Sarah Livingstone believes mental health leads to productivity and success, which is why she created a company that helps employers and employees work together in harmony.
Livingstone, 39, founder and CEO of ARE U Motivated, values the importance of mental health.
She experienced high anxiety and depression while growing up in Montclair, New Jersey, and found out that she had mental illness at the age of 16.
“I became disrespectful, defiant, self-injurious and truant because I did not know how to properly process my emotions,” Livingstone said. “I would not allow anyone to teach me.”
When she was 18 years old, she became pregnant and had a miscarriage midway through the pregnancy. That is when her parents advised her to move to Gainesville to start over.
“I had nothing to lose,” Livingstone said. “I moved here and stayed with family members and I eventually went to school.”
She graduated from Santa Fe College with an associates degree in elementary education and eventually graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in family, youth and community sciences.
She also earned a master’s degree in social work with a focus on management and leadership from Rutgers University in New Jersey.
Livingstone founded ARE U Motivated in 2017 while in graduate school as a resource to help people find employment and as an outlet to relieve people from the stress of finding a job.
“Some of my friends were becoming discouraged as they looked for employment,” Livingstone said. “I decided to help by calling employers on their behalf and connecting them for conversation. I created ARE U Motivated in the spirit of motivating them.”
After being hospitalized in 2018, she questioned if what she was doing aligned with her purpose.
“Connecting people with employment was not my passion and so after becoming sick in 2018, I discontinued working on ARE U Motivated,” Livingstone said.
In 2022, Livingstone re-launched ARE U Motivated with a focus aligned with her heart and skillset — to help organizations and businesses create a culture of mental health awareness to support and empower their employees to prioritize their mental health and achieve their full potential.
“We strongly believe that mental health is the foundation for productivity and success,” Livingstone said.
Just like she has experienced poor mental health related to the workplace, she realized many others suffer from poor mental health due to their workplace, Livingstone said.
“Managers are worn out so they lead poorly and disrespect their employees in an effort to get them to comply and be productive,” Livingstone said. “Employees are misled and mistreated and so they have poor mental health, they are less productive and work is the worst part of their day.”
Livingstone’s personal battles with mental illness have taught her the importance of prioritizing her own mental health.
This first-hand experience has given her a unique perspective on mental health care and an understanding of how it can impact the lives of individuals and organizations. She officially launched The APH Talks initiative in September of 22.
The initiative features workshops for companies that serve both employees and management.
“Our approach is top-down. We believe the CEO should be directly involved in the change expected of the employees and managers,” Livingstone said. “We will meet with the CEO and the personnel deemed necessary, based on the company’s structure. Companies that we work with must have more than 20 employees.”
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Livingstone said she appreciates the help of the company’s two research interns, Charles Phillips and Lucas Lu; social media strategist, Gaelle Michel and her Senior Advisor Camilo Reina Munoz of Mutual Space LLC.
Lu said while growing up in an immigrant community he witnessed firsthand the overlooked mental health needs of friends and family.
“These experiences ignited my dedication to promoting preventive care and proper health education,” Lu said. “Being a part of ARE U Motivated is an incredible opportunity for me to combine my passion for serving the community with my desire to make a meaningful impact in health education.”
Livingstone’s goal is to uplift employers and employees through mental health awareness to make work life enjoyable for all.
“Appreciate the strides you have made in life and let that view of your success help you find strength for dealing with the difficult situations you will find yourself in,” Livingstone said. “You are enough and you matter. At the job, you still have enough and you still matter.”
Inquiries can be emailed to AreUMotivated@aphtalks.com or you can visit aphtalks.com.
