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

From Complexity to Attrition: How TTEC’s Stress Index Predicts Burnout Early

In this episode of The Mental Health Advantage, Stephen Sokoler, Founder & CEO of Journey, sits down with Laura Butler, Chief People Officer at TTEC. TTEC operates at global scale - with thousands of employees working in dynamic, high-demand environments. To better understand what truly drives stress, burnout, and attrition, TTEC developed a proprietary Job Complexity & Stress Index: a structured way to evaluate how elements of work, from job security and scheduling stability to customer sentiment, KPIs, and compliance risk, combine to increase pressure and predict turnover. Rather than treating burnout as an individual resilience issue, the Index reframes stress as a system-level signal - one that can be measured, managed, and redesigned. Together, Stephen and Laura explore: * What actually makes a job “high complexity” * Why stress correlates so strongly with attrition * How organizations can redesign roles before burnout escalates * And how proactive mental health strategy must go beyond benefits to address the structure of work itself This conversation moves mental health upstream - from reactive care to operational design.

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.