Author: Derika Crowley

By Traci Schweikert

Welcome to May and the work-life balance gauntlet known as Maycember. In addition to tackling H1 milestones before project teams scatter for the summer months, working moms and caregivers are adding year-end concerts, projects, and parties to their calendars. If moms have children with additional needs, they are adding a scavenger hunt of questions about allergen-free treat alternatives or activity spaces with less sensory overload. Ask any mom and she can give you a long running list of things she needs to research, create and deliver in the next six weeks. Think I am exaggerating?  Just ask.

The truth is, we won’t ask. Instead, we will add to the already teetering pile with several new high priority deliverables. With the first half of the fiscal year in sight, we will task working moms to prep strategic priorities and budgets for 2026. Seeing our Q2 projections, we will ask them to hold on an open position or prep messaging for a potential shortfall. 

The good news is moms and caregivers are experts at multi-tasking. They will deliver for their organizations, their families and their community. The bad news is they will do so at the expense of their own physical and mental health. They will likely sleep and exercise less and prioritize family and work above their own needs. In most organizations, the expense of that success goes unrecognized.

How do we support and recognize the moms and caregivers within our organizations without instituting unsustainable and inequitable policies or absorbing the work ourselves? One word – FLEXIBILITY.

Here are a few ways that organizations can provide flexibility for mothers and caregivers:·      

• Temporarily shift deadlines or work schedules.
• Eliminate ‘fire drills’ such as multiple and last-minute revisions of decks or project plans.
• Grant them additional time off, including half days, late starts, early departures. 
• Allow them additional work-from-home options, even if temporary, to accommodate travel to school events and commitments without extended commute times.
• Adjust meetings to allow for midday gaps or early departures for mothers and caregivers to attend school events.
• Postpone non-essential projects or trainings for them.
• Refrain from scheduling new meetings without giving a 24-48 hours notice to them.

Not every organization or team will be able to offer all the options listed above, but hopefully the list will spark ideas for using flexibility to support mothers that are feasible for your team. The best thing to do is talk to mothers on your teams and ask them how you can support them, especially during the next six weeks. Also remember that one size doesn’t fit all. The support one person needs could look different than another. The flexibility should be equitable, but it doesn’t necessarily need to be the same. 

If you are not the person in charge of project timelines or work schedules, you can show small signs of appreciation for them by taking them for a coffee or lunch in an effort to get to know them. Ask them to brag about that concert or about life outside of work. Moms always have pictures to share.

Caregiver roles look very different from family to family. The same flexibility offered to working mothers should be extended to bonus moms, fathers, grandparents, aunts, uncles and other family members. Leaders should consider supporting any adult who is showing up for a child in their life. The result will be healthier, more engaged employees who will bring the same excellence to the office that they bring to their families and community.

Traci Schweikert is the Founder and Senior Advisor of Talent Engagement Strategies (TES), a D.C.-based human capital and talent optimization consultancy dedicated to enhancing executive and organizational performance. Drawing on decades of experience as a chief talent officer, Traci has collaborated with CEOs to scale mid-sized global enterprises, including POLITICO, NPR, LexisNexis, McKesson Corporation, and Ingersoll-Rand. Traci is a recognized leader in inclusive leadership and performance-driven cultures, equipping executives with the tools to navigate complexity, inspire teams, and achieve bold organizational goals.

By: Ashley Barnard

Communications professionals are magicians. I feel that in my bones! We are the unsung heroes behind the success of many entrepreneurs, organizations, and brands, managing their narrative to ensure they look and feel their best in the eyes of the world. And we often do it all with overflowing enthusiasm and the biggest smiles we can muster, no matter how stressed or frustrated we are when handling a big campaign or facing a difficult client.

Then, we come home to a new set of challenges: the loss of a family member or friend, a messy divorce, our kids who need extra time and attention after a difficult day at school, or a scary health diagnosis. Or maybe we’re just having an “off” day for no particular reason at all.

And that’s why, during May’s Mental Health Awareness Month, I want to give us PR rockstars permission to feel all of the feelings in a safe and loving way! Yes, that means giving yourself permission to move through those messy and uncomfortable emotions that we often have to bury and put on a smiling face for a client or the demands of a PR campaign. You see, these emotions, such as sadness, frustration, anger, imposter syndrome, and unworthiness (just to name a few), are normal and natural, and yet most of us ignore them so we don’t have to face them. 

Take it from me – I’ve been there. After witnessing the sudden death of my father to a heart attack when I was just 11 years old, I suppressed my emotions for nearly 20 years. I buried myself in my work, but it caught up to me, eventually manifesting in my body as a mystery illness that nearly killed me in my mid 30s, which was eventually diagnosed as Lyme disease. That’s when, for the first time in nearly 20 years, did I give myself permission to feel the grief, sadness, anger and despair that I had been successfully burying. I wore a mask of strength to the world but inside, I was dying and so deeply sad. It wasn’t until I took the time to honor all of my emotions in a safe and loving way did I heal my body and emotional and mental health. Today, I’m healthier and happier than ever. I give myself permission to feel all of my feelings in a loving, safe, and supportive environment, and that’s what I want to encourage you to do starting today!

No matter what you’re going through outside of your career (or maybe even within it!), it’s clear that we communications professionals can expertly manage our clients’ narratives, but that doesn’t mean we always know how to or even give ourselves the time to manage our own. I don’t mean the narrative of the enthusiastic workhorse who makes their job look easy and does it all with a smile. I mean your narrative as a whole person feeling every human emotion that you feel, or the narrative of your inner voice that has so much to express but has been suppressed by that go-getter attitude of yours. 

I want you to know this: I see you, friend. You are not alone. As the Founder and CEO of Nardi Media LLC, I know how the fast-paced, high-stakes nature of the media and communications industry can leave little room for mental health practices, though I’ve learned (the hard way) that if we don’t take time to nurture our mental health, especially when uncomfortable emotions arise, it will be at the determinant to our well-being as a whole. That’s what inspired me to write my award-winning book, Authentic Power: Give Yourself Permission to Feel, and introduce my F.E.E.L. Framework.

The F.E.E.L. Framework, an acronym for Focus, Enter, Experience, and Learn, guides me in dealing with all the emotions I encounter daily, from frustration at my kids when they get into a squabble with each other, to the stress of launching a new campaign for a client, to my feelings of imposter syndrome in my work.

The F.E.E.L. Framework can be an internal dialogue, a meditation, or a writing practice that you can do practically anywhere. It’s about reestablishing a connection with yourself and your inner wisdom, and learning to become present in front of these experiences and emotions. It allows you to take a pause and get curious about what you’re feeling. It can take you two minutes to do, or 30 minutes to do – that is up to you. But at the end of the F.E.E.L. process, you’ll have spent some time tapping into your own authentic power by feeling through your emotions.

Here’s how you can move through uncomfortable emotions using my F.E.E.L. Framework:

Step 1: Focus: Focus on your feelings and identify what it is you may be feeling. Give it a name. If you’re unsure of how you are feeling, acknowledge that, too.

Step 2: Enter: Enter within the emotion. Just as a hurricane has an eye of a storm, go to the center of that feeling by meditating on it and breathing through it.

Step 3: Experience: Experience the emotion and become the owner of it. This might be uncomfortable, and that is okay. Breathe through it, sit with it, feel it, cry with it, laugh with it.

Step 4: Learn: Learn from that emotion and listen to what it is telling you. There is a reason this emotion is coming up for you, so let it teach you!

I know it can be scary to walk yourself through those messy ‘ol emotions but I promise when you do, you’ll feel the purge and palette cleanse you didn’t know you needed. Your body, heart, and inner knowing will thank you. You’ll likely learn more about yourself than ever before, and as a result, you’ll flex your inner wisdom muscle even more to what I call you “Authentic Power”. You’ve got this! To learn more about the F.E.E.L. Framework and how to use it for true healing, I encourage you to check out my book Authentic Power here or wherever books are sold.

Ashley Bernardi is the founder and CEO of Nardi Media, a boutique media relations firm that specializes in high-impact placements and training for authors, thought leaders, and mission-driven brands. A former network TV producer and author of Authentic Power, Ashley has helped multiple authors become New York Times bestsellers and secured placements in top outlets including TODAY, GMA, The New York Times, and CBS This Morning. Ashley is also a sought-after media trainer, known for coaching clients to deliver compelling, authentic interviews that resonate on national television and top podcasts.

By Jen Peters

May is both Mental Health Awareness Month and Women’s Health Month, and the administration recently halted $1 billion in mental health grants for schools. As a former girl with now late-diagnosed ADHD, I would have benefited immensely from greater access to mental health interventions as a teenager. I can’t help but reflect on how much better my high school experience would have been if today’s school-based mental health programs had been available to me. I fear these cuts have the potential for major impacts on students who depend on school systems for access to mental health care, including girls who are already disproportionately affected by mental health issues. 

In my current work with Collaborative Communications Group, our focus is on working with organizations across education and learning, from prenatal to early workforce. We’re already hearing from partners how these cuts could negatively impact young people nationwide, particularly those who are overlooked or face barriers to accessing mental health care outside of school. In Minnesota, the ratio of school counselors is 1:1023, more than double the recommendation from the Minnesota School Psychologists Association. Due to the loss of grant funding, students in the local community could lose nearly 21,000 counseling hours that were previously provided by the University of Minnesota’s school psychology graduate students.

I entered this field because I believe in the power of communications to influence public perception and mobilize policy change for the benefit of real people. With shrinking newsrooms and rising misinformation, it’s critical to highlight stories based on fact. As public relations professionals, especially as women, we’re positioned to shape narratives that support bold advocacy for essential resources. Our role is to elevate organizations and individuals addressing current challenges.

Clear, empathetic, and actionable messaging is more important than ever. Here are a few principles that can guide us in communicating about mental health in this current environment: 

1. Never let a good stat go to waste, but use it with care.

Combine data with human stories, particularly from educators, parents, and students, but storytelling must be approached ethically. One of my clients was hit hard by recent budget cuts in a region with many immigrant families. While a parent’s or student’s voice would have been powerful, the family we were in touch with expressed concern about attracting unwanted attention. No story is worth exploiting, creating, or worsening trauma. Be transparent about what you need so people have agency to decide how to participate. Work with the journalist to see what the options are. In my client’s case, we found a new angle to approach that didn’t put anyone in a position to feel unsafe. For those interested in responsible story facilitation, this blog from WWPR member Brenda Foster offers helpful guidance on consent, boundaries, and protecting storytellers’ well-being.

2. Speak the truth, but avoid hyper-partisanship.

Communicate the facts clearly, but focus your messaging on community impact rather than partisan blame. It can be tempting to lean into sensational rhetoric — especially when writing with SEO in mind— but values-based messaging that centers collective well-being resonates more deeply and sustainably. Aim for a tone that’s bold but grounded. The goal is to make people care, not to alienate them before they’ve finished reading. Earlier this year, I wrote this blog that explores how to navigate shifts in the education sector with a focus on clarity, empathy, and strategy. 

3. Elevate coalitions and experts.

Across the country, coalitions of nonprofits, educators, mental health advocates, and people with lived experience are already leading powerful efforts. Find them and then follow their lead. Then use your PR skills to amplify their work, whether that’s sharing press kits, drafting op-eds, coordinating social campaigns, or equipping your networks with consistent, values-driven messaging. Prioritize spokesperson training to uplift diverse voices, especially those from communities directly impacted by these funding cuts. 

4. Leveraging media to Amplify mental health initiatives.

PR professionals excel at connecting problems with solutions, and one of the most effective ways to demonstrate the value of mental health support is to pitch solution-oriented stories. Policy developments, like federal funding reversals or public hearings, serve as news hooks to highlight how schools and organizations are stepping up to fill the gaps and showcase resilience, creativity, and results. 

We’re at a pivotal moment for mental health in the U.S. Misinformation is spreading, public trust is divided, and critical resources are being pulled back. In this environment, ethical and effective PR isn’t optional — it’s essential. Our communications work should move people from awareness to better understanding, and in some cases, action. If we want to protect and expand access to mental health care, especially in schools, we need to shape a public narrative that informs, empowers, and puts the voices of those most affected at the center.

Jen Peters is a communications strategist with over a decade of experience supporting initiatives across education, technology, and public health.  As a senior associate with Collaborative Communications Group she leads national media efforts, building complex partnerships, and managing advocacy communications that support client goals. She has a bachelor’s degree in human development from California State University, East Bay, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Public Relations and Corporate Communications from Georgetown University.

By Emily Tillet, Senior Director at AVOQ

In the vibrant world of public relations, our power lies in our ability to shape narratives, connect communities, and drive meaningful change. As a network dedicated to empowering women in PR, we hold a unique responsibility–and a profound opportunity–to amplify the voices that often go unheard, particularly in the realm of women’s health.

For too long, conversations surrounding crucial aspects of women’s well-being have been whispered or shrouded in silence. It’s time to break those barriers and bring these vital stories into the spotlight. By strategically leveraging our PR expertise, we can illuminate the challenges women face, celebrate their resilience, and connect them with the resources they desperately need.

Two organizations that exemplify the power of advocacy and support in women’s health are Postpartum Support International (PSI) and the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA). These incredible groups work tirelessly on the front lines, offering crucial services and driving critical research. As PR professionals, we can be instrumental in bolstering their impact.

Postpartum Support International addresses the often-invisible struggles of maternal mental health. From the “baby blues” to postpartum depression, anxiety, and psychosis, these conditions affect a significant number of new mothers, yet stigma and lack of awareness often leave them feeling isolated and alone. PSI provides invaluable resources, including a helpline, online support groups, and a network of trained professionals. By crafting compelling narratives around the experiences of mothers and the support PSI offers, our team at On Air/AVOQ were able to secure nearly 30 broadcast media engagements in English and Spanish, across local and network outlets to help break the silence on an all-too-common issue, encourage help-seeking behavior, and foster a more compassionate and understanding society. Our team successfully re-imagined PSI’s campaign efforts by putting personal stories of recovery at the forefront, highlighting the signs and symptoms of postpartum mental health challenges, and directed individuals to PSI’s vital service across a wide array of demographics. 

On another critical front, the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance is dedicated to funding innovative research, advocating for patients, and providing support to those affected by ovarian cancer. Often referred to as the “silent killer” due to its subtle early symptoms, ovarian cancer demands greater awareness and earlier detection methods. OCRA plays a pivotal role in driving scientific breakthroughs and empowering women with information. Our team at On Air was tapped to share the latest in OCRA’s initiative with Microsoft Health funding global research grants. We were able to leverage our team’s ability to zero-in on targeted, thoughtful outreach to key stakeholders across the country including tech-minded viewers in Silicon Valley to policymakers in Washington, D.C. These thoughtful approaches to sensitive and necessary topics helped to elevate OCRA’s mission by sharing the stories of survivors, highlighting the importance of research funding, and educating the public about risk factors and symptoms. Our mission was to create a campaign that amplifies the voices of researchers on the cusp of new discoveries or shares the journeys of brave women navigating their diagnoses, connecting them with OCRA’s support networks.

So, how can our wider network actively contribute to amplifying similar crucial voices?

• Pro Bono Support: We can offer our expertise to women’s-focused health organizations in developing communication strategies, crafting press releases, managing social media campaigns, and securing media coverage.
• Awareness Campaigns: We can initiate our own campaigns within our networks and communities to raise awareness about issues similar to postpartum mental health or ovarian cancer, directing people to the resources provided by these organizations.
• Storytelling Workshops: We can host workshops focused on ethical and impactful storytelling for women’s health advocates and survivors, empowering them to share their experiences effectively.
• Industry Engagement: We can continue to leverage our connections within the PR industry to encourage media outlets and influencers to prioritize these important health topics.
• Education and Advocacy: We can educate ourselves and our colleagues about the specific challenges and needs within women’s health, becoming informed advocates for change.

By uniting our skills and passion, WWPR can become a powerful force in amplifying the voices that need to be heard. Let’s commit to using our influence to break the silence, foster understanding, and drive meaningful support for organizations like Postpartum Support International and the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, ultimately empowering women to prioritize their health and well-being. Our collective voice, when raised together, has the power to create real and lasting impact.

Emily Tillett is a Senior Director at AVOQ, an advocacy and communications firm, and serves as Editorial Producer for On Air, AVOQ’s broadcast media offering. Her clients include leaders in the public health space and technology world where she regularly manages broadcast media engagements for local and network spots across the country.