Headspace CEO on the use of AI in tackling burnout
Business Daily
BBC
4.4 • 816 Ratings
🗓️ 7 April 2026
⏱️ 18 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Headspace started life as a mindfulness app. Now it's partnering with the US Navy and investing in artificial intelligence for mental health support.
The company's CEO Tom Pickett speaks to us about therapy, the increasing role of technology, and tackling burnout at scale.
If you'd like to get in touch with the team, our email address is businessdaily@bbc.co.uk
Presented and produced by Leanna Byrne
Business Daily is the home of in-depth audio journalism devoted to the world of money and work. From small startup stories to big corporate takeovers, global economic shifts to trends in technology, we look at the key figures, ideas and events shaping business.
Each episode is a 17-minute, daily deep dive into a single topic, featuring expert analysis and the people at the heart of the story.
Recent episodes explore the weight-loss drug revolution, the growth in AI, the cost of living, the economic impact of the war in the Middle East, and why bond markets are so powerful.
We also feature in-depth interviews with company founders and some of the world's most prominent CEOs. These include Google's Sundar Pichai, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, and the CEO of Canva, Melanie Perkins.
(Picture: CEO of Headspace, Tom Pickett. Credit: Headspace)
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:09.0 | Hi, I'm Leanna Byrne and this is Business Daily from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:14.0 | This is where we take an in-depth look at the global forces of money and work shaping our world. |
| 0:21.7 | Anxiety, burnout and stress now costs the global economy billions. |
| 0:26.8 | And the apps we use to manage them are evolving into something much bigger than digital self-help. |
| 0:32.7 | If you think about what health plans pay for, it's therapy. |
| 0:36.2 | The reality is there aren't enough therapists, |
| 0:38.7 | and it's not actually the tool that is necessary in all cases. |
| 0:43.8 | Today we hear from the chief executive of Headspace, Tom Pickett, |
| 0:47.8 | about artificial intelligence, access, |
| 0:49.9 | and how mental health is rapidly scaling. |
| 0:54.8 | Now, let's take a deep breath. |
| 0:58.6 | Because the first few months of the year can be tough. |
| 1:02.1 | If you're in the northern hemisphere, you don't get much sunlight. |
| 1:05.1 | There's a lot of pressure to reinvent yourself. |
| 1:07.9 | It can be overwhelming. |
| 1:09.5 | It's also a time when many of us aren't feeling ourselves. |
| 1:13.0 | Maybe you want to work on your mental health. Well, like most things, there's an app for that, |
| 1:18.1 | several apps, actually. These mental health and wellness smartphone applications emerged in the |
| 1:23.4 | early 2010s, with meditation titles like Headspace and then CAM, launching two years later. |
| 1:30.4 | Today, Headspace works with the US Navy to offer mental health support, things like meditation, |
| 1:35.9 | coaching and AI tools to active duty sailors and their families all outside the chain of command. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.