Why I added a new mental health partner at Genflow

I’m very excited to announce Genflow’s new partnership with a London-based, mental health startup called SANCTUS. 

Sanctus coaching is a 1:1 service where employees can talk openly about their mental health. The coaches create a safe, impartial and confidential space for all employees. 

From June onwards, every Genflow employee will get access to Sanctus’ coaches for a private, virtual session. 

Why did I decide to launch this at Genflow? 

When I was growing up, I always knew a job was a job. No matter how you feel during it, or how you feel after it, it was always a ‘well, this is a job, doesn’t matter how I feel mentally about the way I’m working or responding to work’ feeling. It’s how I showed up when I was working for other people.

When I started my own company, I realised the importance of feeling good when working. I realised that, as the CEO of Genflow, I need to have more emphasis on how we work and how all the employees feel after they switch off.

It wasn’t easy for me to accept and change the way I naturally responded to the ‘working hard’ culture. A year ago, I was managing 20-30 people, and today it’s 80-something. In the past year, there have been many moments when I’ve doubted myself. I’ve told myself, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing’; ‘I don’t know how to do my job’; ‘everyone probably thinks I’m s*^t’; and so forth. 

But then I realised that it’s okay to think like that, and it’s okay to speak to others and be honest about it. I’ve chatted with many people on my team about the struggles and insecurities I personally have, and you know what, it’s completely normal.

I’m very excited to announce our new partnership with Sanctus -- a company that makes it easy for all employees to talk to a professional about their mental health. 

I feel very passionately about building an anti-burnout culture at Genflow. We will still work hard and give it our all to build the brands and entrepreneurs we are working with, but we need to walk away from it feeling rejuvenated, rather than exhausted.

Sanctus gives employees an opportunity to speak to an outsider and candidly talking about how they feel. And this is not just about work. It could be about other things that are affecting your day-to-day.

At Genflow, I want it to be a norm and part of our culture, where we accept everyone’s personal lives and how they are feeling, and base what we can achieve considering all circumstances.

Personally, there are times when my own ability to not execute brings me down and I’m learning how to go through those ups and downs. If I wake up and I’m overwhelmed by all the unread messages and daily to-dos, I need to know how to work better and manage my tasks.

I was speaking to Chris, our Chairman, he said you just need to embrace it. It’s really normal to feel overwhelmed, overworked, tired, creatively exhausted, and all the feelings, especially when you have new things coming your way, and this is where Sanctus comes in.

I’m really excited for this opportunity for my entire team, and for myself too. I’ve never spoken to a professional like this, so this is new territory for me and I’m looking forward to using this service.