By Amy Holste, Chrysalis Director of HR and Workplace Wellness

The tragedy of gun violence earlier this week in Highland Park, IL and the news the suspect fled to Madison pausing to consider if they should enact more violence is beyond alarming. With each and every tragedy that happens, my stress and empathy button is pushed. I feel panic and anxiety spread through my body. It tightens in my jaw, throat, upper back, chest, and it gets tighter and tighter until it is harder and harder to breathe. It’s hard to focus on my work or anything else. I notice my thoughts speeding up, senses are heightened…so many different waves of emotions are flowing. 

“What if I were at the celebration with my kids? What would I have done if shooting started? What will I do if shooting starts? These suffering families. So much pain. How do we keep going every week and everyday when there is something new and terrible going on? Is this just going to keep happening again and again? What should I do? Do I talk about this? Do I block out the news? What do we say to consumers and staff? How will mental health be brought up? Are we starting to sound like a broken record? Do we need to have active shooter drills? I don’t ever want to normalize this. I’m so tired. What if I can’t find inspiration or hope to keep doing this? Am I slipping backwards in my mental health … Does anyone notice how much I am struggling? Am I going to be able to keep showing up in my role?

When the last thought crosses my mind I stop! It catches my attention because it is the first time over the last three years I’ve felt this. I lost a job before and for the longest time thought I’d never return to a career in Human Resources. When I was young, I was taught to work hard, encouraged by my parents to go to college and be more financially successful–and I was the first in my family to earn a college degree and pursue a professional career. I studied Psychology and Sociology but I didn’t know how to acknowledge or manage my own struggles with depression and anxiety. I’d regularly utilize coping skills passed down from generation to generation in the form of excessive drinking and binge eating. Often those were the only actions I knew to use to numb my discomfort and temporarily distract me from challenging realities of loss, isolation, trauma. We didn’t talk about deep things and we certainly didn’t share with others the challenges we were having in our minds.

Now twenty-five years into my journey with my own mental health and substance use I’m surrounded by the Chrysalis Community where being here reminds me every day the priceless benefits to advocating for places and spaces where we don’t need to keep ourselves and our mental and physical health challenges a secret.  We can openly share and support people actively experiencing challenges. We can talk about it or just hold space to be there for them. Spaces like our workplaces can actually help us stay committed to better health and wellness practices. 

There are days that are a true struggle. There are times I don’t want to admit I am struggling or want to talk about it. I know eventually to keep getting up each day to another tragic headline or stressor I’m going to need to acknowledge how I am feeling. It does help to choose how and when to process with others, when to tune out the news or social media, and when to re-align even more with my values and strengths to find purpose to focus on.

In this time of tragedy and the ones that will inevitably come after, here is a choice we have to choose what to focus on and what to find purpose in. For me I will continue to advocate and use my work to open more inclusive spaces where people can express the challenges influencing them.  Where people will be welcomed with acceptance and empathy and offered support and encouragement to pursue feeling better in any area they may be struggling with their wellness and use their own voice and choice to make these decisions and changes.

The way I see it from my HR lens, it is going to take more and more organizations and workplace leaders to embody purpose by transforming workspaces for more people to thrive in coexistence  and wholeness. It may take grit and courage to leave behind traditional policies rooted in dominance and compliance to welcome in a culture of caring for people’s physical, emotional, spiritual, social, financial, environmental, intellectual, and vocational needs—-to see, support, celebrate and value the whole person versus compartmentalizing them to only focus on the work related needs they have. 

Let’s agree to stop pretending or holding back parts of who we are that keep us all stuck in our fight, flight or freeze stress responses with each other. Normalize the struggles and let our human abilities to experience empathy and seek connection be our most utilized form of training, OSHA safety practice, or benefit in the workplace.

By Michael Kile-Rasmussen

June 19,1865, was the original Juneteenth celebration. It originated from the date on which the last slaves found out they were free – following the Civil War, in Galveston Texas. June 19^th is the Emancipation Day after 400 years of slavery in the southern states. Slavery was the institution which made the United States a rich county. In the northern states, slavery did not exist, but it was segregated freedom, similar to Jim Crow in the south.

Traditionally, Juneteenth is a summer cookout with food, music and fun celebrating the culture of the African American community.  We remember the heritage of our ancestors, the blood, sweat and tears that they put into cultivating and working a land that was not theirs and they did not own. I have so much gratitude and respect for their strength. I cannot image what it would have been like to be alive then.

I am proud of where I come from, that I have African heritage and that while my family members of 5 generations ago were in bondage, this day we are fee in society to show up and participate. To have a voice in the community and influence in today’s society is a major goal of mine.  To live a full, meaningful life without common threat of current harm each day is why I am proud to live in America.

Happy Juneteenth! Happy Freedom Day!

By Dani Rischall

With an agency name like “Chrysalis” it is no surprise that there is a large emphasis placed on supporting growth, transformation, and change throughout the organization. This value is mirrored in the work we do in the community, and the important role we have in walking alongside people in their vocational, mental health, and wellness journeys. Over the past 40 years Chrysalis has experienced significant transformation. 

In the last decade alone the organization has grown from five employees to 20, from supporting just over 75 people to supporting nearly 300 people! The practice of centering those that we serve, and valuing lived experience, have been critical to the growth of Chrysalis.

In our most recent Strategic Planning process (Summer of 2021) it was clear that we would need to strengthen our focus on organizational structure as we continue the expansion of our services, and our team. Being an organization that focuses on meaningful work, and the restorative benefits of a supportive work environment, it is incredibly important that Chrysalis as an organization is also taking steps to put these values into practice. The value of pay equity, strong benefits (health, PTO, retirement, etc.), training, support, office space, and workplace wellness have all been, and will continue to be, a large part of our organizational growth.

The “Organizational Tree” pictured above is a visual representation of some of this organization transformation. We continue to prioritize, center, and keep focus on the reason we are in the community doing this important work. It is first and foremost for the individuals we serve, in partnership with our employer network, and greater community. As you can see we don’t have one specific way of referring to the people we support at Chrysalis. We understand that people, staff, and programs have preferences, and we do our best to honor that. 

Direct Service Providers are the incredible people who are out there in the community doing the work. They are Employment Specialists, Vocational Peer Specialists, Chrysalis Clubhouse Staff, and in Chrysalis Pops. These are individuals who are walking alongside people as they explore their dreams, share challenges, and support people as they discover and build strengths, skills, and their voice. Chrysalis staff are talking with local employers about the value of inclusion, and about ways to support a diverse workforce. This team truly understands the value of purpose and belonging in mental health and substance use recovery. This team is there for one another in ways that help to mitigate the very real effects of burnout, and truly fosters collaboration, shared learning, and humility.  

Program Supervisors, Managers, and Leads hold the role of both supporting staff and those that we serve at Chrysalis. This role comes with unique opportunities, challenges, and many hats. As our team grows it is critical that Supervisors have a deep understanding of the work, the systems, and are able to show-up for staff when and where there is a need. This is the first time in the history of the organization that there has been a group of Supervisors functioning in this way. While some Supervisors are relatively new within their role it is extremely exciting to see how this structure will continue to support our team, and strengthen our services. 

Towards the bottom of the Organization Tree is what is known internally as ROOTS. This group of organizational leaders focus on support from a unique lens including financial sustainability, advocacy efforts, operations, outcomes, professional development, partnerships, and payroll, just to name a few. We have recently restructured this team with a couple position title changes and the addition of a Director of Programming.  

Our current Human Resources Director, Amy Holste, has transitioned to Director of HR and Workplace Wellness to emphasize this value and ensure time is regularly allotted to this practice. Alysha Clark, previous Assistant Director, has transitioned to Director of Advocacy and Operations. This shift recognizes the expanded operational needs as the agency continues to grow. Alysha is also taking the lead on many of our efforts that reduce the stigma associated with mental health and substance use. Alysha brings her own lived experience to the role, and as a Certified Peer Specialist, is supporting the larger behavioral health community to expand and intentionally support Certified Peer Specialists.

The newest addition to the ROOTS team is the Director of Programming, Amy Yonker. Amy has been working at Chrysalis for over seven years and played a huge role in the development and ongoing success of both the IPS and Chrysalis Pops programs. As Director of Programming Amy will utilize her strengths and skills to support all programs at Chrysalis with a focus on cross-agency collaborations and community partnerships. 

My role as Executive Director has shifted and changed as many positions do alongside the organizational growth we have seen at Chrysalis. I continue to hold our strategic priorities close, and balance program expansion and fiscal sustainability. I am beyond grateful to be able to do this work alongside so many incredible human beings and want to also acknowledge the support of the Chrysalis Board of Directors as critical members of this team. 

As we continue to grow within this Organizational Tree, and take steps to increase access to our services, we will continue to lead with our values. We will foster collective leadership, and amplify our message that having purpose, meaning, and community is essential, and key to recovery! 

We appreciate the important role all of our supporters play in the growth of Chrysalis. If you are interested in supporting our work I listed a few ways to do so below; 

• Join our Employer Network 
• Make a Program Referral – not sure if Chrysalis is the right fit? Reach out to Amy Yonker, Director of Programming (yonker@workwithchrysalis.org) to learn more.
• Consider a Donation

If you have other ideas on ways to support Chrysalis or questions please feel free to reach out to me Dani, Executive Director, at rischall@workwithchrysalis.org. 

Thanks so much!

By Cody Vogel

An event that happens only once a year, which is held by Chrysalis, located at Tenney Park. This event is a Fundraiser to fight against mental stigma and is to bring our community together and cheer on those who participate in either a 1 Mile or a 5k(3 Mile)walk/run. For me, last year of 2021, it was my first time participating in this event, and I finished 5th in the 5k. This year I have been preparing myself to go all the way and finish 1st. So the question is not can I do it, but will I do it on May 1st in 2022. I Would suggest as many people come to this fundraiser event, support our community, cheer people on, or even participate in the run/walk. Chrysalis is a program all about helping people through their recovery and they have conquered that goal and have helped so many people. I’m one of those people who have been helped by Chrysalis at every angle and I want to thank all those apart of Chrysalis. So on May 1st, at Tenney Park, at 10am, come by and support the Chrysalis Community, and you may witness me, Cody Vogel, go all the way and finish 1st in the 5k. 

GET READY…..SET…..GO!!!!!

Date: May 1st, 2022

Location: Tenney Park

Registration Time: 9:30am

Start Time for walk/run: 10am

“I often look to the natural world around me and find meaning and important metaphors that can help guide me in my own life. For me, this quote is a reminder that growth takes time, to be patient with myself in that process, and that in this journey I am learning and blossoming in my own way as I work towards my goals.” – By Ashley Staley