Ann Dowsett Johnston

Every person has a public story, a private story and a secret story. Ann’s was depression: for decades, she medicated this affliction with work. Overwork led to stress, which she ultimately medicated with alcohol. This double whammy—mental health and addiction issues—has become the twin curse of a growing number of professionals. How do you turn a life around? With grit and gusto and extreme self-care. There is no worthier role for an employer to play than helping to shepherd an achiever back to balance and health. With candour and passion, Ann will explore the signs of trouble and the signposts on the journey back to a life of joy and meaning.

To create strong alcohol policy, we need to take a hard look at the best available evidence, examine our core values and ask ourselves: what do we want for Canada? What role does the media play in the outcome? Enormous. Ann Dowsett Johnston argues that the media is key to shaping strong policy: essential in disseminating good research, advocating for change and puncturing many myths.

Alcohol consumption is on the rise, and women are leading the growth, both here and in most of the developing world. Parity in postsecondary achievement, parity in the workforce, and now this? Clearly, this is not what Gloria Steinem had in mind. The marketers think differently. Ann Dowsett Johnston explores this phenomenon: what’s driving the trend in risky drinking for all age groups, the health risks, and what can be done.

Stigma and The Workplace
All too often, a troubled employee is a high performer whose life has gone sideways, who may be suffering from concurrent disorders. How do you shepherd that person towards appropriate help and then re-integrate them back into the executive or high-performing team? How do you deal with resentment and discomfort within your team? How do you foster a stigma-free environment of support? As addiction reaches epidemic proportions in North America, this is a leadership challenge for all corporate teams. People can and do recover. As one of the team of experts on the upcoming national Life in Recovery survey—which will make big news across Canada this fall—I can tell you that this evidence is well supported. I can advise on this important area, tailoring my talk to each and every sector.

All too often, a troubled employee is a high performer whose life has gone sideways, who may be suffering from concurrent disorders. How do you shepherd that person towards appropriate help and then re-integrate them back into the executive or high-performing team? How do you deal with resentment and discomfort within your team? How do you foster a stigma-free environment of support? As addiction reaches epidemic proportions in North America, this is a leadership challenge for all corporate teams. People can and do recover. As one of the team of experts on the upcoming national Life in Recovery survey—which will make big news across Canada this fall—I can tell you that this evidence is well supported. I can advise on this important area, tailoring my talk to each and every sector.