HSW 71: Mental Health in the Workplace with Tracey Rohweder

According to research undertaken by Beyond Blue – 1 in 2 people are going to experience some kind of mental health condition in their lifetime, and 1 in 5 Australians will experience a mental health condition in a year.  Pretty profound statistics equating to approximately 20% of your co-workers (which may even include yourself), who may be struggling with some kind of mental health condition too.

For a lot of people however, including today’s podcast guest Tracey Rohweder, a Team Leader for PoliceLink in Queensland, the thought of telling anyone or wanting anyone to know that you are struggling mentally – can be terrifying.

As a wife and mum to 2 kids, along with being a shift worker for 17 years, Tracey Rohweder spent years hiding her anxiety and depression from her work colleagues, because she was constantly worried ” what will my boss think?” or “what will my workmates think?”

Despite her happy and bubbly external persona that she portrayed at work, Tracey was diagnosed with chronic anxiety and depression, yet did everything humanly possible, specifically at work, to make sure that nobody knew.

Which in her words was “exhausting”.

That is until one day, she decided to take the courageous step and share what she was going through with her work colleagues, because she didn’t want any of her “work family” to ever feel this way too.

Tune in to hear Tracey’s heartwarming and inspiring story, and what set her on the path to becoming a true leader in her workplace when it comes to managing the health and wellbeing of her fellow shift working workmates.

Links mentioned on the podcast:
Beyond Blue
Lifeline
131Health
Smiling Mind

To get in touch with Tracey – Rohweder.TraceyM@police.qld.gov.au

Other resources:  Mindful Employer

HSW 59: Better Sleep and Anxiety with Midwife Tomi Warren

Healthy Shift Worker Podcast:

This week we head all the way to California to chat with one of my Better Sleep Program clients – Tomi Warren, who has been working shift work for 11 years as a Midwife.

As a Midwife, Tomi often works with mum’s and babies in emergency situations so being able to make complex decisions quickly and decisively, all whilst working in a stressful environment is absolutely critical.

In this episode, Tomi shares her personal story of how ongoing sleep deprivation was having such a negative impact on her health and ability to make decisions, to a point where she even began to experience hallucinations.  This eventually manifested into a severe anxiety around being unable to get sufficient sleep – a Catch-22 which led to feelings of hopelessness and depression.

Tomi’s heart warming story of how she managed to turn her life around by reducing her anxiety and improving her sleep (and health), is absolutely inspiring.

Links mentioned in the podcast:
Audra’s Better Sleep Intensive Program – https://www.audrastarkey.com/case-study

HSW 56 – PTSD, Depression and Mental Health with Shaun O’Gorman

Healthy Shift Worker Podcast:

Did you know that suicide rates in Australia, are double that of the road toll? This blew me away when I heard this, and is why this interview with Shaun O’Gorman is such a powerful one.

Shaun is an ex police officer, critical stress consultant, keynote speaker, author and fellow podcaster – and knows first-hand, what it’s like to suffer from PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), depression, and to even battle with suicide. In fact, its the driving force behind his business – The Strong Life Project.

Tune in to hear Shaun’s amazing story of strength and resilience, and what he did to bring himself out of the depths of depression and turn his life around, to now helping others who may also be struggling, via his workplace training workshops.

This is a must listen for anyone who has ever experienced stress, anxiety or depression.

Audra x

Links mentioned in the podcast:

Shaun’s website – The Strong Life Project

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/thestronglifeproject/

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/thestronglifeproject/

Podcast – http://www.thestronglifeproject.com/category/the-strong-life-podcast/