Authors: Nada Wentzel
Year: 2019
Event: 2019 TheMHS Conference
Subject: Mental Wellbeing with the Brain in Mind
Type of resource: Conference Presentations and Papers
Abstract:
Biography:
Nada is a highly sought-after Global Executive Coach and thought partner. She works with global organisations to design and deliver integrated solutions that achieve sustainable change in safety, leadership and mental wellbeing.
She is co-founder of The Jonah Group and has over 25 years of experience in Transport, Oil, Gas, Mining, Power and Explosives manufacturing. She started her career as an Offshore Engineer with ExxonMobil and played a senior role in the Longford Crisis Management Team in 1998.
In 1998 she was involved in serious fire incident which resulted in 35% burns to her body. This led her to re-evaluate her career and pursue a Master’s in Social Ecology and Organizational Change and later, her Masters in Neuroleadership.
She loves Japanese whisky, dark chocolate and lounge room dancing. She is happily married with two children and lives in Byron Bay.
Human Beings can cope with stress, in fact we need a certain amount of stress to function at our peak¹. However, being exposed to too much stress for too long a period can have a serious impact on our physical and mental health.
Our brain is complex. It does a lot for us without us putting a lot of thought in. We are not conscious to much of what, how or why we do things². We are also very reactive. The Limbic part of our brain continually looks for threats which are either very real or perceived. As such, we can react emotionally in the moment. We are more easily triggered, or threats are even dismissed, if we are already under stress. This can cause irrational thinking or reactions.
Our mindset has a massive influence over who we are and how we show up. How aware are you of your mindset in any given moment or over a longer period of time?
We will show that there is a way to interrupt and choose, in the moment, a better version of yourself. Being aware and knowing how you can change your mindset is a powerful tool at work or home.
Learning Objectives
Learning Objective 1: People who attend will gain insight into how our brain works, what causes stress, how this impacts decisions, our mental health and what leaders can do to create a mentally healthy workplace.
Learning Objective 2: Stress has a significant impact on mental health. By understanding stress through the lens of neuroscience, people will gain insight into evidence-based strategies to reduce stress and create a mentally healthy workplace for self and others.
References
Mlodinow, Leonard (2012). Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behaviour. London: Allen Lane
Rock, David (2009). Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus and Working Smarter All Day Long. Sydney: HarperCollins.
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