October 20, 2026 11:00 AM ET

The Resilience Advantage: Building Workplaces That Thrive

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Resilience isn’t something we’re born with — it’s a skill we build, day by day, through how we respond to change. In this opening keynote, SHRM CEO Johnny C. Taylor, Jr. sits down with Chris Carey, CEO of Calm Health, to explore why workplace stress and burnout remain at record highs even as conversations about mental health have become more open — and what’s still missing from the equation.

Together, they’ll examine the shift from reactive support to proactive resilience-building, the growing role AI plays in shaping employee wellbeing, and why mental health is best understood not as a benefit, but as a business strategy. The conversation will also look at what resilient leadership looks like in practice, and how executives can model it for their teams.

Attendees will leave with a clearer picture of how to build organizations where people don’t just survive — they thrive.

Speakers

a man with a smile in a circle

Chris Carey

Chief Executive Officer, Calm Health

Chris Carey is an experienced leader in product development passionate about building amazing teams striving to create healthcare and financial services tools to make the systems work for everyone. Chris has spent the last two decades honing his skills in product development to find solutions to problems faced by consumers. As Chief Executive Officer of Calm Health, Chris is focused on creating a platform for the world’s most trusted healthcare solutions by building and investing in simple, innovative solutions that address all dimensions of health.

In 2015, Chris joined Rally Health as the Chief Product Officer and created a new product line that grew to be the company’s largest P&L in just five years. From 2012 through 2014, as the Director of Online and Mobile Strategy at Blue Shield of California, Chris was responsible for leading a team of product managers to develop multi-channel strategies for member, employer, broker and provider portals. Chris and his team launched Blue Shield’s first mobile web and mobile app experiences, receiving the annual “Mission and Values” award because of his efforts, voted on by the executive leadership team. 

ohnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, is President and Chief Executive Officer of SHRM

Johnny C. Taylor, Jr.

President and Chief Executive Officer of SHRM

Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, is President and Chief Executive Officer of SHRM. A sought-after voice on all matters affecting work, workers and the workplace, Taylor was named a 2022 Top Voice in Company Culture by LinkedIn. The inaugural Top Voices in Company Culture list recognized Taylor for his work showcasing company culture. He frequently testifies before Congress on critical workforce issues. He also writes the weekly USA Today column, “Ask HR” and is the author of the national bestseller, RESET: A Leader’s Guide to Work in an Age of Upheaval.