Ruth P., Speaker & Coach in Mental Health in the Workplace at Pearce Insights

Ruth P.

Speaker & Coach in Mental Health in the Workplace at Pearce Insights

Organization and Productivity

Education: University of Bath, UK - London School of Economics & Political Science (UK) & Concord Law School at Purdue, US

Chapel Hill, NC, USA

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Biography

𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲
𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀

Go From Thinking & Dreaming to Being & Doing

My vision is that workplaces will become a critical part of the solution to our mental health crisis instead of part of the cause. Mental health is good for the employee, good for leadership, good for the organization and good for society.

I bring a unique perspective shaped by my journey through anxiety, burnout, and resilience. With a distinguished academic background from the London School of Economics and Concord Law School, combined with 25 years of experience in project leadership across financial services, state government, and non-profits, I offer a wealth of knowledge and insight into creating thriving, balanced environments.

My true passion lies in working with people to enhance leadership and followership skills while fostering organizations that prioritize mental health. By creating environments that promote well-being, innovation, engagement, and productivity, I help teams and individuals not just survive but thrive.

Having lived in vibrant locations from NYC to Western Massachusetts and North Carolina, I am deeply connected to nature—whether it’s tending to my bees, enjoying the company of my two large dogs and two small rabbits, or immersing myself in the beauty of trees, birds, and bees. This love for nature fuels my passion for well-being and drives my commitment to helping individuals and organizations cultivate environments where mental health is a priority.

An avid reader, movie enthusiast (with V for Vendetta as a favorite), and music lover with tastes ranging from classical piano by Rachmaninov and Shostakovich to the eclectic sounds of David Bowie, I find inspiration in a diverse range of artistic expressions.

As an adjunct faculty member at Suffolk University Law School, I leverage my expertise to mentor the next generation of professionals. My mission is to empower others to embrace resilience, foster innovation, and achieve sustainable success, all while balancing personal passions with professional excellence. When I’m not speaking or coaching, you’ll find me exploring new outdoor adventures or getting sidetracked by myriad activities I adore—particularly those that benefit my clients.

My favorite keynotes are called Let the Audience Choose - where I have four topics related to Leadership, Followership & Mental Health & the audience gets to choose in the moment where they want to focus!

Passion

People. Empowering people who want to get from where they are, who they are and what they are doing to somewhere else.
Mental health in the workplace. Organizations can become part of the solution to our current mental health struggles instead of contributors to those struggles!

Professional Focus:
Speaking about Mental Health in the Workplace
Speaking about the science of Hope, Character Strengths, Bravery and Curiosity
Speaking about Burnout Recovery and Prevention
Coaching groups, speaking with groups, exploring with groups and growing with them!
Social, emotional and motivational intelligence
Character Strengths

I am willing to travel

More than 100 miles

When it comes to payments

I generally get paid for speaking but make exceptions

Topics

workplace engagement cultivating resilience mental health in the workplace burnout burnout prevention workplace well being speaker

Best Story

I stood up in the middle of the meeting and said directly to the CEO - "I don't know what you are smoking but I want some".
That was burnout spectacular style!
I was 2.5 years into a "dream job" that had slowly turned into somewhat of a nightmare. My husband had issued that ultimatum - leave (the job) or be left (by me)!
My energy was depleted.
My temper was short.
I had tried every way I could think of to persuade the powers that be that the program was off track and was not likely to ever be on track!
And it brought me to that.

Now as a speaker, coach and author I focus on helping organizations be bastions of mental health instead of land mines of mental health. I want to make sure noone else goes through what I experienced. And I want to ensure that no CEO is on the receiving end of such frustration and .... well, bluntness.

Origin Story

My origin stems from my parents, their experiences, their beliefs and even their choice of name for me.

My parents experienced a world war, bombing at home, evacuation to a strange place. They had food shortages, food rationing, loss of loved ones, the Bay of Pigs, Chernobyl (all be it from 100’s of miles away), the cold war, depression, inflation, stagflation, and two hour each way commutes. They even grew up with outdoor plumbing and having to boil water to have a bath. When I was born, they were snowed in, living in the dining room because it was the only room with heat in the house. My father walked 7 miles to buy me baby grows so that I would be warm enough. They believed in books and education, that girls can excel and that learning is everything.

Example talks

The Triumph of Hope over Experience

Abstract: Hope is often confused with wishing but hope is something we can cultivate. Hopeful people are more likely to report being happier and having higher levels of wellbeing and thriving than unhopeful people.
1. Learn about the three components of hope – Vision, Pathways & Agency
2. Explore how to get help with hope.
3. Discover how to leverage hope to make change.

Case studies, small and large group work and learning by doing are core components of our sessions. Participants will also have access to a hope assessment to assess their own current level of hope. The psychological safety of all participants is very important to us, and we endeavor to ensure that everyone can take part in the way they feel most comfortable. Please let us know if there is anything you want us to account for.

Learning objectives: Define, Learn, Plan, Implement
• Define hope.
• Learn to hope.
• Plan hope.
• Implement hope for you and others.

“This was the first time I've had the pleasure of experiencing one of Ruth's presentations. I really enjoyed her style of presenting. I look forward to future webinars and learning more.”

Keep Moving Forward: Character Strengths for Difficult Times

Each of us has a unique combination of strengths. Some of our most special attributes may remain hidden to us – because they seem so natural, we assume they are commonplace. Yet how we show up is unique to us, and even though we have strengths in common with others around us, the way we express them is personal.
Join a session to discover your strengths, explore their light – and dark – sides, and to choose how and when to combine strengths to ramp up – or dial back - their impact.

Participants will have access to the FREE VIA Character Strengths Assessment as part of the preparation for the session. The assessment aids learning by personalizing the information.

Learning objectives: Identify, Hone, Build, Implement
• Define strengths.
• Hone your strengths.
• Build strengths constellations.
• Implement a strengths strategy.
• Bring strengths to others.

“Ruth Pearce was very knowledgeable on the topic of character strengths, provided great resources, and valuable exercises during the course.”

Bravery or Bravado: Cultivating the Quiet Art of Courage

Many of us assume that people are either brave – or they are not. They associate bravery with physical feats of courage – like running into a burning building or rescuing another from peril. But bravery and courage are more subtle than that. There are many ways to experience and express courage, and most interesting of all, we can LEARN to be MORE courageous.
In this session explore what bravery really is, identify times when you have been braver than you think, and put together your plan to be 2% braver. And learn when what looks brave may be reckless.

Participants will have access to a bravery self-assessment as part of the preparation for the session. Individual results will not be shared. The results are for personal use only.

Case studies, small and large group work and learning by doing are core components of our sessions. The psychological safety of all participants is very important to us, and we endeavor to ensure that everyone can take part in the way they feel most comfortable. We do our best to account for different personality and learning styles. Please let us know if there is anything you want us to account for.

Learning objectives: Define, Identify, Plan, Implement
• Define bravery.
• Identify YOUR bravery.
• Plan to be braver.
• Put it into action.

“Ruth skillfully worked through the components of bravery and how to cultivate it. She allowed for an interesting, open discussion.

How Curiosity May Have Killed the Cat - Cultivating Healthy Curiosity

We are all born curious and for some of us that curiosity never goes away. For others, curiosity is discouraged and over time wanes. Research shows that people who experience curiosity are happier and enjoy higher levels of wellbeing than those whose curiosity is less. Curiosity helps us to look past the obvious, see possibilities and embrace an experimental mindset. We ask, “what happens when?” and “what can I learn” instead of being afraid of the unknown. Join this session to learn how curiosity makes us happier and how to cultivate a healthy level of curiosity that is aligned with your current context.

Participants will have access to a curiosity self-assessment as part of the preparation for the session. Individual results will not be shared. The results are for personal use only.