See all episodes

Asking for help

feat. Javier Suarez, Co-founder & CEO at Oliva

In this episode...

Oliva's Co-founder Javi opens up about the dark place he found himself in while leading his previous company, and how this experience led to the birth of Oliva. It's been a rollercoaster ride at times for Javi—from starting a hotdog stand as a kid, to experiencing hyper-growth at his startup Travelperk, to founding Oliva.

From the outside looking in, he was realising his ambitions. But privately, he was battling anxiety, imposter syndrome, and isolation. As the pressure and rewards mounted, his mental health was silently deteriorating. Then on a Saturday afternoon trip to a beach bar, he finally realised he needed help.

Listen for an insightful chat about accepting the importance of mental health, the difficulties people face when trying to get therapy, and Javi’s realisation that he could make a positive difference in the lives of others—himself and his family first.

About the guest

Previously leading innovation at Booking.com, Javi decided to take on the travel industry by founding the business startup TravelPerk. Over five years, he built the company from three people in a single room to 300+ employees with thousands of organisations as customers. His proudest achievement is somehow managing to build a family at the same time.

About Oliva

Oliva is the UK & Europe's #1 rated employee mental wellbeing benefit.

We help companies respond to the pivotal moments that impact mental wellbeing at work and beyond—driving employee retention and exceptional effort.

We do this by:

  • Empowering individuals to take control of their mental wellbeing
  • Developing manager emotional intelligence
  • Helping HR teams create org-wide psychological safety