Episode 90: From Breakdown to Breakthrough: The Power of Care in Life & Leadership with Graeme Cowan
Have you ever gone through a really tough time… and wondered how you could ever come back from it - let alone use it to help others?
In this episode of It’s a Mindset, I’m joined by Graeme Cowan - resilience expert, professional speaker, Board Director of R U OK?, and author of five books, including his latest, Great Leaders Care.
Graeme shares his deeply personal story of experiencing a five-year episode of depression - a period his psychiatrist described as one of the most severe he had ever treated. What emerged from that time is not only a powerful story of recovery, but a mission to help others build resilience, improve wellbeing, and create meaningful change through conversation.
Drawing on the insights behind Great Leaders Care, Graeme explores what it really means to lead with empathy, create psychologically safe environments, and support the people around us - whether at work, at home, or in our wider communities.
Together, we explore how Graeme turned one of the most challenging periods of his life into a way to support others - particularly leaders - to create safer, more connected environments where people feel seen, heard, and supported.
I was incredibly moved by Graeme’s vulnerability in sharing his story, and how he has transformed that experience into something so impactful. It’s a beautiful reminder that even in our hardest moments, there is the potential for growth, meaning, and contribution.
This conversation highlights just how powerful a simple conversation can be - and how it can quite literally change a life.
Key Episode Takeaways:
- How Graeme turned his personal experience of breakdown into a mission to support others
- Why great leaders prioritise care and create psychologically safe environments
- The power of humility in creating authentic connection and trust
- How one meaningful conversation can have the potential to change a life
About the Guest:
Graeme Cowan is a resilience expert, professional speaker and Board Director of R U OK?, where he has seen firsthand how simple conversations can lead to meaningful change.
With a background in senior leadership roles at Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer and AT Kearney, Graeme’s work today is deeply shaped by his own lived experience. In 2000, he went through a five-year episode of severe depression — a period his psychiatrist described as one of the most challenging he had ever treated. From that experience, Graeme developed a powerful new perspective on resilience, wellbeing and performance, which now underpins his work with leaders and organisations around the world.
He is the author of five books, including the internationally acclaimed Back From the Brink, and his latest, Great Leaders Care, which explores how empathy and care can transform leadership and workplace culture. Graeme has been described by the Australian Financial Review as a “resilience expert”, and is known for his authentic, relevant and thought-provoking style.
Based in Sydney near Lane Cove National Park, Graeme enjoys spending time in nature, connecting with family and friends, and sharing ideas that spark conversations — because he believes those conversations have the power to change lives.
Show Resources:
Follow Graeme on Instagram - HERE
Connect with Graeme on LinkedIn - HERE
Check Out Graeme's Website - HERE
Follow Emma, the Podcast Host on Instagram - HERE
Join The Next Chapter Collective Waitlist - HERE
If you LOVED this episode, make sure you share it on your Instagram stories and tag us @emmalagerlow and @graemecowan.
Take Care, Emma. X.
