Brené Brown warns American workers are not neurologically wired for this level of rapid change and instability: ‘People are not okay’

American workers are clocking into their jobs in incredibly uncertain times: Economists fear a recession is on the horizon; the government seemingly imposes new policies every day; and AI continues to automate more human roles. This constant change has thrown many lives out of balance—and author, researcher, and professor Brené Brown told Fortune instability wreaks havoc on workers’ mental health. “If you’re leading people, you probably know people are not okay,” Brown said onstage during Fortune‘s Most Powerful Women Summit in Washington, D.

C., in October 2025. “Folks are still going into Costco with an automatic weapon because they’re out of Cheese Whiz,” she stressed.

“People are emotionally dysregulated, distrustful, and disconnected.” Gen Z and young millennials are missing a day of work every week owing to mental health concerns Employees are under intense emotional and financial strain; the typical worker in the U.K.

feels unable to work for almost 50 days a year, owing to their mental health struggles. And staffers are even willing to make big sacrifices to feel like they’re in a good place—half of American Gen Zers and millennials said they would take a pay cut if their boss helped to better their well-being at work. Brown said unstable geopolitics, changing markets, and advanced tech like AI are to blame for Americans’ declining well-being.

The majority of U.S. staffers said tension has risen at work since the new administration took power.

Meanwhile, markets have been shaken by trade policies and tariffs, leaving investors and everyday consumers on unsteady ground; and AI automating jobs only adds another layer of anxiety. The current state of the world paints a bleak picture for workforces that are “increasingly struggling,” according to Brown. “It is extraordinarily difficult to be brave right now for a lot of different reasons.

Politics is one, but [also] radically changing markets … I’m going to tell you right now, people are not okay.” We are wired f