'It takes a lot of strength to ask for help': A conversation about mental health and the military

The pandemic sparked many changes in how we live and work, and among them is how we now center mental health and wellbeing in our lives.  Mastercard's own Future of Work initiatives support the ways people show up as their authentic selves, with the flexibility and understanding to do what's best for their wellbeing. 

On the latest episode of "Inside the Circles," Mastercard's podcast about the future of work and the topics of now, host Latoya Bennett-Johnson chats with Schawn Branch, a lead program manager in our Data & Services business and a co-lead for our SALUTE Business Resource Group for veterans, about what can often be a drastic transition for former military members. 

A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point who joined Mastercard after a 28-year career in U.S. Army, Branch is passionate about helping those serving find opportunities for employment after leaving the military. He was hired following a 12-week corporate fellowship with the Hiring Our Heroes program that gave him the opportunity work at Mastercard while still enlisted.

The conversation about mental health in the military has evolved significantly, Branch says, from being something not discussed to now being talked about openly. "It takes a lot of strength to ask for help," he says.