Shannon Kobylarczyk, attorney and former corporate legal leader, today announced the launch of her Personal Mental Health & Resilience Pledge. The initiative reflects her professional values in governance and accountability, along with lessons from her own lived experience balancing career, family, and personal well-being.
The pledge centers on practical, daily behaviors that promote mental health awareness, boundary-setting, and sustainable performance in demanding careers. "I spent years taking care of everyone except myself," Shannon says. "Eventually, that catches up with you."
Her decision comes at a time when workplace stress remains high nationwide. According to the American Psychological Association, 77% of employees report experiencing work-related stress, and nearly 3 in 5 workers report negative mental health impacts from work. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reports that 1 in 5 U.S. adults experiences mental illness each year, and over 60% of adults with a mental health condition do not receive treatment.
"You can't lead effectively if you're running on empty," Shannon says. "Resilience isn't pretending everything is fine. It's rebuilding when it's not." She also believes clarity and structure — values she applied in corporate governance — apply to personal wellness. "When people understand expectations, they perform better," she says. "That includes the expectations we set for ourselves."
The Shannon Kobylarczyk Personal Pledge includes seven concrete commitments: take at least one uninterrupted 10-minute break daily without screens; schedule one non-negotiable wellness activity per week; speak openly about mental health in appropriate professional and personal settings; set clear boundaries around work hours when possible; check in weekly with someone trusted about stress levels; prioritize sleep as a leadership responsibility; and seek support early instead of waiting for a crisis point.
"Mental health doesn't wait its turn," Shannon says. "You either address it early, or it demands your attention." Burnout among working parents has doubled in recent years. Studies show that chronic stress contributes to heart disease, anxiety disorders, and reduced workplace productivity. The World Health Organization estimates depression and anxiety cost the global economy $1 trillion annually in lost productivity.
Shannon believes the solution begins at the individual level. "Big systems change slowly," she says. "But personal habits can change today." She also provides a Do-It-Yourself Mental Wellness Toolkit with 10 free actions, including taking a 10-minute walk without your phone, writing down three stress triggers and one boundary for each, setting a daily "hard stop" time for work, and practicing saying "I need a moment" without apology.
A 30-Day Progress Tracker is also offered: Week 1 focuses on awareness by tracking stress triggers daily; Week 2 on implementing one new boundary; Week 3 on initiating one honest conversation; and Week 4 on evaluating what habits improved focus or mood. At the end of 30 days, participants reflect on three changes they want to keep.
Shannon invites individuals, professionals, and working parents to take the pledge alongside her. "Your path won't look perfect," she says. "But if you keep showing up — for yourself too — you build something real." Shannon Kobylarczyk is a Wisconsin-born attorney based in Milwaukee and Jackson, Wisconsin, whose career spans accounting, securities law, corporate governance, ethics, and compliance.
