SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Headspace Health, a global leader in mental health and wellbeing, today announced the close of the recently announced merger between Headspace and Ginger; and the final Board of Directors, including new members Myrna Soto, a technology and cybersecurity thought leader, and Julia Cheek, founder and CEO at Everly Health. Headspace Health also began offering their full spectrum of affordable and comprehensive mental health solutions to help employees decrease stress, build resilience, resolve symptoms of anxiety and depression, and tackle a wide range of mental health illnesses.
Headspace Health brings together Headspace, a global leader in mindfulness and meditation, and Ginger, a leader in on-demand mental healthcare. The combined entity offers the world’s most accessible and comprehensive digital mental health and wellbeing platform. Through its expertise in consumer brand, evidence-based care, and technology, Headspace Health offers interventions and tools to the millions of people experiencing mental health symptoms, from anxiety to depression to more complex diagnoses like severe mental illness.
Starting today, Headspace Health is coupling Ginger and Headspace for Work into a single offering for employers through one procurement process. Companies of all sizes can rely on Headspace Health for a full spectrum of high-quality, affordable and comprehensive mental health and wellbeing care. With the bundled solution, employers can expect unified employee outreach, education, and engagement services to drive education, de-stigmatization and discovery, and usage.
Through both Ginger and Headspace for Work, employees can personalize their mental health journeys with access to:
- On-demand 24/7 care through behavioral health coaching, therapy, and psychiatry, for a complete spectrum of mental health needs
- A collection of beloved, science-backed, self-guided experiences that have earned the trust, respect, and loyalty of over 100 million people around the world
- A range of tools and interventions to provide employees and their families the care and support best suited to their mental health needs — be those wellness, prevention, or treatment
- Monthly, expert-guided educational workshops on topics related to personal mental health and wellbeing
- A team of meditation teachers, coaches, therapists, and psychiatrists, superpowered by best-in-class technology, to ensure that no member’s needs fall through the cracks
To support the company’s continued investment in evidence-based, technologically-scaled tools and interventions, new directors Myrna Soto and Julia Cheek will join several current Headspace and Ginger board members to create the Headspace Health Board of Directors:
- Russell Glass, CEO of Headspace Health
- Andy Puddicombe, co-founder of Headspace
- Richard Pierson, co-founder of Headspace
- Molly Coye, Executive-in-Residence at AVIA and independent board member
- Ben Spero, Partner at Spectrum Equity
- David ibnAle, Managing Partner at Advance Venture Partners
- Ram Jagannath, Senior Managing Director at Blackstone
The new nine-member board reflects Headspace Health’s continued commitment to company leadership and governance that represents the diversity of the members it serves. Of Headspace Health’s Board of Directors, a third identify as female and a third identify as BIPOC.
“We are in continuous pursuit of the diversity of background, entrepreneurial energy, and operational experience needed to transform how mental healthcare is delivered for all populations,” said Russell Glass, CEO of Headspace Health. “As top thought leaders and practitioners in their respective fields, Myrna and Julia bring mission-critical technology, security and healthcare expertise that Headspace Health needs as we address one of the defining global issues of our time.”
Myrna Soto is a 30-year veteran of the IT and cybersecurity industry. She joined Ginger’s Advisory Board in early 2021, and previously held executive and senior leadership positions at global companies such as Comcast, MGM Resorts International, American Express, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, and Norwegian Cruise Line. She is the founder and CEO of Apogee Executive Advisors and was most recently Chief Strategy and Trust Officer for Forcepoint, a global cybersecurity technology company. In addition, Soto currently serves on the boards of CMS Energy/Consumers Energy, Spirit Airlines, TriNet, Popular Inc., and cybersecurity company ThycoticCentrify. Her work has garnered her a myriad of accolades, including SC Magazine’s Top 10 Power Players for Women in Security, CNET’s Top 20 Most Influential Technology Latinos, and ALPFA’s 50 Most Powerful Latinas in Business.
“Headspace Health is on its way to becoming an iconic, global brand that is delivering mental health and wellness support to millions around the world,” said Myrna Soto. “I’m thrilled to join the Board of Directors and lend my technology and cybersecurity expertise as Headspace Health continues to scale its comprehensive digital mental health and wellbeing platform.”
Julia Cheek is the CEO and Founder of Everly Health, the virtual diagnostics-driven care company at the forefront of the virtual diagnostics-driven care industry. Cheek founded Everlywell, a subsidiary of Everly Health, in 2015 to provide consumers access to at-home lab tests that include insightful, easy-to-understand results. Cheek's work in healthcare has been recognized by Entrepreneur and Inc. Magazine and she was named one of Fortune Magazine’s 40 Under 40 in Healthcare for her work to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2021, Forbes Magazine named Julia one of 10 Women to Watch in 2021 alongside some of the world’s foremost scientists and political leaders. Cheek serves on the Digital Health Advisory Board for biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and the President’s Innovation Board at The University of Texas at Austin.
“It’s an honor to join the new Headspace Health Board of Directors at this critical moment in time when millions around the world are in desperate need of accessible, high-quality mental healthcare,” said Julia Cheek. “Headspace Health is well-positioned to immediately address the supply/demand challenge both with technology and innovative alternatives to traditional therapy — like behavior health coaching and engaging content — at a scale that hasn’t existed in the market until now.”
To learn more about bringing Headspace for Work or Ginger to your company, please reach out at https://www.headspace.com/health.
About Headspace Health
Headspace Health is the world’s leading provider of mental health and wellbeing solutions. Through our flagship Headspace brand, we’ve touched the lives of over 100 million people in 190 countries through mindfulness tools for managing stress, sleep, and focus. Our enterprise brands, Headspace for Work and Ginger, are distributed through over 2,700 enterprises, including Starbucks, Adobe, Delta Air Lines, and ViacomCBS; and through health plans such as Cigna. Our members and enterprise partners’ employees have access to mindfulness and meditation tools, CBT, coaching, therapy, and psychiatry, ultimately helping them to be healthier and more productive. To learn more about Headspace Health and our family of brands, visit www.headspacehealth.com.
