Ngozi Ezike (Host): Hello, everyone. I'm Dr. Ngozi Ezike, and thank you so much for tuning in to another episode of More Than Medicine. This month is Mental Health Awareness Month, which brings awareness to the importance of mental health and wellness in Americans' lives. Today, I'm so honored to be joined by a very special guest who advocates for all topics surrounding mental health and wellness, who previously played eight seasons in the NFL and now is the founder and CEO at Alkeme, a mental health platform serving Black and underserved communities. Please, please, please join me in welcoming Ryan Mundy. Thank you so much for joining me.

Ryan Mundy, Founder and CEO Alkeme Health: Thank you for having me. I'm really excited to be here with you.

Host: Yes, yes. So first I just want to kick it off by, you know, we always like to know a little bit about our guests. I know you don't need much of an introduction, but, a little bit about how you got started in your career. You went from a student athlete at the University of Michigan to playing eight seasons in the NFL, and now you're the founder and CEO of this mental health and wellness platform. Take us through your journey and how we got here.

Ryan Mundy, Founder and CEO Alkeme Health: Yeah, those are some pretty big leaps, aren't they? Going from like tackling people to entrepreneur, mental health champion. But I always count myself very, very blessed. And starting back with my foundation and my core, which is my family. I'm originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. You know, great, loving, supportive, strong, tight knit family is really still at the core of my DNA today. But ultimately, I think it is like one of the major keys to my success. My dad is very instrumental in my life, and I started playing football at the age of seven. And effectively, he navigated me to high school where I was an All American, tons of scholarships, so on and so forth.

And as you mentioned, went to the University of Michigan. I did my undergraduate studies there, and I played four seasons at Michigan, and believe it or not, we went to three Rose Bowls, which is like a really big deal, but we lost all three. And so, yeah, I'm 0 for 3 in Rose Bowls, so this year when Michigan won the Rose Bowl and ultimately the National Championship, it was a big redemption tour for me. I'm still really excited about that.

Host: Did you make it out there?

Ryan Mundy, Founder and CEO Alkeme Health: I did. I went to the Rose Bowl. I was like, man, I lost three Rose Bowls. I have to witness a win. I felt very good and confident about it. It was a big game versus Alabama. Uh, but I was like, we have to do this. And so I spent four years at Michigan, one year at West Virginia University.

And then in 2008, I got drafted back to my hometown team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. And that was quite the dream come true because I met, as I mentioned, I started playing football when I was seven. And, to go through the ups, downs, lefts, rights, and centers to accomplish my dream and do it in front of my family and friends was quite remarkable.

We won a Super Bowl that year and I played four subsequent seasons in Pittsburgh, one year in New York, and then two with the Chicago Bears. So that's how I ended up in Chicago. And so that's 24 years in total. Right. And at the age of 31, I had to figure out like, Hey, who is Ryan Mundy when he is no longer tackling somebody?

That was a big, daunting question for me to answer because my whole life and world had been built around sports, specifically football. And so at the age of 31, you know, I had to kind of redefine myself. And it was really in that moment where I had to pass the professional path and a personal path, the professional path, I leveraged the NFL and the network and all the things that it could do for me and my door opening perspective in, in business. And I started one company before this in the eco friendly category called Swizzle, which the core product was reusable straws.

But ultimately, what got me to like the mental health champion, starting a platform behind it was my own personal experience. During this whole time and when I retired in 2016, I was going through with anxiety, depression, identity issues. Just again, trying to figure out who and what I was when I was no longer tackling somebody.

And it was a really, really tough experience for me because I was looking for somebody who saw me beyond the past like, I'm a Black man in America, like, help me navigate that, husband, father, so on and so forth. Ultimately, I got the help and support that I needed, but I was seeing not only my experience, but the experience of my family where they were going through Type 2 diabetes, amputations, cardiovascular disease, heart attack, stroke, my grandfather passed away from Alzheimer's. So I was seeing my family get hit with all the chronic illnesses across the board. And through my experience and my family's experience uh, and our experience as a whole, as a Black community, where we are at an outsized risk for every chronic disease and illness in the book, I just started to say, like, hey who's doing something about this?

I'm going through what I'm going through. My family's going through what they're going through. I'm in this venture capital space where I see ideas get funded and coming to life on a daily basis, but I don't see anybody attacking the problem that I'm going through, my family's going through. And so in 2020, I got the gusto to start Alkeme and really with the focus on creating generational health for the Black community and grounding that in mental health with the core belief that a healthy life starts with a healthy mind.

Host: That's so awesome and so important. And I absolutely see the connection. You went from tackling people to tackling important issues. So we are grateful for you using your many talents. So I, I was a chemistry major. So when I saw the title, the name of your company, it looked to me like alchemy, which, as a chemistry person, that's related to chemistry. It's about the transformation process. I'm wondering if there's some connection to what you were thinking about. Tell me about the origin and the name of your company.

Ryan Mundy, Founder and CEO Alkeme Health: Yeah, so it's really kind of two fold. So one of my favorite books is The Alchemist and in this book the main character of the book, Santiago, goes on this journey. He has a vision, and then he goes on this journey in search of his, like, truth, fortune, whatever you want to call it. Discovering himself, right?

Going out into the world to do that. And ultimately his journey takes him right back to where he started, where he had that first initial dream. And for me, that was a metaphor to say, like, we can go out into the world and search for meaning, purpose, fortune all of those things, but the reality is, our true treasure lies within, and so like, looking within for everything that we need was really, really important for me, and that being about the journey, not necessarily the destination.

But to your point, also, alchemy is a science of transformation. And you know, I shared my experience, my family's experience, and our experience as a whole as a Black community, outsized risk. One, one could look at that and say like, that's lead. That's not a good state that our community is in from a health perspective.

And so Alkeme was created to transform and create generational health for the Black community and turning that lead, our current health state, into gold.

Host: That is awesome. And I love, we always hear people talking about generational wealth, but to talk about generational health, that is so next level. And I think that's exactly what we're trying to do here at Sinai, right? We are working in what many would term some of the most underserved, under resourced, let's say, under resourced communities.

And as a result, unfortunately, our zip code is determining how much life we get. How many years of life, the quality of life, and it shouldn't be. And so, Sinai here is working to see that everybody gets like their maximal health. And so when you're healthy, then the next generation can be healthy.

So I think we're working in the generational health space. I've just never used the term. So thank you. Thank you so much for that. So as you really started visioning, what you wanted this to be; you probably had some initial goals and then as life happens and as ideas happen, things transformed. How has, how has, it evolved?

Ryan Mundy, Founder and CEO Alkeme Health: Oh, where do I begin? I mean, being an entrepreneur, like you are, not only building the plane as it is on the runway, but while it's taking off and then somebody might have to throw you some parts, you know, it's just like this unbelievably trying and this journey of resilience. I hope I'm not framing that in a bad way because it is truly, you know, just again, about the journey and I've learned not only so much, I've learned so much about myself, right? And grown as an individual because of some of the things that you're talking about around like the changes, the pivots, so on and so forth. And so I would just say that it is, it started out, I started out with a core focus on content based wellness. That was our initial product.

How do we kind of inspire and have the conversation? And I was really focused on like brand and community. Because again, our target audience, the Black community, has been underserved, mistreated, so on and so forth for 400 plus years. So we got to come building relationship and trust. And that was really, and it still is really, really important to me.

And so we came to market with like content based wellness courses, workshops, meditations, breathwork exercises, really just kind of like look, feel, language, experience, and community. That was great and we built our community to over a hundred thousand community members, a thousand clinical professionals across this country, but the real, like, how do we catalyze and create generational health, it's connection to care, and really making sure that our folks get what they need from licensed clinical professionals.

And so that's the next phase in our journey, we're really, really excited about that.

Host: That's incredible. I mean, I know you have to be resilient as a player and it's always you actually learn more in those tough losses than you do in the wins. And so as you have gone through this, founder CEO journey, reiterate, right? You keep reiterating until, you know, you keep getting it right.

And so we all have to stay nimble to be able to make the changes that we need to make to get where we're supposed to go. I totally, it's so funny. I always use that analogy of literally building the plane while we were flying it when I refer to my experience and leadership around COVID because there was no, there was no blueprint, right?

So you're trying to come up with strategies and solutions and plans like that just don't exist. Like you're creating it out of the air and it was, it was tougher than anything I've probably ever been through, but I am so, I feel so resilient. Like, you can't tell me I can't do something now, right? So, it was tough, but.

Ryan Mundy, Founder and CEO Alkeme Health: But you made it through.

Host: That's right. And got those resiliency muscles to keep, keep taking on tough stuff. So, I'm feeling you in every, every, every way. You know, and I know you have this great, sports career and just personally, I'll let you know that I have a, I have a little hooper who is a, big time athlete and, you know, she's looking at Michigan as one of the top schools that wants her to come and play, you know, play ball.

So I'm really thinking about, it's stressful, like it is stressful, even just, even as a high school student, there's so much pressure, you move up and down in the rankings. And so people say, oh, you're not number one, you're now this. And what does that mean? And, these kids are younger, have had less experiences and they're trying to deal with stuff.

So everybody's health and wellness, can be wrapped up in, you know, who they think they are. Tell me a little bit from that athlete's perspective, why you think it's so specifically important for the athletes and how did your career really help solidify that?

Ryan Mundy, Founder and CEO Alkeme Health: I think sports and athletics is the ultimate environment for personal development. And this is a message that I'm actively working to convey to my children right now who are 12 and 9. The wins, the losses, the failures, the disappointments, the competition, just the energy that is teamwork, I mean, there's so much that happens within sports that you don't really

Host: It's life's lessons.

Ryan Mundy, Founder and CEO Alkeme Health: Life lessons and core values and characteristics and all of these things that are, again, I believe the ultimate environment for personal development. It is such, such, such a critical opportunity for young people to continue to participate in athletics at any given level, right?

And, and this is again, something that I'm talking to my daughters about, like, you don't have to want to be like necessarily the top dog competitive athlete, that's okay. If that's not where your skills align, so on and so forth, but just being out there, being active and engaging in developing those characteristics to the best of your ability is really, really important.

And that's where my experience, I really had to kind of sit down when I was making that transition out of the NFL into just, I guess, quote, like the real world.

Host: Regular life.

Ryan Mundy, Founder and CEO Alkeme Health: Uh, yeah, yeah. And you, and you said something that caught my ear earlier, like, who do you think you are? And a lot of times we think we are what we do, but we are not what we do. We are who we are. And Mike Tomlin, my head coach in Pittsburgh said when I was a rookie to, he addressed the whole class. He was like, football is not who you are. It's what you do. And that was like pretty profound. And through my experience, like ultimately I'm no longer a football player, that's what I did, but I'm still Ryan Mundy and who is Ryan Mundy at his core and, the things that I learned about myself and when I looked inside, I saw like discipline, grit, focus, determination, all the things that enabled me to play football and those personal development characteristics that I developed, I said, how do I repurpose those now?

 That's who I am, regardless of what I do, that's who I am. So I needed to find out like, where can Ryan Mundy 2.0 exist and exercise who he is. And I think sports again, is the ultimate opportunity, and breeding ground for you to learn about yourself, and, and personally develop.

Host: Yeah, it's those incredible characteristics that made you successful, you know, on the field that are going to make you successful in the next endeavors that you take on. So it's, it's definitely what's inside, you know?

Ryan Mundy, Founder and CEO Alkeme Health: Yeah for sure. Yep.

Host: It's so

Ryan Mundy, Founder and CEO Alkeme Health: But so many times we attach ourselves to what's external. And all those things are fleeting, they come, they go, but you are always with yourself.

Host: That's right. That's right. So is there a moment because I know it takes a lot of, grit, bravery, leadership to say, like, this is a real issue. Mental health is a thing. I even, could see that I could use help, in my mental health. Was there a moment where you just said, I need to share this? I need to use my voice and I need to use my platform to talk about this issue and use this to, to help others.

Ryan Mundy, Founder and CEO Alkeme Health: Yeah, I, you know, I've always kind of operated with the mindset of to whom much is given, much is required. I got a big heart. I know I'm capable of a lot and I want to, you know, ultimately leave the world in a better place than I found it. And I believe like I'm capable of making a impact on that. And so, that's like who I am at my core and one of my core tenets and what I believe in and that exercise itself; even during my playing days I was a big player safety advocate. I was a, uh, player rep for our union. So, like, this notion of leadership and kind of, like, stepping up to the forefront for issues that are important was on my radar at a really young age.

But ultimately, you know, again, going back to sports and some of the things that it teaches, it teaches you how to fail and just kind of put yourself out there. At the NFL, at the collegiate level, I played in a front of hundreds of thousands of people, and not every play was a good play.

And so like you learn how to just put yourself out there and, be a voice, use your platform and you're comfortable around people. Big opportunities, big environments, and really just kind of navigating the unknown ultimately.

Host: That's right. I mean, you have to obviously step up in the big moments, but you also have to give yourself grace that nobody's going to succeed 100 percent of the time. You're not going to win every game. You're not going to be able to tackle every person, you know? So that's part of the life journey, right? To be able to understand that there are successes and failures, but the main thing is that you're learning from each one. And no matter how many times you fall down, as long as you get up one more time, then you're still in the game, right?

Ryan Mundy, Founder and CEO Alkeme Health: Yep. Yep. Still, stay in the fight.

Host: That's wonderful. So as I think about your platform, is there a way that you can work with healthcare institutions like Sinai, Chicago? Because we are again, that health system that serves, communities that are typically under resourced and we are facing many health disparities and we have probably a long way to go in terms of really taking advantage or seeking the mental health resources that, that might be necessary for us to live that, that fullest, most optimized life.

Ryan Mundy, Founder and CEO Alkeme Health: Yeah, for sure. I mean, immediate opportunities really kind of show up as I mentioned, in content based wellness with that, we specifically thought about the accessibility issues, or really just like meeting people where they are from a content standpoint, saying like all right, I feel like I'm off. I don't know what's kind of going on. Going to see a therapist is a huge jump for a lot of people. And there's a lot of access barriers that prevent people from even making that leap, even if they want to. And so we really started out with like this content based wellness and where I'm going with it is just like the scalability and accessibility standpoint of it. So partnering with like health systems like Sinai, is a great way in which we've been doing where we just provide subscriptions or work out an opportunity to provide subscriptions to the consumer or the community base for folks who want to like engage in content based wellness designed for the Black and underserved community.

So that would be like one immediate way for us to think about opportunities. And then also in addition to that, we do live events, we do community events, like that's what I was talking about a little bit earlier. We do a really good job of getting people together and warming them up to the idea of a healthy life starts with a healthy mind.

And a lot of times people just need that gentle nudge to start building that momentum and taking the proper steps that they need for themselves.

Host: We've got lots of community spaces here.

Ryan Mundy, Founder and CEO Alkeme Health: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah we show up in a great way for that, but also tactically as it relates to like delivering care, we're launching our new product, a new line of business, as I mentioned, connecting people to care.

And we're starting here in Illinois and in Chicago and it's really, you can think about it as we're aggregating a network of the best, brightest, and hopefully the largest community of Black and minority providers online. And so starting out with accessibility, a lot of people from our community, say like, if I'm going to do this, I want to go and speak with a Black therapist. Trying to find a Black therapist, especially one who accepts insurance and has availability is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

And that's the problem that we're really attacking and ultimately working with health systems, in other communities to really like provide that access and make providers, shorten that gap between like patient and provider and get them connected to care faster is a great opportunity for us as well.

Host: Yeah, I love that there's so many different things that are offered because, of course, you know, I was so excited to talk to you today, and so I was reading up all on you, and I saw all these, interviews you had done, and one thing that you said, you said a lot of great things, but one thing that was so profound was talking about how, in terms of just reading content and being able to benefit from that, you said, "Things can be therapeutic that aren't necessarily therapy." You know, and so different people are going to jive and connect with different things.

Like you said, everybody might not be ready immediately to sit down and talk with that stranger. It does help when somebody looks like you and understands, I think another term that I heard for the first time is, culturally intelligent care where people understand your experience.

So I think that helps. But you know, until you get there, you know, maybe there's some other things that you can do that could also maybe help bridge you until you can get there, or maybe that will be helpful in itself. So I think you're providing a lot of options to people as wherever they are in their journey in terms of, you know, getting some kind of support.

Ryan Mundy, Founder and CEO Alkeme Health: Thank you. Yeah, you really hit the nail on the head. Like our, one of our internal taglines is our goal is to meet you where you are and help you to get to wherever you want to go. We're all on different spots of the spectrum and I may need something different than the next person needs, so on and so forth, but our goal under the banner of like, hey, we're here to create generational health for Black and underserved communities, that's a lot of ground to cover, but ultimately it's like, well, if we don't do it, then, we're looking at a world in which, you know, we're not necessarily living up to our full potential.

Host: So you have started this incredibly needed and necessary platform. Can you tell me, like, what maybe has been your proudest moment so far? I'm sure there's a bunch of wins that you're excited about. Is there a specific moment that stands out that you're like, yes, this is why I had to do this?

Ryan Mundy, Founder and CEO Alkeme Health: I mean, there's so many. I think, I'll maybe just share like quickly two or three that aren't necessarily long stories, but just like they support and reinforce the why. And so the first and foremost is every day I go and check out our comments and I see our members and community members. Thank you so much. I'm so glad I found this. I mean, the list goes on and on and on and on and on. That is, that warms my heart every time when I see that on the platform. This is so helpful. Thank you. Much needed. It goes so far. The second is our ability to connect with like providers and the respect that we have for clinical professionals.

I am not a clinical professional, but we work very closely with clinical professionals and just the respect and partnership and collaboration from folks who have committed their lives or livelihood to like this profession and caring for the culture and the community showing and saying like, Hey, you guys are doing a good job or like using our product to edify themselves, or sharing our product with their own patients. I mean, the list and joining our community, like having that relationship and partnership with clinical professionals is really important to me and, and having their respect, um, to this point in our journey has been fantastic. And then I would say the last one um, you know, we're a venture backed company and, there's, you know, a storyline and a narrative about Black founders being underfunded, so on and so forth.

And, we are in that community of Black founders and we have been able to raise funds, to support this mission and opportunity. And I don't take that lightly. Uh, you know, people are providing resources so that I can go out into the world and create generational health for the Black community.

And not many people can attest to that because of how hard it is to raise capital as a Black founder. And so I am extremely thankful and proud, and I think that would be, three of many of my tops. But those are the first three that come to mind.

Host: No, those are awesome. And I'm so grateful because I know there's lots of money that's always flowing to help solve big problems, and you are leveraging that capital and those dollars to solve some of our community's problems. And we're so grateful for you stepping up, and it's not an easy journey as you've learned, but it is so worth it.

So I am so grateful that you've lent your talent and your treasure and your time to this important issue. You know, as we think about what is really holding us back from achieving an equitable health care system; what do you think are the main barriers holding us back in mental health?

Obviously, it's like you mentioned, not having enough providers that are culturally intelligent, having the resources to fund these important programs. You're helping solve some of that. Is there anything else that we need to be working on?

Ryan Mundy, Founder and CEO Alkeme Health: No, I think that's, those are two really big ones in and of themselves. And, and the first one around lack of providers, that's like a grassroots thing that needs to start in schools. There's a lot of different things that kind of need to get that wheel turning. I will say I do think, and this is how I think about Alkeme too, like when we talk about resources, like we need to. We need to make sure that people look at Black health and Black opportunities in general as like real business opportunities. And because the reality is folks do not look at them. They look at us as like charity cases or just not real market opportunities or quote too small or whatever that, and they go overlooked and under resourced.

And so, I'm really focused and I think there's a huge opportunity. We're starting to see Black founders, quote, win, right, from a business perspective. And I think that type of validity that we can start to put on the table and those wins that we can start to get, will be extremely important moving forward.

So like validity from a business standpoint, to start to attract resources to our categories, uh, I think is really important. But then also too, I think that trickles down into some of the conversation around providers, because a lot of providers are leaving this space. And so, like, how do you make being a therapist an attractive profession from a financial and life standpoint?

I think that's something that, uh, I think about a lot and hopefully we'll be able to support our therapists. I mean, that's our aim, to support our therapists financially and from a lifestyle perspective on our platform as well.

Host: No, that's incredible. I mean, you are, breaking down so many important barriers, as an entrepreneur who's shedding light on the issue of capital investment for Black projects and, and reminding people, yes, there's money to be made, you know, too. Like, I love that. We're not just looking for the leftovers, like this is a great opportunity for everyone.

So, thank you for that. I want to also give a shout out to our mutual friend who made this connection possible, J. Todd Phillips. So shout out to J. Todd. I'm so grateful that he brought you to our podcast. And I just really want to thank you for, you know, sharing, your leadership and your talents, not just on the field, but, in the community and in the business world and in the entrepreneurial world and in the mental health space. Thank you so much for stepping up and being a leader.

I'm grateful that you joined us here today. I've so enjoyed getting to talk to you and hearing your story and I'm really grateful for the tireless work in advocating for mental health services. Our country needs it now more than ever, and I want to thank you also for your time as a Chicago Bear, and, uh, I hope you can continue to inspire more athletes that, you know, life after sports has endless possibilities.

And it's what is inside that made you successful on the field is also going to make you successful in the life after sports. So your voice, your platform are everything and you're inspiring me and inspiring so many. So the biggest of thanks I offer to you.

Ryan Mundy, Founder and CEO Alkeme Health: Well, thank you so much again for having me on your platform, and thank you for doing the work as well. I'm sure that your times, especially during the pandemic, weren't easy at all. And the reality is, we all have a role to play, and I'm thankful for the role you've been playing and will continue to play, so thank you.

thank you.

Host: Thanks so much. And I know you have those two little girls and I read that you meditate with them. I know that's an important piece that kind of helps me stay grounded, meditation and prayer. And I know that's one of the things that are very therapeutic and help us maintain our, maintain my mental health, at least for sure.

So, thank you so much and I look forward to meeting you in person and convening some of these community education sessions here at Sinai because we would love to be a part of the great work that you're doing more directly.

Ryan Mundy, Founder and CEO Alkeme Health: Likewise, I'm excited about following up and exploring collaborative opportunities. Thank you again for having me on your podcast.

Host: Alright, take care.

Ryan Mundy, Founder and CEO Alkeme Health: Alright, you too. Bye bye.