The Mental Health Advantage

Mental Health as a Performance Strategy: A Whole-Person Approach to Culture, Belonging, and Growth

In this episode of The Mental Health Advantage, Stephen Sokoler, Founder & CEO of Journey, sits down with Marissa Andrada, Board Director and former Chief People Officer at some of the world’s most iconic and fast-growing brands - including Chipotle, Starbucks, Red Bull, Kate Spade, and GameStop.
With three decades of experience scaling businesses by scaling people, Marissa brings a refreshingly human - and deeply practical - perspective on mental health at work. Rather than treating mental health as a standalone benefit, she reframes it as the outcome of how well organizations support people emotionally, financially, physically, and socially.
Together, Stephen and Marissa explore why mental health is a performance strategy, how belonging and psychological safety act as preventative care, and what leaders can do to embed wellbeing into the everyday flow of work. They’ll also dive into a unique and often overlooked lever for resilience and joy: the human–animal bond and pet-friendly workplaces.

Why Most Workplace Mental Health Support Fails — And What Actually Helps

In this episode of The Mental Health Advantage, Stephen Sokoler, Founder & CEO of Journey, sits down with Dr. Sue Zbikowski, Chief Clinical Officer at Journey.
With more than two decades of experience as a healthcare executive, behavioral scientist, and clinical strategist, Dr. Sue has worked across healthcare systems, digital health innovation, and workplace wellbeing to design mental health programs that are both evidence-based and deeply human. Her work focuses on closing the gap between when people begin struggling and when they finally receive support.
Together, Stephen and Dr. Sue explore why so much workplace mental health support fails to reach people in time, what leaders often misunderstand about how mental health challenges actually show up, and why waiting for employees to “raise their hand” can leave too many without care. They also discuss what clinically effective prevention really looks like - and how small, consistent touchpoints can build trust, resilience, and meaningful impact long before crisis occurs.

Embedding Wellbeing into Culture: Insights from WTW’s Wendy Poirier

In this episode of The Mental Health Advantage, Stephen Sokoler, Founder & CEO of Journey, sits down with Wendy Poirier, Managing Director at Willis Towers Watson and leader of WTW’s Canadian Health Management Practice.
For over 30 years, Wendy has been helping organizations reimagine health and wellbeing strategies, introducing Canada’s first pharmacy coalition, pioneering benefit marketplaces, and leading the shift toward inclusive and diverse practices. Her work highlights how employers can move beyond reactive benefits to embed wellbeing directly into culture.
Together, Stephen and Wendy will explore how organizations can go beyond crisis management and compliance to build cultures that truly support wellbeing, engagement, and performance.

The Interconnectedness of Wellbeing: Where Mental Health, Family Responsibilities, and Financial Stress Meet

In this episode of The Mental Health Advantage, Stephen Sokoler, Founder & CEO of Journey, sits down with Nicole Stec, Vice President at Lockton and the firm’s Wellbeing Consulting Leader. Nicole brings over 15 years of experience helping employers design and implement holistic health strategies that put employees’ full lives , mental health, caregiving responsibilities, and financial pressures, at the center.
Stephen and Nicole explore the critical and often underappreciated intersections between mental health, family demands, and financial wellbeing. Through real-world insights and proven strategies, they unpack how these domains compound stress, or alleviate it, and how organizations can respond with more intentional, human-centered solutions.

Designing Wellbeing That Works: A Global Strategy for Every Stage

In this episode of The Mental Health Advantage, Stephen Sokoler, Founder & CEO of Journey, is joined by Abinue Fortingo, MPH — a globally experienced strategist in employee wellbeing and population health management.
Abinue brings a rare cross-industry perspective to the conversation, having advised Fortune-listed companies, multi-nationals, and emerging organizations on how to create sustainable, high-impact strategies that tie employee wellbeing to business performance.
From benefits redesign to global strategy, his data-informed and human-centered approach has helped organizations navigate complexity, cut through noise, and prioritize care in a way that resonates locally and scales globally.

Empowerment & Boundaries: Reimagining Wellness at Work with Kathy-Jo Payette

In this episode of “The Mental Health Advantage,“ Stephen Sokoler, Founder & CEO of Journey, sits down with KJ Payette, Partner at Revelares and former Chief People Officer at Panera Bread, CHRO at Cumberland Farms, and HR executive at CVS.
With decades of experience leading people teams at household-name brands, KJ now devotes her work to helping individuals and organizations embrace healthier, more human-centered ways of working. From burnout and boundary-setting to cultural change and leadership accountability, she shares powerful insights into how companies can stop treating people like cogs in a machine and start designing workplaces where wellbeing is truly part of the business strategy.
📅 Recording Date: 8/12/25
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Learning as a Lever for Wellbeing: A Conversation with Deloitte Canada’s Chief Learning Officer

In this episode of The Mental Health Advantage, Stephen Sokoler is joined by Neil Hunter, Partner and Chief Learning Officer at Deloitte Canada. With a rich background in strategic leadership, human capital development, and operational oversight across sectors, Neil brings a uniquely people-centered perspective to the power of continuous learning in the workplace.
Together, they explore how development and education programs can go beyond skill-building to promote employee wellbeing, reduce absenteeism, and foster a culture of psychological safety, growth, and support.
 
📅 Recording Date: July 15, 2025
 
Request a demo to learn more about Journey.

Engagement by Design: A Conversation with Nathan Counts

In this episode of The Mental Health Advantage, Journey's founder Stephen Sokoler sits down with Nathan Counts, a nationally recognized Total Rewards executive with experience at AT&T and Amtrak.
Nathan reveals how to build benefits programs that not only look good on paper but get used — by everyone, including frontline and deskless employees. He explains how simplicity, trust, and transparency are the foundations of engagement, and how leaders can track ROI through increased usage and reduced medical costs.
If you’ve ever wondered how to reach underserved employee populations and turn benefits into a true driver of culture and performance — this episode is for you.
Key Takeaways:// What actually drives engagement with Total Rewards programs// How to reach deskless, global, and underserved employee populations// The link between mental health strategy and medical cost savings// Why transparency builds trust — and trust drives usage// Engagement isn’t a buzzword — it’s a design decision
Enjoyed this episode?Subscribe, rate, and review The Mental Health Advantage to help more leaders discover the power of proactive mental health at work.
📘 Grab your copy of The Mental Health Advantage: https://www.amazon.com/Mental-Health-Advantage-Companies-Performance/dp/B0DTC2BJ1Y💻 Request a demo of Journey Proactive EAP: https://get.journey.live/demo/?utm_source=podbean&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=q3_25_podbean_podcast

Culture eats Strategy for Breakfast: A Conversation with PMI’s Chief People & Culture Officer, Kaleen Love

In this episode of The Mental Health Advantage, Stephen Sokoler sits down with Kaleen Love, Chief People & Culture Officer for PMI U.S., to explore how culture can be engineered as rigorously as any transformation program.With experience at Oxford, McKinsey, and Capital One, Kaleen unpacks how data, empathy, and storytelling combine to build a workplace where joy, belonging, and performance are possible — even in times of change.
Key Audience Takeaways:
Culture change must be treated like transformation: with structure, ownership, and milestones
Storytelling is essential to turn data into belief
Empathy and analytics are not opposites — they’re partners
HR must guide AI adoption with clarity and humanity
Great workplaces are communities of choice, not just perks on a page
Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe, rate, and review The Mental Health Advantage to help more leaders discover the power of proactive mental health at work.
📘 Grab your copy of The Mental Health Advantage💻 Request a demo of Journey Proactive EAP

From Crisis to Culture: Reimagining Mental Health in the Workplace with Randy Martin, Ph.D.

In this episode of The Mental Health Advantage, Stephen Sokoler sits down with Randy Martin, Ph.D., Clinical Director of the CopeNYP Employee Assistance Program at Weill Cornell Medicine, to explore how mental health has shifted from reactive crisis care to an essential part of organizational culture.
A contributor to The Mental Health Advantage book and a pioneer in both corporate and community mental health, Martin shares how the pandemic lifted stigma, why family systems matter, and how proactive EAP models can drive real organizational ROI.
If you're an HR or benefits leader rethinking your approach to workplace mental health — this episode is packed with strategy, empathy, and insight.
Key Audience Takeaways:✔ How the pandemic accelerated mental health openness — and what’s next✔ Why inclusive care must support employees and their families✔ The value of community-based mental health models in workplace settings✔ How proactive care leads to measurable outcomes and ROI✔ How to support culturally diverse and multigenerational workforces
Enjoyed this episode?Subscribe, rate, and review The Mental Health Advantage to help more leaders discover how proactive mental health can transform today’s workforce.
📘 Grab your copy of The Mental Health Advantage💻 Request a demo of Journey Proactive EAP