Sholder

Sholder is a mental well-being service built around 50-minute, one-to-one, confidential sessions with a "Sholder" — a term the company defines as a shortened form of "Spaceholder," meaning a person trained to help someone process emotions, evolve perspectives and access their own insight. The company positions the offering as distinct from both counseling and coaching: providers do not give advice, push performance, diagnose, or track personal details, and the company states explicitly that it is not a medical provider and directs users in crisis to professional or emergency services. Sholder acknowledges the role of licensed clinicians for medical need while arguing that most people navigating ordinary life difficulties do not require a clinical level of care.

Providers are trained in a defined set of core skills: active, deep listening; powerful reflective questions; somatic inquiry; compassionate curiosity; and purposeful empowerment. The company describes itself as a community of social researchers, clinical scientists, caregivers and humanitarians, and frames its approach around stated values of staying curious, knowing oneself, being empowered, connecting intentionally and letting love win. Its public materials cite Harvard Medical School global health professor Dr. Vikram Patel's position that community members can be trained as effective mental health providers, alongside quotations from Pema Chodron and Fred Rogers.

Alongside individual sessions, Sholder sells to employers as a workplace benefit intended to help employees in high-stress industries manage burnout and build resilience, with multiple pricing plans, concierge or self-guided matching, and impact measurement. It also recruits and trains providers, and reserves a portion of training seats for organizational leaders and managers seeking the skills for their own teams.

Business model

Sholder operates a two-sided service: it trains community members as providers through a paid-entry pathway and sells sessions to individuals, to employers as an employee benefit, and through benefits brokers. Providers earn $30 per qualified 50-minute session; employer plans are offered at multiple price points with matching and impact measurement included.

Revenue comes from paid one-to-one sessions purchased by individuals and from employer/benefit-plan contracts sold directly or via benefits brokers, with multiple pricing plans available. The company also runs Sholder Foundations Workshops for prospective providers and organizational leaders.

Traction

The website states that Sholder serves employees from client organizations and publishes first-person testimonials from session participants spanning a wide age range, as well as from trained providers. Specific user, provider or revenue counts are not disclosed publicly.

Latest developments

In May 2025, co-founder and CEO Rett Kearbey took part in a panel on mental health and the startup journey at Boulder Startup Week in Boulder, Colorado. The company continues to run provider training workshops, promote introductory session offers, and market to employers and benefits brokers.