Columnist Network

Real Change Comes From Within When It Comes to Your Team's Well-Being

99designs' Patrick Llewellyn says our mental health reckoning is only just beginning

illustration of two faces facing each other and squiggly lines connected through their mouths into the heads — It’s uncomfortable to be vulnerable, but leaders have a responsibility to embrace that discomfort.Getty Images

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Editor’s note: This piece is part of our Columnist Network series, which explores the tactical thoughts and actions of Adweek’s community of high-level experts. Today, Patrick Llewellyn, CEO of 99designs, shares new initiatives directed at employee wellness. Below, in his own words, he says full participation by leadership goes a long way to address mental health stigma in the workplace.

The challenge

The past two years have had a profound impact on our collective well-being: routines upended, coping strategies disrupted, people’s eating habits altered by unprecedented levels of sourdough.