By Dorsey Standish, MS

I've been in a lot of rooms this year. Construction teams, healthcare leaders, women executives, safety professionals. Different industries, different cities.

Same theme: in every room, people were carrying something.

A recent health scare. A surgery on the calendar. A family member in crisis. A kid struggling. A parent declining. A move. A loss they hadn't told anyone about yet.

In a 2025 survey by Mind Share Partners and Qualtrics, 90% of the 1,153 full-time US employees surveyed reported some level of mental health challenge. That includes experiences such as burnout, depression and anxiety; it does not mean 90% had a diagnosed mental illness.

We rarely know the whole story of the person across from us. Before a hard conversation, a brief compassion practice called Just Like Me can help us remember that.

Try Just Like Me before your next conversation

Pause and say these lines silently:

This person has a body that gets tired, just like me.

This person has people they love and worry about, just like me.

This person is carrying something I can't see, just like me.

Take a breath before you begin the conversation.

You can try this before your next 1:1, a hard feedback conversation, or a meeting where someone seems off. Notice whether you are more willing to listen before deciding what their behavior means.

Make room for the person and the conversation

A missed deadline still needs a conversation. A curt reply may need addressing. You can be clear about what happened and curious about what you don't know.

“I noticed the deadline slipped. What got in the way?” gives someone room to answer. You may learn about a workload problem, a confusing handoff, or something they are managing outside work. They also get to decide how much of their personal life to share.

The practice is a moment to check your assumptions. The rest of the conversation still asks you to listen, make decisions and follow through.

Try it with one person today. Before you speak, remember that they have people they love and worry about, just like you.

Dorsey Standish, MS leads Mastermind, a neuroscience-based brain health and performance company in Dallas. She holds a master's degree in cognitive neuroscience from UT Dallas. Explore Mastermind's work with corporate teams.