Comic panel of Donna announcing a company grant for mental wellness to her animal coworkers in a conference room Comic panel of animal coworkers in a meeting reacting to a request for ideas for a department competition, from the Donna Lake comic strip Comic panel with a goldfish suggesting “An on-site counselor would be nice” during a team meeting, from the Donna Lake comic strip Comic panel with a penguin shouting “WATERPARK!!!” during a meeting while a goldfish looks surprised, from the Donna Lake comic strip Comic panel with Donna saying “Strong energy. Anything less hose-dependent?” during a meeting, from the Donna Lake comic strip Comic panel of animal coworkers sharing final thoughts on wellness ideas: “Trust the process,” “Waterparks,” and “Office hammocks,” from the Donna Lake comic strip

Transcript

[Panel 1]
DONNA, standing in a conference room, addressing the team.
DONNA:
“Our company won a grant to promote mental wellness!”

[Panel 2]
Team seated around the table: MILO the raccoon, DASH the penguin, FINLEY the goldfish, RILEY the black cat, and DREW the sloth.
DONNA (off-panel):
“We’ll be competing with other departments, so I want your best ideas.”

[Panel 3]
FINLEY and DASH at the table. FINLEY looks thoughtful.
FINLEY:
“An on-site counselor would be nice.”

[Panel 4]
DASH grins excitedly. FINLEY rolls eyes.
DASH (shouting):
“WATERPARK!!!”

[Panel 5]
DONNA responds, gesturing calmly.
DONNA:
“Strong energy. Anything less hose-dependent?”

[Panel 6]
Wide shot of the team. DONNA has a visible thought bubble. MILO smiles. DREW looks peaceful. RILEY remains still.
DONNA (thought bubble):
“...Trust the process...”
MILO:
“I like waterparks”
DREW:
“Office hammocks would be groovy”
DONNA (thought bubble):
“Sigh...”

CHOOSE YOUR STARTING POINT

CHAPTERS

Mental Wellness is a Competitive Sport
Posted on August 6, 2025 by donnalake

Cartoon portrait of Donna Lake with short hair, purple glasses, and a lavender sprig beside her name deskplateFrom Donna’s Desk

We won a grant for mental wellness. Great, right?

Then the meeting happened.

I asked for thoughtful ideas. I got “waterpark.”
 (Strong energy. Zero budget awareness.)

If you’ve ever tried to lead well-meaning chaos with a calm voice and a tight deadline—
 you’re my people.

Let’s talk:

What’s the wildest “wellness” initiative you’ve seen go off the rails?
 What actually helps your team stay grounded?
 And how do you stay steady when everyone else is spiraling gently into glitter and buzzwords?

Drop a comment. Share your story. Or just send a knowing nod.
I see you. And I know you’re the one holding everything together—
 even when it shouldn’t be your job.

—Donna

#IamDonnaLake
 #WorkplaceWellness
 #MiddleManagementMagic
 #QuietLeadership
 #WomenWhoHoldTheLine
 #OfficeChaosSurvivor
 #DonnaLake

 

3 thoughts on “Mental Wellness is a Competitive Sport”

  1. donnalake

    Please share Donna using the social feed icons listed in the grey box right below the comic. You can reach my social feeds from the icons in the purple sidebar. The story continues next Wednesday! -Tamara

  2. Kelly

    This is going to be a great ride!!

  3. Alisa

    #day1awesomesness!stayeell💚

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