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Grace Morales: Welcome back to employee podcasts, where we hear from other Costco employees how their Costco benefits help them overcome or manage their own personal health challenges. This month, we’re joined by Nicola Bunich. Welcome, Nicola. We’re so grateful that you could join us.

Nicola Bunich: Thank you for having me.

Grace Morales: All right, let’s dive right in. Nicola, how long have you been at Costco and what do you do? And what location and store number are you based out of?

Nicola Bunich: So I am currently based out of Everett store number 114. I am on my 29th year with Costco. Sometimes I joke I’ve grown up at Costco. It was supposed to be a pit stop right out of high school while I was attending college.
However, it ended up turning into an actual career for me. I worked in Photo Center for 20 years. A general manager — I have to give her a shout out here, Erica Costell. She saw a potential in me that I didn’t really see in myself. And that is when I decided to get out of my comfort zone and apply for a supervisor-in-training.
That then led me getting promoted to run the Photo Center. Even though I am not in a leadership role, I still have employees that do come to me for support regularly. And one thing to just say is you don’t always have to have a title to be a leader. Often, you will lead just by example.

Grace Morales: I’m going to put that on a mug. “You don’t have to have a title to be a leader.” So let’s go back a little bit. Can you tell us what brought you here today and why you decided to share your story?

Nicola Bunich: So after my father passed away very unexpectedly in 2014, I decided to take my grief and live a life of purpose. I stepped out of my comfort zone and just poured myself into my own personal growth, while also supporting the growth of my fellow coworkers and employees. Like I had mentioned before, one of my leaders saw potential in me, and that led me to my leadership position. This position provided me with an opportunity to make a bigger impact in supporting my employees, not only in their growth and development, but overall well-being. So I regularly shared materials and touched on many of the resources that Costco offers, and one of them being AbleTo.

Grace Morales: I’m very sorry for your loss. What motivated you to seek support from AbleTo? What was the process like?

Nicola Bunich: So I had noticed I’d been struggling with just overwhelm, anxiety. I felt like I was on the hamster wheel, compounded with depression, just from the unresolved grief, from losing not only both my biological father and the one that raised me. At the time, I was three days shy of the 10-year anniversary of the dad that raised me. And I received a phone call in the middle of the night from Scotland, where I was initially born, that my biological father had also passed away. So that was a lot for me all at once.
In May of 2023, when I was really feeling that, that’s when I decided to reach out to AbleTo. When I went home, I was able to access the app. The questionnaire that I filled out helped narrow down the best matches. So I really felt that the program was tailored to my specific needs.
Being able to get help so quickly made me feel supported enough to continue working, rather than taking a leave of absence. That, to me, is so profound where I could feel supported, put myself first, but then also not affect the company that I’m working for. I’ve had an opportunity to use the program multiple times for different concerns.

Grace Morales: Oh, right, because AbleTo has several eight-week programs. And I’ve heard they’re actually also very flexible. Can you tell us more about the other ways or times AbleTo helped you?

Nicola Bunich: I did have the opportunity to use the program multiple times and for different concerns. We are like an onion. Like the movie Shrek, we have many layers.
So often, when you do start to work on an aspect of yourself, whether it’s healing or an obstacle, and you resolve that issue, then it allows for maybe something else that needs to be resolved to pop up. And that’s one thing I’ve learned. It’s always a journey.
So circling back around to your question, I was struggling with brain fog and a harder time focusing than I used to. So when I reached out, this time, they connected me with a life coach. She was wonderful. Through her support, her feedback, her tips, she really encouraged me to take a step myself.
I reached out to a psychologist and requested an ADHD assessment at age 45. What I found out is that I do have ADHD. And I did not realize I had been masking it my whole life.
And honestly, the results have just truly been profound in my life. Those around me see the shift. They see the increase in my confidence.
They see the dedication to just not being so hard on myself, but tackling things in my life, and then also just through my own living, I’m inspiring others, rather than pushing. And so people will actually reach out to me at work and ask me about the program, not because I’ve pushed it on them, but rather they’ve heard and they see the results. And they see the impact that it’s made.

Grace Morales: It’s actually very common for adults, and especially women, to get diagnosed later in life with ADHD because their symptoms aren’t as obvious. Or maybe they were misdiagnosed. And even Lauren from June’s employee podcast talked about how her ADHD affected the way she managed money.

Nicola Bunich: I’m really actually so glad that you brought up Lauren. I’ve actually worked with Lauren at Everett before she was promoted to management at the corporate office in HR. But we have very, very similar energies and we’ve been discussing our challenges.
And one thing I need to tell employees is we’re all on our own individual journey. And there is strength in vulnerability. So I want to remind employees to lean on others. The people in your life may have similar obstacles and challenges. You can support one another.

Grace Morales: It’s so nice to hear someone that understands, especially from both an employee and a manager, to lead by example, to show people it’s OK to ask for help. Last time we spoke, you had mentioned that it’s also had a positive impact with your own personal circle.

Nicola Bunich: So I have twin daughters. Gosh, they will be 22 this month. And they actually needed a little bit of assistance. I feel this past five years has been very challenging for all.
And this is another thing that’s really important for me to point out. Rather than me suggesting to my daughters, you should do this, they actually reached out to me and said, Mom, I can see how much this program’s benefiting you. They saw the support. They saw I was empowered.
So that’s what actually ended up having my daughter Emma reach out for support. She completed an eight-week program. And then in turn, that ended up linking her with the current therapist that she has now.
My other daughter is about to also reach out for an eight-week program as well. That’s just really, really important to me. And I’m really, really grateful for the resources that Costco has, not just for the employees, but our families. It’s very, very helpful.

Grace Morales: I’m so glad that they feel safe enough to do that and that they have such a supportive mom to help them get the help they need. You mentioned speaking directly to Costco employees earlier. But is there anything else that you’d like to tell them?

Nicola Bunich: Yeah, we often focus so much on our physical health. But mental health is just as important. I want to be a beacon of light, a lighthouse for others so that they feel empowered and supported.
I do that regularly at the warehouse level. But to be able to reach out and remind them that they are not alone, and we have a multitude of resources. AbleTo is my favorite because I just am so familiar with it.
But reach out. You are important. You are worth it. You’re worthy. You deserve to be in a good mindset to learn how to juggle the obstacles of life, to be successful in your career. So I want to, again, be that beacon of light to those so that they just know that they’re not alone, and they don’t have to navigate through this by themselves.

Grace Morales: Well, I can feel your glow all the way from here, so I think you’re accomplishing it. And as my bonus question, what is your favorite Costco item?

Nicola Bunich: Oh, Grace, that’s the hardest question of today.

[CHUCKLES]

There’s so many. OK, if I have to choose my favorite Costco item — and it is plural, would be our endless supply of gourmet cheeses. Costco’s got so many unique cheeses from all over the world that are great for building charcuterie boards.

Grace Morales: Thank you so much for sharing your story with us, Nicola. I love the fact that Costco employees have a leader like you in their ranks, even if you don’t necessarily have the title of leader right now. And thank you all for listening. Take care. And remember, we’re in this together.

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