Fostering Well-Being and Inclusion: An Interview with Veronica Unnikrishnan for Mental Health Awareness Month

Conversation with Veronica Unnikrishnan from CREW Dallas by Hope Dunleavy from CREW Denver.

Hope:
Please tell me a bit about you. Your background, work experience and anything else you would like to share.

Veronica:
I was born and raised in Mexico. My Husband is from India and my son was born in Colorado Springs, CO. Some may say I have my own little United Nation at home.

When it was time to choose a career, computer science was just starting to emerge. I chose that path as it was something new, and for an introvert, it seemed as though human interaction would be limited.

Fast forward 30 years, and while my professional path allowed me to develop cross-functional skills, my diverse experience has helped me become an entrepreneur and build a culture with purpose and intentional inclusivity. Being a partner at 5Q, focusing on technology and cyber security, has turned a dream into reality.

Hope:
How has your journey with DEI intersected with your personal mental health journey?

Veronica:
For many years, my family and career have been the drivers for personal motivation and have shaped who I am. Because I wanted to be the best at both roles, I had to stretch myself and, on many occasions, put everyone else before me.

As the years have gone by, I have shifted my priorities and now put my personal wellbeing first. I realize that without being healthy mentally and physically, I was not able to achieve my personal and professional goals.

The importance of including everyone in the workplace is a main goal of mine. Since I have personally struggled with being seen or having my voice heard, I am now in a position where I can make a difference and ensure roadblocks, that I had previously faced, are avoided for our people in the organization.

Hope:
Your journey is inspiring, and I know I must be more mindful of putting my personal wellbeing first. Can you tell me about some specific initiatives or actions you've taken to ensure everyone's voice is heard and included in the workplace? What impact have these changes had on the work culture and the well-being of your team?

Veronica:
Having awareness and intentionally including all who is participating in day-to-day activities is a great starting point. When you see someone that is thoughtful but is not participating, you can ask for their opinion of any additional information they would like to share. Not everyone can initiate a conversation, but you would be surprised of the response we get if you invite them to be part of it.

Hope:
Can you share a time when you felt empowered to prioritize your mental well-being within a diverse or inclusive setting?

Veronica:
The first challenge was removing my personal bias on the perception that someone would have of me if I shared my mental health struggles. Once I realized that by opening up, it would not only help me, but also the people around me understand how to support me, it then became a conversation I could have openly and share to help others.

Hope:
I would love to hear about a time where you saw firsthand how opening up helped someone else?

Veronica:
Recently, during an all hands meeting at my company, we talked about mental health and scheduled an optional meditation session for anyone that would like to join. It was so well received, and one person approached me and said that he had not seen anything like it before and that was very grateful for the awareness on the topic and that was going to take some points back home. It is very rewarding to hear the positive impact of the actions we take.

Hope:
In your experience, how can organizations effectively incorporate DEI principles into their mental health support initiatives?

Veronica:
We can look at it wholistically across the organization. DEI initiatives, do not require for us to create specific groups to address topics like mental health. What matters is to have awareness in our daily activities and invite everyone to be part of conversations at meetings, or adapting the work environment for a better experience that considers diversity of thought, enables innovation and invites open communication to everyone.

Hope:
What resources or support systems have been particularly valuable to you in your mental health journey within the context of diversity and inclusion?

Veronica:
The sense of belonging in a work culture where there is true respect for everyone’s individuality, as well as a sense of trust and safety to have these hard conversations is a game changer.

Hope:
That is great insight. Could you share a specific example of how your workplace fosters this sense of belonging, trust, and safety? How has it impacted your mental health and overall well-being?

Veronica:
We have evolved our definition of core values across time. For the past 5 years we have instilled our 5Q values of STAND (Service, Trust, Accountability, Nurture, Deliver) across the organization. We focus on rewarding the behavior of trust and we have a team that starting, all the way from the executives to our service teammates, feels comfortable talking about what is needed to further progress our professional development and help each other to keep our well-being a priority.

Hope:
Looking ahead, what changes or advancements would you like to see in how mental health is addressed within organizations?

Veronica:
Have conversations across your organization. The topic of mental health may be rare to find in an all-hands meeting but it may be just what someone needs to hear.

Hope:
That is a great suggestion. How do you think organizations can effectively integrate mental health discussions into regular meetings and communications without making it feel forced or superficial?

Veronica:
People sense the truthfulness around what you communicate. In my experience, what is most important is to gain credibility and trust. How can you make it happen? Show actions. Do what you said you were going to do. Then the conversation will feel real, because it is real.