Episode
The Shift From Reactive to Proactive Mental Health at Work with Stephen Sokoler
- Podcast
- Transform Your Workplace
- Published
- Apr 28, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2310
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Summary
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! ⏱️ Key Timestamps 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…