“Fine, thanks.” Is that the answer you give 99% of the time when someone at work asks, “How are you?” And is that 99% of the time not exactly true?

Because, let’s face it, there is usually SOMETHING going on that is not totally OK – yet most of us feel we should leave our personal stress at home. We want to give our superiors (or, if you run your own company, your employees) and customers the assurance that we’ve “got it altogether,” right?

And we want to shield our co-workers from the big, painful stuff we’re experiencing outside of the workplace because why pile it onto them unnecessarily? And the “small stuff” we’re not supposed to sweat? Well, nobody cares about that; it’s just unwanted complaining.

But…what if we broke the stigma of sharing our personal AND professional stressors with those whom we work with, for, and alongside? What if industry leaders stepped forward to voice their own vulnerabilities in a community setting? What if we got raw and uncomfortable – and found out that we’re not alone?

What if we came together and created a safe space for those who wanted and needed to go deeper into work-life balance and wellness issues?

These questions are what drove a group of highly visible, well-regarded print industry leaders to launch a groundbreaking new mental health initiative specifically geared to the industry.  Officially unveiled as “She*t for Brains,” this unique wellness project has blossomed from a series of informal discussions between industry friends to a full-on passion project introduced via a live LinkedIn presentation on (date).

One of these co-founders is Jessica DeCola, director of marketing communications and e-commerce at GPA and a leader in the women in print community. Women in Print Alliance connected with Jessica to learn more about the project, and, specifically, to provide information on how women in print who wish to explore this mental health initiative can participate in it.

Women in Print Alliance (WPA): First, we generally eschew hyperbolic phrases like “ground-breaking” – but She*t for Brains truly is a unique experiment. Can you briefly describe its origin story and overall goal? Plus, tell us why it’s different than other wellness programs already out there.

Jessica DeCola (JD): Chris Minn (Infigo), Dave Rosendahl (MindFire) and I (GPA) attended Dscoop EDGE Indy this past spring and exhibited in somewhat of a shared space as industry partners. During Jon Bailey’s (Precision Proco) speech where he handed his Dscoop Global Board Chair position over to David Bennett, he threw his script away and spoke from the heart. He authentically shared his experiences, both personal and professional, that shaped his perspective on life and how it affected his way of thinking. It was real. It was raw. It was incredibly vulnerable. And it left everyone in that auditorium with this sense of “yes, that’s what we needed to hear!”

The four of us collectively realized that there was something more there. That if vulnerability could have this positive of a response, that perhaps there is a space we can explore where industry friends, colleagues, and leaders can find that same sense of bravery to be fearlessly authentic and share their experiences that may resonate with and help others. But also, and more importantly, find comfort in a group that offers support and resources on various mental health and wellness issues.

From there, we spent countless hours of our personal time building She*t for Brains (and we aren’t done by a long shot!). We’ve created a LinkedIn Group page, where we have engagement from our members, articles, resources, and upcoming events posted. We are also hosting quarterly live virtual events with subject matter experts that cover a variety of pillar-themed mental health and wellness topics.

It has become such a passion project for the four of us and one we believe will be different from other groups because it encourages folks to engage and be part of helping build the community that fosters openness and inclusivity. We’ve said, and stand by, “while achieving corporate goals are important, we all agree that even if we can ‘reach the one,’ making a difference in the life of a single individual, this initiative will be worth it.”

WPA: She*t for Brains launched with a list of very specific mental and physical health concerns referred to as “pillar issues.” Can you give us a flavor of what sub-topics we might expect you to explore related to each pillar?

JD: Sure! It’s fairly lengthy list and one we’ll continue to build based on the needs we see and feedback from the group; we’re in this for the long-haul! Some of these topics are currently discussed in the context of workplace wellness – but we’re digging a little deeper into them. And some are topics that might seem “edgy,” but we believe are too important to ignore.

• Working Families – Time management and beyond to include topics like fertility treatments, impact of work on marital stress, and/or the burdens (and joys) of caring for aging parents.
• Next Gen – How best to understand and connect with different generations at work and home, but also addressing the fear of irrelevance that growing older naturally brings.
• Leadership – The crushing pressure of owning your own business and carrying the heavy mantle of executive leadership.
• Wellness Practices – The vital need to create headspace for self-care and centeredness. For me, yoga is that practice and I’m here to evangelize its benefits!
• Sustainability – Taking it beyond corporate ESG checkboxes to discuss why the human element is key to advancing our industry’s environmental responsibility.
• Work-Life – All the things you’d expect, but probably B-list because they seem less important than meeting your work deadlines or quotas. Things like time management and technology tools necessary to create more adequate boundaries between work, hobbies, and home life.
• Addiction – This one that requires bravery. Talking about addictions past and present – or even supporting one another in the hard work of breaking the cycle of particular vice, like cutting back on consuming alcohol.
• Therapy – Normalizing the use of talk therapy. Many companies in our industry offer mental health resources or insurance coverage, so we should de-stigmatize the use of these vital benefits.
• Transitioning and Letting Go – Passing the torch, especially after building up a business, can be incredibly stressful. Often, our sense of personal identity conflates with business success or failure.

WPA: Some of those “pillar issues” are edgy – maybe even considered taboo in the workplace? Do you and the other founders of She*t for Brians really believe people will open up about these topics amongst their industry colleagues?

JD: We’ve already seen folks open up, and in really big ways. During our July 25th Launch Party where we introduced She*t for Brains on the Dscoop Community platform, there was an overwhelming response, both in the chat, and from those people brave enough to come on screen and share their stories. It was humbling to say the least.

The four of us have all received independent messages from a number of people who are asking how they can be more involved and excited to be a part of this movement. We do have a “Code of Conduct” for those who attend our virtual sessions, and one posted on our LinkedIn Group page that emphasizes the importance of this safe space and how critical it is to its success.

We want to cultivate a community of trust and ensure our members can share openly, unjudged, while being embraced and celebrated for simply being their true selves.

WPA: At Women in Print Alliance, we’re always focused on creating connection and safe spaces for women in the industry. She*t for Brains is gender neutral. Why do you believe it’s important to NOT separate gender in this particular initiative?

JD: Let’s be honest, the print industry is full of #50yearolddudes! It’s a funny hashtag we’ve coined, but one we also laugh at because there is some truth to it.

What we think is so special about this group, and me personally as a woman in the print industry, is the ability for us to share our stories and gain a better understanding of each other’s struggles, the hurdles, but also the triumphs of those who live in this fast paced, sometimes gritty and unrelenting industry.

It’s an opportunity to look at things through a different lens and from a perspective you may otherwise not have thought of. The more we can understand one another, the better we are as people and as an industry!

WPA: We’ve got to ask. What’s with the name?

JD: We sat in a meeting, the four of us, and mulled over this for probably way too long! Jon shared that he launched a campaign at Precision Proco a while back called, “Give a She*t.” It made so much sense for us to reshape that for this group that we just couldn’t resist! We want this initiative to be honest, fun, but also edgy and catch people’s attention. And we thought what a better play on words for a mental health initiative in the print industry?!

WPA: Here’s the most important question of all. How can individual women in print become involved with She*t for Brains?

JD: We’d love all to join our LinkedIn group! It is a private one to ensure that that safe space we talked about earlier remains true. If anyone would like to join, please reach out to me, Jon Bailey, Chris Minn, or Dave Rosendahl via email or LinkedIn, or simply request to join via the private page.

We are also bringing a physical She*t for Brains event to Dscoop in Long Beach in May where we’ll have a breakout session, a keynote speaker, a Wellness Oasis for those interested in learning more, among other sponsored activities.

A really great opportunity to see what this is all about is during our upcoming live virtual event on November 21st where we’ll welcome author and co-founder of Up Your Elvis and Talk it Out, Chris Barez-Brown. He’ll share his unique approach to banishing burnout and leveraging human design in our modern world. We couldn’t be more thrilled to have him lead a session!

Again, we encourage anyone who finds some sort of comfort in a space like this to join. The more we can learn from and support one another, we think, the better our industry will be!