Episode 10

In this episode of Meghan’s Place: Conversations on Healing, Meghan sits down with Cole for an honest and grounding conversation about mental health in the tech industry. While tech is often associated with innovation, speed, and high performance, this discussion takes a closer look at what it’s like for the people behind the work, navigating stress, burnout, and the pressure to constantly keep up in a fast-moving environment.

Cole shares his personal journey in tech and how his relationship with stress, boundaries, and identity outside of work has evolved over time. Together, they explore what day-to-day pressure can feel like in the industry, how it can shape well-being, and what has helped him stay grounded during intense periods. The conversation also offers insight for anyone feeling overwhelmed or heading toward burnout, with practical reflections on boundaries, mindset shifts, and what it really means to take care of your mental health while working in tech.

Music Credit: Fresh Lift © 2016 by Shane Ivers

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Hi everyone, and welcome back to Megan's Place Conversations on Healing. I'm really glad that you're here today. Today's episode is a guest conversation that I'm especially excited about because we're actually diving into a topic that impacts a lot of people, but isn't always talked about openly, which is mental health in the tech industry. Often when we think about tech, I feel like we think about innovation, being in a fast-paced environment, productivity and performance. But behind that, there's actually real people navigating stress, burnout, and pressure, and the challenge of maintaining balance in a constantly evolving field. So in this conversation, we're going to be exploring what that actually looks like from the inside. How does mental health show up in the tech world and what the pressures can feel like day to day and what helps when things start to feel overwhelming? And I'm really grateful to have Cole with us here today to share his perspective and experience.

SPEAKER_01 0:59

Yeah, how's it going, everyone? My name's Cole. I work in the technology field, specifically cybersecurity in sales. So deal with a lot of uh C-level IT directors, you know, that you could imagine, uh specifically email security, network security, application security. Thanks for having me, Megan.

SPEAKER_00 1:21

Of course. Well, thanks for sharing a little bit about yourself. And I guess to start off, I'm wondering if you can walk us through your journey in tech a bit and how, if at all, your mental health or relationship with stress has changed since you started working in the field.

SPEAKER_01 1:35

Yeah, absolutely. Uh so my introduction to technology was in college. I started an internship at a consulting company that acted as a managed service provider. So, you know, frequently we're going on-site to companies who would outsource their IT to us, uh, installing equipment servers, et cetera, uh, and doing some networking. Uh, then I transitioned after graduation to the vendor side of things and sales. Um selling products to the companies I previously worked at. Uh the relationship with mental health, I mean, yeah, it's it's been sales is stressful, naturally. Uh, you know, you have a specific number to hit, you're quantified as a person on that number. Uh, and your worth as an employee, again, is is quantified. So stress is uh usually pretty high. Um so yeah, that's that's a bit about that.

SPEAKER_00 2:39

Well, thanks for sharing that. It does, it's it aligns really well with what I had thought going into this conversation of what some of those stressors might look like in the tech field. Um and beyond that, too, I know tech is often described as a really fast-paced and high-pressure environment. So I'm curious what that has actually felt like for you day to day and how it's affected things like your stress, boundaries, or even your identity outside of work.

SPEAKER_01 3:06

Yeah, absolutely. So the technology field is kind of characterized by rapid, rapid growth. Um, and mediocre in the technology field just doesn't cut it. So a lot of the times you'll have, you know, VPs and managers, you know, pushing um bold targets to hit and being on the sales team, you know, that is uh quite difficult. Um so you know, that absolutely contributes to the stress. And you know, it is industry specific because of the you know higher growth rates that are expected of being in the technology sector. Uh as far as affecting my identity outside of work, I really try and segment um and keep that separate uh from my you know day-to-day, you know, doing things like sticking to my hobbies and um trying not to think about work as much as possible. But again, sometimes that is difficult. You know, sometimes you get the email notification or the phone call after hours that you just have to take, uh as there is, you know, either a lot of money or a lot of people hinging on that phone call or email. So difficult but possible.

SPEAKER_00 4:29

Yeah, it sounds like you have found a really good way to find balance between the two. You know, you might be working in a fast-paced environment, but you're also able to find that separation and still engage with the things that you love doing outside of work. Yeah. Um and I guess that does bring me into my next question about when things get intense at work, what are some things that actually help you stay grounded? It could be like habits, boundaries, a mindset, mindset shift. Um, or yeah, feel free to share anything that feels right for you on that.

SPEAKER_01 5:07

Oh yeah. Um frequently we'll have to the things that I find most helpful is just walking away from the screen. Sometimes you just have to get away. Uh whether that be going to grab a coffee or taking a lap around the building itself, you know, getting outside. I call it touching grass, you know, getting into nature, looking at a tree, etc. I have about a 0.4 mile loop that I do. I try and do three to four a day, uh, you know, depending on my schedule. But it really is important not to immerse yourself too deeply uh in your work. You know, I'm guessing a lot of people will say differently. They're probably uh your manager who wants you to work harder. Um but you know, from a pure productivity standpoint, I feel like me managing my mental health the way I do makes me a more productive employee than if I sat in front of a screen all day.

SPEAKER_00 6:19

Absolutely. And there's actually been a lot of research to prove that that is exactly true. Um, a lot of people do benefit very well from having breaks within the day, especially going outside, um, walking, exercising, being in the sunshine, all have very positive effects on mental health. So sounds like you're doing the right thing.

SPEAKER_01 6:39

Good to hear.

SPEAKER_00 6:41

Um, and I'm curious, for someone who it feels like they might be heading toward burnout or they're extremely stressed, um, especially if they're in the tech field, what do you think you would want them to hear?

SPEAKER_01 6:55

Yeah, I mean, that that really is, in my opinion, an issue of perspective. Um, you know, if you are working to the point where work is not worth it, or you know, you don't want to go anymore, there's there's probably something that is a deeper issue there, whether that be uh the schedule and tasks you're provided from management, or be it um you know, your own personal habits, like taking those breaks, taking time off, and the like. I mean, I have struggled with burnout myself, and I have found the answers in those two examples I just gave. Whether, you know, I just needed to take a long weekend after, you know, five months of not having a day off, or take another lap around the building that day. You know, I mean it's not it's not rocket science. Usually, if you're feeling like that, it's likely indicative of of a bad habit.

SPEAKER_00 8:14

Yeah, that sounds makes a lot of sense to me. And you know, it sounds like too that no matter what the what is impacting that feeling, um, it sounds like you have at least found ways that you might be able to talk to someone about it or you know, say that it were to be something that impacts you again. Um you might be able to bring up those issues and actually remedy them and really make some changes, whether it's in the own the way that you take breaks, um, even though it sounds like you do that part pretty well already, or whether it's in the way that you respond to tasks that you're assigned. Um, and I know that it's the same in a lot of different fields too.

SPEAKER_01 8:58

But to jump in, I heard you allude to, you know, talking to people. And if I didn't have the support web in place that I do today, that burnout would be inevitable. No matter if I walked around the building all day long, um, it would happen, you know. So I'm definitely not trying to undermine the import importance of that support web. Um, you know, friends, family, and to be honest, therapy as well.

SPEAKER_00 9:31

Absolutely. I mean, support is actually one of the biggest things that go towards helping someone stabilize when they're going through burnout. Um, even just having a friend to talk to, talking to your parents, whatever it might be, it can make such a positive impact. Um, and I think that that is just such a good point to bring up. And, you know, overall, I really appreciate you coming on and sharing a bit about your experience with stress in the tech field, just your experience of working in such a high-paced, high stress environment, um, and the ways that you have found that actually work really well to cope through it. Um, so I appreciate you sharing that with our listeners today.

SPEAKER_01 10:13

Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, it's it's not all bad. It is stressful, but you know, if I had to do it all again, I'd do it again. Uh, it keeps me busy, keeps me engaged. Uh, and yes, the stress does come with that, but you know, if you do learn how to manage that, it's manageable.

SPEAKER_00 10:33

Right. It's all about balance, right?

SPEAKER_01 10:35

All about balance. Absolutely right.

SPEAKER_00 10:38

Well, thank you again, Cole, and thank you to our listeners for tuning into Megan's Place Conversations on Healing. We will see you again the Monday after next for another conversation about mental health.