Mental health is a foundation for STEM professionals, not just a good idea with Dr. Jeff Pierce

Mental health: we all know we should be doing “something” to take care of it, but it’s often easy to put mental on the back burner amidst our busy lives until we’ve forgotten about it for too long and realize that the kitchen is starting to burn down. Someone I really admire for realizing that his kitchen was in full flames, taking accountability and action, and coming out the other side stronger is my graduate advisor, Dr. Jeff Pierce. Jeff has had challenges on and off with mental health but has done major updates over the past few years to keep himself healthy and happy at his job of being a professor in STEM. Jeff is a caring and kind mentor and has been generously sharing his stories of his ongoing mental health journey with students and colleagues alike. I’m so grateful to have him on today and for next week’s part 2 of our conversation on mentor/mentee relationships. Jeff’s song of the week: Love Takes Miles by Cameron WinterMy song of the week: Maggot Brain by FleaFeeling like you need to put more into your mental health but not sure where to even start? I’d love to do a free, 30-minute intro call with you to discuss mental health and ways you’re feeling stuck at work to start to come up with actionable steps towards your most STEMtastic STEMdentity. Schedule by clicking here or DM me on Instagram, @STEMdentity!If you loved this episode: Give a follow and share with a friend! Let’s build a community of badass, heart-centered STEM pros! Follow me on Instagram at @STEMdentity & feel free to DM me anytime with questions or ideas for future episodes! Music by @excess_sass - I’d love a follow!