Modern Health's Alyson Friedensohn Is Creating A Safe Space For Mental Health In The Office

Work can be stressful: a Stanford Business School study estimated job burnout costs America $190 billion in health spending a year. Alyson Friedensohn helps employees from hitting the breaking point. Her digital mental health start-up Modern Health offers psychological assessments, remote therapy sessions, career coaching, and guided meditation. Think iFred where companies foot the bill. Clients include Pixar, benefits unicorn Gusto and neighborhood social network Nextdoor. Working at benefits provider Collective Health, Friedensohn noticed clients requesting a mental health platform. In 2018, with cofounder Erica Johnson, she joined accelerator Y Combinator to create one, raising $11 million from the likes of Kleiner Perkins and actor Jared Leto. "We're building a brand that helps remove the stigma around therapy,? says Friedensohn. ?We're making mental health cool."