David Lancefield Has A Better Way To Talk About Mental Health At Work

The Anxious Achiever

Morra Aarons-Mele

Business, Careers, Management, Health & Fitness, Mental Health

4.7 • 599 Ratings

🗓️ 3 February 2026

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

We’ve never talked more about mental health at work and yet, burnout is rising, disengagement is everywhere, and leaders still feel stuck. In this episode, I’m joined by strategy coach and former PwC partner David Lancefield to talk about why the current approach isn’t working and what actually creates change. David shares why “mental health” has a bad brand in corporate life, how leaders can engage even the most skeptical executives, and why the real leverage point isn’t awareness campaigns, but better questions. We also dive into why small pilots beat big programs, and how leaders can design environments where people do their best work. Tune in to know what it means to treat mental health as a business solution. Check out our sponsors: Northwest Registered Agent - Protect your privacy, build your brand and get your complete business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes! Visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/achieverfree Shopify - Sign up for a $1 per month trial, just go to http://shopify.com/anxiousachiever Cozy Earth - Give your home the luxury it deserves. Head to http://cozyearth.com and use code ACHIEVER for up to 20% off. Express VPN - Secure your online data today. Visit http://expressvpn.com/achiever and find out how you can get up to four extra months. Talkiatry - Head to http://talkiaitry.com/achiever and complete the short assessment to get matched with an in network psychiatrist in just a few minutes. Working Genius - Take the working genius assessment today and get 20% off with code ACHIEVER at working http://genius.com In this Episode, You Will Learn 00:00 Why the mental health conversation at work isn’t working. 07:00 The fear and freedom of leaving a prestigious role. 13:15 The mistake we make when trying to persuade leaders. 17:45 Why business results are the bridge to mental health. 21:15 How to reframe burnout as a performance problem. 25:00 Why storytelling can backfire without resolution. 30:45 What leaders should leave people feeling after sharing. 34:45 The “motherhood penalty” and its parallels at work. 39:00 2 questions every leader should ask. 43:00 How do you move from drifting to designing your life? 47:00 3 questions that reset your day. 49:00 How do you help people shape roles around their strengths? Resources + Links Get a copy of my book - The Anxious Achiever Watch the podcast on YouTube Find more resources on our website morraam.com Follow Follow me: on LinkedIn @morraaronsmele + Instagram @morraam Follow David: on LinkedIn @davidclancefield

Transcript

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0:00.0	don't wait protect your privacy built your brand and get your complete business identity in just 10
0:08.5	clicks and 10 minutes visit northwest registered agent.com slash achiever free just head to tachiatry
0:17.0	dot com slash achiever and complete the short assessment to get matched with an in-network psychiatrist
0:21.8	in just a few minutes. Sign up for your $1 per month trial at Shopify.com slash anxious achiever.
0:30.2	That's Shopify.com slash anxious achiever. Just head to brevo.com slash achiever to take your marketing further with Brevo and its
0:42.4	AI assistant, ORA, which will help you craft smarter campaigns and create great content.
0:53.3	The way we're talking about mental health at work isn't working. And there's a better way.
0:59.8	I'm Maury Arons-Maley, and this is the anxious achiever, the show that looks at the intersection
1:05.3	of mental health and leadership and work and asks, how can we do it all better?
1:11.2	David Lancefield plays many roles.
1:14.1	He was a partner at PWC.
1:17.5	He is the father and a caregiver for a disabled child.
1:21.3	He's a renowned strategy coach.
1:23.9	And he helps some of the most prominent leaders and brands around find their innovation
1:30.0	and their strategy. And the thing I love about David is that he and I can hash around why,
1:38.4	even though we talk about things like burnout and mental health, ad nauseum, it never gets any better.
1:45.2	So David's point is we're having the wrong conversation, and we're not starting with the right
1:52.9	questions.
1:54.1	If you're a good negotiator, you know that the key to getting what you want is finding
2:00.5	out what the other person wants, what will make
2:03.4	them feel satisfied and powerful and like they're making forward progress. It's no different
2:10.7	than when we're talking about workplace mental health. We need to position it as the solution
	...

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