MAKING MENTAL HEALTH A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY
By Jen Schatzman, Global Chief Integration Officer, and Jason Moyer, Global Client Lead and NAMI Board Member
May marks Mental Health Awareness Month. It feels easy at times for recognition months or weeks to get lost on the calendar or buried in our day-to-day obligations. At Publicis Health, we believe that months like this are great reminders to pause, reflect, and transform conversations into action. Truly supporting the self-care and mental health of our teammates requires a continuous commitment to showing up for each other as colleagues, leaders, and a community.
Turning Conversation Into Action
This belief came to life through our partnership with NAMI (the National Alliance on Mental Illness) during Mental Health Awareness Month. Together, we created space for an open, honest dialogue about what mental health looks like in our industry and, more importantly, what it requires from all of us at all levels of the organization moving forward.
Our recent panel, “When Community Shows Up at Work,” brought together voices from across Publicis Health and NAMI, moderated by Cam Walker and featuring Jason Moyer, Lee Carroll, Gabrielle Runyon, and Kyle Carter, CEO NAMI Philadelphia, to explore the realities of mental health in high-performance environments. The conversation was candid and grounded in lived experience. From the importance of psychological safety to the role leaders play in modeling healthy behaviors, the discussion reinforced a simple but powerful truth: there is great strength in consistently showing up for each other, and fostering a safe and open environment makes us all better, as people and as colleagues.
More than 500 employees joined across offices and virtually, reflecting a shared need for connection, clarity, and support. The energy across rooms and screens was unmistakable. People showed up to engage, ask questions, and challenge how we as a community and culture can do better for ourselves and each other.
Showing Up Beyond The Workplace
And we did not stop at conversation.
That same week, our teams came together for the NAMIWalks NYC walk, stepping out of the office and into the community. It was a visible, collective reminder that supporting mental health requires more than words. It requires presence, participation, and a willingness to stand alongside the communities we serve.
This is what it means to walk the walk.
Leading With Intention
As leaders, we have a responsibility to continue building an environment where self-care is supported at all levels and mental health can be discussed openly, without stigma or hesitation. That means designing workflows that explicitly consider well-being, creating space for honest conversations, and ensuring resources are accessible and understood.
It also means recognizing that culture is not defined by what we say, but by what we consistently do. Leadership in this space is not about having all the answers. It is about modeling the behaviors we want to see across our organization and creating conditions for others to do the same.
Making Health happen from The Inside Out
The partnership with NAMI is not a single initiative for Publicis Health. It is part of a broader commitment to making health happen - for our people, for our clients, and for patients.
The conversation is not over. In many ways, it is just the beginning.
Our charge now is to sustain this momentum. To keep asking hard questions. To keep listening. And to keep showing up for one another in meaningful ways.
Because building a healthier future is not just about what we say. It is about what we do next. And together, we have the opportunity and responsibility to lead the way.