The Journey Ahead: Embracing Mental Health and Pioneering Solutions

After a summer sabbatical (and another cross-country road trip 🐾), I’m back behind the mic and ready to share some hard truths, hopeful progress, and behind-the-scenes updates from The Human-Canine Alliance.

In this episode, I talk about:

• Why stepping away doesn’t mean giving up—and why consistency looks different for every entrepreneur and advocate.
• The three major solutions the World Economic Forum identified for tackling the global mental health crisis—and how looming cuts will impact our daily lives here in the U.S.
• The latest peek behind the curtain of building The Human-Canine Alliance as a one-woman startup, with lessons from 15 episodes, 8 months of entrepreneurship, and organic growth in 16 countries.
• The incredible organizations fueling our mission—from Social Prescribing USA to Sengo, IFundWomen, and Verizon’s Small Business Digital Ready platform.

If you care about mental health, community, and the life-changing impact of dogs, this podcast is for you. We’re building a movement at the intersection of human wellbeing and canine companionship—and every episode is an invitation to learn, join, and grow with us.

👉 Don’t just stop here—go back and check out [Episode 14] for the full breakdown of mental health system risks, or our conversation with world-renowned dog trainer Barb De Groodt in [Episode 12]. And stay tuned for my upcoming interview with Dr. Robert Zarr of Parks Rx America this fall.

The Human-Canine Alliance isn’t just a podcast. It’s a community, a mission, and a call to action. Let’s build it together.

Resources referenced:

Mental Health Spending (Global) – Think Global Health (thinkglobalhealth.org); McKinsey (mckinsey.com)

HRSA Behavioral Health Workforce Projections to 2030 – hrsa.gov

Social Prescribing USA – socialprescribingusa.com

Faces of Entrepreneurship: Ila Corcoran, Sengo – bysengo.com

IFundWomen platform overview – ifundwomen.com

Verizon Small Business Digital Ready details – digitalready.verizonwireless.com

Global Mental Health Workforce – lyrahealth.com

From The Heart Dog Training in Salinas, California

Chapters

• 0:24 Addressing the Hiatus
• 1:48 Mental Health Crisis Insights
• 7:13 Podcast Progress and Updates
• 10:21 Lessons from Solo-Preneur
• 14:43 Valuable Resources for Entrepreneurs
• 18:00 Conclusion and Next Steps

Transcript

Here's a tip. Nothing happens overnight. Taking a day, a week off, or even a month away from something doesn't mean that I'm giving up on it. It just means that I had to prioritize something else in my life. 

Hey everyone. Welcome back to The Human-Canine Alliance podcast. I'm your host, Stacie. And let's address the elephant in the room, or should we call it a Great Dane?

Yes, there's been a hiatus. I'm gonna call it a summer sabbatical, you know, 'cause I can, it's my podcast.

I feel like I should share.

Well, we packed up again, took another cross country road trip, and this time we landed in upstate New York.

So I think at this point we're just gonna make it official. The Human-Canine Alliance is a fully remote company, and our headquarters, wherever the wifi is good, the coffee is strong, and the dogs are allowed.

And that said, here's a tip, I feel like I learned on the road.

Nothing happens overnight. Taking a day, a week off, or even a month away from something doesn't mean that I'm giving up on it.

It just means that for a moment, for a day, for a week, for a month, I had to prioritize something else in my life. It doesn't mean I can't come back to it, it doesn't mean it's not important to me. And that is something I really had to explain to myself over the last month. So I figured I'd share that here.

But now it is time to get back to it, and I am so excited to be back here with you, so let's just get into it.

Let's go guys. I'm excited.

I wanna start today by circling back and highlighting some important data. I touched on in episode 14. That episode was packed with info, and I just feel like it's so important that these specific points are, at the very least made clear.

I don't want this factual information that is going to affect our daily lives to get lost in the fact that I used the term big, beautiful bill and that might've turned some people off from even listening or even watching because they were like, oh God, another political podcast. It wasn't political. It's not political. I am not meant to be political.

All that episode explains is what we have now from a mental health solution standpoint in America, to what we likely will have in 10 years from now after all of those cuts have gone through.

But that said, if you don't wanna go back and listen to the entire before and after scenarios that I give you, I'm gonna highlight the best parts of it here. Now let's go.

In 2023, the World Economic Forum identified three major solutions for seriously tackling the global mental health crisis. And this is what they were.

Number one, integrate behavioral health into primary care.

Number two, harness the power of AI.

And number three, make workplace wellbeing a real priority, not a buzzword.

Why do they matter? Let's look at the reality that we're living in.

Mental health disorders make up 10% of the global disease burden, but less than 1% of the global health workforce is actually dedicated to mental health.

Governments spend only about 2% of their health budgets on mental health and in low and middle income countries is less than 1%.

In the US, nearly one in 10 ER visits are for mental health. The average wait to see a therapist? Two months.

Okay, and here's a kicker. The Health Resources and Services Administration says we could see a a 20% decline in the therapist workforce by 2030. That is millions of people left without care.

Okay, now I'm gonna insert a little bit of good news 'cause there always is, you know, a little bit of good news in there. So, a little bit of good news is, at least there is awareness. In 2025, 1 third of Americans made a resolution to prioritize mental health. And young adults are leading the way in normalizing therapy, mindfulness, and self-care. I highly believe that. I really do believe that.

But here's the thing, the systemic risks are so real and we're going to feel them in our everyday lives.

How? It's going to mean fewer crisis hotlines, fewer mobile response teams, more overcrowded ERs, and less funding for the very programs that embed behavioral health into primary care, which was literally the number one thing that the World Economic Forum said we need to do in order to combat mental health.

So yes, this is big picture, global scale stuff, but it is also every day see it in your own life stuff.

Because whether we are talking about the future of our healthcare system. Or the wellbeing of our friends or family members. We will see these ripple effects from these cuts in our everyday lives in America over the next 10 years and beyond.

intro to break

Okay. I know that might've been a little heavy coming in from a summer sabbatical, but I had to make sure I got my points across from episode 14. I was a little bit worried, I felt like they got a little cluttered, to be perfectly honest with you, and it was affecting my mental health.

All right. That said, we're gonna go into a quick commercial break.

I'm gonna fill you in on where The Human-Canine Alliance is in terms of a business standpoint, in terms of a growth standpoint, give you a status update.

I'll see you after the break. all right. Thanks so much for sticking around. I am Stacie and this is the Human Kingdom Alliance podcast, and it is time for a little peek behind the curtain with some numbers, some learnings, and how I do all of this as a one woman show. Let's dig in.

First, a quick scheduling note, my interview with Parks Rx America, founder and physician researcher and public health pediatrician, Dr. Robert Zarr, has been pushed to October. I was actually supposed to interview him this week and I was going to be releasing it in a few weeks, however, it is going to be in October, but it is worth the wait.

You wanna know something really cool? The reason it was pushed to October is because he got a grant for Parks Rx America, and I wanna just say Parks Rx America is a social prescription.

And he received a grant specifically for that program. So super exciting. Congratulations to him and we can't wait to have him on the podcast in October.

Okay, that said, let's move on to our progress.

So today you are listening to our 15th episode, which started in January 2025, this year, and so therefore, that is an average of two new episodes every month.

I still have the average, even with the sabbatical.

I have secured two guest interviews so far.

We had world renowned dog trainer, Barb De Groodt on the podcast back in May. If you haven't listened to that or watched that, go over to YouTube or just tune in where you're listening right now.

And as I just mentioned, Dr. Zarr, he's gonna be coming up soon. He's gonna be coming up in the fall.

We have listeners tuning in from 16 different countries and over a hundred US cities.

And my total social media following is officially over a thousand, which honestly, guys with absolutely no budget except my own, I don't have much of a budget for social media advertising.

So that is practically all organic. I'm kind of proud of that. I really am kind of proud of that.

Outside of the podcast, I've been deep in the other side of building The Human-Canine Alliance, so right now I am in the throes of setting up my fundraising campaign, but I've also been networking virtually.

I've also done a couple of in-person networking groups, but mostly virtually, soaking up as many free educational resources as I can find a lot of them coming from the organizations I'm gonna talk about in a little bit.

And keeping up with my social media schedule. I mean that my friends is not as easy as it looks. Okay, let me just say it that way.

And later in this episode, I'm gonna share some of the organizations that have seriously made it possible for me to juggle all of this as a solo entrepreneur.

I mean, I still have a job. I still have a life, outside of The Human-Canine Alliance. You know. The Human-Canine Alliance is my passion project. It is something that I can't let go of because I know too much at this point, but it is not my whole life and it does not pay me a dime right now. And therefore I have to take help where I can find it.

So I'll be talking about some of the organizations that have been helping me thrive in a little bit here.

But first, let's talk about some of the lessons that I've learned from my first eight months of solo entrepreneurship, my first 15 episodes of being a podcaster in the books.

So number one. Specific goals with timelines and deadlines are everything. They will make you or they will break you. Okay? If you have goals and you set timelines and deadlines, it is really hard not to meet them --if you are a goal driven person, obviously, right?

If you have goals that you do not attach timelines and deadlines to, it is really hard to meet those goals.

Okay. I have had to learn that so quickly, and that is something you would've thought I would've learned by now.

I have been in the professional field a very long time. I understand goals. I understand team goals.

I have never really fully comprehended the need so much as I have learned in the last eight months because in order to prioritize The Human-Canine Alliance in my life, I have to be very good with time management.

You're not gonna listen to my podcast if I do like once a year, right? Or if I do it once every six months, if I don't have consistent content, you're not gonna listen to it.

And I understand that. I'm not gonna listen to it if someone doesn't have consistent content. So my point is if I don't have consistency, i'm practically doing nothing, but at the same time, it's a lot of work to make it consistent.

So therefore, I have to have timelines, and I have to have deadlines. And if I don't have those in place, I do not meet those goals. So.

That is my little rant on goals, timelines, and deadlines. Why everyone needs to attach a timeline and a deadline if they wanna actually meet their goal. Okay. Moving on.

Oh, and just one little tip. Take big projects and break them into micro goals and micro deadlines.

Write them down, put 'em on a calendar, set reminders and go. Break it into as many micro goals as you need, every little tiny step counts, it will get you to your end goal.

Number two, use a checklist. But Here's a rule, if you don't finish every single task.

It's okay. Don't beat yourself up about it. 'cause what did I just get done saying? If you have goals with timelines and deadlines, you are gonna meet the goal. You might just have to push that timeline or that deadline by a day or by an hour or by a week, whatever it is. Or the point is it's still getting done, right?

It's not just fallen off your list because you didn't get it done on the day that you specifically said it was gonna get done. No, no. Celebrate the ones you did check off. Without the checklist, you might not have done any of 'em. Right? And the ones that are still there, they're gonna be there tomorrow.

Number three, don't over task yourself. This aligns perfectly with number two. How many of us get like so excited. We get so motivated to, you know, whatever it is, we're gonna plant a garden in our yard.

Well, next thing we know, we're like, you know what? I'm also gonna do, I'm gonna mow the lawn and I'm gonna weedwack, and I'm gonna shovel and I'm gonna, you know, you just, you start like adding all the things when all you really wanted to do was plant your garden, right?

And next thing you know, you've got a whole list going. So if you do that, it makes it really hard to complete all of your goals, or even the original goal in the first place. So don't over task yourself.

Life doesn't stop for your schedule. Be realistic about your time.

If you've got an hour, either bunch together some of your quick wins, or choose one project that needs extra love and just focus on that one.

And then you can check that off, right?

Finally, use AI. Oh my gosh, you guys. Seriously, we are so lucky we are living in the world of AI .Use it. I can't tell you how much faster, more efficient, and better produced my work is when I use it, but, okay, and this is a big but, AI is the assistant, not the brain.

You are the brain, okay? I always start with a creative dump of my own thoughts that I feed into the AI for context, like the clips I wanna highlight, the episode title and the platforms that the post will go on, and then that's how you get something that still sounds like you without having to do all the work.

Alright. Let's talk about some of the incredible organizations I have found over this past year as I've been building The Human-Canine Alliance. And I'm just gonna share a little bit about how valuable they are.

First up, Social Prescribing USA, they are leading the charge in the US for integrating avenues to link people to nonclinical supports like nature, arts, and volunteering, to improve overall wellbeing. They were founded in 2022 and ever since then they have been building a nationwide network. They've launched pilot programs in multiple states, and they've created communities where health professionals and advocates can actually work together.

The Human-Canine Alliance falls directly under this umbrella. So I went ahead and joined their nonclinical community of practice, and I'm super excited about the conversations that have started there. I don't really have anything to share just yet, but I know there will be, so stay tuned for that.

Next up there's Sengo, S-E-N-G-O.

It's a startup virtual community designed to connect entrepreneurs and investors. It was founded by Ila Corcoran, whose story, seriously, you guys is amazing. She's built multimillion dollar ventures from the ground up and Sengo is her way of breaking down barriers between visionaries and the resources that they need.

I'll admit, my start on Sengo was a little rocky, but now I have found a groove. There's one-on-one conversations, shared connections, and then actual meetups and true synergy virtual events, even some in-person meetups and Ila continues to line up the calendar. So, I highly recommend Sengo if you are an entrepreneur who is looking for a network of other entrepreneurs who are sharing information and learning from each other, but also are connected with investors and being connected with events that bring investors to the group, to the meeting. And, not only are they there to potentially be an investor in your company, but they're also there to teach you how to better present your company.

Another standout is IFundWomen, or IFW. IFundWomen is the platform that I am using to build my fundraising campaign through crowdfunding. And earlier this year, I took part in their eight part course on building the fundraising campaign through crowdfunding.

And I just feel like I learned so much from that course.

I feel very confident because they have helped me understand how to map out my campaign strategy, my timeline . And I mean, they really helped me break it down from a soft launch to a public launch to last call strategies.

And that's what I'm working on now. So this might not be surprising, but my next episode will be the fundraising campaign inside and out.

And speaking of resources, Verizon actually has a Small Business Digital Ready Platform, which has been a huge help. They offer free courses, mentorship, and many funding opportunities for small business owners. They can connect you with different grants and that sort of thing. It's like having a business coach, a marketing consultant, and a tech trainer all in one place, all online and mostly free. I mean, it's just a great resource. I highly recommend it.

 All right, friends, well, I am in fundraising campaign mode, so I need to jump off of here. Next time. I will be diving deep into the crowdfunding campaign , i'm gonna share the cool rewards that we're building for The Human-Canine Alliance, and any updates that come along the way.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, our YouTube. Follow us if you're not following us right now, from wherever you're listening.

Thank you so much for listening to The Human-Canine Alliance podcast. I am your host, Stacie. I hope you continue to listen. and watch.