Inside Out: Mental Health at Work and in Life
Not a Personality Flaw: Stress, the Nervous System and Work
In this episode of Inside Out: Mental Health at Work and in Life, I'm joined by Charmian Johnson, a former global law firm partner, now founder of Charm Johnson Coaching and a Partner of The Mental Wellbeing Company . Through nervous system-aware training and coaching, she helps law firms reduce absence and attrition while improving performance and wellbeing. She also helps female lawyers move from overthinking and self-doubt to self-trust and feeling more like themselves again. Charmian trained in trauma-informed coaching at weekends while still practising, and what she learned changed how she understood herself and her own career. She had received feedback that under pressure, she could sometimes come across as frosty and irritable which she hated. At the time she struggled to see how she could do anything about it without changing the demands of the job. What she had never been taught, during three decades in law, despite mental health training, awareness sessions and resilience training, was anything at all about the nervous system. We talk about why organisations are spending more on wellbeing than ever and still asking why it is not working. Charmian believes an often overlooked piece is biological: understanding how our nervous system influences the way we think, feel and behave under pressure. Once people understand why they show up the way they do, the question in a workplace can change from "what is wrong with Dave in accounts" to "I wonder what is going on for him", and that small shift can change almost everything that follows. We also get into language. Charmian has learned that walking into a corporate environment and talking about being "trauma informed" can create misconceptions about what the work involves. In the workplace it doesn't mean a therapist digging into their staff's childhoods. However talking instead about being "nervous system aware" can open the door to the same important conversation about stress, behaviour and performance in a way that feels relevant and accessible in the workplace. Key Topics Why wellbeing budgets keep growing while the results stay flat Nervous system awareness as the piece traditional wellbeing strategies leave out The invisible backpack of trauma we all carry into work, and why nobody else can see it Why "trauma informed" can close doors that "nervous system aware" opens Training everyone rather than a few, and the gap it creates when you don't Did You Know? A CIPD finding Charmian cites: half of organisations taking steps to reduce workplace stress did not think their wellbeing initiatives were effective. [Source: CIPD, Health and Wellbeing At Work: Survey Report, September 2025] Actionable Takeaways Notice the body before the behaviour. Shoulders around your ears, a clenched jaw and shallow breathing are early signs of a stress response, and they arrive before the outburst does Change the question. "I wonder what is going on for them" gets you somewhere that "what is wrong with them" never will Train the whole workforce, not a handful. When some people understand this and others don't, you have built a gap between them Ask someone for a coffee and a catch up. Charmian found some people who had not been asked once in five years Look at your data for overworking as well as absence. Both tell you something is wrong ️ Join the Conversation Has anyone ever explained to you why your body reacts the way it does at work? Share your thoughts and connect with us on social media. Connect with Charmian: LinkedIn | Website https://www.linkedin.com/in/charmian-johnson-4a99725b/ https://charmjohnson.thementalwellbeingcompany.com/
