Clare Kenny

Always on culture, tech at our fingertips, endless noise and notifications have helped to create a world of work (and beyond) that is fully at odds with the conditions human beings need to thrive.

In this talk, I explore some of the evolutionary science behind creating an environment to help humans be at their best and discuss the ways in which the world of work is getting it so wrong. I also share the small changes we can make to start driving better employee wellbeing and sustain performance in our organisations.

Children express their feelings loudly and unapologetically. They stamp their feet, and they scream. Then they feel better.

But as they grow society teaches them more and more that loud messy emotions are unacceptable, disruptive and should be kept to yourself.

By the time we are adults we tend to dismiss their own feelings, repress them and shut them away and try not to cause a fuss. Then we feel worse.

In this talk I discuss the ways in which ‘emotional repression’ have impacted my mental health, leading to anxiety and addiction, and how we can re-embrace the childhood tantrum to fully feel and process our emotions to have a long-term positive impact on our overall wellbeing.

Whether it’s alcohol, drugs, social media, porn, shopping or food. Most of us use something to numb and distract ourselves from difficult feelings. This can feel good in the moment but can risk causing long term physical and mental health issues.

In this talk I share my own experiences of addiction, sobriety and my ongoing journey of breaking the numbing cycle and learning how to actually feel my feelings.

Whether it’s alcohol, drugs, work, social media, pornography, shopping, or food, many of us have an unhealthy relationship with something. We often turn to these habits to numb ourselves or distract from difficult emotions. To cope with a society and lifestyle that is causing more stress, burnout and mental health issues than ever before.

Addiction thrives in isolation, flourishing in the darkness, and wreaking havoc on lives. The more we can challenge our preconceived notions of what an addict looks like, raise awareness, and foster an environment where addiction is met with understanding and support, the better equipped we’ll be to pave the way for transformation, healing, and recovery.

We all have different backgrounds, experiences and ways of thinking. By creating a workplace where everyone feels safe to be themselves, express their opinions and challenge the status quo – you begin to harness the power of diversity of though.

Not only can you create inclusive environments for all your people you can also give yourself the competitive edge when it comes to innovation, growth and performance.

We often shy away from talking about mental health in the workplace – for fear of judgement, stigma or simply not knowing what to say.

This session explores how to normalise the conversation around mental health, while exploring some tools to create safe, non-judgemental spaces for people to really open up.

Wellbeing policies and perks can be great, but it’s the everyday workplace experience that really impacts the mental health of employees.

From leaders to champions, this workshops explores the powerful ways we can role model and influence culture to help make the day-to-day work environment a more mentally healthy place.

Over the past few decades, digital innovation has created tremendous advancement and opportunities in all areas of our lives. However, with these big changes, come risks to our mental health and even barriers to meaningful human connection.

This engaging talk delves into the effects of digital innovation and offers practical strategies to protect our mental health and enhance human connection and inclusion in our increasingly digital world.