Disengagement, chronic stress, burnout — these are the real cost of a culture that tells us to push through regardless of how we feel, and today’s workplaces are paying the price. With a growing understanding that sustainable performance requires something more, many organizations are turning to Anthony McLean, whose expertise lies at the intersection of mental health and workplace culture.
Called a “master storyteller,” Anthony has delivered hundreds of keynotes for some of the world’s leading organizations, including PepsiCo, AT&T, Intel, TD Bank, and Coca-Cola. As one of our featured speakers at Showcase 2026, he brought the humour and the homework, delivering a masterclass on what it actually means to take care of yourself so you can show up fully for the people and work that matter most.
Anthony was fantastic! Engaging with high-level but also tactical takeaways.
Showcase 2026 attendee
The Foundation of Mental Wellness: Compassion and Resilience
Anthony’s speaking career began in the youth circuit, travelling to schools to talk about bullying. When kids got bullied, he noticed they tended to have one of two responses. Some turned inward: What’s wrong with me? Others turned outward: What’s wrong with them?
Each response calls for something different. The first group needs compassion — someone to say, this is not your fault, the world is already hard on you, don’t be hard on yourself. The second needs resilience — the reminder that this is hard, but they can do hard things.
These needs follow us throughout our lives, Anthony said. Some days call for compassion and the need for rest, support, and unabashed self-care. Others demand resilience. “I’ll turn the shower to cold,” Anthony told the room, “and stand there and say to myself: I can do hard things.” The goal isn’t to choose one. It’s to know which one you need in the moment.
Most of us, he argued, are naturally better at one than the other — and a lot of that comes down to the generation we grew up in.
A Generational Divide
Older generations were raised on resilience. You push through, you show up, you get it done — feelings are secondary to results. Younger generations heard something different: how you feel matters, protect your peace, take care of yourself first. But “it’s not either/or,” Anthony said. “It’s both/and.” Every generation has something to teach, and every generation has something to learn. It’s a theme at the heart of his forthcoming book on managing multigenerational teams, The Four Generations: How Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z Can Finally Work Together.
Embracing the Pit Stop
To illustrate this balance in practice, Anthony called on the race car. Built for high performance and high velocity, it still needs a pit stop mid-race — not because it’s struggling, but because that’s how it finishes. New tires, a refuel, a reset. Then back at full speed.
The same logic applies to us, Anthony said. Pushing through without refuelling doesn’t make us stronger — it makes us a liability. “The body keeps score,” he reminded us. Suppress enough stress and it comes back as high blood pressure, tension headaches, insomnia, and cynicism. The pit stop isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s what makes the long race possible. The key is knowing when you need one.
What is Your Check Engine Light?
Your “check engine light” is the early warning signs your body gives you when you’re running low. For Anthony, that’s snapping at the people he loves most, being cynical about the future, and losing interest in things that normally bring him joy. Sometimes that light is calling for rest and self-care, he said. Other times it’s a reminder that this is hard, but you can do hard things. The check engine light doesn’t tell you to stop. It’s a signal to check in with yourself — and figure out what you need to keep going.
Self-Care Strategies
When his tank is low, these are a few of Anthony’s go-to strategies:
1. The Walking Audio Journal
We are in a nature deficit. Anthony loves to take a walk outside. He puts his headphones in, hits record on his phone, and walks around the block for 15 minutes, talking through whatever he’s carrying. He says it leaves him lighter every time.
2. The Sauna
Research backs it up — sitting in a sauna is one of the most effective ways to dissipate accumulated stress, and Anthony is a convert.
3. Consider Your Physical Health
Check-in with your doctor. Sometimes what feels like mental exhaustion is actually physical. Two supplements that have made a genuine difference in Anthony’s daily life are magnesium — which he credits with getting his last nerve back — and L-theanine, a compound naturally found in green tea that supports sleep. “You cannot separate your physical health from your mental health,” he said. “We talk so much about one and forget to talk about the other.”
4. Practice Joy
Joy is a practice, and Anthony takes it seriously. His challenge to the room: find one moment of it every day. For him, that looks like dancing. Close the door, put on whatever you were listening to at 17, blast it, and dance like no one is watching, he siad.
“When you dance, you release endorphins. You show up with more energy and joy for the people in your life — the ones you lead, and the ones you love.”
Book Anthony McLean for Your Next Event
It sounds simple, but when the tank is low, joy isn’t a luxury. It’s a strategy. And that’s what Anthony McLean helps audiences reclaim.
The bestselling author of All Fired Up: Optimize Mental Health to Ignite Joy and Fuel Peak Performance and The Four Generations: How Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z Can Finally Work Together, Anthony is known for his lively keynotes that empower audiences to thrive both personally and professionally. He has a particular knack for turning workplace challenges — especially generational divides — into opportunities for connection, using humour and research-backed strategies to help teams build trust and perform at a higher level.
Contact us to learn more about Anthony and how he can help your team recharge, refocus, and find more joy, both at home and work.
