At various points in our lives, we’ve all misunderstood certain things about mental health—either our own or someone else’s. How can we—as business leaders—focus on growth while also being more proactive about mental health solutions so that we can live happier, healthier, less stressed lives? 

In this episode, Bill talks with an entrepreneur who is passionate about creating supportive communities and has extensive experience in building and scaling businesses globally. 

Today’s guest is Stephen Sokoler, Founder and CEO of Journey, a mental health solution for modern and high-performance organizations. 

Key topics that Bill and Stephen explore in this episode: 

- Steven discusses his upcoming book aimed at setting standards for HR in supporting employee mental health.

- The need for HR leaders to communicate the importance of mental health investments to CEOs and CFOs using common business language.

- Steven’s personal story of losing 85 pounds and the transformational impact of meditation on his life.

- The benefits of meditation for self-love, expressing love for others, and achieving clarity in personal and professional goals.

- The contrast between traditional Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) that are reactive with Journey's proactive approach.

- Examples of how companies like Walgreens have successfully implemented Journey's proactive mental health programs.

- The importance of authentic leadership and the impact of showing vulnerability on employee trust and engagement.

Chapters in this episode: 

(2:23) Steven's Book on Mental Health 

(4:01) Challenges in Corporate Communication

(13:14) The Impact of Meditation on Personal and Professional Life 

(16:56) Journey's Approach to Mental Health 

(17:15) Proactive Mental Health in Corporate Settings 

(41:17) Walgreens' Mental Health Initiatives 

(45:15) The Role of Leadership in Mental Health 

Thanks to Stephen Sokoler for being on the show! 

Connect with Stephen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephensokoler/ 

Learn more about Journey Meditation: https://journey.live/ 

Bill Gallagher, Scaling Coach and host of the Scaling Up Business podcast, is an international business coach who works with C-Suite leaders to achieve breakthrough growth. 

Join Bill in the Growth Navigator Coaching Program: https://ScalingCoach.com/workshop 

Bill on LinkedIn: https://www.LinkedIn.com/in/BillGall

Bill on YouTube: https://www.YouTube.com/@BillGallagherScalingCoach 

Visit https://ScalingUp.com to learn more about Verne Harnish, our team of Scaling Up Coaches, and the Scaling Up Performance Platform, which includes coaching, learning, software, and summit. We share how the fastest-growing companies succeed where so many others fail. We help leadership teams with the biggest decisions around people, strategy, execution, and cash so that they can scale up successfully and beat the odds of business growth. 

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