EPISODE · May 21, 2026 · 29 MIN
Your Employees Are Already Triggered Before They Open Their Laptops | Ellen Griley
from Why Does It Feel So Wrong To Be Human At Work? · host Local Wisdom
Your employees are arriving at work already on edge. Not because of anything you did. Because of everything else — the news, the economy, the climate, the layoffs, the AI uncertainty, the 6 a.m. email they checked before they even got out of bed. They walk in already in threat mode. And then you send an urgent Slack with an exclamation point.In this Between the Seasons episode of Why Does It Feel So Wrong to Be Human at Work?, Pinaki Kathiari and Chris Lee are joined by producer Bree Bartos and Ellen Griley, founder of Equilibrious Communications and creator of Internal Calms, for a conversation about mental health, polycrisis, and what it actually looks like to communicate with people who are carrying more than you know.Ellen just published Shifting Ground: Internal Communications in an Age of Polycrisis — her first research report under Equilibrious, released the morning this episode was recorded. And she brought the framework, the data, and a lot of hard-won wisdom from her own experience as both a communicator and a person.In this episode, they discuss:• What polycrisis actually means — and why it's indistinguishable from the environment your employees walk into every day• The amygdala, the prefrontal cortex, and why chronic stress works the same way trauma does on the brain• Why the individual onus to "set better boundaries" isn't a solution — it's an abdication• Ellen on how her own anxiety was showing up for her employees before she understood what was happening• The schedule send as an act of respect• Why work communication flows one way — into the home — but employees can't always bring what they're carrying back into the workplace• The STEADY framework: Safety, Trust, Environment, Agency, Dialogue, and You• What Ellen found when she surveyed 24 senior IC practitioners: 100% had managed through at least three crises in 18 monthsIt's Mental Health Awareness Month. And this episode is a good place to start.Check out Ellen's Links:internal-calms.comRead Shifting GroundConnect with Ellen on LinkedIn---Connect with UsPinaki Kathiari – LinkedIn | Local WisdomChris Lee – LinkedIn | Gallagher CommunicationBree Bartos – LinkedIn | Local WisdomSpecial thanks to digital communication agency Local Wisdom (www.localwisdom.com) for really believing in our mission and making this podcast possible. If this episode made you think differently, laugh, or even yell out loud, we want to hear about it! Connect with us on LinkedIn, and don’t forget to rate, review, and share – maybe with your work bestie… or even your boss if you're feeling bold. We also bring these important conversations to conferences and private workshops, creating space for real, meaningful change. Take the first step at www.whydoesitfeelsowrong.com.
What this episode covers
Your employees are arriving at work already on edge. Not because of anything you did. Because of everything else — the news, the economy, the climate, the layoffs, the AI uncertainty, the 6 a.m. email they checked before they even got out of bed. They walk in already in threat mode. And then you send an urgent Slack with an exclamation point.In this Between the Seasons episode of Why Does It Feel So Wrong to Be Human at Work?, Pinaki Kathiari and Chris Lee are joined by producer Bree Bartos and Ellen Griley, founder of Equilibrious Communications and creator of Internal Calms, for a conversation about mental health, polycrisis, and what it actually looks like to communicate with people who are carrying more than you know.Ellen just published Shifting Ground: Internal Communications in an Age of Polycrisis — her first research report under Equilibrious, released the morning this episode was recorded. And she brought the framework, the data, and a lot of hard-won wisdom from her own experience as both a communicator and a person.In this episode, they discuss:• What polycrisis actually means — and why it's indistinguishable from the environment your employees walk into every day• The amygdala, the prefrontal cortex, and why chronic stress works the same way trauma does on the brain• Why the individual onus to "set better boundaries" isn't a solution — it's an abdication• Ellen on how her own anxiety was showing up for her employees before she understood what was happening• The schedule send as an act of respect• Why work communication flows one way — into the home — but employees can't always bring what they're carrying back into the workplace• The STEADY framework: Safety, Trust, Environment, Agency, Dialogue, and You• What Ellen found when she surveyed 24 senior IC practitioners: 100% had managed through at least three crises in 18 monthsIt's Mental Health Awareness Month. And this episode is a good place to start.Check out Ellen's Links:internal-calms.comRead Shifting GroundConnect with Ellen on LinkedIn---Connect with UsPinaki Kathiari – LinkedIn | Local WisdomChris Lee – LinkedIn | Gallagher CommunicationBree Bartos – LinkedIn | Local WisdomSpecial thanks to digital communication agency Local Wisdom (www.localwisdom.com) for really believing in our mission and making this podcast possible. If this episode made you think differently, laugh, or even yell out loud, we want to hear about it! Connect with us on LinkedIn, and don’t forget to rate, review, and share – maybe with your work bestie… or even your boss if you're feeling bold. We also bring these important conversations to conferences and private workshops, creating space for real, meaningful change. Take the first step at www.whydoesitfeelsowrong.com.
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Your Employees Are Already Triggered Before They Open Their Laptops | Ellen Griley
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