What does it take to lead a meditation company without finding a moment’s peace? David Ko spent years as CEO of Calm, one of the world’s most recognized mental health and wellness apps, helping millions manage stress. Now he’s stepping down. Ko unpacks why he made the call, what the relentless pressure of the C-suite really does to a person, and how to draw the line between the kind of stress that sharpens you and the kind that quietly breaks you down.
This is an abridged transcript of an interview from Rapid Response, hosted by the former editor-in-chief of Fast Company Bob Safian. From the team behind the Masters of Scale podcast, Rapid Response features candid conversations with today’s top business leaders navigating real-time challenges. Subscribe to Rapid Response wherever you get your podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode.
So you’ve just announced you’ve stepped down as CEO. You’re becoming a senior adviser to the board. I have to say, I was surprised by this turn of events. How did this come about?
I’m glad we’re starting with this.
Going right at the elephant in the room.
Bob, thank you for the question. I made the decision to leave because, as I took a step back, I saw that Calm is a brand today that, for those who don’t know, has had more than 180 million downloads of the product and is growing in more than 190 countries and seven different languages. We’ve really made strides in health outcomes. That’s where we’re going with Calm Health.
But at the same time, what’s become abundantly clear to me is that we’re in the midst of something so much bigger. It’s bigger because what we’re finding is that everything is much more interconnected than it was before. What I mean by that is there’s a reliance on employers, payers, providers, apps like ourselves, other apps being developed at lightning speed with AI, and real policy at both the federal and state level. So it’s really not just about one individual or one company. It’s more about how you create a movement.
