In today’s episode of The Future is How, I sit down with my friend and former colleague, Newton Cheng, the Director of Health and Performance at Google. Newton is passionate about guiding leaders through skillful conversations on mental health—a topic he's deeply familiar with.

After experiencing burnout, Newton took a mental health leave from his role at Google. Upon his return, he openly shared his journey instead of concealing it behind the term "sabbatical."

In our discussion, we explore the significance of embracing vulnerability in the workplace and delve into key topics such as:

• Destigmatizing mental health struggles through openness

• Expressing vulnerability in a way that fosters safety and trust

• Why finding balance in your life isn’t always what feels good

• A mind state moment aimed at improving by 1%

• Newton’s morning routines, including non-judgmental reflection and writing morning pages

• And more!

—

Where to find Newton Cheng:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newtoncheng/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/newtoncheng/

• Website: https://www.newtoncheng.com/

—

Where to find Frederik Pferdt

• LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/fgpferdt/⁠⁠

• YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/frederikgpferdt⁠⁠

• Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/frederikgpferdt/⁠⁠

• Website: ⁠⁠https://www.frederikgpferdt.com/⁠⁠

—

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Intro

(03:00) Newton’s future bio

(04:46) The importance of vulnerability in leadership

(06:42) How Newton’s mental health leave inspired his vulnerable leadership movement

(10:25) The profound impact of Newton’s mental health leave story on three groups

(15:26) An explanation of Ikigai, how it shaped Newton’s work, and continues to evolve

(21:05) How Newton takes care of his mental health

(25:10) Mind state moment

(29:01) Newton’s morning practices

(33:10) Making vs. managing

—

Music: Andreas Horchler

Art Design: Stefan Schuster, Dino Hohos, Flo Dietrich

Production: Jordan & Adam Bornstein