Bettermental is wrapping up Season 2 with a question: are you limiting your own potential by trying to control your success? Mike and Leanna discuss what success has meant for each of them: professionally, financially, and mentally. They describe the potential benefits and limitations of wanting to control things when it comes to your personal success, and how your definition of success might change over time. You’ll learn: How the feeling of success or failure can relate to high functioning anxiety and high achieving tendencies [4:25]  What success has personally looked like for Mike a ..read more

Ambitious, goal-oriented, perfect. These qualities may sound like positives, but sometimes the person with which we label them, actually feels overwhelmed, burnt out, or not enough. In this guest episode, Licensed Professional Counselor Tati Garcia joins Mike and Leanna again to explore the relationship between high-functioning anxiety and the need for control. You’ll learn: What high functioning anxiety is and how it might look for a business owner [4:29]  The difference between “low functioning” and “high functioning” anxiety [7:35]  Tatiana Garcia’s personal struggles with high f ..read more

Are you a perfectionist? Do you appear to have it all together, but inside you feel worried, overwhelmed, and burnt out? In this special guest episode, Licensed Professional Counselor Tatiana Garcia joins Mike and Leanna to talk about high achievers, high-functioning anxiety, and her own mental health journey.  You’ll learn: The typical characteristics of people with high-functioning anxiety [5:49] How Tatiana’s experience as a business owner impacts her relationships with clients who are struggling with high-functioning anxiety [13:26] The prevalence of feelings such as shame and loneli ..read more

Running a business with depression can be a huge challenge —and a never-ending one. In this episode, Mike and Leanna take a break from their scheduled episodes to share a spontaneous update on their mental health and work. You’ll learn: About each speaker’s experiences with depression and what it’s like to continue working during a depressive episode [3:55]  How the symptoms of depression can change over time [5:32]  How the physical and behavioral symptoms of depression can vary from person to person [10:20]  What “masking” is and how it is used as a means for coping and surv ..read more

As business owners and freelancers, we rely on our client relationships to make a living. But managing them can sometimes be a struggle. In this episode, Mike and Leanna discuss defining your ideal client, setting expectations and having emergency protocols in place, and how to deal with difficult clients. You’ll learn: That defining a target market is essential for successful client relationships [5:53] The importance of doing intro calls to learn about a new client’s values [14:47] Why you should set boundaries and expectations when you have a business relationship with a friend [18:00] The ..read more

Do you feel like you have enough money in your business bank account? In this episode, Mike and Leanna talk about the financial pressures of being an entrepreneur, hustle culture, and the impact money has on our mental health and self-worth.  You’ll learn: Cultural myths that have become accepted as common knowledge, such as the feast or famine cycle [5:49] That freelancers and business owners do not have to struggle to achieve, and should surround themselves with people of a similar mindset [8:23] Mike’s experience with overcoming bankruptcy [10:42] How to separate your self-worth from ..read more

Do you consider yourself a manager? Or would you say you’re more of a control freak?  We often can't control our emotions, but we can learn to recognize them. We can learn to notice how they feel in our bodies, understand what they are showing us, and try to move forward in a healthy direction. In this episode, find out how to navigate the delicate dance between control and management. You’ll learn: The importance of being flexible with yourself and your routine [1:49] What’s the definition of control? [3:55]  Two common ways control shows up for entrepreneurs [7:59] What control h ..read more

Bettermental is a mental health resource for small business owners. Your hosts are Certified Corporate Wellness Specialist®, Mike Veny and future of work and wellbeing writer, Leanna Lee. In each episode, they share their mental health ups and downs and practical solutions for healthy business growth. Between the two of us, who calls themself a bit of a control freak, and how does that come into play with planning a podcast together? Find out all this and more in this trailer of Bettermenal Season 2. In this trailer, we’ll cover: Two things Mike and Leanna have in common [2:03]  A behi ..read more

Running a business isn’t easy. Whether you work one-on-one with clients or lead a product-based business, being an entrepreneur means a lot of hard work and stress. There’s always another fire to put out or another project that’s falling behind. How do you keep yourself from burning out? How do you prevent stress from holding you back?  While you can’t remove stress completely from your life, you can learn how to manage your response and protect your mental health. Do you need to advocate for yourself? Do you need to reset or practice grounding? No matter the technique, stress management ..read more

Freelancers and business owners know too well: time is a precious resource. You have a finite amount of time each day to manage client relationships, do your work, and juggle everything in between. But what about your mental health? Do you have to choose between mental health and your business?  In today’s episode, Mike interviews Leanna about her anxiety and depression and how she manages her energy throughout the workday. Together, they also share their number one strategy for prioritizing mental health (hint: plan for your hardest day).  Bettermental is a mental health resource fo ..read more