How a 13-Year-Old Girl Quietly Broke Your Best Employee (And Your Business)?
The Risk You Can’t Insure Against: When Your Key Employee’s Child Is Struggling
Jim was unstoppable. He blew past sales targets. He was the first in, last out, and never missed a beat. He was charismatic, well liked and respected. He is what you would call a superstar, a rainmaker. If you had to name one person who held the company together, it was him.
So, you did the smart thing: you put keyperson insurance on Jim. If he got sick, disabled, or worse, the business would be financially protected.
But what if nothing happens to Jim… and everything happens to his 13-year-old daughter, Jenna?
Although Jim and Jenna are fictional, there are thousands of Jims and Jennas out there. They quietly exist within your company walls, often in shame and in fear. They come to work with a painted smile on their faces, but they're barely holding things together.
They may not be your superstar employee, but 1 in 4 employees who are parents are living with this constant fear of a loved one, they don't know how to deal with but it occupies their mind 24/7. And if you don't think it impacts their work, productivity you are playing a fool's game. They are desperate and this problem doesn't just go away on its own.
This is a slow and quiet evolution, until it blows up into a crisis. Their teen refuses to go to school, acting out in abusive ways, depression, suicidal ideation and self harm. It's not every teens' path, but it can be. It certainly was mine with Maddie.
The Slow Breakdown You Don’t See
At first, it’s small things. Jim is late to one meeting. Then two. He’s distracted on calls. Deadlines that used to be a breeze start slipping.
Here’s what’s really happening at home:
Stage 1: The Subtle Signs
Jenna’s grades dip. She stops wanting to talk. She spends hours locked in her room, scrolling Instagram, posting and deleting because one bad comment ruins her night. Jim notices, but he tells himself, “She’s just being a teenager.”Stage 2: The Emotional Shift
Jenna withdraws even more. She comes out for meals but barely speaks. Homework is “done” but never seems to be. Jim starts lying awake at night, running through worst-case scenarios. Sleep becomes fractured. His morning sharpness challenged.Stage 3: Escalation
Jenna starts experimenting with alcohol, maybe even drugs. Jim catches whispers of it but feels paralyzed. He’s terrified of pushing her away. His focus is fractured. The once-unshakable executive is now Googling “signs of depression in teens” at 2 a.m.Stage 4: The Work Impact
Missed meetings become missed targets. His team notices he’s off. His once-clear decision-making turns hesitant. And because no one talks about this, Jim suffers in silence. Anxiety and guilt eat away at him until even showing up feels like a win.
What caused this? It could’ve been Jenna’s parents’ divorcing, being bullied, a relationship break-up, being cut from her school basketball team? She doesn’t have anyone she can share this with. She’s bottling it up inside, because she’s never been taught how to process these big feelings. And she desperately needs to!
And here’s the thing: this isn’t weeks. This is months. Sometimes years.
I know because I’ve lived it.
I Know Because I Was Jim
When Maddie’s mom and I separated, I watched her moods swing wildly. She withdrew. She got quiet. And I didn’t always know how to reach her.
If Maddie had a safe place to talk, not to be fixed, but to be heard, maybe things would have been different. Maybe we wouldn’t have lost her to suicide at 14.
And the cost? It wasn’t just emotional. It crippled me financially. For nearly 8 or 9 years, I fought through anxiety and depression so consuming that my focus and drive vanished. If you’ve ever experienced traumatic grief, you know it doesn’t just hurt, it dismantles every part of your life.
The Invisible Cost to Companies
Keyperson insurance protects against sudden loss.
But this isn’t sudden. It’s silent. And it bleeds productivity, leadership, and retention in ways no policy can fix.
When a top performer’s child is in crisis, you’re not just losing focus, you’re losing a leader, piece by piece. And it’s happening in more homes than most executives realize.
And here’s the thing, it’s not just your top employees. Likely, many of your employees who are parents, are experiencing this. Most of it being carried in shame, guilt and silence.
The Solution I Wish I’d Had
The beauty is, it doesn’t have to get that far.
With the right tools, you can educate parents to spot early warning signs. You can connect teens with mentors who listen without judgment. You can keep families from sliding into the same quiet disaster that took me years to recover from.
That’s why I built The MentorWell. It’s not therapy. It’s not a quick fix. It’s a safety net. A way to support the people your business depends on, before the breakdown.
A Simple Next Step
If you’ve got a “Jim” in your business, ask yourself: what would happen if you lost him?
You can insure the company against the financial loss. But you can also do something insurance never could, show Jim you care.
Educate him. Equip him. Protect his teen through mentorship.
Because when you protect the people who matter most to your key employees, you protect your business too
If you are a business owner or HR professional, explore how The MentorWell can protect your people, their families and your business in a way your benefit plan or EAP never could. This creates a caring environment that promotes loyalty and retention. If you think this is something you hope will blow over; hope is not a strategy.
