Participate in research
I'm a PhD candidate at Antioch University studying how early-stage startup teams develop their norms and habits around mental health. If you've been part of a small startup team and lived through a moment when mental health came up at work, I'd be grateful for one confidential conversation.
About 5 minutes. Confidential. No obligation.
Most research on workplace mental health looks at individuals. This study looks at teams. I'm interested in the specific moments on a startup team when mental health became real: a conversation that went well, a breakdown nobody named, a manager who noticed, a silence that taught everyone what not to say.
Those moments are where a team's culture around wellbeing actually gets built. Founders, early employees, and team leads all shape it, often without meaning to. I want to understand how that happens so that founders, leaders, and the people who advise them can build healthier teams on purpose rather than by accident.
You don't need to have a tidy story or the right vocabulary. You just need to have been there.
The study is my doctoral dissertation in the PhD in Leadership and Change program at Antioch University. It has been reviewed by Antioch's Institutional Review Board, the committee that protects the rights and welfare of research participants.
You're eligible if
Please don't take part if
Bootstrapped, venture-backed, grant-funded, or revenue-funded all count. Any industry counts. The team you have in mind can be one you're on now or one you left years ago.
A few questions to confirm you're eligible and give me some context about your team. If you qualify, you'll be able to read and sign the informed consent form electronically on the same page.
Once you've signed, you'll get a link to choose a 60-minute Zoom slot that works for you between mid-October and early December 2026.
I'll send a short note beforehand to help you think back on specific moments. No preparation is required. You can keep your camera off and use a pseudonym if you prefer.
I'll send you the transcript so you can confirm it reflects what you meant. I may ask for an optional 30-minute follow-up if something needs clarifying.
You'll be given a pseudonym, and I'll remove or mask names of people and companies during transcription. The list linking your name to your pseudonym is stored separately in an encrypted, password-protected file only I can access, and it's destroyed once data collection is complete. Interviews take place on a secure, password-protected Zoom account. Recordings are deleted once the transcript is verified. A small coding team helps with analysis; they see only de-identified transcripts, never your name, contact details, or recording, and each has signed a confidentiality agreement. Nothing is shared with your employer or your team.
No. I'm not able to offer payment. What I can offer is care with your time and your story, and the chance to reflect on experiences that mattered. Participants often find that useful in itself, though I can't promise it.
Participation is entirely voluntary. You can skip any question, pause, or stop the interview at any time without giving a reason. If you withdraw during or after the interview, I won't use your information and will delete your recording and notes at your request.
It might bring up some emotion, and that's okay. You decide what to share and how much detail to give. If a topic gets uncomfortable, we move on or stop. Every participant receives a list of mental health support resources to keep, whether or not they need it.
Me, first: mkeeler1@antioch.edu. My faculty research advisor is Dr. Fayth Parks, Dissertation Committee Chair, at fparks1@antioch.edu. For questions about your rights as a research participant, contact the Chair of the Antioch University Institutional Review Board, Dr. Kevin Lyness, at klyness@antioch.edu.