In addition to their Netflix and Spotify money, Harry and Meghan will have another income source in the form of a job that the self-exiled Duke of Sussex has just taken with the San Francisco-based startup BetterUp.
Prince Harry has just been named the Chief Impact Officer of BetterUp, a mental health startup that was founded in 2013. CEO Alexi Robichaux announced the hire in a blog post Tuesday morning, saying that in the new role "Prince Harry will expand on the work he’s been doing for years, as he educates and inspires our community and champions the importance of focusing on preventative mental fitness and human potential worldwide."
Robichaux adds, "We are energized by his model of inspiration and impact through action."
In their efforts to become financially independent from the British royal family, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex inked content deals with both Netflix and Spotify in recent months, but this new startup job means that Harry will be entering the actual workforce (I guess?) for the first time.
In a statement, Prince Harry says that he was helped, himself, by a coach he was assigned through BetterUp, and that he found that he and Robichaux share a common philosophy about mental health and resilience: "we must proactively take care of our minds."
"I firmly believe that focusing on and prioritising our mental fitness unlocks potential and opportunity that we never knew we had inside of us," he writes. "As the Royal Marine Commandos say, ‘It’s a state of mind.’ We all have it in us."
Harry also says that "our entire Archewell team" — referring to the foundation and production company that he and Meghan started last year — has been using the services provided by BetterUp.
BetterUp's mission has to do with mental wellness programs that often have a professional or career bent — incorporating behavioral science, coaching, and therapy techniques for the betterment of professional teams, as well as individuals seeking better mental health.
Mental health played a central role in the widely watched conversation between Oprah Winfrey and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex earlier this month. Meghan said that the royal family and the machine behind the palace ignored her needs and cries for help as she was transitioning into her role in the family, and that despite having thoughts of suicide she was told that she could not seek professional health for PR reasons.
Harry spoke of not wanting to see "history repeat itself," referring to the struggles his mother, Princess Diana, had as a member of the family and a public figure.
"Self-optimisation is not about fixing something that’s broken," Harry writes. "It’s about becoming the best version of ourselves, with whatever life throws at us."
You can expect for this company to get a whole lot more publicity out of this, and for Harry, perhaps, to get spotted dining in San Francisco with colleagues once restaurants reopen more fully and people are doing business dinners again.
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