The marketing and communications industry runs on creativity, relationships and judgement. But what happens when the people behind the work are exhausted, anxious, always on and afraid to speak up?

In this special webinar and podcast episode, Scott Armstrong, founder of mentl, brings together leaders from across the regional marcomms industry to unpack the PRCA MENA Mental Health Report 2025 and ask what the findings really mean for agencies, clients, leaders and young professionals.

The report points to a clear warning: anxiety, stress, exhaustion and depression are not isolated issues. They are signs of a system under sustained pressure.

Joining the conversation are John Rynehart, Managing Director Middle East at Kekst CNC and Chair of the PRCA MENA Mental Health Committee; Sinead O’Connor, Senior Director at Current Global MENAT, Mental Health First Aider and Agency Culture Champion; Tania Kteily, Associate Director at Weber Shandwick MENAT and President of the MEPRA Youth Board; and Lester Posner, strategic communications advisor, Trustee of GamCare, and a voice on leadership, policy and compassionate workplace culture.

Together, they explore why awareness is no longer enough, why burnout can be hidden behind performance, why younger professionals are challenging old ideas of boundaries, and why mental health must become part of business strategy rather than a campaign week or HR side project.

This is a conversation about pressure, leadership, culture, clients, boundaries and the urgent need to move from talking about mental health to changing the way work is designed.

Topics include:

• Why anxiety, stress, exhaustion and depression point to a system under pressure
• What burnout looks like inside agency life before someone says “I am burnt out”
• Why mental health awareness has not yet translated into consistent action
• The pressure on younger professionals and why Gen Z is challenging old work norms
• Why peer support matters, but cannot replace trusted managers and formal systems
• How stigma still stops people from speaking up at work
• Why leaders must stop passing pressure down to their teams
• What the Mental Health Charter offers the marcomms industry
• Why performative wellbeing can increase resentment and disengagement
• What agencies, clients and industry bodies can do next

10-point chapter list

00:00 Welcome and why marcomms needs this conversation
02:00 Anxiety, stress, exhaustion and depression: what the report reveals
04:25 What burnout looks like inside agency life
05:47 The younger professional perspective and Gen Z’s mental health awareness
07:15 Key PRCA MENA Mental Health Report findings
09:04 Awareness versus action: why ticking boxes is not enough
13:56 Leadership, stigma and why only some people feel supported
20:25 Psychological safety, peer support and trust in managers
22:05 The Mental Health Charter and moving from framework to action
25:06 What leaders should stop doing immediately
30:29 Gen Z, boundaries and the future of work
39:14 The business case: turnover, disengagement and culture
45:03 Compassion, psychological safety and collective responsibility
48:59 Performative wellbeing, well-washing and authenticity
53:04 Audience questions: values, courage and speaking up
55:19 Be brave: the closing message for leaders and teams