Beth Sutherland is associate director of programmatic services at Essence MediaCom and vice-president of Bloom North, the organisation for women in adland in the north of England.
In this insightful conversation, Beth discusses the mental wellness transformation behind her successful career, going from someone reaching to external validation to someone working for goals that align with her true values. A young and successful adlander, Beth also gives insight into how to strengthen relationships between Gen Z and more senior colleagues, as well as the power of community in supporting mental wellness and personal and professional success.
Key takeaways
Therapy can be transformative for personal growth, even in the early stages of your career.
Gen Z prioritise mental wellness and learn effectively through social media: when you understand how to put this into practice, you can build bridges with this cohort.
It's okay to be sensitive and emotional in the workplace.
We are NABS. And we're here for you - for the great stuff, the tough stuff and everything in between. As an independent charity, we're set on advancing the mental wellness of our industry and helping everyone find their way forward - wherever they're starting from.
Tom Tapper is the co-founder and CEO of Nice and Serious, a B Corp-certified creative agency committed to only making work the world needs. He joins us for a special live episode recorded at the Festival of Happiness in November 2024.
Tom discussed his agency’s ethical approach to work, including how his team uses the Moral Compass to decide whether briefs fit the agency’s ethos, and how this approach helps to support mental wellness – alongside other emotional support actions at Nice and Serious.
Tom also opens up about the challenge of being a new dad and how he found solace through community.
Key takeaways:
When leaders discuss their mental wellness challenges, it encourages others to seek emotional support
A Moral Compass framework is good for morale, creativity and mental wellness as well as an ethical approach
Early parenthood is really hard so reach out as early as you can for support
We are NABS. And we're here for you - for the great stuff, the tough stuff and everything in between. As an independent charity, we're set on advancing the mental wellness of our industry and helping everyone find their way forward - wherever they're starting from.
How to back yourself and keep positive with The Media Lad
The Media Lad is loved throughout adland for his funny takes on the industry as well as his insights into where we're doing brilliantly, and where we can work together to make things better. He champions those underrepresented in the industry and in his own life has come through tough times to be a practical and positive force for good. You'll never know his real name, but you'll be inspired by what he has to say.
Key takeaways
Positive thinking and resilience can help you to realise that there's always a solution to a challenge
We need camaraderie or friendship to survive, so always make time to help people
Let's celebrate the people in our industry who don't always get the shout-outs they deserve
We are NABS. And we're here for you - for the great stuff, the tough stuff and everything in between. As an independent charity, we're set on advancing the mental wellness of our industry and helping everyone find their way forward - wherever they're starting from.
Caregiving in adland: Ben Waters' devoted double life
Caregiving in adland: Ben Waters' devoted double life
Ben Waters is a producer at Mother and a caregiver for his partner. He also founded and runs the caregivers’ support group at Mother, which meets regularly for support and chats in an informal setting.
Ben is absolutely brilliant and down-to-earth and talks about caregiving in such a relatable way, acknowledging that it took him too long to seek support – but he’s so glad that he did. He’s made use of both the NABS Advice Line and NABS’ therapy referral service and now extols the virtues of both to everyone in need at Mother and beyond.
Key takeaways:
If you’re a caregiver, you must find a way to carve out time and support for yourself
Being open about your caregiving status can help to bust any stigmas you might be worried about
Support groups are surprisingly easy to set up, yet they can be so rewarding for all involved.
We are NABS. And we're here for you - for the great stuff, the tough stuff and everything in between. As an independent charity, we're set on advancing the mental wellness of our industry and helping everyone find their way forward - wherever they're starting from.
How to support someone through grief with Gen Kobayashi
Gen Kobayashi is UK group chief strategy officer at M+C Saatchi. Gen also knows the pain of bereavement first-hand, as he sadly lost his sister-in-law to cancer.
Gen is a key industry voice on grief and bereavement. In this beautiful conversation he shares the profound impact of loss on his family. Gen explores what true support looks like, and shares why grief made him take a proper break from work for the first time ever.
Both Gen and Louise have experienced bereavement over the past few years, making this a heartfelt and empathetic conversation. They discuss how best to support team members who are grieving, sharing practical tips as well as emotional insights.
Need some grief support after listening to this? Call the NABS Advice Line for a listening ear.
Key takeaways:
Take time to understand what the bereaved person needs
Replace platitudes with active listening and genuine empathy
Look after yourself too when you’re supporting someone going through grief.
How to manage your team's mental wellness - and your own, with Sue Todd, CEO, NABS
Sue Todd is the CEO of NABS, the industry's charity, helping everybody to move forward. She's not just in charge of adland's mental wellness; she's also responsible for the mental wellness of the NABS team. To mark Mental Health Awareness Week (12-18 May), Sue comes onto the NABS podcast for the first time to talk about community, meditation, the menopause and more.
Key takeaways:
Employers have to do as much as they can to support those going through perimenopause, especially as the support isn't always out there in the wider world
Meditation doesn't have to be woo-woo, there's a way to do it that helps to separate you from your thoughts
Community is vital for us - there's real value in learning together and from each other, for example in NABS' Explore and Connect sessions
How to make a big impact without burnout, with Bianca Best
Bianca Best knows about burnout - she experienced it, and has now written a book on how to avoid burnout while making an impact at work. Bianca is an adland powerhouse, a solo mum of four (five if you include her dog), a coach and a speaker, so she certainly knows about fulfilling your potential without damaging your mental wellness. Having got to the burnout point some years ago, Bianca knows how to bring yourself back from the edge of burnout, and how to avoid it in future.
Key takeaways:
There are four elements to burnout: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual
The first step in overcoming burnout is to acknowledge any shame you have around it
Ambition is a good thing that can exist alongside your mental wellness
How we created a dads' community at work, with Ben Irons and Joe Dolan of Microsoft Advertising
Ben Irons and Joe Dolan are advertising leaders, coaches and working dads. Together they run Dads at Microsoft, a group that supports dads - and mums - across the world in the company. The group's listening circles are where parents come together for advice and support seasoned with good humour, which makes sense because Ben and Joe are definitely a good laugh as well as being very serious about the need for practical support for working parents. In this lively chat we cover a range of subjects that will resonate with all parents and managers of parents.
Key takeaways:
How to run a listening circle for parents in your workplace - you don't need all the answers - but someone else in the group might have them;
Role modelling is key, as is communication, when creating solutions to help your work-life blend; and
Self-care isn't selfish, it's a must-have when you're a parent.
Emma Flaxman is senior commercial comms lead at Channel 4 and a mental wellness influencer in adland, having led on mental health for the likes of PHD and Omnicom Group UK. Emma is superbly open about her own challenges, especially where they relate to becoming a single parent. She blogs about her experiences on her blog. In this brilliant conversation, Emma talks about spotting burnout in yourself and in your team as well as what life looks like for her as a senior leader raising two children on her own. We also discuss the importance of movement and recovering from the trauma of school sports to reclaim physical and mental fitness as an adult.
Key takeaways:
Burnout often goes unrecognised until it manifests in behaviour changes
Managers should ask their team members open-ended questions to understand how they're feeling
Giving back to others can make you feel great, no matter how busy you are.
We are NABS. And we're here for you - for the great stuff, the tough stuff and everything in between. As an independent charity, we're set on advancing the mental wellness of our industry and helping everyone find their way forward - wherever they're starting from.
How to navigate alcohol and addiction, with Natalie Bell, CEO, MG OMD
Natalie Bell is CEO, MG OMD and one of the industry's most prolific leaders, with a string of accolades to show for it. With her focus on people and mental wellness, she's well-placed to talk about leading with empathy. Natalie also has a moving story to tell: that of living with her mother's alcohol addiction, and how this has affected her.
This is a thought-provoking and heartfelt discussion, which also delves into the importance of supporting managers in our industry.
Key takeaways:
Alcohol use disorder is a spectrum, and we need to talk more about what this complex condition looks like;
We still need to do more to make it OK to drink a little, or not at all, at industry events; and
Our industry needs to give more resource and support to managers, so they can support themselves and their teams.
We are NABS. And we're here for you - for the great stuff, the tough stuff and everything in between. As an independent charity, we're set on advancing the mental wellness of our industry and helping everyone find their way forward - wherever they're starting from.
We are NABS. And we're here for you - for the great stuff, the tough stuff and everything in between. As an independent charity, we're set on advancing the mental wellness of our industry and helping everyone find their way forward - wherever they're starting from.
We are NABS. And we're here for you - for the great stuff, the tough stuff and everything in between. As an independent charity, we're set on advancing the mental wellness of our industry and helping everyone find their way forward - wherever they're starting from.
We are NABS. And we're here for you - for the great stuff, the tough stuff and everything in between. As an independent charity, we're set on advancing the mental wellness of our industry and helping everyone find their way forward - wherever they're starting from.
We are NABS. And we're here for you - for the great stuff, the tough stuff and everything in between. As an independent charity, we're set on advancing the mental wellness of our industry and helping everyone find their way forward - wherever they're starting from.
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