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  • October 2022
  • Case
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Weapons of Self Destruction: Zak Pym Williams and the Cultivation of Mental Wellness

By: Lauren Cohen, Ronnie Stangler and Grace Headinger
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:9
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Abstract

Zak Pym Williams, mental health advocate, grappled with the question of how to create a proactive mental health family environment for his children. Having witnessed how mental health challenges such as addiction and depression had impacted the past four generations of his family, Williams sought to break the cycle for his children and future generations ahead. He himself was among the approximately 20% of American adults who had experienced a mental health condition annually, as he himself had been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, depression, and PTSD as a young adult. Although his children were still quite young, he considered how he could enact an optimal family mental health strategy to break the family’s intergenerational cycle once and for all.

Keywords

Family; U.S.; Mental Health; Family Business; Entertainment; Values and Beliefs; Ethics; Leading Change; Family and Family Relationships; Well-being; Social Issues; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; United States; California

Citation

Cohen, Lauren, Ronnie Stangler, and Grace Headinger. "Weapons of Self Destruction: Zak Pym Williams and the Cultivation of Mental Wellness." Harvard Business School Case 223-033, October 2022.
  • Educators

About The Author

Lauren H. Cohen

Finance
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More from the Authors
  • All Options on the Table: The Haber Family By: Lauren Cohen, Grace Headinger and Juan Ruiz
  • Baofeng's Philanthropic Efforts in China By: Lauren Cohen, Hao Gao, Bo Li and Zhaoheng Gong
  • Too Many Managers: The Strategic Use of Titles to Avoid Overtime Payments By: Lauren Cohen, Umit Gurun and N. Bugra Ozel
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