2021_Alabama_Grocer_Issue_3

1 5 MINUTES WITH…

L e nny Me ndonc a

I think there are two things going on: First, you see more people talking about mental health publicly, who are of stature. Whether it is an athlete or not, you’re seeing the topic discussed more and more. Athletes such as Simone Biles, and Michael Phelps before her. There’s also Lady Gaga from the entertainment world and others. Or even Michelle Obama, saying she felt depressed during the pandemic. So that creates a conversation over time. Secondly, what I experienced is that when it is one in three or one in four Americans who suffer from a mental health issue, everyone is one or two degrees of separation from someone who has had an experience. It then becomes something that isn’t a theoretical conversation anymore. It’s a more personal one. I’ve probably written over 100 editorials in my life, and this one had an order of magnitude more response than anything else I’ve ever written. The number of people who reached out to me, most of whom I didn’t know, and wanted to tell me their own story was touching – whether it was a family member or friend, and many of whom didn’t have good endings. That’s really heartbreaking. I think it’s essential we eliminate the stigma and recognize it’s a health issue like any other health issue. If we treat it that way and start to have real conversations to address it, we can avoid those bad outcomes, or at least reduce them.

issue recently, I have a view about some of the challenges and opportunities to deal with mental issues in our society. You’ve written about how common mental health issues are, citing one in three Americans will deal with such a challenge. Yet, we know discussing mental health is still often considered taboo. Why is that the case? And do you think it’s changing? Well, the statistic that I used about one in three Americans was from before the pandemic. Early indications show it’s only increased during the pandemic, understandably. Whether you’re a frontline worker or it’s the stress of dealing with working from home, and people with multiple obligations between work and family or otherwise – let alone anyone who was exposed to Covid-19 – circumstances have only broadened the perspective on it. I do think it is becoming more commonplace to lower the stigma and talk about mental health. I decided to write about it because it didn’t feel like something that should be talked about openly. My daughters and my wife encouraged me to write something. In part, it was going to be more of a private thing to send to people to explain what was going on, because I hadn’t talked about it and I kind of abruptly left my job. It was a way to have the conversation without having to repeat the story over and over again. I started to share it with family and friends, and I was encouraged to publish it.

enny Mendonca is the former chief economic and business advisor to Gov. Gavin Newsom and chair of the California High Speed Rail Authority. He is also owner of Half Moon Bay Brewing Company, managing partner of the Coastside News Group, and Senior Partner Emeritus at McKinsey & Co. In April of 2020 he resigned from his post with Gov. Gavin Newsom. Three months later, he penned an op-ed in Cal Matters where he openly shared his struggles with anxiety and depression. Nate Rose: There seems to be a growing conversation occurring in the United States about mental health – whether its someone like Simone Biles or even a broader topic like homelessness. How did you come to find yourself taking part in this conversation? Mendonca: I have had almost zero exposure to issues of mental health challenges either personally or in my professional life until – what was a very personal experience for me – when I was in the Governor’s office and got hit with a sudden and severe case that was later diagnosed as anxiety and depression. So, my exposure and perspective was driven through that lens and, certainly, I can’t claim to be broadly knowledgeable about it, but the experience gives me a perspective on mental health. Having talked a lot about the

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