Category: Corporate Mental Health

The tone is warm, muted, and intimate—inviting the reader into a moment of grace and self-connection. Blog title

Corporate Mental Health Mental Health Growth and Leadership Podcast • leadership May 6, 2025 By AMANDA FLUDD 0 Comments

Could Grace Be the Missing Link in Your Leadership Journey

Ever caught yourself thinking, “I should be further by now?”

Maybe you’re a powerhouse behind the scenes at a major brand. Or you’re the therapist, coach, or creative expert building your next season with heart and hustle. Either way—if you’ve ever questioned your pace, your progress, or your power… this is for you.

Because here’s the truth: being behind is a lie when you’re building something that aligns with your purpose.

And in this season? Grace—not guilt—is your growth strategy.

The Guilt That Hides in High Performance...

Let’s be honest. High-achieving black women are masters at pushing through.

We lead. We build. We mother. We solve the problem before it’s spoken. And we do it with excellence. But somewhere behind the accolades, the calendar invites, the late-night client calls or pitch decks… is a quiet voice that says:

“You should have created that thing already.”
“You need to be more consistent.”
“You’re late to the game.”

That voice? It sounds like discipline or encouragement. But it’s often shame wearing a business suit and comfy shoes.

However, to reach a higher version of ourselves, we must shift certain narratives and release shame and self-criticism.

Why Grace Is a Leadership Skill

In our latest episode of the Grace, Growth & Business podcast, we spoke about the tension between wanting to move faster and needing to move with intention.

We talk about:

How to reset without shame after starting and stopping (yes, even your podcast or content plan )
The myth of being behind and how it quietly undermines women of color in leadership
Why guilt blocks growth—and how grace unlocks sustainable success

This isn’t about giving up structure. It’s about choosing self-compassion over self-punishment so your growth becomes deeper, not just louder.

Your Business Growth Is Personal Growth

Whether you’re a coach, therapist, entrepreneur, consultant—or a corporate leader building your next chapter—guilt is one of the most common emotional roadblocks I see in brilliant women. And I want to slow it down and name something for you:

Guilt says, “I did something wrong.”
It carries an invisible weight, a subtle sense of failure. It whispers that you're responsible for everything going off track—your timeline, your goals, your team, your family.
And that quiet sense of over-responsibility? It often comes from a deeper story.

So when guilt shows up, I’m always curious:

What did life teach you that made you become the woman who feels responsible for everyone and everything? Or WHO told you to carry that guilt?
What experiences, expectations, or identities are being triggered underneath the surface?

Because guilt, when left unchecked, can become a psychological prison. It stalls momentum. It turns every missed deadline into a character flaw. It locks you into cycles of overthinking and shame. And most dangerously? It convinces you that grace is a luxury instead of a leadership skill.

One Powerful Way to Practice Grace (That Might Just Change Everything)

Can I coach you for a second? I'm going to imagine you are nodding yes and offer you some questions to help you rethink a few things.

Let’s build on the reflection I gave in the podcast:
Instead of just asking “What is this moment teaching me?” — try dialing it back even further.

Ask yourself: “Why do I feel this way in the first place?”
It may not be clear at first—but take a second. Was it something external that triggered you? Did you miss an opportunity, fall short on your own goals, or say something in a meeting that didn’t land the way you wanted?

Now ask: What telenovela episode did your mind create around that moment?
(Yes, I said what I said. Because the drama our minds can invent? Whew.!

What was your interpretation of the event?
Did it mean you’re not good enough? Irresponsible? Not ready?

That interpretation is gold. It’s the script that’s activating your guilt. It’s the message that got embedded in your system and started running the show.

So here’s the deeper reflection:
Is that belief actually true—or is it just an old story you’re still carrying?
This is hard to do alone, but it’s where the shift happens. When you learn how to tune into your emotional responses and examine the why behind them, that’s when real change begins. That’s how you stop reacting from guilt and start leading with clarity or what you value.

And inside the latest Grace, Growth & Leadership episode, I walk you through more of those aligned actions—what it looks like to actually move forward without shame weighing you down.
Catch it on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform.

The Bottom Line

You don’t need to hustle for grace—you need to give yourself permission to receive it.

You’re not behind. You’re evolving.
You’re not scattered. You’re recalibrating.

And if you’re building a business, leading a team, or preparing to share your voice more boldly—grace isn’t optional. It’s the foundation.

Does This Speak to You?

If you’re tired of the internal struggle between self and expectations, reach out and let's chat about how I can support you.

For my business builders, we also have an excellent space for you, the Couch to Business Collective—a membership community designed for women of color who are ready to lead differently, increase their visibility in their business, and work on a few emotional roadblocks along the way — we've got you.

Learn More + Visit the Collective

Words Every Powerful Woman in Leadership Should Speak Daily

Women who lead—whether in business, boardrooms, or their own brands—carry a unique weight. The pressure to perform. The constant pivoting. The need to show up, even when you’re struggling to keep things together on the inside. The world isn’t always designed to make that easy, especially for Black and Brown women in leadership.

That’s why the words you speak over yourself matter—they directly shape how you lead, how you handle challenges, and whether you move forward or hold back.

Whether it’s prayer, affirmations, or mindset work, your words shape your leadership, your confidence, and how you handle stress. Science backs this up—what you hear, you believe. And if you’re constantly feeding yourself doubt and worry, it’s no wonder your anxiety spikes before big decisions.

Are you speaking words that build you up? Or are you unknowingly tearing yourself down?

Faith, Mindset & the Power of Words

Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Translation? What you believe is more powerful than what you see right now. Faith isn’t just about spirituality—it’s the confidence to trust your vision, move forward, and lead with certainty, even when the outcome isn’t clear.

So, ask yourself: Are you speaking words that build you up? Or are you unknowingly tearing yourself down?

2 Daily Power Practices for Women Who Lead

1. Speak Strength Into Your Mornings

Before you check emails or get caught up in meetings, set the tone for your day:

“I make confident decisions.”
“I deserve every room I walk into.”
“My work speaks for itself—I don’t have to prove my worth.”

Words like these rewire your brain to lead with clarity instead of doubt.

2. Create a Reset Ritual for High-Stress Moments

When overwhelm hits, don’t spiral—pause and reset:

Step away for a 60-second deep breath.
Repeat a power phrase: “I am calm, capable, and in control.”
Ground yourself in truth—whether it’s scripture, a mantra, or a reminder of what you’ve already overcome.

This simple shift helps you respond with confidence instead of reacting to stress, anxiety, or overwhelm.

Final Thought: The Words You Speak Shape the Leader You Become

Your leadership, peace, and success are all tied to what you tell yourself daily.

So, let’s get intentional: What’s one phrase you need to start speaking over your leadership today? Let us know in the comments! And share this with a powerhouse woman who needs this reminder.

amanda fludd, licensed psychotherapist. Has a private psychotherapy practice in Long Island New York and Coaching and Speaking Practice

Written by Amanda Fludd, psychotherapist, mindset coach, and founder of The Business Skool for Black and Brown Women in Business. She helps high-achieving women step into their power, overcome self-doubt, and lead with confidence.

Amanda also hosts a monthly prayer call for faith-driven women navigating leadership and entrepreneurship. Have you joined yet? Get the details here.

frustrated female white collar worker in an office. Burnout worker. Stressed.

Corporate Mental Health Stress coping with stress • finding happiness at work • work stress January 18, 2023 By AMANDA FLUDD 3 Comments

Imagine Feeling Happy At Work

Can you imagine feeling happy at work? Read our blog to find out how to make work a happier place for everyone beginning with how you manage stress. Workplace stress is a huge issue, and it’s becoming increasingly apparent as the rates of anxiety, depression and worker burnout continue to increase.

Approximately 80% of employees report that their jobs are stressful, and the stress takes a significant toll on their minds and bodies. According to a recent report by the American Psychological Association, “Workers who are not engaged at work or whose jobs are highly stressful are more than twice as likely to be chronically stressed compared to workers who are highly engaged at work.”

photo of women laughing. Being happy at work matters. We've found that people-first cultures are more innovative, and productive, with an easier time retaining staff — Photo by RF._.studio on Pexels.com

Being happy at work matters. We’ve found that people-first cultures are more innovative, and productive, with an easier time retaining staff.

Imagine feeling happy at work. Raise your hand if you want that.

Before we jump into ways to manage stress at work and feel happier at work, we must understand the causes of stress. The best way to learn more about the emotional health of your teams and the financial correlation, I encourage you to participate in a workplace mental health audit. An audit gives you the data to curate a roadmap for your employees that prioritizes the areas they may need support in to thrive reducing worker burnout, company costs, and the potential for a Mental Health Crisis at work.

For more information, please visit us here and request additional details.

Typically, having an outside entity assess the quality of your workplace culture through a mental health lens is the most effective. Why? It addresses internal concerns, such as trust and retaliation, thereby increasing the likelihood of effective interventions. Some things we explore:

Do leaders at our organization model a healthy balance between work and personal life?
Does your organization dedicate resources for mental health programs, education, and resources beyond EAP? Do those events happen more than twice a year?
Have you designated safe spaces for employees to discuss issues that impact them within or outside the organization? Do staff have time in their schedule to access those resources?
Is emotional wellness integrated into routine experiences, such as team meetings or monthly events? When was the last time someone asked how are you? Or what do you need from us to effectively do your job? Empathy can be the key to unlocking happiness in your teams and improving retention rates, but that’s a skill that most have to learn.
Is this a space motivated to focus on workplace mental health to reduce employee stress? How is that conveyed to staff? Would staff agree?

Now let’s get to the good stuff.

Staff working together in a low stress job. Managing their stress to feel happy at work.

Tips to Reduce Stress

Tip #1: Think about where the work-life balance lines have blurred for you and what’s needed to reinforce limits and boundaries for your well-being. Setting boundaries can be as simple as having breakfast before logging on for remote work, delegating responsibilities, using vacation time, or implementing the word no.

Tip #2: Before you respond to someone or a situation, take a breath and take the time to develop healthy responses. Instead of working relentlessly on tasks, take a breath, and prioritize your needs.

Your breath resets you from the inside out, calming your central nervous system and giving your brain time to better process details and make effective decisions under pressure.

Tip #3: Learn to challenge and change your mindset. Your thoughts drive your actions, and we have over 60,000 thoughts daily- most negative. Typical strategies focus on exercise and mindfulness to reduce stress and anxiety, which is excellent, but it neglects the cognitive aspect of the experience- how you think. By identifying and challenging the thoughts that drive stress, anxiety, and overwhelm, you can create more control and ease in your daily life.

good enough workbook for limiting beliefs — Do You Need Your Copy of The Good Enough Guide? Details here.

Want to become better at recognizing your thoughts? See tip #2.

With tools like this in your toolbox, you get better at moving through work demands and can quickly shift into a space that allows you to invoke calm and move through crises and demands with ease.

In a holistic workplace culture, longevity and managing stress in the workplace requires soft skills like empathy, systemic vulnerability, support, and continuous education. With a framework that supports those areas, you can prioritize happiness in the workplace giving employees the resources to thrive at their highest level while at work. Are you equipped for that?

Author: Amanda Fludd, LCSW-R, is a Licensed Psychotherapist and Mental Health consultant. She works in partnership with organizations and institutions like schools and corporations to assess an organization’s emotional health designing customized mental health and wellness workshops and high performance coaching to address underlying needs.

Corporate Mental Health Personal Growth Productivity Celebrate the wins • How to get motivated at work • How to motivate your team February 21, 2022 By AMANDA FLUDD 1 Comment

The Importance of Celebrating Your Progress: An Overlooked, Yet Powerful Motivator

Celebrating your wins, how to get motivated at work

This post contains affiliate links. Read our full disclosure here.

Do you ever take the time to celebrate your progress? For most, it’s barely a thought, only focusing on the outcome, but is this hurting your potential?

Suppose we continue to push this mentality of working hard and hustle culture without space for acknowledging just how far we’ve come? In that case, you leave room for the disappointment of perfectionism and actually increase the likelihood of poor follow-through.

Join me as I dive into this blog on celebrating your wins, valuing your worth, and leveraging that to motivate you or your team.

WHY YOU MIGHT STRUGGLE TO CELEBRATE YOUR PROGRESS:

Do you ever take time to celebrate your success or accomplishments? Or even acknowledge the small wins in those around you?

I can picture you saying, “hmm….I don’t know” or “haven’t thought about that.” Well, think about what the message to yourself is or your organization when you don’t do that.

We are often so caught up on the daily to-dos and the pressure of unrealistic demands that we actually forget to notice what we’ve accomplished, or acknowledge the accomplishments of our peers sharing office air or zoom rooms around us. Well, I don’t think we forget, I think we are conditioned to discount the small wins as “not good enough” because we haven’t reached that destination, completed the project, achieved the goal, or received praise for it.

However, something powerful happens if you take the time to think about what it takes to get to your end goal and the tasks you’ve managed to pull off along the way.

When I trained for the NYC Marathon a few years back, 26.2 miles was the outcome. Still, there were many important milestones along the way- like actually deciding I could run that far (absolutely not a distance runner), hitting key milage like 13.2, 15 miles, 18 miles, and positioning myself for 26.2. What was more important at race day wasn’t the race itself but what it took to get there. Each time I hit a milestone, it reinforced that this was possible, and I also saw the shifts in friends and family around me and their excitement that this was actually happening. All of the above was motivation to complete one of the most challenging events in my life, next to birthing babies.

THE POWER OF PROGRESS IS FUNDAMENTAL TO HUMAN NATURE

Whether you are trying to bring in a big sale, develop a high-quality product or service, forge a new path in life, or get a handle on your anxiety, acknowledging everyday progress can make all the difference in how you feel and perform. That same concept of having and acknowledging the small milestones is not just a great way to motivate yourself, but also your team. If you can help them see the value of the steps, they have accomplished and find ways to acknowledge that as their leader, you are building their intrinsic ability to perform (and maybe even like what they are doing).

self reliance, building motivation, progress over perfection

The power of progress is fundamental to human nature. Think about the excitement of parents encouraging a child to take a few steps as they learn to walk and the level of trust that child feels in themselves and the external motivator to take that step. Then the joy of the accomplishment. That celebration is an inspiration for that impressionable tiny human to keep walking until it turns into a full-out run. That concept of internal self-reliance is one we have to foster through our personal self-development. However, externally, a powerful and underutilized motivator by managers and leaders is praise.

We never stop being that little kid that responds to external praise, guidance, and support.

REMIND YOURSELF OF THE GOAL

I collaborate with clients to set goals and meaningful milestones because it’s the GPS for our work. It’s a sign of progress that we are going toward their goals, and for my clients, it becomes a focal point for the work. It’s easy to get distracted by the expectations of others or the disappointment we feel if we aren’t working fast “enough” or we aren’t where we should be. Those steps become a blueprint for reframing our focus and keeping us motivated.

BUILD A STRONGER SUPPORT SYSTEM BY SURROUNDING YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE IN YOU.

As I’ve hinted so far, part of your success is dependent on your ability to slow down and acknowledged your progress, or to embrace even the small wins. I encourage my high-achieving and driven women in business to enjoy the journey regularly as we look at developing a flexible growth mindset. Their drive can easily distract from the small but significant gains.

Another critical factor is who is on your team to provide external support? Does your team even know what you’re working on, and are they equipped to recognize those steps and high-five you along that process? You want a team that can nourish your progress and see it as essential to the larger objective. If you want to achieve bigger goals, build a support system of people with whom you can share your goals and who can also believe in your journey and recognize your progress.

Progress is a complex formula of how we view our support systems (organizations, management, workers, family, or friends) and how confident and equipped we feel in our abilities and ourselves. These join forces to either push us to higher levels of achievement or stunt our growth, contributing to resistance like overthinking, procrastination, stress, and inaction.

Stop minimizing your wins. It’s part of your progress and worth celebrating.

You are worth celebrating.

DO THE WORK: AN EXERCISE TO BUILD MOTIVATION

Let’s switch gears and do some heavy lifting to practice the ideas we’ve discussed so far.

An exercise to build your motivation in ten minutes

Take a moment to reflect on this question I recently shared with several of the leaders doing a recent mindset workshop:

What beliefs about yourself do you have that may not be a fact?
When you think of your goals, what are some of the thoughts that come up around them that create obstacles to action?
How does the expectations of you based on your identity (such as gender or race) influence those thoughts?

Remember the work starts with your understanding of yourself and how your life experiences or expectations cause you to respond both internally and externally. Have you considered what parts of those thoughts or processes are getting in the way of your progress?

Let’s take a look at your progress: Take 10 minutes to brainstorm your wins for this week. Go ahead, set a timer, start writing, then come back to this piece.

How many wins were you able to come up with? Celebrate that.

Notice how it feels to acknowledge and celebrate your accomplishments. Permit yourself to feel the pride, joy, or even the discomfort that comes up with acknowledging yourself. Sit with that feeling for 15-30 seconds as you remind yourself you are worth celebrating, you are doing a great job, and you are fully capable of navigating the next step towards your goal.

You can easily do this for the team as well. What wins did your staff or business hit in the past week? Who had a role in that? Celebrate them.

As you get into a regular practice of reassessing and acknowledging yourself, it gets easier to motivate yourself and build and support those around you.

Well done.

Related Reads:

Quotes to Calm Your Anxiety

End Self Criticism and Learn To Like Yourself

I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below on celebrating the small wins and your progress as a source of motivation. Or share your experience with the exercise above.

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Amanda Fludd, LCSW-R. Licensed Psychotherapist & Mindset Coach. Mental Health Consultant & Speaker

Disclaimer: We independently review everything we recommend and suggest what may be helpful to you. Take a look, but do your own research before purchasing. If you do buy through our links, we sometimes earn a commission at no cost to you.

Anxiety Communication Corporate Mental Health Couples Therapy Attachment Style • Communication November 20, 2021 By AMANDA FLUDD 2 Comments

What Anxious Attachment Looks Like in Relationships

Attachment styles are based on a theory that your early connections in childhood with your caregivers directly impact how you approach relationships today. If we – as children – believe that our needs cannot and won’t be met by those closest to us, we are likely to exhibit attachment issues throughout our lives.

big family in kitchen and man feeding baby in feeding chair — Photo by Vanessa Loring on Pexels.com

It’s an intriguing psychological framework to make sense of why you behave the way you do in intimate relationships and even at work. Yes, attachment patterns can impact our daily lives beyond our family.

A lack of attunement or connection between parent and child can contribute to anxious attachments in adulthood, which is the focus of this blog. Anxiety is one of the most common experiences, with 1 in 13 people worldwide experiencing anxiety, including children. Those who tend to be more anxious and worry extensively about relationships are probably engaged in an anxious attachment style.

Anxious Attachment Style

People with this attachment style are often insecure in their relationships, with a high need for reassurance from their partners to know that they are still wanted or loved.

This style of attachment can also show up as:

· Overthinking and analyzing what others say or do

· Negative view of themselves and anxious or stressed out about how others perceive them

· Overinvested in relationships (at work and outside of that)

· Worry that you are “too much” or need alot from others

· Strong fear of rejection and evaluation

· Sensitivity to abandonment or being left out

· Trouble working independently and a heavy dependence on their partner or team to finish tasks

· Often feel underappreciated or dissatisfied

The Power of Anxious Thinking

Our thoughts (in this cause anxious thoughts and overthinking), can impact how we feel and respond. We often don’t realize this dynamic is quickly happening in our minds.

Where do I go from here?

If you recognize these issues in yourself or someone you love, the good news is attachment styles can change with time, effort and support. Self-development starts with awareness and approaching yourself with self-compassion and not criticism.

Some tips to continue to strengthen how you show up in relationships:

Continue to look for patterns of responding or shutting down. Write them down. Being mindful of them will make it easier to shift how you respond.
Work on it with your partner
Realize that past experiences do not have to hold you emotionally hostage
Develop new ways of communicating and asking for what you need. The more you can express what you need, like saying I need regular reassurance, the more empowered you can feel

Amanda Fludd,LCSW-R is a licensed Psychotherapist, Corporate Trainer, and Mindset Coach to support the mind of the woman behind the business. In all avenues of life we have to learn to navigate fear and get to the root of our anxiety.

Disclaimer: This blog contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission to fund our tea-drinking habits if you use these links to make a purchase. We only recommend products, tools, and services that we think would be beneficial to our audience.

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