Almost a year after the alliance between EQ Mirror and Círculo Creativo USA in the Inside Mente program, Fabián Camargo, executive coach of the program, revealed to PRODU the interest aroused in other markets by the initiative that highlights mental health in the industry.
“Inside Mente was born as an initiative focused on the American agency community, however, the interest and amplification that the program has had through festivals, activities and events, has managed to connect and raise awareness on the need to give showcase and visibility to the issue of mental health in our industry, regardless of borders” says Fabián.
Mental health programs in agencies are not just a good idea, they are a necessity. Investing in the mental wellbeing of employees not only benefits the individuals, but also has a positive impact on the organization as a whole, Fabián warns.
“Promoting this type of program puts leaders and agencies under a different spot of commitment, interest and awareness towards their teams and their health as an important complement to the achievement of objectives”.
He believes that there is a long way to go related to mental health in the industry, “there is still a big taboo to recognize the white elephant in the middle of the room, through burnout, depression and multiple physical ailments such as insomnia, migraines and digestive problems, just to name a few”.
Among the learnings and challenges of the Círculo Creativo USA mental health coaching program are: the importance of talking openly about mental health; the need for a personalized approach; the positive impact of coaching on wellness; the value of community.
“Our challenge is to get more agencies and individuals to seek us out, open the door and allow us to support them through the program. Círculo Creativo USA beyond its origin and natural focus on the industry, ideas and its representatives, has identified its duty and commitment to ensure that its members have the opportunity to choose to have a better quality of emotional and mental life for their professional development,” added Fabián.
For Fabián, advertising is playing an important role in making the importance of mental health visible. “In our case, in recent months, we have received great support to amplify the message from the stage in different creative festivals of great importance in Latin America, media such as PRODU and others of equal importance have opened space for us in their editorial line and we have also managed to impact other circles in the region with this initiative. That is why our intention is also to generate a large collaborative network that will lead us to generate a mental and emotional change in our industry.
For more information about the Inside Mente program, please visit Círculo Creativo USA.