The Business Case for Mental Health
Adam Nemer provides a blueprint for how organizations can turn vulnerability into strength
Adam Nemer (MBA 2001) exudes good energy. Walking away from a brief conversation with him it is difficult to resist thinking he is a nice (emphasis intended) guy. Not milk-toast nice; the genuine, asks questions, listens actively, locks eyes, smiles big, you can count on him kind of nice.
By his own admission, he was not always like this.
His eyes close when he reflects, “I remember one day when my son asked me why I was always so angry when I came home from work.”
Nemer, then a senior finance executive at Kaiser Permanente, had carefully cultivated a professional persona which attempted to contain his mental health struggles at work, only to let it spill over at home. Fortunately for Nemer, someone at work knew the signs.
A not-so-simple question
Nemer’s transformation began with a conversation he never expected. His boss, David Lake, having recently attended a “Mental Health First Aid” workshop, pulled Nemer aside one day and asked him a simple but profound question: “How are you doing, Adam?” During that meeting, Lake expressed concern, acknowledged Nemer’s visible struggles, and offered resources and support.
Nemer felt seen and supported, prompting him to seek therapy and begin to address his long-ignored mental health challenges, that had started nearly 20 years before after finding his father’s suicide.
This conversation would eventually serve as a catalyst for a career change, but not before it brought Nemer to his knees.
Calling a time out
Nemer spent a month and a half away from work, immersed in therapy. It’s a time of healing he credits to Lake.
“He treated me like I was struggling with cancer or heart disease ,” says Nemer. “That’s the whole goal, to treat someone with mental health challenges as if they had a physical challenge. He asked me if my team could know I was addressing something. He told me to put my laptop aside, my phone aside.”
Months later, Nemer reemerged and willingly put himself in the spotlight. Kaiser at the time was encouraging leaders to share personal stories of growth. Nemer agreed to be interviewed about his mental illness in front of hundreds of coworkers. “I was four months into therapy after 20 years of severe illness. I spoke from the heart and hoped it would resonate. A couple days later, I must have had 100 thank you cards or more thanking me for sharing my story.”
Nemer was also approached by Cameron, a young man who divulged a previous suicide attempt and an unshakeable sadness even as he impressed his professional peers and superiors. Hearing Nemer provided the impetus to reengage with a therapist and address his illness.
It was a turning point for Nemer.
Departures and arrivals
He left Kaiser in 2022 with a mission to ensure more leaders understand the power of compassion and proactive mental health engagement in the workplace.
“I thought I would be a keynote speaker talking to executives around the country, inspiring them to become mental health-literate and invest in programs for their companies,” says Nemer. And he did, mostly.
His message resonated in part because of his personal experience and in part because of the alarming workplace impacts of untreated mental health issues. According to the American Psychiatric Association, employees with unresolved depression experience a 35% reduction in productivity, contributing to a loss to the U.S. economy of $210.5 billion a year in absenteeism.
Nemer also received feedback from executives who wanted to act and unfortunately found that most traditional mental health first aid programs were too time-intensive and impractical for many companies.
Adam Nemer with his father through the years.
Simple Mental Health workshop
“I remembered Jim Jiambalvo telling our class that the business idea you conceive on paper is rarely the business you wind up with, to be flexible and listen to the market. Boy was he right.”
With an unmet need in front of him, Nemer used his C-Suite experience to design an approach for the realities of the business world: Simple Mental Health.
“We offer half-day workshops tailored for leaders and executive teams, teaching them to recognize signs of mental distress, initiate conversations, and guide employees to available resources,” says Nemer. “We equip them with actionable strategies to create a culture where mental health is as openly addressed as physical health.”
Nemer’s story and his work offer a compelling blueprint for how organizations can turn vulnerability into strength—both for their people and their bottom line.
Scaling the impact
In just a few years, Nemer’s vision has grown from a one-man show to a team of consultants and trainers with lived experience, ensuring authenticity and relatability in every workshop and conversation. He’s even written a book which will be published later this year.
In the meantime, his advice to leaders is simple yet profound: “Trust your gut. If you think someone might be struggling, ask how they’re doing. It could be the gift they need to start their own journey toward healing.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, it’s important to seek help. In a crisis, call or text 988 for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or 911 for emergency services. If not in a crisis, consider reaching out to a mental health professional, your primary care doctor, or a mental health hotline.
