Prioritizing your Mental Health in the New Year w/ Dr. Lara Pence

This year has been a mental and emotional test of endurance like no other. Add to the pandemic the already existing stresses and pressures in the cafe as customer face professionals and you get a perfect storm of both feeling the need for mental health wile simultaneously feeling helpless to actualize it. Even though mental health has been top of mind, it can be hard to move it from a "Should" to "Must" and as we look forward to the new year at the close of this incredibly challenging one, resolving to prioritize our mental health will make a monumental difference both for us personally and the people we lead. To help guide us in this pursuit we are going to be talking with Dr. Lara Pence! Dr. Pence attended graduate school at Widener University where she obtained her Doctorate Degree in Psychology (PsyD) and her Masters in Business Administration (MBA). In 2010, she opened her own private practice, Chief Mind Works, in Dallas, TX. Early in her career she worked primarily with individuals suffering from eating disorders, anxiety, and depression both through individual work as well as intensive group workshops. She later branched out to work more specifically with entrepreneurs who were looking to elevate their leadership skills and execute more efficiently at work, and professional athletes who needed support in understanding the mind/body connection and its impact on performance.  In 2018, Dr. Pence began consulting for Spartan Race, the largest endurance racing organization in the world to implement a curriculum that provides a mental pathway to change and transformation, and began hosting a weekly video series, Spartan MIND. Dr.  Pence also works at the Unbeatable Mind Coaching Program alongside Mark Divine, and has recently launched her own product – LIGHFBOX – a tool used to strengthen mental health and wellness. She also began a new podcast, Curious Minds with Dr. L, where she and her guests use curiosity as the cure for stagnation.  She has served on the Board of Directors for various non-profit organizations, and has been featured in various publications, media outlets, and podcasts, including Good Morning America, the BBC, Glamour, Vogue, WebMD, Psychology Today, and the Huffington Post. In today's conversation with Dr. Pence we are going to explore many absolutely critical topics that will set us up to prioritize our mental health in the new year.  This is the perfect way to end the year and I hope you get a lot out of this episode! We will be covering:  Why dont we prioritize our mental health Taking stock of our relationships Making mental health practices stick How knowing our values guides our success Self and situational awareness The masks we wear Matching values to circumstance What are common things that degrade our mental health Setting boundaries The value of hard conversations  Negativity bias Checking in with ourselves and others   Links: www.drlarapence.com Instagram   Related Episodes: 201 : Igniting your Curiosity w/ Cody Gough 213 : Coping with Corona using Emotional Intelligence w/ Andrea Hoban of Oji Life Lab 176 : Harnessing Emotions at Work w/ Andrea Hoban of Oji Life Lab 095 : Dealing with Stress in the Cafe w/ Wellness Counselor, Joe Sanok 111 : Self Care 101: Taking care of yourself while taking care of others   Need consulting? Reach out! chris@keystotheshop.com   The BEST in commercial coffee equipment! www.prima-coffee.com/keys   Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks? www.pacificfoods.com/food-service