Life Recovery Program (LRP): Helping Organizations & Clients Grow Inward Strong – Innovation Guelph
Meeting with Paul Radkowski, CEO/Clinical Director and speaker is like being lovingly embraced by a tornado of compassion. His desire to share knowledge is evident in his energy. His genuine commitment to helping people build their inner strength is evident in his warmth and dedication. “I help clients remove the boulders and noise, and I’m blessed to witness their growth,” he said.
Life Recovery Program has been working with Innovation Guelph to scale the business through IG’s Fuel Injection and Fast Lane programs.
“We wouldn’t have made it this far without Innovation Guelph,” Radkowski said.
Life Recovery Program
Life Recovery Program provides comprehensive, evidence-based support by cutting through mental health stigma with immediate and ongoing accessibility. Their innovation is providing comprehensive care and addressing the impact for others 24/7. Radkowski explains the company is on the frontline, online, with their on-demand coaching platform that includes self-directed videos, tools and techniques and more, addressing mental and behavioural health. “We are your personal, portable wellness coach,” he said.
LRP is reaching organizations and people and addressing employer challenges like absenteeism and presenteeism (employees physically at work but productivity diminished due to stress or other conditions). When organizations put their people first, they prosper. Life Recovery Program is providing quality, consistent, comprehensive care at their clients’ fingertips.
Differentiators
How does Life Recovery Program compare to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)? Radkowski explained, EAPs are great if people are willing to use them but fear of their employer finding out still causes stigma. Companies are reporting that on average, only about five per cent of employees access EAP services. Of those five per cent, about two-thirds are women. However, companies who access Life Recovery Program are seeing a utilization rate of over 25 per cent for their self-directed, comprehensive resources.
Life Recovery’s differentiators include:
[*Co-occurring illnesses is sometimes also referred to as comorbidity, when two or more mental health issues are experienced at one time such as addiction and depression. Some treatment options treat conditions one at-a-time or separately while others consider and treat all presenting conditions simultaneously.]
Multi morbidity treatment is key for LRP. “We address self-esteem, anger, stress, grief etc. We really get the whole picture and we’ve seen great outcomes,” Radkowski said, adding “CAMH has included LRP in their textbook in a chapter called “Digital Future” as an example of an effective self-directed online program (see links below). We are transforming lives and families and helping people be inward strong.”
Stigma and Mental Health
When Paul started Life Recovery Program 12 years ago with his partner, the perception of mental health was different. He said people seemed to adopt an attitude that mental health issues were happening in the distance, to others, not ourselves. There was even more stigma around founders/entrepreneurs who feel like they can’t show weakness – they can’t let their competitors, funders or team know they are struggling.
As an entrepreneur and mental health care provider, Paul says he is careful to ensure his own mental health stays intact through controlled emotional engagement – trying to keep his life in balance and being resilient to emotional contagion. He works hard to try to maintain a balance and fill his resources – it’s better to meditate than medicate, he said. In fact, he is careful to recognize signals by checking in with his body and relying on things like meditation, journaling, piano, and martial arts to strengthen himself.
“It’s how I reduce the noise and tune into myself,” he said.
Let there be Peace
Recently, Paul was contacted via LinkedIn and asked to submit supportive evidence for the International Peace Awards for his mission in pursuit of peace. Of 700 nominees, Paul made it to the top 100 and is very appreciative. “Peace starts within,” he said.
Looking Ahead
Now, with social media, comes an elevated anxiety provoked by social comparison and it’s even more important to build resilience and be inward strong to be your healthiest. Paul is looking to share Life Recovery Program’s scalable solution and expand its reach. In fact, Paul says LRP has been ‘getting more love in the US’ recently and he is exploring opportunities for growth there. He is also in talks to partner with one of the largest medical testing labs in Canada.