The Shift From Reactive to Proactive Mental Health at Work with Stephen Sokoler

Most companies don't think about employee mental health until something goes wrong and by then, it's already too late. In this episode, Brandon Laws sits down with Stephen Sokoler, founder and CEO of Journey and author of The Mental Health Advantage, to make the case for flipping that script entirely. Stephen shares his own transformative personal journey from a decade of rollercoaster habits to discovering meditation through a book he bought at a mall and connects those lessons to what he's building at the organizational level. The conversation covers why traditional EAPs are fundamentally broken, what a 30%+ engagement rate looks like compared to the industry-standard 3%, how AI and tools like Journey Signal are enabling real-time proactive mental health support, and why culture change has to start at the top. Whether you're an HR leader, executive, or someone simply trying to build better habits, this episode is packed with insights you can't afford to miss!

00:02 — Welcome & introductions: Stephen's book, The Mental Health Advantage, and the focus on proactive mental health at work

00:48 — Stephen's personal story: from gym rat to sloth — and how discovering a book called Buddhism for Busy People at a mall changed everything

02:22 — Demystifying meditation: why it's simple but not easy, and what consistent practice actually does for your day

05:05 — The reactive vs. proactive gap: why society — and employers — default to treating mental illness rather than building mental wellness

08:14 — The EAP problem: why only 3% of employees use their benefits, why EAPs are designed to stay in the background, and what a better model looks like

10:30 — Journey's approach: flipping the EAP model on its head to achieve 30–40%+ employee engagement and treating mental health as "the operating system of the company"

11:32 — Mental health is not a peak state: why the goal isn't to "achieve" mental wellness and check a box — it's an ongoing practice, like going to the gym

14:04 — Bridging the gap: supporting employees with diagnosed mental health conditions while simultaneously building a proactive culture for everyone else

16:13 — Constant engagement in practice: how Journey meets employees where they are — from Slack and Teams apps to break room tablets to daily check-in emojis

18:22 — Introducing Journey Signal: the real-time AI intelligence engine that detects patterns and reaches employees before burnout or turnover happens

20:06 — Wearables and the future of data: the promise and current limits of integrating biometric data into workplace mental health programs

22:00 — Leadership buy-in: why culture change starts at the top, and how a CEO's behavior — even indirectly — sets the mental health tone for 25,000 employees

24:36 — Industry-specific mental health: why a law firm and a hospital system have very different needs, and what Journey is quietly rolling out to address that

26:24 — Metrics that matter: from awareness and engagement to clinical outcomes, daily emoji check-ins, healthcare cost trends, and absenteeism

29:25 — AI and the future of mental health: personalized care recommendations, smarter benefit navigation, and why Stephen isn't excited about replacing therapists with AI

35:07 — Parting wisdom: the compounding effect of simple, consistent mental health practices — and how to connect with Stephen and Journey

• Stephen on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stephensokoler
• Journey: linkedin.com/company/journeymeditation
• Book: The Mental Health Advantage by Stephen Sokoler

Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, sponsored by Xenium HR Host: Brandon Laws In Brandon's own words: "The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders."

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