IAM788- Founder Helps Bring Mentor Health to Businesses

Javier was born and raised in Mexico City and he started his career in the corporate world working for large multinationals. He then moved to the USA to get his MBA from UT Austin and decided to permanently move to Canada in 2005. Javier built a stable and happy life in Toronto until he turned 50. He then decided it was time to reinvent himself and fulfill a life-long dream of becoming an entrepreneur. In 2015 Javier partnered up with a Mental Health expert and they both founded The House of Purpose to help employees put their emotions to work.

• CEO Hack: I do exercise
• CEO Nugget: The concept of sunk cost; don't look at the cost you have put in, be willing to start all over if necessary
• CEO Defined: Being the one calling the shots

Website: http://www.thehouseofpurpose.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/houseofpurpose

Full Interview:

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Transcription:

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[00:00:02.20] – Intro 

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you’ve come to the right place, Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you’re in search of. This is the I am CEO podcast.

[00:00:29.69] – Gresham Harkless

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I Am CEO podcast, and I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Javier Santos of the House of Purpose. Javier, it's awesome to have you on the show.

[00:00:39.20] – Javier Santos

Thank you for having me. I'm really excited.

[00:00:41.60] – Gresham Harkless

No problem. Super excited to have you on. And before we jump in, I want to read a little bit more about Javier so you can hear about all the awesome things that he's doing. Javier was born and raised in Mexico City, and he started his career in the corporate world working for large multinationals. He then moved to the USA to get his MBA from UT Austin and decided and decidedly to permanently move to Canada in two thousand five. Javier built a stable and happy life in Toronto until he turned fifty. He then decided it was time to reinvent himself and fulfill a lifelong dream of becoming an entrepreneur. In twenty fifteen, Javier partnered up with a mental health expert, and they both founded the House of Purpose to help employees put their emotions to work. Javier, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

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[00:01:23.59] – Javier Santos

I've never been more ready.

[00:01:25.09] – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Let's do it, Dan. So, I wanted to kick everything off by we're winding the clock a little bit here. A little bit more on what I touched Sean, on how you got started. Could you take us through your CEO story? We'll let you get started with the business.

[00:01:36.40] – Javier Santos

Yes. So I, you know, I was working for corporate, and I always had this dream of starting my own business, but I never found something that really made me so passionate. You know? I try things like I think at one point, I wanted to start an ostrich farm, which I'm glad I didn't. But, it's when I met, Marco, who's, our chief clinical officer, that we started seeing that there was a big opportunity to bring the mental health world to business. And, I think part of how people understand things right now is that we are not, you know, separate smarts in terms of, IQ and EQ. So instead of thinking that you have both logical and emotional skills, it's more like we first feel and then we think. So what you feel is even more important than what you think.

[00:02:29.30] – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. That's extremely important.

[00:02:31.50] – Javier Santos

Yeah. So so we, looking at this space, we started seeing that, you know, the the issues had in the workplace were just getting worse in terms of what's, emotional. I'm talking about stress conflict and engagement. And there wasn't really a robust solution at the same time that we saw so many things coming out from affective neuroscience and cognitive neuroscience and psychology on how our brains and minds work. So things like, you know, how you are unable to be creative and resourceful when you're afraid were not well understood. So in the corporate world, it was like you had to be at your best performance ever, and if, god forbid, you were, you know, a slave to your feelings. And we just can't be like that. That's how, you know, machines work. We are always at the whim of our feelings. So acting is more like feeling so that you can think before you act. So we we started this company with that, you know, idea in mind, and, you know, we've developed a solution.

And now we have clients, and we're seeing how we're really helping people be happier and more productive. And it's just like COVID brought everything to disruption, but it just knocked down the walls of stigma for mental health at work. So now we we talk to our clients and they're you know, we don't have to convince them about how important emotions are. We just have we go directly into talking about how we're gonna help them. Right? The discussion on ROI is not even there anymore because what's the cost of not having something like this? So I'm talking about a company that we started for one environment, but that we really were creating for this new environment, unknowingly. Yeah. So I feel more than fortunate. I feel incredibly responsible for making this happen. Right? Now I have no excuse anymore to fake.

[00:04:19.00] – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Absolutely. Well, I definitely, you know, definitely appreciate you for following through and creating the business and doing all of the very much-needed work. And, obviously, if you were you had decided to do the ostrich, business, we would have an entirely different conversation. But I love, obviously, that you talked about, you know, working on this and how important it is. I think even when we first connected, I mentioned and talked about how I feel like I don't even know if there ever is enough kind of mention and information about the kind of human aspect of the business. And a lot of times, the stresses and then, obviously, we're all experiencing that stress and how to deal with that and what exactly that looks like. So I appreciate, you know, all the work that you're doing in helping out and empowering these businesses to be aware and responsible, related to their their their their own personal, kind of mental states, but also the people that they work with. So, I know you touched on it a little bit. Could you drill down a little bit deeper into how exactly you help to work with and support these organizations and the people within them?

[00:05:19.69] – Javier Santos

Yeah. So a couple of things that are important to understand is that if I try to teach you geography, I can just give you, you know, a book or a YouTube video. When we talk about emotional skills, when we talk about you learning how you are resilient or you discover how you are self-aware, these are things that we discover. We don't learn. Right? And it's a little bit goes a little bit like this. So I have an interaction, and then, go back and sit down and think about it and reflect on my experience doing this. And then I see what worked, what didn't, and I have to try again. It's a little bit like riding a bicycle. Right? So this is not the kind of thing that you can train or that you can help people learn in a webinar. This is something that requires a confidential, private place with someone who knows what he or she is doing for you to kinda go, how did that go, and why am I doing this, or what is it about my behavior? What does it say about me? And your mentor will help you discover all that so that you discover your needs.

So you say, oh, I think I have to be more empathic. And then you try different ways of being empathic, fail a few times, and then, you know, kinda go back and say, okay. Now I'm getting it. Right? So we go through a process where we engage with individuals for six to eight weeks. So that's the time it takes for someone to first, you know, trust in us. Right? Because you're not gonna trust just anyone. So we build that relationship over the first couple of sessions, and then, we go into, like, a more deep, discovery stage where people start seeing themselves in a different light. And then we go into okay. So let's try to move to a different place in terms of how can you be more resilient, how can you solve this conflict, or how can you self-motivate. Right? And now that we're all working from home, we're starting to see way more, opportunities to do this in terms of how to use self-management and workplace integration.

Right? If you're gonna work from home, now your office is your basement. Right? So how do you make sure you get up in the morning and, you know, brush your teeth and keep hydrated and do exercise? Right? Because not everyone has that, you know, self-discipline, if you will. How do you make sure you integrate your workplace even with your family so your kids know they cannot interrupt in the middle of the meeting unless something happens? Right? So what's that exception? These things that we've never done. You know? Things like ergonomics in your basement. You know? To relationships, to engagement, to just basically well-being. How can you prevent depression from set on, especially now? There's a cup a lot of things that we can do and, you that's one of the things I focus on right now is how do I avoid the pressure from setting in now that I don't have the gym and the yoga?

So, you know, we all went crazy for the, you know, homemade, home-baked bread, and things like that, which was good for an exception, but now this is here to stay. So how do I keep, you know, physically and mentally healthy lifestyle when I am basically my own boss for a cup for a lot of things? Right? For practical purposes in a lot of areas. Right? And how do I leave my company's culture when I don't even know anyone else or I don't go anywhere? So, you know, the challenge is even bigger. Right? Like, the ante has been up. So we need, to pay attention to these things and, you know, there are different ways of doing it. We like, our way. We think it works. Our clients are really happy.

The interesting thing is sometimes they cannot put it in words because I feel like what we're doing is so new. So people just refer to your sessions, right, or your coaching. And that's good for me as long as they recommend it. But it's, we sometimes feel that we're crazy, you know, and and and, you know, we started with a concept that people were scratching their heads like, can you tell me again what you do? So we spent a lot of time trying to, you know, put it in a in terms that we could sell it. But now the world has changed, and now we feel it's so it seems that we were, you know, working in the background for something like this because it fits so well. So I'm very excited. At the same time, I'm as afraid and anxious as everyone else in this world.

[00:09:27.29] – Gresham Harkless

I love how you described it. Like, obviously, you know, incredible work that you do, but you said that it's incredible responsibility as well because as you mentioned, like, all those different scenarios, and this is obviously been one of the more, you know, disruptive times, if not the most disruptive time. At least, it has definitely been for me because it hasn't affected, you know, this pocket of the globe or this state or this street or whatever. It's literally disrupted every single person in some form, shape, or fashion. And I think that having awareness when it's brought at the forefront or right into your front step of things like depression, of emotional intelligence, and understanding exactly what your emotions are and being in tune to all of those things.

And how these new scenarios of being able to work out where you're also working from a nine to five and then also potentially having to homeschool your children. All these different scenarios have disrupted everything. So I think I love the work that you do because so many times people put everything kind of in the back on the back burner. They don't really bring it to the forefront. They don't discuss it, but now is a time where you actually have to have these conversations because the, I guess, the mental state of us as individuals, but us as a society is, kind of hanging them in the balance of what we do and the decisions that we make on a day to day basis.

[00:10:35.10] – Javier Santos

Yeah. And as a business owner, sometimes I think the hardest thing to do when you're an innovator is to knock down the old guy. Right? Like, to become you always become sort of like a solution for something. So unless you're completely new, it's like you have to take away from somebody. And I think the world the way things are are going in the world, everything is changing. So we're gonna see entire companies and industries, go bankrupt.

[00:11:00.39] – Gresham Harkless

Mhmm.

[00:11:00.70] – Javier Santos

So I think there is an appetite for change. There's an appetite, especially in employees, for saying, like, okay. I don't wanna be a corporate slave anymore. How can I be, you know, productive and happy and healthy, without, and and have a good job and and a good career at the same time? And I think companies are saying, okay. Now the the game is changing, so no more revolving door of people changing jobs because that's not practical. If you lose your job, it's gonna be way much harder to get a new one.

So now you're gonna get stuck with the same people. Good. You know, the good ones are gonna stay. That's great. But the bad ones are the ones who need help because I don't think there are good and bad employees. I think there are just some people who need a little bit more support. Yeah. But now you can't just, keep playing the revolving door. Now you're gonna have to fix it and help them. And people wanna help, and they don't wanna have the same, you know, old habits. Right? And we're talking about, you know, from prejudice to being, overworked to the way you talk to your colleagues. Right?

[00:11:56.79] – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Absolutely. And so I wanted to ask you now for what I call your secret sauce. And this could be for yourself personally your organization, or your business, but what do you feel kinda sets you apart and makes you unique?

[00:12:06.89] – Javier Santos

I think that we're always thinking about how can we make this better. And if if there is something I've done not exactly right as an entrepreneur I've overdone it a little bit too much. Right? Because I'm always trying to make it better and better. And at some point, you have to think, well, am I gonna charge for the extra thousand? Is this adding, you know, value to the invoice, not just to, you know, what I do? And it's a balance because I wanna give my clients the best I can, but, oh, I have to make money and I forget that.

[00:12:35.89] – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. I would absolutely agree. So I wanted to switch gears a little bit, and I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be like an Apple book or a habit that you have, but what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

[00:12:46.29] – Javier Santos

Exercise. I do many things, but I would say if I had to pick one, it just makes wonders to the mind. Not only the body but to my mind.

[00:12:56.50] – Gresham Harkless

I wanted to ask you now for what I call a CEO nugget, and this could be a word of wisdom or a piece of advice. It might be something you would tell a client. Or if you hopped into a time machine, you might tell your younger business self.

[00:13:06.70] – Javier Santos

When I was in business school, I learned the concept of sunk costs. And there was even an I don't know if you ever heard it, but it's, it's a finance concept that you should not look at a project in terms of what you already put in it. It's all forward-looking. Right? So if you're building a house, it's not how close you are to termination. It's always about how much more money I need to finish it, and what am I gonna get for that. So if you start building the wrong house, at some point, it's better to start over. Right? And that's a really important concept to keep in mind when you're pivoting and when you're innovating because it's very easy to say, but I've been doing this for so long. Yeah. But that's not what the future is. So, you know, you have to be willing to start over if that's what your business needs.

[00:13:53.60] – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. So now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different quote-unquote CEOs on this show. So Javier, what does being a CEO mean to you?

[00:14:03.39] – Javier Santos

I think being a CEO is extremely lonely because it's important to listen to everyone, but this is where the box stops. Right? You can ask many people. Everyone or most people has something to offer, but at the end of the day, you have to make the call. So I think it has this double edge of, you know, you are the one who calls the shot.

[00:14:25.10] – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Well, I appreciate that, definition, that perspective. I appreciate your time even more. What I wanted to do is pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional you can let our readers and listeners know and, of course, how best they can get a hold of you and find out about all the awesome things you're working on.

[00:14:38.89] – Javier Santos

Well, I think that we all need to think differently in terms of, we need to build a better world, and this is the time to do it. And, it's only gonna happen if we do it. If not, we're gonna get shoved them or, you know, we're gonna get the old thing back again. So there is an election coming. There is a lot of business in bankruptcy. There is a lot of, you know, flukes in the system. So this is the time to start new things. So to everyone out there who has the entrepreneurial bug, go for it. You know, partner up with someone. This is the time to start. And, you know, it's not an easy journey, but, I would not I never looked back. Like and I've had hard moments, very hard moments, but it's totally worth it. And I think everyone should, you know, give it a try, especially if you're thinking about it because the world needs it more than ever.

[00:15:30.89] – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Absolutely. And I appreciate that. And Javier, people that wanna get a hold of you, what's the best way for them to do that?

[00:15:35.79] – Javier Santos

So the house of purpose dot com, you know, that's where we have our website. That's, you know, everything that we do is there. We also have a Twitter account, House of Purpose, and we're also on LinkedIn. So, check us out, and you can contact us there and, you know, just be happy.

[00:15:53.70] – Gresham Harkless

Absolutely. And we will definitely have those links and information in the show notes, but I appreciate that kinda last reminder as well too because so many times I say, like, the entrepreneur and, again, the CEO as we all can definitely be, sometimes just like an artist. And so many times, if you want to see the world in a different way, you have to kinda paint the picture. You have to kinda do the work. And I think it's on us as individuals, as leaders, as, people of and within society to do that and to take the steps to do that. So I appreciate that charge. I appreciate that reminder and, of course, your time, and I hope you have a great

[00:16:22.29] – Outro

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at IAMCEO.CO. I am CEO is not just a phrase, it’s a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and everywhere you listen to podcasts. Subscribe and leave us a five-star rating. Grab CEO gear a www.CEOgear.co This has been the I AM CEO podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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