Lacy talks with Oscar Mendoza, Deputy Executive Director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, who experienced a profound shift in his leadership after experiencing profound grief and introspection. When he lost Warden Sergio Perez to a preventable health event that cut his life short in his forties, Mr. Mendoza started to ask himself how he, a longtime TDCJ employee and a leader, could be contributing to a culture in which an employee would prioritize work over their own health, and how he could change that by changing himself. He talks about how “we can still be committed, … but not at the cost of neglecting ourselves,” and what TDCJ is doing to shift agency culture to one that values not just the employee, but also the person.
Resources to help you prioritize your health: