Beat Burnout & Build Resilience: A Startup Mental Health Guide
May is Mental Health Awareness Month! In this episode, Michael Esquivel and Halle Tecco sit down with David Ko, CEO of Calm, to discuss the mental health challenges founders and their teams face. They discuss practical strategies for building resilience, managing the relentless pressure, and why destigmatizing mental health is crucial for startup success. David shares how leaders can champion well-being, creating a workplace where mental health support is the norm, not the exception. This episode is a must-listen for anyone who believes building a thriving business starts with a healthy mindset.
We cover:
How resilience is built through learning from mistakes and taking risks
Where stress comes from and if you can really eliminate it
How to lead by example and create a supportive work environment
Generational shifts in the conversation around mental health
Why mental health should be normalized throughout the year and not just during Mental Health Awareness Month
Meet the guest
David Ko is the CEO and serves on the Board of Directors of Calm, a leading mental health brand with the #1 app for sleep, relaxation and meditation. Prior to joining Calm, David was the Co-Founder and CEO of the health tech company Ripple Health Group. The company was acquired by Calm in 2022 to help build out its mental health capabilities.
Before founding his own company, David was a Board Member, President and COO of Rally Health, a digital health company. Rally’s solutions are available to nearly 55 million people through health plans, care providers, and more than 200,000 employers. Rally was acquired by UnitedHealth Group in 2017.
David was also the COO at Zynga, which he helped take public in December 2011. Prior to his work at Zynga, he spent 10 years at Yahoo! in various senior executive roles, including SVP of Yahoo!’s audience, mobile, and local businesses.
He also serves on a variety of boards at his alma mater, New York University Stern School of Business, including the Stern Executive Board and Technology advisory board. Through his involvement, he helped launch the Andre Koo Tech MBA program, and in 2016 he established the NYU Stern Venture Fellows program for aspiring entrepreneurs.