At ClearanceJobs Connect, two experts took the stage to discuss mental health and resilience—an essential but often overlooked element of national security hiring. Mika Cross, a workforce strategist (Strategy@Work), Army veteran, and former cleared professional, and Alex Snyder, a former fed, author and co-founder of Mindful Fed shared their expertise to a room of cleared recruiters.
Cross outlined how the last five years have reshaped work—from “quiet quitting” to “quiet cracking”—with burnout rising across the board and hitting talent pros especially hard. Her message: treat wellbeing as a performance accelerator. Reframe it as organizational health and performance, not a “nice to have.” When leaders invest in these skills, results, retention, and culture improve.
Snyder urged starting with self-awareness: notice what it’s like to be you, right now. In stressful moments, create space through the body (a breath, a pause, a brief walk) and through teams, not just individual tips. Effective programs are woven into daily rhythms: brief check-ins at meetings, addressing mental health in performance conversations, and leaders modeling transparency about stress and boundaries.
The panel distinguished real resilience from repression. Cross pointed to burnout as long-term, unmanaged workplace stress—an organizational problem requiring organizational solutions. Snyder added that teams need both acceptance of the mission and space to process what’s hard.
In Q&A, resources included Mental Health America, CDC/HHS screenings, VA tools for veteran-heavy teams, and Snyder’s Slow Mindfulness site. The takeaway: in high-stakes missions, caring for people isn’t extra—it’s operational readiness. Leaders who slow down, check in, and build team-based supports equip recruiters—and their missions—to thrive.
