… Elago on rewriting corporate mental health
By Feni Hiveluah
Motivational speaker Hermien Elago believes employee wellness is not just a career but a calling to make corporate spaces in Namibia safer for the human beings navigating them. Drawing from her own journey with chronic depression and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), the media strategist and motivational speaker is on a mission to dismantle mental health stigma and redefine workplace culture.
Q: You wear many hats as a media strategist, motivational speaker, and employee wellness consultant. What was the turning point that made you realise corporate wellness was the path you wanted to dedicate your life to?
“My heart is ultimately for human beings and how safe the spaces are that we inhabit, whether in community, civil society, or especially corporate spaces where most people spend the majority of their lives trying to make a meaningful impact. If those spaces do not create an atmosphere of safety, belonging, inclusion, and wellness, we inevitably end up with more unwell people. The reality is that statistics already show us that Namibians are not well. Through both lived experience and the skills and studies I have pursued over the years, and as a trained facilitator, I realised that I have the ability to help organisations navigate these conversations and create workplaces where people can exist more safely, honestly, and fully as themselves.”
Q: Employee wellness is often reduced to a corporate checkbox or annual seminar. What does a truly empathetic and mentally healthy workplace look like?
“A truly empathetic and mentally healthy workplace is reflected in the culture every single day, and it also lives in company policies. It lives in leadership. It lives in whether HR and management are willing to confront and dismantle their own biases, and that requires continuous work, continuous listening, and continuous brave conversations. Most importantly, it shows whether people walk into a workplace feeling like all parts of who they are can exist there safely, not just the polished parts. We are not AI, we are humans.”
Q: As a motivational speaker, what core truth do you return to most often when speaking overwhelmed audiences?
“ One greatest truths have learned through my work is that almost every person we encounter is looking for a non-judgemental witness to their lived experience. People do not always need to be fixed, they do not always need solutions. Sometimes they simply need to be seen, heard, and witnessed without shame or judgement. I genuinely believe people thrive when they are given the dignity of being fully witnessed as they are.”
Q: If you could instantly change one thing about how society handles mental health, what would it be?
“I would change the stigma and fear surrounding mental illness. I wish we treated mental illness the same way we treat any other illness, with care, empathy, thoughtfulness, and support. If someone is diagnosed with cancer or another physical illness, we instinctively respond with compassion. Mental health deserves that same humanity.”
Q: When people hear about a mental health diagnosis, they often focus solely on the struggle. How has living with mental illness shaped your strengths and perspective as a professional?
“In 2023, I was initially misdiagnosed with Bipolar II. At the beginning of 2024, I was correctly re-diagnosed with chronic depression and ADHD, both of which fall under the umbrella of mental illness. One thing I have noticed about many neurodivergent people is that we often carry a strong sensitivity to injustice. Perhaps it is because many of us grew up feeling like the world was not necessarily built for the way our minds work. As a result, it has made me braver. It has taught me to question things deeply and forced me to know myself, to understand how I show up in spaces and how impacts the people around me. Through self-awareness, I have been able to help others do the same. Professionally, it has also taught me that different does not mean less capable. In many ways, my lived experience has made me more empathetic, more observant, more creative, and more intentional in the way I work with people and organisations”.
Q: In Namibia, mental health is still often met with silence or misunderstanding. What is the biggest misconception you encounter, and how do you dismantle it?
“One of the biggest misconceptions I encounter is the belief that people with mental illnesses are somehow less capable, unstable, or unsafe in professional spaces. In reality, many people living with mental illness are incredibly empathetic, thoughtful, and emotionally intelligent because life has shaped them that way. Often, they have had to become deeply self-aware just to navigate the world. Yes, our brains may work differently, but that difference often allows us to contribute in innovative, compassionate, and meaningful ways. I actively try to dismantle the stigma by helping people understand that mental illness is not a character flaw, it is part of the human experience.”
Q: How do you protect your own peace and boundaries while juggling so many demanding roles?
“The same tools I teach are the tools I try to live by. I have a very intentional morning practice because before I let the world in, I need to build a solid inner world first. I meditate, journal, do fascia release work, and move my body because movement is incredibly important for my mental health. I am also deeply intentional about who I allow to speak into my life and how I speak into the lives of others. Most importantly, I have learned how to say no. Every day, I am learning how to stand my sacred ground, a phrase inspired by a quote from Brené Brown: ‘Do not shrink. Do not puff up. Stand your sacred ground.’ I remind myself constantly that I am above no one and beneath no one. I have just as much right to exist fully in this world as anyone else. Everybody is battling something, this just happens to be mine.”
Q: Who or what serves as your greatest source of inspiration when you need to recharge emotionally and mentally?
“I do not believe in having one ultimate source of inspiration, motivation, or mentorship. I think as multidimensional beings we benefit from diverse sources of nourishment. I turn to books and authors like Maya Angelou and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I turn to podcasts, meaningful conversations, and sometimes even conversations with strangers. Most importantly, I turn inward. Sometimes recharging simply means shutting out the noise of the world long enough to hear my own voice again.”
Q: What legacy do you hope to leave behind in the Namibian corporate and creative sectors?
“I hope that when people look back at my work and advocacy, they can say that I helped leave this world a little more inclusive than I found it. I hope people felt safer because I existed. Safer to speak. Safer to feel. Safer to belong. And safer to show up more honestly as themselves.”
Q: What is your message to women who feel they must choose between vulnerability and standing in their power?
“I have actually stopped using the phrase ‘work-life balance’ and replaced it with ‘work-life integration.’ Life is about knowing when to go full steam ahead and knowing when to pull back and rest, and learning to honour your humanity alongside your ambition. When it comes to vulnerability, I think it is important to remember that you do not owe your story to everyone. People earn access to your vulnerability, people earn your story. As I say, move in safety. Standing in your power does not mean becoming hard or untouchable, it simply means advocating for yourself without harming others, and without harming yourself either.”
