Adam Nemer spent 20 years as a high-performing CFO and senior operations executive at Kaiser Permanente—all the while experiencing severe, yet undiagnosed depression and anxiety. Read More >

Everything changed the day a colleague trained in mental health literacy recognized the signs and encouraged him to seek help. That moment didn’t just change Adam’s life—it transformed how he led.

As Adam began to heal, he led differently: with greater openness, empathy, and vulnerability. His teams followed. More than 500 colleagues became certified in Mental Health First Aid. Conversations about mental health became routine. Trust deepened. Culture shifted.

The results were both human and measurable. Within two years, Adam’s teams weren’t just leading Kaiser’s health plan in employee engagement—they were outperforming across nearly every key performance indicator and became the highest-performing health plan in the Pacific Northwest.

With nearly 1 in 4 Americans experiencing a mental illness each year, this keynote is especially relevant for organizations and leaders who are:

• Concerned about employee engagement, retention, attendance, productivity, and the toll workplace culture can take on mental health.
• Seeking more holistic, empathetic, and psychologically safe approaches to improving team performance.

In this powerful and deeply human keynote, Adam shares his personal story alongside practical leadership insights drawn from his executive experience and his book, Simple Mental Health.  He makes both a compelling business case and an inspiring human case for normalizing mental health at work.

Audiences leave with: Read Less ^

• A fresh, hopeful perspective on the myths, stigma, shame, and silence surrounding mental illness in the workplace.
• A clear business case for normalizing mental health at work—and an inspiring human case for leading with vulnerability and authenticity.
• Practical, actionable steps to build a culture where mental wellness and high performance thrive together.

Awaken yourself to the profound impact mental illness has on organizational performance; and become empowered with simple steps to take immediately that will accelerate performance and make a difference in the lives of your colleagues, as well as your family and friends. Read More >

The Mental Health Literacy for the Workplace Workshop is built around three interactive modules that can be delivered in a half-day session, or as a more immersive full-day experience.  Each component details the profound impact mental illness has on organizational performance while empowering participants with the immediate action steps to take that transforms lives and propels performance.  

The Modules:
(Tailored to your Needs)

1. Understanding the “business case for change” to place mental health literacy in your professional toolboxes.  Based on data, research, and personal stories, participants learn the impact mental illness has on key performance indicators such as employee experience, retention, productivity, team dynamics, and overall organizational performance.
2. Helping People Get Help – Learning how to notice, engage, and guide.  Participants learn to notice the signs and symptoms that a colleague may be struggling with their mental well-being, how to engage with them in a safe, caring, and non-judgmental manner, and how to guide them to services where they can get help.
3. Leadership Behaviors That Matter – Normalizing the conversation of mental health at work. This means understanding and practicing new leadership tools; asking yourself “how might I lead and manage differently given that more than 20% of my employees, leaders, customers and even board members are impacted each year?”  Participants learn specific tactics to normalize the conversation of mental health in their businesses.

OUTCOMES AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES Read Less ^

• An inspired perspective on mental well-being, the prevalence of mental illness among your workforce, and its impact on your organizational performance.
• More empathetic leaders who understand the connections between their leadership techniques, their colleague’s mental wellbeing, and core business metrics such as employee turnover and productivity.
• A strong foundation of mental health literacy skill development, including the ability to recognize that a colleague may be struggling with their mental wellbeing, and how to engage them thoughtfully & non-judgmentally while guiding them to services to get help.
• A “Simple Mental Health First Aid Kit” and other curriculum to aid cascading the knowledge throughout your organization.
• Inspiration and energy to put these tools to work immediately.