhaustion, and burnout.

Part 2 focuses on the next stage of stress: exhaustion. According to Mayo Clinic, exhaustion or fatigue is “a nearly constant state of weariness that develops over time and reduces your energy, motivation, and concentration.”

In this episode, Mike and Leanna talk about how they identify and experience exhaustion symptoms with multiple mental health conditions. They share some of their best strategies for exhaustion management, like scheduling low-brain work, short and long breaks, and tips for sleep and exercise.

Show notes at: https://bettermental.fm/episode2

And we’d love to keep in touch. Connect with us on Twitter @leannalost and @mikeveny

Welcome to Bettermental! To kick off their season on stress management, Mike and Leanna have introduced a three-part mini series on stress, exhaustion, and burnout. The last part of this mini-series (Part 3), is all about burnout, which is what happens when you’re exhausted from stress and haven’t managed it effectively. AKA the “crisis mode” of stress.

In this episode, Mike and Leanna get really personal about the part that burnout has played in their lives and businesses, both before and during the pandemic. They share some of their biggest lessons learned, and thoughts on managing burnout with chronic mental health.

Listen in to learn things like the role dissociative episodes can play in burnout and why “getting enough sleep” isn’t going to work.

Show notes at: https://bettermental.fm/episode3

And we’d love to keep in touch. Connect with us on Twitter @leannalost and @mikeveny

Happy New Year! 2021 is FINALLY over, and if you’re thinking it’s time for some changes to your business, you’ve come to the right place. Continuing the season’s theme of stress management, Mike and Leanna ring jump into January with ideas for starting a new business year off right both personally and professionally.

Don’t miss Bettermental’s very first acronym (courtesy of Mike!), RESET: Recalibrate, Evaluate your business, Stop doing stuff, Exercise your mind, body, and spirit, and Track your time moving forward.

And remember, “frustrations really show us where our values lie and can help lead to better systems and better solutions.” A big shoutout to business coach Lacy Anderson (Grit ‘N Grace Consulting) for inspiring this episode!

Show notes and resources: https://bettermental.fm/episodes/004

And we’d love to keep in touch. Connect with us on Twitter @leannalost and @mikeveny.

Whether you’re working remotely, in the office, or somewhere in between, mental health isn’t something you can leave at the door. In today’s episode, Mike and Leanna walk through how leaders can create a mentally healthy work culture with empathy, compassion, and practice.

Listen to this episode to find out how to build rapport with your teams and take meaningful steps towards protecting and supporting mental health.

Show notes and resources at: Bettermental.fm/episode05

And we’d love to keep in touch. Connect with us on Twitter @leannalost and @mikeveny.

How can you talk about mental health with your clients? What’s the difference between indirect and direct disclosure? In today’s episode, Leanna and Mike meet with Chrissy Kozol to discuss how to navigate client relationships and your mental health.

As a freelancer or small business owner, there’s a delicate balance between managing client expectations, oversharing your struggles, and submitting your best work. Chrissy shares her strategies for communicating with clients while holding space for herself.

If there’s anything to take away from this episode, it’s Chrissy’s two client-vetting questions: “How do you handle disappointment? And how would you communicate that with me?”

Bettermental is a mental health resource for small business owners. Your hosts are Certified Corporate Wellness Specialist®, Mike Veny, and future of work and wellbeing writer, Leanna Lee. In each episode, they share their mental health ups and downs and practical solutions for healthy business growth.

Show notes and resources at: https://bettermental.fm/episodes/006

Freelancers and business owners know too well: time is a precious resource. You have a finite amount of time each day to manage client relationships, do your work, and juggle everything in between. But what about your mental health? Do you have to choose between mental health and your business?

In today’s episode, Mike interviews Leanna about her anxiety and depression and how she manages her energy throughout the workday. Together, they also share their number one strategy for prioritizing mental health (hint: plan for your hardest day).

Bettermental is a mental health resource for small business owners. Your hosts are Certified Corporate Wellness Specialist®, Mike Veny and future of work and wellbeing writer, Leanna Lee. In each episode, they share their mental health ups and downs and practical solutions for healthy business growth.

Listen to this episode to learn strategies to understand your energy level and how to implement intuitive scheduling in your workday.

Resources: https://bettermental.fm/episodes/007-manage-energy-at-work