]Burnout, loneliness and isolation are not new concepts, Marcel comments. People were burning out pre-pandemic, but it’s at the forefront now. Amelia shares how workplaces have created these problems, and how they intersect with lack of self-worth. The increasing amount of attention around burnout, DE&I, purpose and well-being shows that we all want to feel loved and worthy, she explains. When you don’t put the human at the center, these problems arise. [10:21]The first path to elevating the human experience is the path of the self; you must see yourself as inherently worthy of love. “For me, one of the struggles growing up is that all we were taught about external affirmation… Everything you do is graded, and so we have this mindset that we’re only worthy when we get a certain letter grade,” Amelia claims. She talks about how this translates into the workplace. [14:17]In order to continue growing professionally, we need to learn to grow personally, Amelia quotes. It takes the whole head and heart to show up equally. She recalls how she learned to understand herself in the context of an obstacle. [19:46]Amelia describes the four ways we can show up as allies at work. “The first is as a friend, [who] just wants to be there on your journey with you; the second is as a mentor, who offers you a short way to see the world a little differently; third is as a sponsor, who uses their power, formal or informal, to remove obstacles for someone else; and fourth is as a benefactor, which is the combination of the first three.” [27:26]When workers feel like they belong, are respected, and are psychologically safe, it creates the ideal work environment, which translates to better results and productivity, Marcel cites. “Some of these things seem intuitive [in that] it’s definitely the type of world I want to live in and the workplace I want to be a part of, but we’ve also done the research to demonstrate,” Amelia adds. “Organizations that focus on this human experience are twice as likely to outperform their peers over a three year period.” [31:04]“We have about 40 years of research from Gallup that says [recognizing your employees’ contributions improves employee engagement,” Marcel affirms. “It does something special to the human spirit when somebody lifts and builds you up through gratitude.” [37:00]ResourcesAmelia Dunlop on LinkedIn