SOMETHING THAT MAKES ME LAUGH: Reality TV. IF I WERE STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND AND COULD TAKE 3 THINGS: SPF, Mustard, King size mattress. HOBBIES: Hiking.
Kyle Robertson
Building the self up to draw others to you
BREAKING THE STIGMA. For Kyle Robertson, co-founding Cerebral, a company that provides mental health through tele-medicine, stemmed from his personal experience with mental health issues. Kyle battled depression and anxiety for many years. He struggled with the stigma of seeking help for mental health, despite both his parents being mental health clinicians. “I didn’t feel comfortable admitting to myself that I was depressed, let alone externalizing that by seeking care,” he says.
And when he did try to access care, the mental health system worked against him. He recalled having to wait over two months to get an initial visit with a psychiatrist, and then the only available hours of a therapist conflicted with his work schedule.
Later, Kyle thought about his experience and why it needed to be that laborious. “I was fortunate enough to be able to move beyond the stigma, and was inspired to help others do the same,” he says.
When he launched Cerebral in January 2020, he had plenty of anxiety and uncertainty about getting the product right. Worries about acquiring clients, cost of operations, getting the product fit right all weighed on him during his journey. “That’s inherent to building any company from scratch, though. You can’t run A/B tests unless you start with A.” One has to lean in and put something out there, rather than stay stuck at the starting line, he says.
DRAWING THE RIGHT PEOPLE TO YOU. “Who you are and what your networks are can help you in ways you don’t expect,” Kyle says.
“Building a company is like dating. If you try too hard to woo someone while not working on yourself, it won’t work out,” Kyle says. By putting his mission to promote mental health at the forefront, he believes that he has attracted like-minded people.
In Media:
- Fox Business Radio: Telemedicine for mental health
