When Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa first began seeing a counsellor in early 2009, the taboo surrounding mental health in the region was deeply entrenched. “The stigma was so strong that I was told not to tell anyone I was going to counselling,” Uthappa recalls. The experience, however, proved transformative. “I began to speak openly about how deeply it impacted me and how much it empowered me to live more fully.”

Today, he has evolved into an NLP practitioner and mental well-being expert, founding True, a coaching movement for teams and individuals that blends insights from elite sport and psychology. However, while mental health is now discussed more openly, especially since the pandemic, Uthappa believes depth and responsibility are still lacking. “We also need clarity and sincerity around this conversation, so it remains sacred and not diluted,” he says.

Mental health remains overlooked in many organizations, especially in the region’s high-pressure, performance-driven environment. “Leaders often do the minimum required to keep people content, and tend to react only when an issue becomes visible,” says Abdulla Al Tamimi, Founder of Quince Restaurant and Café, Padel 700, and Business Hub.

RECOGNIZING THE SLOW BURN

Mental health must be treated as a core leadership responsibility, says Dr. Mariel Silva, Medical Services Director and Healthy Aging Specialist at SHA Wellness Clinic in Spain. “Burnouts rarely show up overnight; they creep in slowly,” she says. In medicine, professionals learn to spot subtle shifts long before symptoms are obvious. “You can tell when someone stops enjoying what they do, when conversations sound automatic, or when humor and empathy begin to fade.”

The body often speaks first. Trouble sleeping, muscle tension, digestive discomfort, or steady fatigue that doesn’t lift with rest are early signs. 

For Uthappa, that reconnection was hard-won. “During my batting transformation in 2012–2013, I unlearned everything I knew to rebuild from scratch,” he recalls. “I went through incredible pressure, to the point where I broke down during sessions, and we had to stop practice.” 

Through a process that spanned several months, he learned to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. “That experience gave me faith in myself. I realized that if I have the right mindset, stay present, and stick to the process, I can come out shining, no matter how difficult the circumstances.”

WHEN WELL-BEING BECOMES STRATEGY

Experts say that mental health isn’t measured only by diagnoses; it’s reflected in how a person feels when they start their day. Dr. Silva says, “When emotional balance erodes, clarity is the first to go, followed by fatigue, irritability, and disconnection from work and life.” Sleep, focus, and relationships all begin to shift, quietly reshaping team dynamics long before they appear in metrics.

Talented employees who consistently deliver yet lose their sense of purpose eventually burn out, Dr. Silva adds. “The reverse is also true—when organizations genuinely care through empathy, respect, and sustainable rhythms, people regain clarity and rediscover joy in their craft.”

“Productivity then stops feeling like pressure,” she says. “It becomes a by-product of well-being.” 

The SHA Leader’s Performance Health Program is designed for executives in high-demand environments, it helps restore physical vitality, mental clarity, and emotional balance—empowering leaders to inspire healthier, more resilient organisations.

Al Tamimi sees the same in his businesses. “A lack of emotional well-being leads to lower productivity and higher turnover—not because people don’t care, but because they don’t feel supported. That’s why we created Mental Gym, a program that equips both individuals and leaders with practical life skills. It’s about building long-term emotional intelligence, not temporary fixes.”

CULTIVATING SAFE SPACES

Implementing such real change, says Dr. Silva, begins with something simple, and often difficult: listening without interrupting, rushing to fix, or judging. In high-performance environments, this is especially critical as people minimize their own discomfort. “At SHA, we train leaders to ask, ‘How are you, really?’—and to mean it,” she says. “We also build multidisciplinary teams so mental and emotional well-being are embedded in care plans, not treated as add-ons.”

Al Tamimi says he takes a similar approach. He says his company promotes open and honest communication, advocating for an open-door policy and avoiding unnecessary pressure and long hours. “For me, mental health is built into everyday routines, not occasional workshops,” he says. 

For Uthappa, a mentally healthy workplace is one built on emotional safety where people feel seen, heard, and safe enough to show up as their full selves. “It’s not limited to performance metrics or productivity hacks,” he adds. “Mental health shouldn’t be a checkbox during awareness week; it should live in the rhythm of how people are treated and how leadership shows up.”

THE POWER OF AUTHENTICITY AND VULNERABILITY

Experts agree that vulnerability underpins effective leadership. When leaders dare to say, ‘I’m navigating something hard too,’ they give silent permission for others to be real,” says Uthappa. “That changes culture more than any policy.”

Dr. Silva agrees. “Vulnerability is awareness, not weakness. “In conservative environments, people fear that openness undermines authority, but the opposite is true; people trust what’s real.”

The key, Al Tamimi says, is to express it with clarity. “If you’re grounded, your team feels grounded. Vulnerability should come from lived experience, not emotional outbursts.”

Given that vulnerability is often the secret ingredient safeguarding mental health, it’s little wonder the taboo still lingers, especially among men. “Men still hesitate to talk about mental health because it cuts deeper than stigma; it strikes at the heart of masculinity,” says Uthappa.

When strength is defined as stoicism, vulnerability is mislabelled as weakness, when, in truth, it’s one of the highest forms of strength, Uthappa stresses.

He adds that male leaders have a crucial role in challenging this narrative. “To those who still see mental health as ‘soft,’ I’d say this: softness isn’t weakness—it’s strength that isn’t afraid to feel. What kind of leader are you if you’re battling yourself internally? That disconnection doesn’t just affect you; it ripples through your team, your family, your culture.”

He continues: “If you can be honest about your own fears and struggles, that honesty becomes a mirror for others to find their courage too. Real leadership isn’t about control; it’s about creating the conditions for others to thrive—not just in their roles, but in their lives.”

Because when leaders dare to be open, they don’t just heal themselves—they give others permission to do the same. And in that shared humanity lies the quiet revolution the modern workplace has been waiting for.