Why Well-Being Matters: Lisa + Kim on Achieving the Politics You Desire

Healing Our Politics

Welcome to the Healing Our Politics Podcast!

Join Our Community and Receive Free Tools + How to Guides:

Join “The Leader’s Handbook” newsletter https://leadershandbook.substack.com/about

· Always free

· Once per month email

· Curated selection of tools, techniques, and practices discussed on this podcast

· Delivered in simple to follow how-to-guides

· To try and test in your life, and teach your teams.

JOIN HERE https://leadershandbook.substack.com/about

Guests:
Lisa Witter is the Co-Founder of Apolitical, a certified B Corp, and the Apolitical Foundation, which are collectively the largest trainers of public servants in the world. They have trained over 200,000 leaders in over 160 countries and focused on improving government effectiveness through sharing policy ideas, peer connections, and leadership training. A key advocate for more inclusive governance, Lisa’s work has spanned the intersections of politics, social innovation, and gender equality. She has also served on the World Economic Forum’s Council on Agile Governance.

Kimberly McArthur is a senior researcher and strategist at the Apolitical Foundation, focusing on democratic innovation and political well-being. Through her research, she addresses the mental well-being challenges faced by politicians globally and works on fostering healthier political systems. Her extensive psychology and political science background allows her to analyze the intersection between leadership and mental health, contributing to global conversations on how leaders can best serve their communities without compromising their mental health.

About the Episode: In this episode, Lisa Witter and Kimberly McArthur discuss the critical underpinnings of political leadership and well-being, emphasizing the importance of creating a political environment that nurtures mental health for leaders and politicians. The conversation dives into how poor mental health among politicians can destabilize democracy, leading to burnout, harassment, and declining civic participation. Lisa and Kimberly share their groundbreaking research on mental well-being in politics and how a shift towards more inclusive, supportive political structures is urgently needed. The episode also explores actionable steps public leaders can take to prioritize well-being, break down barriers like cynicism, and adopt a leadership style rooted in gratitude, community, and joy.

Key Topics Discussed:

· [00:01:52] Guest into

· [00:03:59] Episode intro

· [00:06:20] What is Apolitical Co / Foundation

· [00:10:26] Kim loves the struggle

· [00:11:00] Be kind, work hard, have fun!

· [00:12:13] “Citizenship” - what is it to you?

· [00:15:32] Where to apply your service?

· [00:17:16] Kim - Citizen of the world

· [00:19:57] Motivation for public service

· [00:23:49] Hiring for curiosity + Courage

· [00:27:10] The art of iterative organization building

· [00:29:43] To fix things, we must get “transformational”

· [00:31:23] “It’s hard to un-swallow the pill of cynicism”

· [00:32:14] Build up > tear down

· [00:33:50] Two types of folks…

· [00:37:58] Mental wellbeing in leadership

· [00:39:25] Blueprint: World-class teams doing impossible things

· [00:41:05] Win-win-win dynamics

· [00:44:35] Generous, kind, curious FTW!

· [00:48:40] The feeling of kindness

· [00:48:18] Nice vs. kind (there’s a right answer)

· [00:51:23] “Clairity is kind”

· [00:52:21] SSG (succinct, specific, generous)

· [00:52:50] Investment deficit: Inner development

· [01:07:08] Importance of Representation

· [01:09:40] “Desertification” of our politics

· [01:11:35] Sponsors: ELC Foundation & Donors

· [01:15:03] Mere Mortals Report

· [01:16:38] The sad state of Politician’s well being

· [01:19:00] Harassment

· [01:19:15] Overwork and underpay

· [01:22:24] Psychological violence

· [01:23:58] Which leader’s wellbeing is affected?

· [01:26:49] Varying approaches to wellbeing internationally

· [01:30:24] “Disagree, and be human about it.”

· [01:32:59] Love letters to politicians

· [01:36:08] Common contributors to low wellbeing

· [01:39:44] Elected training deficit

· [01:42:16] Respect Required: New public comment policy

· [01:46:09] Is “public service” the right frame?

· [01:48:14] Effective tools leaders are using

· [01:50:24] Awareness to action

· [01:54:26] Apolitical reports and toolkits

· [01:57:24] University wellbeing studies

· [01:58:03] How citizens can support politician’s wellbeing

· [02:00:35] Resources for citizen learning

· [02:01:19] Media wellbeing

· [02:01:44] Better journalism resources

· [02:03:04] Lisa’s wellbeing practices

· [02:06:15] Kim’s wellbeing practices

· [02:07:51] Closing Question: People are doing their best (Lisa)

· [02:07:51] Closing Question: Stay hopeful (Kim)

Key References and Resources Mentioned:

· [00:31:23] Bill Moyers

· [00:51:23] “Clairity is kind”; Coach Stephen McGhee

· [01:15:03] Mere Mortals: the State of Politicians' Mental Wellbeing and Why It Matters

· [01:46:09] Citizens: Why the Key to Fixing Everything Is All of Us; Jon Allexander

· [01:54:26] Apolitical Trilblazer organizations and services

· [01:57:24] Princeton Bridging Divides Institute

· [01:57:24] Brennan Center for Justice local elected officials survey

· [01:57:24] National Leauge of Cities Report: