by Carol Harnett

Carol Harnett is a health and disability expert. She is the president of the nonprofit organization Council for Disability Awareness. Carol is a radio host, speaker, consultant and writer. This letter was written to Mike in response to his reflections on the anniversary of 9/11.

MakeUsWell edited Carol’s words for clarity and length.

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9/12/2021

Mike,

Thank you for sharing your reflections on the 20th anniversary of 9/11. As someone who grew up on Staten Island, I lost fathers and mothers of childhood friends, high school classmates, and countless acquaintances. My closest friend’s husband was an architect for the Port Authority, who saw the first plane from his office window before it struck the tower. He got about half of his coworkers to run into the stairwell with him as the plane hit about 6 stories above them. The stairs disintegrated under his feet as he descended. He suffered intense survivor guilt and never fully recovered psychologically. He has not set foot in Manhattan again. The Port Authority accommodated him and allowed him to use an office in NJ.

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by Mike Critelli

I recently received an email from a former operations VP at Pitney Bowes. He was part of the New York City unit hardest hit on September 11, 2001. Now retired, these many years later, he still took the time to thank me for a call I made on September 11 when they lost four employees and had several hundred others displaced from customer sites in lower Manhattan.

I actually made many calls that day and evening and in the days immediately following. I led multiple group meetings, and broadcast emails and voicemails following the events of September 11. At Pitney Bowes, we focused heavily on the well-being of our employees and their families as well as the customers served in Manhattan. It was the right way to help us all heal from the tragedy. It also ended up being good business.

Well before 9/11, we created and nurtured a health focused culture at Pitney Bowes. Our leaders' behaviors during the crisis were a natural and predictable manifestation of that culture.

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by Alan Steelman

Congressman Alan Steelman is a Dallas businessman with a career as a global management consultant spanning several decades. He has been chairman for various boards and committees, including the Dallas Council on World Affairs and also served as a representative for the state of Texas. Congressman Steelman is the father of 5, and MakeUsWell is happy to have him as a member.

MakeUsWell edited Alan’s words for clarity and length.

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Why Well...thy?

Emotional balance and resilience are always fleeting and elusive in a “survival of the fittest” system like our own. The challenge is even greater now, given the devastation of the past 18 months. Many have questioned and reframed their priorities. Giving ‘well...thy’ equal footing in all of our lives will be a great start.

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by Mike Critelli

From the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis, many politicians and members of the media have used the phrase “follow the science.” In this context, the meaning of “the science” has been relatively consistent and understandable in some respects, but frustratingly inconsistent and confusing in others.

Unfortunately, lawmakers, public health authorities, as well as the media and some scientists have found it difficult to acknowledge that “following the science” means we must become comfortable with uncertainty on some key points:

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by MakeUsWell

Who is Frank Teng?

After completing his undergraduate degree in psychology at Yale, Frank Teng studied UX design at Carnegie Mellon University. “My philosophy has always been to empower other people—I always wanted to look at opportunities where I can serve other people.” This interest in understanding how people work has led him to the Mayo Clinic. Frank is a UX designer for telehealth products, sharing the benefits of technology in health care.

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Frank's Work

Frank’s focus is working in a practical platform eliminating barriers and focusing on empowering individuals with technology. “Essentially, I'm creating a more seamless, streamlined product experience for when a patient talks to a doctor.” In his role with the Mayo Clinic the focus is: ‘how do we make everything as easy for the patient as possible?’

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