In honor of World Mental Health Day on October 10th, Women in Chemicals teamed up with their partner BluePallet to provide a one hour “Building Your Mental Health Toolkit” webinar led by Candice Heidebrecht of Cultivate Empathy. Building resilience, gratitude, and self-love is a journey! We all need tools for difficult times or when we are feeling triggered, plus ways to celebrate the wins and build that positivity when times are good. Join Emotional Intelligence coach, Candice Heidebrecht, to learn how to manage your emotional reactions and even respond to bias, with a set of practical, actionable tips. We’ll talk about the challenges, the pivot points, and tripwires that you can use to create lasting, impactful change within yourself and your team.

1. Cultivate Empathy
Building Your
Mental Health
Toolkit
present:
October 2022

2. Candice Heidebrecht
Founder, CEO
candice@cultivate-empathy.com
EQ skills programs that empower people to
create inclusive organizational cultures.
⬡ 10+ years teaching practical application of
EQ skills for sales teams
⬡ Anti-racism student
⬡ M.A. Applied Anthropology, thesis on
organizational change
© 2022 Cultivate Empathy, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

3. Agenda
1. Managing your emotions
2. Responding to microaggressions
3. Practical Steps to Develop Your EQ
4. Q&A

4. If only I could
prove myself…

5. The Power of EQ
Self: Conquer fears, doubts, and insecurities
Social: Enhance relationship skills
Reduce Stress
Be an Effective Leader
Gracefully React to Constructive Criticism
Defuse Conflict

6. When You Drop
Your Basket

7. Emotional
Reaction Cycle
The
Stress
Cycle
of
Emotional
Responses

8. Create Safety
When no one can kill the tiger, “I know how you feel”
isn’t enough.
1. Exercise
2. Deep breaths
3. Laughter
4. Crying
5. Affection (hugs!)
6. Creative expression
7. Positive social interactions

9. Responding
to Bias
When you choose to.

10. Context Decisions
Do I want to spend the energy to shift this person’s thinking/behavior?
How much do I value the relationship?
Can I give them the grace to evolve?
How difficult will this be?

11. In the Room
Be Curious
● “Can you tell me what you mean by that?”
● “What leads you to that conclusion?”
Restate or Paraphrase
● “I think I heard you saying ______
(paraphrase their comments). Is that right?”
Challenge the Stereotype, Share Your Experience
● “I’ve learned that ____________.” “My
experience has been completely different.”
Say STOP
● “Just stop. It’s not funny.”

12. One on One
Separate Intent from Impact
● “While you didn’t intend to convey ____, the
words you used can send a message that….”
● Focus on the person’s exact actions or words, not
who they are as a person.
Appeal to Shared, Core Values
● “I know you are someone who cares a lot about
_____. What I just heard doesn’t live up to that.”
Promote Empathy
● “How would you feel if someone said that
about/did that to your sister or girlfriend?”
Accountability & Asks
● Commit to learning more, doing better
“What happened didn’t sit right with me – are you
open to talking about that?”

13. Gaslighting is just as traumatic as the act of bias.
If they’re recalcitrant or unwilling to change:
● Talk to mutual colleagues
● Build coalitions and get validation
● Report to HR
You’re Not Alone

14. Practical
Actions to
Build Your
Emotional
Intelligence

15. Employees are .
more likely to stay for a
manager with
High Emotional
Intelligence.
Gallup 2016
© 2022 Cultivate Empathy, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
4x
Belonging
Fairness
Authenticity

16. Practice curiosity & empathy
⬡ How can I empower them?
⬡ Share a vulnerable story
⬡ How can I make my team feel
safer to be authentic?
Create a Culture of Belonging and Growth
⬡ What am I feeling? What am I
making this situation mean?
⬡ Am I being authentic?
⬡ What can I do differently the
next time?
⬡ Ask for feedback
⬡ Model accountability
⬡ Am I promoting fairness?
Grow & Do Better
Create Belonging
Self-Aware
© 2022 Cultivate Empathy, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

17. Narrator and
Protagonist
You can’t control what
happens to you,
but you have complete control
over what it means.

18. Self-Awareness:
Unpack the Story
What
It means…
Past pattern?
New Story
Next time

19. Learn
The New Social Learning by
Tony Bingham, Marcia Conner
Practice
Develop Your EQ Skills
Focus on Self-Awareness, Curiosity, and Accountability
© 2022 Cultivate Empathy, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Self-Awareness Curiosity Accountability Coach Club
Self-Assess
Insight by Tasha Eurich Dare to Lead
by Brene Brown
Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by
Travis Bradberry, Jean Greaves

20. *2022 MIT Sloan **2016 Gallup
© 2022 Cultivate Empathy, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Develop your self-awareness, curiosity, and accountability skills.
Share your journey with your team and invite them to invest in their own EQ
skills development.
Action Items
Summary
The strongest
predictor of
job
performance
-TalentSmart 2014
Improved
health & life
satisfaction.
-Ohio State
University 2021
Higher EQ =
Lower Risk of
Depression
-Northcentral
University 2018
Effective
leaders have
higher EQ,
regardless of IQ
-Frontiers in
Psychology 2018
A Top 10 Vital
Skill
-World Economic
Forum 2020