Session 1: 9:15 AM
Defining the Mental Load: The Visible Impact of Invisible Work
This session will explore the latest scholarly research on the meaning of the “mental load” in the context of work and ground the day with a common vocabulary and understanding, highlighting why it remains so difficult to name, measure and value. Speakers will discuss how gender norms shape who is expected to carry this invisible work in the workplace, from care-work and emotional labor to mentoring, culture-building, and “office housework.” The conversation will also examine how the mental load shows up differently across race, class, caregiving status, career stage, and organizational role.
Speakers
Krystal Duarte, PhD
Lisa Kaplowitz
Kate Mangino, PhD
Leah Ruppanner, PhD
Session 2: 10:30 AM
Caregiving as a Leadership Skill: Why Supporting Caregivers Is a Business Imperative
Caregivers are often some of an organization’s most valuable employees, adept at managing the “mental load” that sustains teams and organizations. While women still carry a disproportionate share of caregiving responsibilities, caregiving is not a women’s issue; employees of all genders care for children, aging parents, family members with disabilities, and loved ones with chronic or mental health conditions.
This session will explore why caregivers should be viewed as assets, not liabilities, and why normalizing men’s role in care work is essential to building more inclusive, effective workplaces. Speakers will discuss the rise of caregiving ERGs and how they can be leveraged as a strategic resource, normalizing caregiving across gender, generation, and job level, and recognizing caregivers as a vital part of talent strategy and development.
Speakers
Laura DuPoux (Moderator)
Taveeshi Gupta, PhD
Anja Krstić, PhD
Kate Mangino, PhD
Michelle Yu
Lunch Fireside Chat: 11:30 AM
Simple – Yesterday’s Brain, Today’s World and the Forgotten Science of Living Well
The human brain was built for a village of 150 people. It’s now navigating eight billion. The gap between the ancient hardware we’re running and the modern world we’ve built is why wellbeing is in free fall, and self-help keeps failing. Not because change is impossible, but because the brain can’t use most tools until it first feels safe enough to try.
In this fireside chat, Dr. Kristina Durante draws on her forthcoming book SIMPLE: Yesterday's Brain, Today's World, and the Forgotten Science of Living Well to make the case that the missing ingredient isn’t discipline or better habits. It’s context. When you understand what the brain was designed for, the tools change: how you structure your day, who you spend time with, and how you build your environment start to work with your biology rather than against it. Learn why a clear understanding of the mismatch between the ancestral world and the modern one is a profound health advantage, and what it looks like to apply that knowledge without dismantling your life or your organization to do it.
Speaker
Session 3: 1:00 PM
Employee Well-Being as a Driver of Business Performance
Employee well-being is no longer a “nice to have” benefit or perk; it is a business imperative directly tied to engagement, retention, and productivity. When employees are overwhelmed, unsupported, or quietly carrying the mental load at work and home, they get burned out, which impacts innovation, performance, and advancement.
Speakers will discuss what leaders can do to design work that supports both high performance and human sustainability. The conversation will move beyond self-care programs to explore the systems, policies, and cultural norms that make well-being measurable, actionable, and tied to business outcomes.
Speakers
Krystal Duarte, PhD (Moderator)
Colleen Ammerman
Caitlin Freeland
Tina Opie, PhD
Session 4: 2:00 PM
Will AI Increase the Mental Load?
AI is often framed as a solution to save time by automating routine tasks, and freeing employees for higher-value work. But emerging research suggests a more complicated reality: AI may not reduce work so much as intensify it, which could lead to cognitive fatigue, workload creep, and burnout.
This panel will examine the impact of AI on the mental load and explore how companies can adopt AI in ways that advance well-being rather than accelerate burnout.
Speakers
Erin Grau (Moderator)
Marianne Cooper, PhD
Jina Suh, PhD
