144. An App to Improve Mental Health: Charlie Kratsch + Cadre's Luke Wendlandt:

Social media for good. That’s how Luke Wendlandt describes Cadre, an app that’s being marketed primarily to businesses as a stigma-free community for employees to address mental health concerns. More than 140 vetted professionals and peer experts hvae created content on Cadre, on any number of issues from anxiety to grief. Currently the app has about 5,000 users. Wendlandt has a big vision for Cadre to become an employee service as common as a 401k. He’s got a ways to go, but he does expect 2025 to be the year when mission meets margin, and Cadre reaches profitability. We introduce Wendlandt to an entrepreneur who believes the key to a building a successful business is surrounding yourself with people willing to take a critical look at your big idea. It’s Charlie Kratsch, the founder of Infinite Campus, an ed-tech platform used by 10 million K-12 students and their parents around the country for everything from seeing a student's grades to paying athletic fees. You can hear the full story of Infinite Campus on Episode 98 of By All Means. In this episode, Kratsch shares some personal experiences with mental health, and challenges Wendlandt with questions that could be the difference between Cadre being a passion project, and becoming a household name. In Office Hours with the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University, associate professor Corrie Gross talks about the mental health challenges students today. An environmental studies professor, she talks about the toll climate issues can take on young people today and how the classroom can be a safe space to discuss different viewpoints without judgement.