How this CEO navigated his role while experiencing mental health challenges

How this CEO navigated his role while experiencing mental health challenges

From HR Leader Podcast Network by Momentum Media

April 22, 2026 · 21 min

About this episode

Richie Poulton discusses his experiences with mental health challenges and the importance of empathetic leadership in the workplace.

Here, Richie Poulton reflects on the need for better top-down approaches when it comes to managing workplace wellness, the importance of leading by example, and how HR departments and C-suite executives can show greater care and empathy for their staff, particularly in the current climate. In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Instantia CEO Richie Poulton about his background as a nightclub owner in Europe and the other directions his vocational journey as taken, why he's so adamant about running a business that prioritises transparency, his experiences with burnout and what it has taught him, and how he benefited from working on himself. Poulton also delves into how he manages his role as a CEO, what he's learnt about good leadership, how workforces respond to his approach, the need for a new leadership approach from the C-suite, what HR must do moving forward, and what excites him about such top-down leadership.

People in this episode

Host: Jerome Doraisamy

Guest: Richie Poulton

Topics covered

  • mental health
  • workplace wellness
  • leadership
  • HR practices
  • transparency
  • burnout

Keywords

  • CEO
  • workplace wellness
  • leadership
  • burnout
  • transparency
  • HR
  • C-suite

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Instantia

More episodes of HR Leader Podcast Network

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the HR Leader Podcast Network podcast page.