How a Successful CEO with Bipolar Handles Mental Illness at Work

Snap Out of It! spoke with Saskia Lightburn-Ritchie, a person who lives with bipolar disorder and is the Chief Operating Officer (CEO) at My CWA (Cheshire Without Abuse), a charity in the United Kingdom. Thanks to Saskia's experience with bipolar disorder, she designed her own role such that she can be a successful CEO. And she passed those supports and ideas down to her staff. Now, more than 60% of her employees have a mental illness and they have very low turnover because of how she treats her people -- with respect, dignity, and what they need medically. Saskia and I talk about what it's like to work with bipolar disorder -- in her other positions vs. today -- and what it is she does to ensure that people with medical issues like mental illness can be successful at work. We also talk about the costs involved in these changes and the benefits this has brought her entire company. Get the transcript at http://snapoutofitpodcast.com About Saskia Lightburn-Ritchie Saskia Lightburn-Ritchie is the CEO of My Cheshire Without Abuse (My CWA), a domestic abuse organization in Cheshire, UK. Her company works to build a community where adults and children can live free from the fear of domestic abuse and runs a 24-hour helpline, among other things. But don't get it confused, Saskia's charity is no small potatoes. She works with more than 100 employees but does so in a way that allows each of them to succeed -- even those with mental illness. As a person with a long history of mental illness, Saskia has used her personal experience of bipolar disorder to shape an organization that really supports staff with mental ill health, including herself.