Shawn Achor (Website, Twitter) has built a successful career as an author and a happiness researcher. It’s a niche industry, but one that impacts every single person in the world. You might assume that someone who studies happiness would always be on the upswing, but for Shawn, his greatest findings — and what has helped him be successful as an author and advisor for businesses large and small — came from some of the toughest struggles of his life.

“When I got depressed at Harvard, the turning point was when I moved away from trying to solve this individually to opening up to my friends, my eight closest friends and family, and telling them, ‘I've been depressed for two years. I really need your help. I don't know if I can overcome this.’ The groundswell of support is amazing.”

Going through that experience colored how Shawn went about his work, built a business and created a career that was meaningful for him and all those who work with him.  

Learn more about The Journey at mission.org/thejourney.

The Journey is sponsored by our friends at Salesforce Essentials. We use Salesforce Essentials every day and it’s part of our own business journey. Essentials combines sales and service tools in a single app to help small businesses win customers and keep them happy. See how Salesforce Essentials can help you be your best business at salesforce.com/thejourney.