Alex Naoumidis is the CEO of Mindset Health, a startup he founded with his brother Chris in Melbourne Australia. It now has 2 apps on the market: Mindset (for mental health) and Nerva (for irritable bowel syndrome, which is often triggered by stress and anxiety), but its ambitions are much higher.

Mindset Health is a company brand with the vision of managing multiple products addressing chronic conditions with app-based hypnotherapy. Since it’s inception in 2018, Mindset has been building a loyal following of fans, like yours truly, has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Tech Crunch, and other news outlets, interested in their digital health innovation and hypnotherapy programs. It has also attracted the interest of investors: In May this year, the startup announced it had raised $1.1 million in funding from investors across the U.S. and Australia.

The first half of our conversation was about the startup world: how Alex landed in the world of innovation and entrepreneurialism, about working in startups and building a team of diverse professionals. Then we focused on wellbeing in 2020, what/how and if COVID has influenced Mindset’s next steps and growth, and what Alex can tell us to help us perform at our best during the lockdown. 

This episode was the first-ever episode of The Job Hunting Podcast recorded LIVE with an audience. It was one of four special episodes designed to be part of the Victorian 2020 Digital Innovation Festival, or #DIF2020. DIF is an initiative of the Department of Jobs, Precincts, and Regions. In Melbourne, we are very proud of our innovation precincts, especially when it comes to health innovation. And Mindset is on a league of its own. 

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Timestamps to guide your listening:

• 07:54 – Alex tells us how he became a start-up entrepreneur.
• 12:36 – His strengths as a leader and as a professional to pursue a career as an entrepreneur.
• 14.38 – How has it changed having people working with and for him.
• 16:15 – How Alex chooses people to work with him.
• 18:09 – The differences in leadership styles: Alex and his brother and Co-Founder Chris.
• 18:57 – People coming from traditional sectors to work for start-ups.
• 22:18 – How is a hypnotherapy app perceived in Australia?
• 24:20 – Statistics of places in the world with most downloads of Mindset App.
• 25:11 – How hypnotherapy by app works?
• 27:18 – Has the pandemic changed the future plans for Mindset Health and digital health in general?
• 30:20 – Mindset growth plans.
• 33:13 – Tips for job hunters who are feeling very anxious about how to manage their mental health.
• 37:49 – How Mindset Health apps work and what is the most popular program?
• 38:50 – What’s next for Mindset Health?
• 41:30 – Where Alex’ sees himself 20 years from now.
• 42:35 – Is it viable to be based in Australia with the kind of start-up business they created?

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Episode 11 - What to Invest in on Job Hunting: Options for 3 Different Budgets
• The Mindset Health website
• The Nerva App website 
• New Your Times article
• Yahoo News article

About the host, Renata Bernarde

Hello, I'm Renata Bernarde, the Host of The Job Hunting Podcast. I'm also an executive coach, job-hunting expert, and career strategist. I teach corporate, non-profit, and public professionals the steps and frameworks to help them find great jobs, change, and advance their careers with confidence and less stress. 

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