Meet the Maker: Cynthia Sung, Sr. Tax Manager & Caylyn Adamko, Sr. CX Associate

Cynthia & Caylyn co-lead the Mental Health at Wealthsimple employee group and this month they’re focused on turning awareness into action by breaking down mental health stigmas.

Our team of Wealthsimplers work collaboratively to build the best possible experience for our clients and then make it even better. Everyone is a maker and an owner. What does that mean? We take ownership of our own work. No one here is a manager that doesn’t contribute to any hands-on work. We question the status quo and when we want to update, change or fix something — we take initiative, involve others and #shipit, then improve it. Get to know the team with our Meet the Maker series.

Why did you join Wealthsimple?

Cynthia: I joined Wealthsimple in January 2021 as a Senior Tax Manager. I have a Finance/Tax background and am passionate about solving problems, so I’ve always wanted to work for an up and coming FinTech company. What I love about Wealthsimple is that it challenges me professionally and fosters empathy and inclusion — it’s where I feel I can be my authentic self.

Caylyn: I’d been a client for a few years and thought it was finally time to apply. The company culture seemed amazing and open to people with different career backgrounds. Plus, financial health is a big piece of mental health, so the company’s mission felt like a great fit. I joined in January 2021 as a Client Experience Associate and have since become a Senior Client Experience Associate. Lately, I’ve been loving going into the office to meet people I’ve been working with virtually for so long. It’s great to interact with and learn from so many amazing people from so many backgrounds.

What is MHAW?

Cynthia & Caylyn: Mental Health at Wealthsimple (MHAW) is a safe space that supports and educates employees about mental health. We aim to remove the stigmas that mental health = illness and change the perceptions and relationship people have with mental health through support, education, validation, and solidarity. Through a community that values and practices empathy, employees can show up authentically in the workplace to do their best work.

MHAW creates open dialogues by bringing in experienced professionals to speak on popular workplace related mental health topics. We host internal panels with employees at all levels to share experiences and forge a strong sense of community through vulnerability and connect employees to resources related to mental health, like our $5000 mental health budget for Canadian employees.

​​Why did you decide to go from member to co-leader of MHAW?

Cynthia: It was the opportunity to lead by example. As an Asian woman, I grew up in an environment that perceived mental health struggles as weak or ill. So, there was shame around seeking help. I wanted to show that no matter what gender or race you are, we all deserve the help that we need, and vulnerability is not a weakness. I want people to be empowered and comfortable discussing their emotions and what they’re experiencing. The more we have open conversations, the more it will inspire others to have compassion for themselves and for others. It’s how we take care of each other at Wealthsimple.

Caylyn: The opportunity to dive into meaningful work around mental health in an organization that believes in financial freedom felt so closely interconnected that I couldn’t pass it up. As we strive to provide financial freedom for our clients, we need to make sure we’re taking care of our team to really live up to that value. I wanted to lean into my own experiences and education on mental health to make sure that it’s a key aspect of the growth in and of this company. The value that I experienced as a member of MHAW was unbelievable, and I wanted to make sure that this was something that would continue to be offered and would support a growing company.

May is Mental Health Awareness month, why is it important that people participate?

Cynthia: This month I’m really hoping to round everyone up to join the conversation — so that we can de-stigmatize mental health and be allies to one another. I hope everyone is able to learn something new and find a new practice so they can continue to support their mental health journey.

Caylyn: I’m more partial to action than awareness, but not everyone is at a place on their own journey to take action. So, this month is important for people to learn the many nuances and concepts around the topic so we can make it more common knowledge and a regular part of conversations. It provides a platform to communicate to people that they are not alone in their struggles and normalize very standard human emotions and experiences that we have (as a society and a culture) by removing the labels of “problematic” or “uncommon.” As we continue to normalize these shared human experiences we’ll be able to support significant emotional growth, resiliency, and understanding, to everything from having a bad day, to the most severe mental health illnesses.

As this employee resource group (ERG) continues to grow, what aspirations do you have for MHAW?

Cynthia: I’d like to see more collaboration with other ERGs and equity-seeking communities. The type of mental health support needed for different groups varies. For example, when people face oppression based on multiple intersections of their identity, there may be systemic barriers that exist preventing them from accessing the resources they need. I think it’s very important that we address the nuances for these groups, and acknowledge how things may be compounding uniquely for them. With each ERG, I really hope that we can come together to make space for everyone to have a voice, to be heard, and to feel safe to show up authentically.

I also take this moment to acknowledge that men are human too — and they have feelings. Men are less likely to seek help for mental health difficulties than women. My aspirations for MHAW are to provide more mental health support for men so that they don’t need to fit into a small predefined box of what masculinity is and don’t need to “suck it up” and be alone in their feelings.

Caylyn: From an employee perspective, I would hope that every employee would be a part of one of our community channels. Even if someone doesn’t want to share their story or struggle, we’ve got a great community that can support when support is needed. My hope is that we can grow to offer specific support and resources for intersected groups, men’s mental health, especially in a male-dominated tech and finance environment which can perpetuate ideals that cause emotional harm towards men.

From an industry perspective, I’d love to see more in-depth work to embed empathy into people management and company operations. By doing this, I hope we can challenge one another to get better educated and see the value of supporting mental health initiatives in the workforce. We do our best, most productive, and most impactful work when we feel safe showing up authentically as our whole self.

Are you searching for a sense of community within your workplace? Visit our “Work With Us” page to learn more and view open roles.

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