Journey Live

# Journey LIVE: High-Level Overview

Journey LIVE is a corporate mental health and wellness platform that provides employee assistance programs (EAPs) and mental wellbeing solutions to organizations.[1][4] The company delivers self-guided courses, live coaching, and proactive digital engagement tools designed to complement or replace traditional EAP offerings.[1] Journey LIVE serves organizations across retail, manufacturing, professional services, healthcare, technology, and advertising sectors, with a focus on making mental health support accessible and inclusive globally.[3]

The platform addresses a critical gap in workplace mental health: traditional EAPs typically achieve 2-3% employee engagement, while Journey LIVE reports 30%+ average engagement through its proactive approach.[5] The company achieves this by combining personalized digital resources, AI-driven check-ins, and human connection through apps like Zoom, Teams, and Slack, while offering support in over 100 languages across 190 countries.[5]

# Origin Story

Journey was founded in 2015 by Stephen Sokoler, an entrepreneur who previously founded Altrum Honors, a company helping organizations celebrate and inspire employees.[4] After years of personal meditation practice, Sokoler recognized that wellbeing needed to be made more approachable and accessible at scale, leading him to establish Journey with the mission to help people live happier lives with greater clarity and peace of mind.[4]

The company has assembled a leadership team with deep expertise in digital health and behavioral science. The advisory board includes Dr. Rajiv Kumar, former President & Chief Medical Officer of Virgin Pulse; Dr. Sue Zbikowski, former Chief Behavioral Scientist at Humana; and Dr. Judson Brewer, Director of Research at the University of Massachusetts Center for Mindfulness and faculty at Yale and MIT.[4] This combination of entrepreneurial vision and scientific credibility has positioned Journey as a credible player in the corporate wellness space.

# Core Differentiators

• Proactive engagement model: Unlike reactive traditional EAPs, Journey uses AI and behavioral science to proactively reach employees through daily emails, scheduled check-ins, and targeted crisis support, achieving 10x higher engagement rates.[5]

• Speed to care: Journey reduces time to speak with a clinician to 3 days, compared to 21 days for traditional EAPs.[5]

• Global inclusivity: The platform operates in 190 countries with counseling in 100+ languages, 40% providers of color, and 12% LGBTQ+ providers in the US, ensuring culturally relevant support.[5]

• Seamless integration: Journey integrates with existing business systems including Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Slack, calendar systems, and payroll platforms, reducing friction for both employees and HR teams.[1]

• Customized engagement strategies: Rather than one-size-fits-all solutions, Journey collaborates with HR teams to develop targeted campaigns, seminars, and resources based on employee demographics and organizational needs.[1][5]

• Concierge HR support: Journey provides dedicated support to HR leaders with detailed reporting, strategic insights, and crisis management assistance.[1]

# Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Journey operates at the intersection of digital health, workplace wellness, and AI-driven personalization—three major trends reshaping enterprise software. The company is riding the wave of increased organizational focus on employee mental health, accelerated by post-pandemic awareness of burnout and mental health challenges in the workplace.

The timing is particularly favorable: employers are increasingly recognizing that traditional EAPs are outdated and ineffective, while employees expect digital-first, personalized experiences similar to consumer apps.[5] Journey's proactive, data-driven approach aligns with broader enterprise trends toward predictive analytics and preventive care rather than reactive intervention.

By achieving 30%+ engagement compared to industry standards of 2-3%, Journey is demonstrating that the problem isn't employee disinterest in mental health support—it's that traditional delivery models fail to meet employees where they are. This insight is reshaping how enterprises think about employee benefits, positioning mental health as an ongoing engagement challenge rather than a static program offering.

# Quick Take & Future Outlook

Journey LIVE has established itself as a credible alternative to legacy EAP providers by combining behavioral science, technology, and human-centered design. With $11.15M in total funding and recent capital raises, the company is positioned to scale its platform and expand its global footprint.[3]

The company's future trajectory will likely depend on several factors: deepening integrations with HR information systems and payroll platforms to increase adoption friction; expanding its counselor network to support faster care delivery at scale; and continuing to demonstrate measurable ROI through engagement metrics and employee outcomes data. As organizations increasingly view mental health as a competitive advantage for talent retention and productivity, Journey's proactive model—rather than reactive crisis management—represents the direction the industry is moving.

The broader implication: Journey is helping redefine what "employee benefits" means in the modern workplace, shifting from passive program offerings to active, personalized engagement that meets employees' actual needs.