In Part 2 of Peak Trust Company’s mental health webinar series, attorney Martin Shenkman and licensed counselor Amanda Koplin are joined by Betsy Jamison, who offers a moving, first-hand account of love, loss, and the unspoken toll of professional pressure. Following the tragic death of her husband, attorney Ken Jamison, by suicide, Betsy steps forward with a message that is at once deeply personal and profoundly universal.
While Part 1 focused on the systemic challenges and culture of silence facing advisers, this installment brings the conversation home, highlighting how mental illness does not exist in a vacuum. Its impact ripples through families, friendships, and firms—and its roots often go unnoticed until it is too late.
Real Lives Behind the Titles
Betsy describes Ken as a respected attorney, a devoted father, and a man known for his reliability and sharp mind. But behind closed doors, he was someone struggling to keep up with the crushing expectations of his profession and the internal pressure to always have the answers. Like many high-functioning professionals, Ken masked his pain for years—continuing to perform, to provide, and to push forward until he could no longer bear the weight.
Even as he pursued treatment, worked with doctors, and stayed physically active, the shame he felt about not being “better” never left. The stigma surrounding mental illness, particularly among male professionals, kept him isolated. “I’m the problem,” Ken wrote in his final letter—a devastating reflection of how completely he had come to believe that his life no longer added value.
The Culture That Pushes Professionals to the Edge
Throughout the discussion, Betsy speaks candidly about the workplace culture that reinforced Ken’s belief that his worth was tied to productivity. “He felt like a paycheck,” she shares. Delegation felt like failure. Boundaries felt like weakness. And despite being surrounded by people who loved and admired him, Ken never felt he could truly open up about how deeply he was struggling.
This experience mirrors what Amanda described in Part 1—a profession driven by perfectionism, constant performance, and very little space for humanity. Even colleagues and friends, uncertain of what to say or do, often chose silence. “No one talked to him about it,” Betsy recalls. “And after he died, no one talked to me about it either.”
What Survivors Want You to Know
Betsy’s story is not only about grief. It’s also about resilience, advocacy, and clarity. She speaks about her children, who remember their father with warmth and joy. She reflects on the well-meaning but unhelpful things people say, and how often society avoids conversations that feel too hard. She encourages professionals to think beyond job titles and ask better questions. To stop trying to fix people, and instead just be with them in their pain.
“We are not what we produce,” Amanda emphasizes. “When someone is hurting, it’s not about doing the perfect thing—it’s about showing up.”
From Tragedy to Transformation
This conversation is not easy, but it is necessary. It asks viewers to reexamine how their workplaces function, how they show up for each other, and how they define success. It asks firms to create cultures where vulnerability is met with care, not consequence. And it asks individuals to remember that seeking help is not a weakness, but a courageous and life-saving act.
As Betsy says, “There is no shame in being human. And we don’t have to wait for a tragedy to start acting like it.”
Continuing the Conversation
This two-part series highlights an urgent issue facing the legal, financial, and advisory communities, one that demands both personal introspection and organizational change. Betsy’s story is a testament to the power of truth, the importance of compassion, and the difference that a single conversation can make.
To build a healthier future, we must be willing to listen. We must be willing to lead with empathy. And above all, we must be willing to care.
If you missed Part 1, you can view it here: Mental Health and Professional Advisers: It’s Not Only About Clients.