Walking the Talk: Why Real Leadership Begins with Your Mental Health
Dr. Joe Oravecz • October 26, 2024

We’re taught that leadership is about making decisions, driving results, and staying in control. But somewhere along the way, we lost sight of something crucial—our own mental health. In the pursuit of success, we neglected ourselves.


We got so good at walking the corporate line that we forgot to walk the most important path: the one that keeps us whole.


When was the last time you checked in with yourself? Really stopped to ask: “How am I doing?” Not just in terms of performance metrics or shareholder expectations, but in terms of mental well-being. Chances are, it’s been a while.


But here’s the truth no one tells you: Your leadership starts with you. Your authenticity as a leader—your ability to inspire and guide—comes from how deeply you know yourself. That includes recognizing when you’re struggling, when you need support, and when your mental health is suffering. If you’re not taking care of yourself, how can you expect your team to do the same?


Walking the talk of mental health isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being real. When you stand up in front of your team and share your journey, your struggles, and the steps you’re taking to prioritize your mental health, you’re not showing weakness—you’re showing courage. And that courage will ripple through your organization, creating a culture where mental health is valued, not stigmatized.


That’s leadership. And it starts with you.


By Dr. Joe Oravecz September 1, 2025
As August fades and September dawns, we find ourselves in that rare in-between - the denouement of summer and the on-ramp to fall. The air still carries warmth, but there’s an undercurrent of change. The days shorten, shadows lengthen, and the rhythm of nature shifts quietly beneath our feet. This is not yet the bold arrival of fall, nor the lingering fullness of summer - it is something more subtle, more liminal. And isn’t that exactly how mental health - and leadership - often works? True change rarely arrives in one dramatic moment. It happens in transition. In the slow turning of seasons.  In the quiet noticing that things aren’t quite what they were, but not yet what they will be. For me, these last several months have carried that same spirit. Unexpected pauses. Redirections. New opportunities slowly forming out of old foundations. Coaching with executives who want to lead without losing themselves. Consulting with institutions navigating transitions. Speaking about mental health not as an “extra,” but as the foundation of culture and performance. And most recently, listening deeply to families who are navigating the hidden complexities of higher education. Like the shift from summer to fall, these moments don’t arrive with fanfare - but with a quiet insistence that things are changing. And that change, if we pay attention, is not something to fear. I t’s something to embrace. September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month - and it’s worth remembering that awareness, like the seasons, is about rhythm and presence. It’s about pausing long enough to notice the small shifts in ourselves and in others. Asking the question. Reaching out. Choosing to walk alongside. As leaders, as colleagues, as friends, our work is not to demand immediate transformation. It is to honor the transitions. To model that well-being isn’t a side project, it’s the soil in which everything else grows. Summer may be ending, but what follows isn’t loss - it’s the layering of what’s next. The colors, the clarity, the perspective that only comes when seasons turn. So I’ll leave you with this question: What transition is quietly asking for your attention right now? Because in honoring it, you may just find the foundation for what’s to come.
By Joe Oravecz August 1, 2025
The Power of Cascades: What Nature Has Taught Me About Leadership and Mental Health
By Joe Oravecz July 3, 2025
July’s Repositioning: Steering Toward Mid-Year Clarity and Well-Being
By Joe Oravecz June 1, 2025
June: MENtal Health Awareness Month A Call to Action
By Joe Oravecz May 1, 2025
This Isn’t a Trend. It’s a Turning Point.
By Joe Oravecz April 5, 2025
Where Every Obstacle Becomes a Metaphor for Meaningful Leadership
By Joe Oravecz February 28, 2025
February into March: Walking the Talk in Leadership &Mental Well-Being
By Dr. Joe Oravecz January 3, 2025
Lead with LIFE
By Dr. Joe Oravecz January 1, 2025
It's not "balance"
By Dr. Joe Oravecz December 1, 2024
Built on the pillars of trust, authenticity, and shared growth
Show More