79: Where are They Now? A special catching up episode with Dr. Katherine Grill, CEO and Co-Founder, Neolth

1
00:00:01,200 --> 00:00:06,800
Hello, my name is Holly Owens
and welcome to Ed up edtech the

2
00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:10,500
podcast that keeps you.
In the know about all the latest

3
00:00:10,500 --> 00:00:14,300
edtech happenings.
We interview guests from around

4
00:00:14,300 --> 00:00:17,500
the globe to give you deeper
insights into the Ed tech

5
00:00:17,500 --> 00:00:21,500
industry, the field of
instructional design, and more,

6
00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:25,200
we're proudly a part of
America's leading podcast

7
00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:29,900
Network the Ed up, experience.
It's time to sit back and enjoy.

8
00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:33,000
Enjoy the latest episode of Ed
up attack.

9
00:00:42,300 --> 00:00:46,000
Why is prep revolutionizes
studying to empower and enable

10
00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:51,600
students full potential?
Did you know that 56 percent of

11
00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:54,200
college students who start a
four-year degree?

12
00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:57,600
Still drop out for team-wise
prep?

13
00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:01,000
That is not okay.
We're revolutionizing studying

14
00:01:01,100 --> 00:01:04,800
through a personalized course
and campus specific learning

15
00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:08,800
experience, so that students can
use our proprietary technology.

16
00:01:08,900 --> 00:01:12,300
G to reduce study time and
improve grades.

17
00:01:15,900 --> 00:01:21,400
Hello everyone, and welcome to
another fantastic episode of Ed

18
00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:22,600
up.
Ed Tech.

19
00:01:22,900 --> 00:01:26,500
My name is Holly Owens and I'm
your host.

20
00:01:26,500 --> 00:01:30,900
And today, we have a special.
Where are they now episode?

21
00:01:30,900 --> 00:01:35,700
And I have with me again, dr.
Katherine Grill, who is the CEO?

22
00:01:35,700 --> 00:01:39,500
And co-founder of Neolithic,
Catherine, welcome back to the

23
00:01:39,500 --> 00:01:43,100
show.
Hi Holly, it's so great to be

24
00:01:43,100 --> 00:01:45,300
back.
I'm excited.

25
00:01:45,300 --> 00:01:50,500
I'm glad we are able to meet up
again and get all the updates on

26
00:01:50,500 --> 00:01:53,600
all the fabulous things you've
been doing at Neolithic.

27
00:01:53,900 --> 00:01:57,800
But first, I want you to remind
the audience who you are, what

28
00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:01,400
you do, and what Neil with is.
So give us the details and then

29
00:02:01,408 --> 00:02:03,100
we're going to jump into those
updates.

30
00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:04,500
Yeah.
Hey everyone.

31
00:02:04,500 --> 00:02:07,300
It's so nice to be back as Holly
mentioned.

32
00:02:07,300 --> 00:02:09,000
My name is dr.
Catherine Grill.

33
00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:12,800
I'm the CEO and co-founder Of a
mental health startup for

34
00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:16,400
students, it's called NEOS are
based out here in San Francisco,

35
00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:19,300
Bay Area.
My background, I worked for a

36
00:02:19,300 --> 00:02:22,300
while, as a therapist in
psychiatric care, I did my

37
00:02:22,300 --> 00:02:26,200
doctor in Neuroscience, I did
some NIH research, a lot around

38
00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:29,300
creating health, programs
validating health, programs

39
00:02:29,300 --> 00:02:32,900
focused on adolescent Behavioral
Health and then it ended up

40
00:02:32,900 --> 00:02:35,800
getting into the digital Health
world and founding this company.

41
00:02:35,800 --> 00:02:41,400
So it's been really fun ride
especially relevant during Over

42
00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:43,400
there and all the student.
Mental health needs that have

43
00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:45,600
popped up in the past couple of
years.

44
00:02:45,900 --> 00:02:48,900
It's been so fun to run this
company and looking forward to

45
00:02:48,900 --> 00:02:51,300
our conversation today.
Me too.

46
00:02:51,300 --> 00:02:53,500
I can't wait to hear some of
your updates.

47
00:02:53,700 --> 00:02:56,700
We highlighted those things you
were going to be doing and this

48
00:02:56,700 --> 00:02:59,400
past year.
But now we're here and we want

49
00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:02,400
to hear about all the things.
But do you first want to give us

50
00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:05,400
like a rundown of what you do
with provides how it helps

51
00:03:05,400 --> 00:03:07,000
students?
You know how the whole thing

52
00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:09,800
kind of started and give us a
brief overview of that.

53
00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:13,300
Totally.
Yeah, I can start with sounding

54
00:03:13,300 --> 00:03:15,300
story.
I guess how it started.

55
00:03:15,400 --> 00:03:20,300
And my background is, I've
always been interested in mental

56
00:03:20,300 --> 00:03:23,200
health.
I came from a family that had a

57
00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:26,500
lot of mental health struggles.
So kind of growing up witnessing

58
00:03:26,500 --> 00:03:30,300
that from a young age, seeing
things like Financial barriers

59
00:03:30,300 --> 00:03:34,300
stigma as barriers people, not
being able to access care and

60
00:03:34,300 --> 00:03:35,900
left.
Its Mark, get imprinted on me

61
00:03:35,900 --> 00:03:38,700
and I became very interested in
solving this mental health

62
00:03:38,700 --> 00:03:41,500
problem making things.
More accessible and more

63
00:03:41,500 --> 00:03:43,500
Equitable.
I went to school like I

64
00:03:43,508 --> 00:03:47,000
mentioned I became a therapist I
work for a bit in psychiatric

65
00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:51,500
care, but then quickly felt like
I wanted to do more.

66
00:03:51,500 --> 00:03:53,600
I want to learn how to make
things more Equitable and

67
00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:57,000
accessible, and do that through
the research route.

68
00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:00,800
So that's how I got my PhD in
neuroscience and I focused on a

69
00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:02,900
lot of this adolescent
Behavioral Health and some of

70
00:04:02,900 --> 00:04:06,600
the work that I was doing loved,
it, got to learn a lot about how

71
00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:11,400
to build new health programs.
How to Halliday new help program

72
00:04:11,400 --> 00:04:14,500
is make sure that they were
actually working for people but

73
00:04:14,500 --> 00:04:17,600
ultimately, my heart was in
implementation science.

74
00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:21,100
I didn't just want to do
research studies with 200 or 500

75
00:04:21,100 --> 00:04:23,300
people.
I wanted to make sure that

76
00:04:23,300 --> 00:04:27,100
absolutely everybody who needed
care had access to it and

77
00:04:27,100 --> 00:04:30,600
Technology to me is really that
vehicle to make things more

78
00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:34,200
accessible and more Equitable.
So, about five years ago, I

79
00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:38,100
moved out to Silicon Valley,
which is where I am now and

80
00:04:38,100 --> 00:04:40,000
ended up founding meal to a few
years.

81
00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:44,400
Later.
I love your story and I'm so

82
00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:49,900
glad that you're doing this for
people who don't have access and

83
00:04:49,900 --> 00:04:53,000
for people who just don't know
where to go, when it comes to

84
00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:55,200
mental health issues.
And I think last time on the

85
00:04:55,200 --> 00:04:59,500
show, we talked about all the
astigmatism that surrounds, you

86
00:04:59,500 --> 00:05:03,500
know, mental health and trying
to get help when you need it for

87
00:05:03,500 --> 00:05:05,000
what I'm so happy for what
you're doing.

88
00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:09,400
And that's why that episode has
so many downloads and is amazing

89
00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:11,200
and will definitely going to
link back to the previous

90
00:05:11,200 --> 00:05:14,500
episode in the show.
Notes, but tell us what's been

91
00:05:14,500 --> 00:05:16,300
going on.
What have you been doing in the

92
00:05:16,300 --> 00:05:20,800
past year?
Oh my gosh so much we're just

93
00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:23,500
talking about it.
I can't believe a whole year has

94
00:05:23,500 --> 00:05:27,300
gone by and now I you know just
even thinking about it right,

95
00:05:27,300 --> 00:05:30,200
starting this company, building
it up, launching the product in

96
00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:33,800
2021 and now we're couple years
removed from the start of the

97
00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:35,600
pandemic.
So much has happened.

98
00:05:35,900 --> 00:05:38,700
Brief recap for those of you who
maybe didn't listen to the other

99
00:05:38,700 --> 00:05:41,300
episode or listen to it but it's
been a while.

100
00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:45,000
What Neo Is is a self-guided
program for mental health

101
00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:47,200
support.
So we have both ad and digital

102
00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:50,000
platform based versions of the
program.

103
00:05:50,400 --> 00:05:53,600
It's really meant to provide
resilience and skill building

104
00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:57,800
for these kids to meet them at
the point before crisis.

105
00:05:57,900 --> 00:06:01,300
So be a preventative program, a
lot of mental health, education,

106
00:06:01,500 --> 00:06:04,900
a lot of stigma reduction, so
getting them comfortable with

107
00:06:04,900 --> 00:06:07,600
accessing Mental Health
Services, and not having them

108
00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:10,900
kind of wait until a crisis
happens and some care

109
00:06:10,900 --> 00:06:13,300
escalation.
As well.

110
00:06:13,300 --> 00:06:17,800
So very much meant to support
these kids in all aspects of

111
00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:20,600
their mental health.
Gosh, so much has been

112
00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:22,800
happening.
We really been expanding a lot

113
00:06:22,800 --> 00:06:25,900
in K-12 Holly so that's been it.
That's great.

114
00:06:25,900 --> 00:06:28,300
I was going to ask what's been
happening there.

115
00:06:29,200 --> 00:06:32,200
Yeah, that's been an interesting
area because I think on like

116
00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:34,600
higher ed and we can totally
dive into some of the

117
00:06:34,600 --> 00:06:38,300
differences.
K12 has been an area where they

118
00:06:38,300 --> 00:06:41,400
understand curriculum
integration and there's been

119
00:06:41,400 --> 00:06:45,700
this big Focus right on SEL so a
program like NEOS, especially

120
00:06:45,700 --> 00:06:48,600
that self-guided.
There's been a lot of interest

121
00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:52,000
in that space.
I definitely want to hear about

122
00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:56,900
some of the differences when it
comes to k12 and higher ed and

123
00:06:56,900 --> 00:06:59,700
how they deal with mental health
because obviously, they're

124
00:06:59,700 --> 00:07:03,200
serving different audiences.
And I feel like sometimes it's

125
00:07:03,200 --> 00:07:06,800
easier to integrate these types
of tools in the higher ed

126
00:07:06,800 --> 00:07:09,800
because the students will seek
them out more about.

127
00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:12,600
How does that all work when it
goes to K through 12?

128
00:07:13,400 --> 00:07:17,700
Yeah that's a great question.
We've seen two very different

129
00:07:17,700 --> 00:07:20,800
implementation models even
though our business I've been

130
00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:24,700
the same as kind of Enterprise
SAS in K-12 and higher ed with

131
00:07:24,700 --> 00:07:27,200
in higher ed.
What we see is that this program

132
00:07:27,200 --> 00:07:31,700
is typically implemented as an
opt-in self-guided service.

133
00:07:31,700 --> 00:07:33,800
It's a student wellness or
Health Service.

134
00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:35,900
It's available to the whole
student body.

135
00:07:36,100 --> 00:07:38,300
And if they want to use it, they
can.

136
00:07:38,500 --> 00:07:41,300
And that's obviously very simple
to implement.

137
00:07:41,300 --> 00:07:44,600
It's essentially just student
marketing and student Outreach

138
00:07:44,700 --> 00:07:47,900
that we do in partnership with
usually the Health Center or the

139
00:07:47,900 --> 00:07:50,800
wellness center to make sure the
kids know that this Graham is

140
00:07:50,800 --> 00:07:53,800
available for them and it's just
very TurnKey.

141
00:07:53,800 --> 00:07:57,700
They do a lot of kind of
newsletters email blast.

142
00:07:57,700 --> 00:08:00,200
The student sign up if they want
to, they use it.

143
00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:04,100
However, they see fit in K-12,
it's been a little bit different

144
00:08:04,100 --> 00:08:07,200
because we've been doing some
curriculum integration.

145
00:08:07,400 --> 00:08:11,100
So actually going into the
classroom and integrating into

146
00:08:11,100 --> 00:08:13,900
sometimes PE class sometimes
health class and that also

147
00:08:13,900 --> 00:08:16,800
requires oftentimes training the
teachers as well.

148
00:08:17,400 --> 00:08:20,100
Yeah, I would say I was going to
say, you have to think about

149
00:08:20,100 --> 00:08:23,800
this whole Different type of
implementation and making sure

150
00:08:23,800 --> 00:08:27,100
that the people who are
facilitating the training,

151
00:08:27,100 --> 00:08:30,000
understand you more message,
obviously.

152
00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:32,900
When the students are opting
into the app, they get the whole

153
00:08:32,900 --> 00:08:36,600
feel for the application and all
the support resources.

154
00:08:36,600 --> 00:08:39,000
But in K through 12, there's
probably some more guidance that

155
00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:41,900
needs to be there for it to be
successful.

156
00:08:42,500 --> 00:08:45,900
Yeah, absolutely.
And when we were talking last

157
00:08:45,900 --> 00:08:49,700
year, we might have just been
releasing our third and newest

158
00:08:49,700 --> 00:08:51,600
product.
So we have the product, the app

159
00:08:51,600 --> 00:08:54,900
for students, we have an
analytics portal, which is often

160
00:08:54,900 --> 00:08:58,200
used by school counselors, to
get alerts around students and

161
00:08:58,200 --> 00:09:01,200
then we released the third and
latest product, which is an

162
00:09:01,200 --> 00:09:04,500
educator platform.
And it's exactly for that reason

163
00:09:04,500 --> 00:09:06,800
to help the teachers understand
the program.

164
00:09:07,100 --> 00:09:10,200
And we think of it as a
implementation booster that they

165
00:09:10,200 --> 00:09:12,900
can bring the program into the
classroom and has all of the

166
00:09:12,900 --> 00:09:17,100
content and the student app has,
they can play videos, do

167
00:09:17,100 --> 00:09:19,600
activities in the classroom,
they can even through the

168
00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:22,200
educator.
Assign activities for students

169
00:09:22,200 --> 00:09:24,800
to do on the app for homework
and track completion.

170
00:09:25,100 --> 00:09:28,100
But having that additional
support of bringing it into the

171
00:09:28,100 --> 00:09:31,200
classroom, doing it with the
teachers, kind of integrating

172
00:09:31,200 --> 00:09:34,100
into the curriculum, that's
certainly something that we've

173
00:09:34,100 --> 00:09:38,500
seen working well in K-12, but
it does require a little bit

174
00:09:38,500 --> 00:09:43,100
more effort up front on the
implementation side, right?

175
00:09:43,100 --> 00:09:46,200
And I feel like sometimes K
through 12 as a lot of

176
00:09:46,200 --> 00:09:50,300
Gatekeepers, when it comes to
implementing new tools.

177
00:09:50,500 --> 00:09:54,400
And also new content, you know,
they just have to be things that

178
00:09:54,400 --> 00:09:57,400
have to be approved.
So how do you navigate that

179
00:09:57,400 --> 00:09:59,200
space?
I always think about weird stuff

180
00:09:59,700 --> 00:10:01,500
when it comes to Ed Ed Tech
tools.

181
00:10:01,800 --> 00:10:04,900
Like, oh, how did they get to be
a partnership or how did they

182
00:10:04,900 --> 00:10:08,000
get to have that collaborative
relationship?

183
00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:11,000
You know, that's the kinds of
things I think about, but I see

184
00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:13,500
this as a product that kind of
does that for you.

185
00:10:13,500 --> 00:10:16,700
You don't really have to push
too hard, but I do know that K

186
00:10:16,700 --> 00:10:19,400
through 12 has a lot of
regulations when it comes to

187
00:10:19,400 --> 00:10:23,000
like there.
Standards and who gets in and

188
00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:25,400
you have to have different
certifications, that kind of

189
00:10:25,400 --> 00:10:27,700
stuff.
It does.

190
00:10:27,700 --> 00:10:31,400
And it's so tricky, navigating
the politics.

191
00:10:31,400 --> 00:10:34,100
Since our last conversation,
there's been a lot talking

192
00:10:34,100 --> 00:10:38,400
about, you know, SEL and other
aspects and what shouldn't

193
00:10:38,400 --> 00:10:40,800
shouldn't be in the curriculum
and K12.

194
00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:45,200
So my team, my development team
was really fantastic and they

195
00:10:45,200 --> 00:10:48,400
thought of a great way to
navigate this with ease.

196
00:10:48,400 --> 00:10:51,100
I think we're far as I know, the
only mental health company that

197
00:10:51,100 --> 00:10:55,100
has a customizable Content
Library, so we no longer have

198
00:10:55,100 --> 00:10:59,500
any issues with trying to just
play politics and say, you know,

199
00:10:59,500 --> 00:11:01,000
which state are we going out
with?

200
00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:03,700
And which content do we have?
Because we literally give them?

201
00:11:04,200 --> 00:11:07,100
Here's our Content Library, you
go through and you pick and

202
00:11:07,100 --> 00:11:08,900
choose.
Do you want everything that we

203
00:11:08,900 --> 00:11:11,400
have?
Great are some of the videos on

204
00:11:11,400 --> 00:11:14,600
there may be around a topic that
you don't want to have in your

205
00:11:14,600 --> 00:11:15,600
state.
Okay?

206
00:11:15,700 --> 00:11:17,200
We can hide those videos for
you.

207
00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:20,800
It's a click of a button on our
admin pool, so we've been able

208
00:11:20,800 --> 00:11:23,100
to really streamline that
process where they're able to

209
00:11:23,100 --> 00:11:26,100
customize the Content Library
for their District or further.

210
00:11:26,800 --> 00:11:29,700
And that has been so helpful
getting around some of these

211
00:11:29,700 --> 00:11:31,500
issues.
Yeah.

212
00:11:31,500 --> 00:11:34,300
And I love the aspect that it's
customizable and that speaks a

213
00:11:34,308 --> 00:11:37,900
lot to the Adaptive learning of
how even the younger Learners

214
00:11:37,900 --> 00:11:40,000
they want to customize their own
paths.

215
00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:43,200
And everybody as you know, has
different needs and especially

216
00:11:43,200 --> 00:11:45,700
when it comes to mental health
they might need some direction

217
00:11:45,700 --> 00:11:49,100
here but not so much here and I
really love when companies like

218
00:11:49,100 --> 00:11:53,000
yours do that and they give them
that that individual feel and I

219
00:11:53,000 --> 00:11:57,000
feel it builds trust with the
consumer but it also So, makes

220
00:11:57,000 --> 00:11:59,300
you feel very safe for your at
in that space.

221
00:12:00,300 --> 00:12:02,600
Yeah, it's just so important,
you know, there are some things

222
00:12:02,600 --> 00:12:06,400
that were getting into which we
can talk about going Beyond

223
00:12:06,400 --> 00:12:08,800
traditional mental health, and
anxiety, and depression.

224
00:12:08,800 --> 00:12:11,300
Other things that are really
relevant for the kids

225
00:12:11,500 --> 00:12:15,100
relationships, wanting to maybe
getting to share sex ed and

226
00:12:15,100 --> 00:12:18,000
stuff like that.
And yeah, since I'm realistic, I

227
00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:21,700
know that in certain areas, they
might have different priorities

228
00:12:21,700 --> 00:12:23,400
around what can and cannot be
there.

229
00:12:23,600 --> 00:12:26,700
The content you're giving to and
middle school or Elementary

230
00:12:26,700 --> 00:12:30,300
School might be really different
from higher ed or from high

231
00:12:30,300 --> 00:12:32,200
school.
So just being able to sit down

232
00:12:32,200 --> 00:12:34,900
with the customer and have that
transparent conversation of Hey,

233
00:12:34,900 --> 00:12:37,700
listen, here's what we have.
We have all this fantastic

234
00:12:37,700 --> 00:12:41,300
content, but we want to only
show on the platform what you

235
00:12:41,300 --> 00:12:43,500
feel comfortable with.
So let's put you in the driver's

236
00:12:43,500 --> 00:12:46,900
seat for this process, it just
makes things go so much more

237
00:12:46,900 --> 00:12:51,400
smoothly.
Absolutely, I have a sister

238
00:12:51,700 --> 00:12:55,200
who's 26 years are going to be.
So she's a middle school and she

239
00:12:55,200 --> 00:12:58,200
was talking the whole time.
Ten-minute conversation about

240
00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:01,700
how she was a therapist and one
of her friends who like somebody

241
00:13:01,700 --> 00:13:03,700
and doesn't know how to
navigate.

242
00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:08,200
I'm like it's so complicated.
This does middle school high

243
00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:12,000
school time and you know
developing the relationships and

244
00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:14,500
I see the emotions and they're
so intense.

245
00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:17,500
They're very intense emotions
and it's hard especially for

246
00:13:17,500 --> 00:13:18,800
her.
Her and some of her friends to

247
00:13:18,808 --> 00:13:24,000
process that and deal with that.
Yeah, yeah, definitely.

248
00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:28,300
It's a we we have the as, you
know, the crisis care escalation

249
00:13:28,300 --> 00:13:31,100
component of what we do on me.
Oh, so it was really important

250
00:13:31,100 --> 00:13:34,800
for us to not just build up a
tier 1 kind of self-guided

251
00:13:34,800 --> 00:13:38,300
program, but also be able to
seamlessly integrate into those

252
00:13:38,300 --> 00:13:41,100
tier 2 and tier 3 support.
So if we were noticing something

253
00:13:41,100 --> 00:13:45,100
was going on with the kid, we
could alert the school or in

254
00:13:45,100 --> 00:13:47,500
some cases they want us to
direct the kids to, you know,

255
00:13:47,500 --> 00:13:49,200
the sea.
Sighs Prevention, Hotline,

256
00:13:49,200 --> 00:13:52,400
whatever it is so the school can
decide what that process looks

257
00:13:52,400 --> 00:13:55,400
like, and who's being alerted,
but oftentimes, you know, will

258
00:13:55,400 --> 00:13:58,200
pick up on something if the kids
are journaling, for example, on

259
00:13:58,200 --> 00:14:00,900
meals and you can see some of
the emotional.

260
00:14:00,900 --> 00:14:04,200
He could say topics that they're
thinking about, but it's been so

261
00:14:04,200 --> 00:14:06,600
fantastic to be able to build in
that feature.

262
00:14:06,600 --> 00:14:09,500
Even in this past month, we've
identified a couple kids.

263
00:14:09,500 --> 00:14:12,100
And within minutes I've been
able to alert the school and

264
00:14:12,100 --> 00:14:14,500
say, hey, there's something
going on here.

265
00:14:14,500 --> 00:14:17,200
Let's check in on this.
There is a lot, I think that

266
00:14:17,200 --> 00:14:19,000
goes on.
In in, in middle school and high

267
00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:22,500
schoolers lives that you forget
as you become an adult, you

268
00:14:22,508 --> 00:14:23,900
know, getting back into this
company.

269
00:14:23,900 --> 00:14:26,800
We've really been able to
recognize that and use those

270
00:14:26,800 --> 00:14:29,700
experiences to tweak the
algorithm and make sure that we

271
00:14:29,700 --> 00:14:32,000
identify any kids who are
struggling right away.

272
00:14:32,400 --> 00:14:34,400
Let's shift a little bit like
what do you seen happening?

273
00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:37,700
There's a lot going on in our
world right now and our culture,

274
00:14:37,700 --> 00:14:39,300
you know, internationally
different things.

275
00:14:39,500 --> 00:14:41,600
What are kind of some of the
trends isn't things that you're

276
00:14:41,600 --> 00:14:45,100
seeing whether people using the
product or just things with

277
00:14:45,100 --> 00:14:47,700
psychological any statistics
that you can share.

278
00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:52,100
Are things good or bad as far as
the kids and what they're

279
00:14:52,100 --> 00:14:53,600
struggling with?
Yeah.

280
00:14:53,600 --> 00:14:58,400
Yeah, I'm struggling with the
most, the biggest thing by far

281
00:14:58,600 --> 00:15:01,800
that we see and we just started
to expand internationally.

282
00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:04,400
So I'm curious how this will
change in different regions.

283
00:15:04,400 --> 00:15:08,600
But in the US, the biggest thing
that we see is this immense,

284
00:15:08,600 --> 00:15:14,000
immense pressure to succeed, to
get the best grades be the best

285
00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:16,200
in their class.
Go to the best college, get the

286
00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:20,500
best job have a suit.
A high paying salary that is

287
00:15:20,800 --> 00:15:24,800
across regions across
socioeconomic status.

288
00:15:24,800 --> 00:15:27,800
That seems to be the top issue
that's really impacting Mental

289
00:15:27,800 --> 00:15:36,400
Health.
Why is prep revolutionizes

290
00:15:36,400 --> 00:15:40,800
studying to empower and enable
students full potential?

291
00:15:41,300 --> 00:15:45,700
Did you know that 56 percent of
college students who start a

292
00:15:45,700 --> 00:15:49,800
four-year degree?
Still drop out for team-wise

293
00:15:49,800 --> 00:15:51,600
prep?
That is not okay.

294
00:15:51,800 --> 00:15:55,600
We're revolutionizing studying
through a personalized course

295
00:15:55,600 --> 00:15:58,100
and campus specific learning
experience.

296
00:15:58,300 --> 00:16:02,500
So that We can use our
proprietary technology to reduce

297
00:16:02,500 --> 00:16:10,600
study time and improve grades.
My goodness still feel that

298
00:16:10,600 --> 00:16:14,300
pressure as a, middle-aged sure.
Yeah, yeah.

299
00:16:14,300 --> 00:16:17,400
I mean, I can't imagine you get,
you know, like, as adults we can

300
00:16:17,400 --> 00:16:20,300
process that better and I can't
imagine feeling like that as a

301
00:16:20,300 --> 00:16:23,500
younger person, trying to
navigate that difficult space.

302
00:16:23,500 --> 00:16:25,900
So what are some of the things
that the app kind of does to

303
00:16:25,900 --> 00:16:28,800
help with them in dealing, with
their pressure and job

304
00:16:28,800 --> 00:16:31,400
searching?
I would say there are three core

305
00:16:31,400 --> 00:16:34,300
components where we go to help
with that one, is our

306
00:16:34,300 --> 00:16:37,800
relaxation, practice Library,
where we have, we Kno full

307
00:16:37,800 --> 00:16:39,700
library that they They can go
through pick and choose what

308
00:16:39,700 --> 00:16:43,100
they want, but we also recommend
practices specific for them to

309
00:16:43,100 --> 00:16:45,600
make it easier to find
something, you know, in that

310
00:16:45,600 --> 00:16:47,400
moment.
But when they're feeling that

311
00:16:47,400 --> 00:16:50,000
overwhelm, or that sense of
panic and like, this is all too

312
00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:51,400
much.
I just can't handle this

313
00:16:51,400 --> 00:16:53,600
pressure.
That's when you see them jumping

314
00:16:53,600 --> 00:16:56,200
in to do those relaxation
practices, whether it's 2

315
00:16:56,200 --> 00:16:58,800
minutes, 5 minutes or 10
minutes, and that's probably

316
00:16:58,800 --> 00:17:00,600
where they're spending about
half of their time on the

317
00:17:00,600 --> 00:17:03,200
platform, really utilizing that
as you can.

318
00:17:03,200 --> 00:17:05,599
Imagine a lot of times in the
middle of the night, we see, you

319
00:17:05,599 --> 00:17:08,300
know, activity which is great
that they have the app in 21st.

320
00:17:08,400 --> 00:17:11,400
Access because they're stressed
or lying in bed, you know, they

321
00:17:11,400 --> 00:17:14,000
can't sleep.
But beyond that kind of in the

322
00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:17,900
moment overwhelm, the community
section is really where they get

323
00:17:17,900 --> 00:17:20,599
a lot of advice and when they
kind of come back down a little

324
00:17:20,599 --> 00:17:23,700
bit from that state of panic
where they can start to watch

325
00:17:23,700 --> 00:17:27,099
videos and think things through
and be a little bit more

326
00:17:27,099 --> 00:17:29,400
reflective.
Whether it's a video from what

327
00:17:29,400 --> 00:17:31,600
we call, our expert advice
section, which might be someone

328
00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:34,600
who's further along in their
career or a doctor, or therapist

329
00:17:34,600 --> 00:17:37,000
and kind of walks them through
like, hey, I was struggling with

330
00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:39,200
this.
And here's what Happened and

331
00:17:39,400 --> 00:17:42,600
here's kind of peek into the
future 10. 20 years ahead of

332
00:17:42,600 --> 00:17:45,600
time or it might be the student
stories where there's other

333
00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:48,300
students, they're the same age
sharing, what they're going

334
00:17:48,300 --> 00:17:50,500
through just so they know
they're not alone so they can

335
00:17:50,500 --> 00:17:53,000
kind of pick and choose from
that content in the moment.

336
00:17:53,100 --> 00:17:54,800
What's the most helpful for
them?

337
00:17:56,200 --> 00:17:59,700
I love those script, three
spaces and I know during covid,

338
00:17:59,700 --> 00:18:02,900
people felt very, very isolated,
that's wonderful to hear that

339
00:18:02,900 --> 00:18:06,600
these these spaces were there
for the students and continue to

340
00:18:06,600 --> 00:18:08,800
be there.
As we, you know, our Continuing

341
00:18:08,800 --> 00:18:12,600
to be like a higher vert, I
promote culture, I always in

342
00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:16,400
these episodes debate about
asking whether or not to ask

343
00:18:16,400 --> 00:18:20,300
about entrepreneurship because
obviously, you have a great

344
00:18:20,300 --> 00:18:22,300
product here.
It's doing very well.

345
00:18:22,400 --> 00:18:25,900
You have a lot of experienced
people who are in the audience

346
00:18:25,900 --> 00:18:29,300
right now and they're thinking
about maybe I want to be an

347
00:18:29,300 --> 00:18:31,600
edtech founder.
Maybe, I want to develop a tool,

348
00:18:31,600 --> 00:18:36,700
I want to be a CEO, is there any
sort of advice, maybe like three

349
00:18:36,700 --> 00:18:38,300
or four things that you could
share?

350
00:18:38,400 --> 00:18:42,600
Are in your experience, your, on
the 30, under 30 list on Forbes.

351
00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:45,900
That's huge can share with
people who are thinking about

352
00:18:45,900 --> 00:18:51,700
jumping into this space.
So my advice guidance so much I

353
00:18:51,708 --> 00:18:56,400
start really think about it.
Is the first thing I get so many

354
00:18:56,400 --> 00:18:59,400
especially of the kids that we
work with, right saying they

355
00:18:59,400 --> 00:19:01,300
want to found a company and they
want to be a CO.

356
00:19:01,300 --> 00:19:04,100
And I'm like, that's fantastic.
But we need to break that down a

357
00:19:04,100 --> 00:19:05,700
little bit.
Why?

358
00:19:05,900 --> 00:19:08,300
You know, a lot of times people
find out about me.

359
00:19:08,500 --> 00:19:11,200
In the work that I'm doing
through things like this right

360
00:19:11,200 --> 00:19:14,300
through podcast and everything
seems bright and shiny or other

361
00:19:14,300 --> 00:19:17,300
webinars and interviews.
But what they're not seeing are

362
00:19:17,300 --> 00:19:20,200
all the ups and downs in between
and as a start-up founder.

363
00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:23,700
There's a lot of ups and downs.
There's a lot of uncertainty and

364
00:19:23,700 --> 00:19:26,400
that it can affect you, right?
It can affect you emotionally,

365
00:19:26,400 --> 00:19:28,500
it can affect mental health,
right?

366
00:19:28,500 --> 00:19:32,800
Yeah. 110, yeah, and financially
to write a mean, this is a

367
00:19:32,800 --> 00:19:35,000
decision.
I had to make with my husband,

368
00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:35,700
right?
We were married.

369
00:19:35,700 --> 00:19:37,900
When we started this company, do
you leave your job?

370
00:19:37,900 --> 00:19:40,200
Do you?
You give up a steady salary, do

371
00:19:40,200 --> 00:19:43,300
you put money into this company?
So there's a lot of things that

372
00:19:43,300 --> 00:19:46,100
need to be thought through.
Not saying that you shouldn't do

373
00:19:46,100 --> 00:19:48,500
it.
But not jumping into things too

374
00:19:48,500 --> 00:19:50,500
quickly.
Really taking some time to think

375
00:19:50,500 --> 00:19:52,400
through.
Are we going to be okay with

376
00:19:52,400 --> 00:19:56,400
this pressure, financially, and
emotionally and how long are we

377
00:19:56,400 --> 00:19:59,300
going to kind of give this a go,
what sort of Milestones do?

378
00:19:59,300 --> 00:20:03,500
We feel like we need to hit each
year to continue to go to make

379
00:20:03,500 --> 00:20:06,600
that uncertainty worth it?
Oh, that's great advice.

380
00:20:06,600 --> 00:20:08,700
And I know a lot of people don't
talk about Money.

381
00:20:08,700 --> 00:20:11,500
And I think there's a common
misconception, like, Ed Tech,

382
00:20:11,500 --> 00:20:14,000
Founders are rich.
They just, they have a, they

383
00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:17,900
have all this money.
I'm like, no, these people that

384
00:20:17,900 --> 00:20:20,800
like yourself to start these
companies, you don't do it for

385
00:20:20,800 --> 00:20:22,200
that.
You're doing it because you want

386
00:20:22,200 --> 00:20:24,000
to make a difference and a
change.

387
00:20:24,200 --> 00:20:27,800
And yes that's a park if that
happens but really it's about a

388
00:20:27,800 --> 00:20:31,000
passion behind that.
And in the support that you're

389
00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:33,700
offering is honestly it's
priceless.

390
00:20:34,700 --> 00:20:36,900
Q.
Yeah, I think that is a huge

391
00:20:36,900 --> 00:20:40,900
misconception and I will go on
record here set things straight.

392
00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:43,500
You hear a lot.
When you look at new Forbes and

393
00:20:43,500 --> 00:20:45,900
other groups who are
highlighting of these, you know,

394
00:20:45,900 --> 00:20:49,000
repeat Founders and they're able
to have an idea and go out and

395
00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:51,500
raise millions, and probably
yeah pay themselves a lot of

396
00:20:51,500 --> 00:20:54,800
money, that's not typical.
That might be what's highlighted

397
00:20:54,800 --> 00:20:58,000
in the news, but I can tell you
from being a Founder, from

398
00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:00,700
knowing a lot of other Founders
from doing accelerator programs.

399
00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:03,600
Most of us in whether it's you
know, Health tech, ed, Tech

400
00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:05,200
space.
Especially if it's your first

401
00:21:05,200 --> 00:21:08,100
company you're going out.
You probably have another job at

402
00:21:08,100 --> 00:21:10,800
first so you're working two jobs
until you feel like you're ready

403
00:21:10,800 --> 00:21:13,900
to make the big jump.
You're not paying yourself.

404
00:21:13,900 --> 00:21:18,100
Some of us don't pay ourselves
for years, not a single dollar.

405
00:21:18,200 --> 00:21:21,500
You actually taking your own
money and investing it into the

406
00:21:21,500 --> 00:21:25,100
company.
So it is not like this is a very

407
00:21:25,100 --> 00:21:28,800
steady financially career path
and it is something that's

408
00:21:28,800 --> 00:21:30,900
important to know.
Yeah.

409
00:21:31,400 --> 00:21:34,700
I agree with you and I'm sure
you and I can talk Talk having a

410
00:21:34,700 --> 00:21:37,400
whole nother episode, get a
couple people together that have

411
00:21:37,400 --> 00:21:41,300
been on the show and talk about
all the different challenges of

412
00:21:41,300 --> 00:21:44,300
navigating that space
financially mentally.

413
00:21:44,900 --> 00:21:47,300
So what are the things as an
entrepreneur that you

414
00:21:47,300 --> 00:21:49,200
appreciate?
What are the things that have

415
00:21:49,200 --> 00:21:51,000
been most beneficial in your
eyes?

416
00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:54,800
I think my co-founder.
Yes.

417
00:21:55,500 --> 00:21:59,500
Yes, of course, you know, my
co-founder is fantastic.

418
00:21:59,600 --> 00:22:02,700
I'm in one of those interesting
situations where my co-founder

419
00:22:02,700 --> 00:22:05,900
is my husband.
We were married first, I've seen

420
00:22:05,900 --> 00:22:08,800
the opposite where people get
married afterwards, but we were

421
00:22:08,800 --> 00:22:11,000
married first.
And you know, he's just been

422
00:22:11,300 --> 00:22:14,000
fantastic because we're very
complementary, right?

423
00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:17,600
I'm on more of the house side.
The design side you study

424
00:22:17,600 --> 00:22:20,200
Finance business and also
engineering.

425
00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:24,200
So very Every skill set, which
is great for co-founders, but

426
00:22:24,200 --> 00:22:26,800
also just somebody who really
has been with me through to

427
00:22:26,800 --> 00:22:31,800
start through all the ups and
downs and really has had my back

428
00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:35,100
and somebody who's not always
featured and not always the, you

429
00:22:35,100 --> 00:22:38,300
know, in the Press like I am.
Yeah, my shoutout.

430
00:22:38,500 --> 00:22:42,000
Yeah, but I mean, I couldn't I
couldn't do it without having

431
00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:47,300
the right co-founder is key.
I love that people that do it

432
00:22:47,300 --> 00:22:49,400
themselves.
What people don't realize

433
00:22:49,400 --> 00:22:52,300
there's really a lot of players
behind I'm the scenes to that

434
00:22:52,300 --> 00:22:56,000
are supporting you like, for
example, this show, it's not

435
00:22:56,000 --> 00:22:59,400
just me, there's a lot of people
who support me.

436
00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:01,300
Although, you know, I'm the host
everything.

437
00:23:01,300 --> 00:23:03,500
There's so much that goes on.
You can't do it without a

438
00:23:03,508 --> 00:23:06,800
community, right?
Whether that's a co-founder or

439
00:23:07,100 --> 00:23:09,800
having different people to help,
take some tasks away from you,

440
00:23:09,800 --> 00:23:13,500
so you can free up some time.
I'm hundred percent.

441
00:23:13,500 --> 00:23:16,100
Yeah, and it's there's a lot of
people.

442
00:23:16,100 --> 00:23:19,500
I know, I'm as a CEO typically,
the one featured, but there are

443
00:23:19,500 --> 00:23:21,200
a lot of people supporting me
behind me.

444
00:23:21,300 --> 00:23:26,300
Now if and investors and
advisors and employees, but my

445
00:23:26,300 --> 00:23:30,300
co-founder is definitely the one
where he's not a fair-weather

446
00:23:30,300 --> 00:23:32,300
friend, right?
Whether it's good, whether it's

447
00:23:32,300 --> 00:23:35,400
bad, it's 3:00 in the morning
whatever it is, you know, we can

448
00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:38,600
have those open and honest
transparent conversations with

449
00:23:38,600 --> 00:23:42,500
each other and it's so
appreciated until needed.

450
00:23:42,900 --> 00:23:45,400
Yeah, we've covered a lot in
this episode.

451
00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:49,200
We have.
I want to know if there's

452
00:23:49,200 --> 00:23:51,100
anything else.
Yeah.

453
00:23:51,400 --> 00:23:53,700
Things I'm really excited about
right now.

454
00:23:53,700 --> 00:23:55,300
One is a partnership and one is
more.

455
00:23:55,300 --> 00:23:58,600
Just my theory and thoughts of
student mental health.

456
00:23:58,900 --> 00:24:01,800
The first is our International
expansion, which I don't know

457
00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:04,900
that we were doing last time we
talked, but we've partnered with

458
00:24:04,900 --> 00:24:09,400
a great company out in the
asia-pacific region.

459
00:24:09,400 --> 00:24:13,100
We're starting to expand in 20
countries out there through High

460
00:24:13,100 --> 00:24:16,500
group and are just really
excited to work with them.

461
00:24:16,500 --> 00:24:19,700
They've been working in that
region for, I believe about 40

462
00:24:19,700 --> 00:24:21,200
years.
So they know Ed Tech.

463
00:24:21,300 --> 00:24:23,200
Check in those countries really
well.

464
00:24:23,400 --> 00:24:28,200
It's going to be exciting for us
to start to see the nuances of

465
00:24:28,200 --> 00:24:30,300
student mental health in
different regions.

466
00:24:30,300 --> 00:24:33,500
Obviously, culture is huge, so
wanting to understand that and

467
00:24:33,500 --> 00:24:37,500
respect that and learn how to
scale and just reach more kids

468
00:24:37,500 --> 00:24:42,300
internationally and the data to,
oh my goodness, you're gonna

469
00:24:42,300 --> 00:24:46,900
have so much data.
It's going to be a challenge but

470
00:24:46,900 --> 00:24:48,900
a really exciting challenge.
Yeah.

471
00:24:49,300 --> 00:24:52,400
For sure.
And the other It was just more

472
00:24:52,400 --> 00:24:56,200
me kind of thinking and curious
to hear other people's thoughts,

473
00:24:56,500 --> 00:24:58,700
what does mental health mean?
You know, that's been something

474
00:24:58,700 --> 00:25:01,300
I really, really, been thinking
about it as I've had a lot of

475
00:25:01,300 --> 00:25:05,200
conversations with stakeholders
people even within the schools.

476
00:25:05,200 --> 00:25:08,700
Oftentimes think about mental
health as anxiety, depression

477
00:25:08,900 --> 00:25:11,600
clinical disorders were going to
wait until the kids are

478
00:25:11,600 --> 00:25:14,500
struggling or God forbid, you
know, suicidal and then they get

479
00:25:14,500 --> 00:25:17,100
help.
Mental health is so much more

480
00:25:17,100 --> 00:25:19,400
expansive.
I really think of it as an

481
00:25:19,400 --> 00:25:21,200
umbrella term.
Yes, you have anxiety.

482
00:25:21,300 --> 00:25:23,900
Xiety you have depression, you
have clinical conditions,

483
00:25:23,900 --> 00:25:26,800
prices, care and treatment.
But there are so many other

484
00:25:26,800 --> 00:25:29,200
things that affect kids, like we
even talked about, in this

485
00:25:29,200 --> 00:25:33,000
episode finances, Financial
Health, Career Development

486
00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:37,400
relationships.
There is just absolutely so much

487
00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:40,400
around what mental health is and
what mental health means.

488
00:25:40,400 --> 00:25:42,900
And as a company, that's a
direction, when we're starting

489
00:25:42,900 --> 00:25:45,800
to go to get really diverse
around the types of content and

490
00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:50,300
support that we offer that way
we can meet kids wherever they

491
00:25:50,300 --> 00:25:52,200
are in that.
Mental health Journey.

492
00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:55,700
When you say, you have anxiety,
or you say, you have depression,

493
00:25:55,700 --> 00:25:59,200
and it was like what happened
and you're like, nothing really

494
00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:01,900
happened.
You have to understand the

495
00:26:01,900 --> 00:26:04,700
background of it.
Like it's mental, its genetic

496
00:26:04,700 --> 00:26:08,300
it's maybe something did happen
and kind of getting that

497
00:26:08,300 --> 00:26:11,000
information out there.
You have to be proactive about

498
00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:13,500
it in your approach to the
situations.

499
00:26:13,500 --> 00:26:17,000
And not just when you're saying
like it's a crisis level, like

500
00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:20,300
we need intervention like ASAP.
We want to prevent getting to

501
00:26:20,300 --> 00:26:23,400
those points. 100%.
Absolutely.

502
00:26:23,400 --> 00:26:25,100
We could have a whole nother
episode about.

503
00:26:25,100 --> 00:26:28,800
Yeah, it's science in the brain
biomarkers of these conditions.

504
00:26:28,800 --> 00:26:30,400
Yeah, there's so much to talk
about there.

505
00:26:30,500 --> 00:26:33,200
You're the expert, but I would
just speak from experience, has

506
00:26:33,200 --> 00:26:35,200
two.
And one of the huge things that

507
00:26:35,200 --> 00:26:39,100
I want to spend upon and maybe
invite some friends on about is

508
00:26:39,100 --> 00:26:42,300
talking about grief.
My grief is a huge part of

509
00:26:42,300 --> 00:26:45,700
mental health and like having
those experiences I would ever

510
00:26:45,700 --> 00:26:47,900
age.
And I think people just kind of

511
00:26:48,100 --> 00:26:51,200
show grief off as like it's a
there's a Finish Line there.

512
00:26:51,400 --> 00:26:54,600
So yeah, we could definitely
have more conversations about

513
00:26:54,600 --> 00:26:56,300
this.
Oh my gosh.

514
00:26:56,300 --> 00:26:58,500
Yeah, can't wait.
Yeah.

515
00:26:58,700 --> 00:27:02,400
So well thank you for coming
back on the show and updating us

516
00:27:02,400 --> 00:27:05,400
and giving us all the Deets
about everything that you're

517
00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:07,700
doing.
I can't believe it's been a

518
00:27:07,700 --> 00:27:09,300
whole year.
I honestly, I'm sitting here

519
00:27:09,300 --> 00:27:12,400
thinking about that and I'm
like, yeah, we literally talked

520
00:27:12,500 --> 00:27:16,200
a year ago and it's been 365
days.

521
00:27:16,200 --> 00:27:19,600
And now we're going to talk
again hopefully sooner and I

522
00:27:19,600 --> 00:27:23,000
look forward to seeing about The
international expansion and then

523
00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:25,900
also what this meant to help me
and that sounds like a great

524
00:27:25,900 --> 00:27:28,500
show title.
Absolutely.

525
00:27:28,500 --> 00:27:29,800
Yeah.
Looking forward to it.

526
00:27:29,800 --> 00:27:34,300
And thanks again for having me
on as a guest of course any time

527
00:27:35,700 --> 00:27:39,900
you've just experienced an
another amazing episode of Ed

528
00:27:39,900 --> 00:27:43,800
up, Ed Tech.
Be sure to visit our website at

529
00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:49,100
Ed up edtech.com to get all the
updates on the latest edtech

530
00:27:49,100 --> 00:27:51,900
happening.
See you next time.