I met Doug Colbeth back in, oh, well, before the web, before the Internet, before social media—it was when cell phones were really large, didn’t have screens, and they were actually primarily phones. Doug was my boss at a little tech startup that was a University of Illinois spinoff. The company was based in Champaign, Illinois, and Doug drove down each week from his home in Naperville to spend part of the week at the office, working from home the rest of the time.
We were maybe 10 people back then, and we all worked a lot of hours trying to figure out how to make the company survive, and eventually to thrive. By 1997, when I left the company, Spyglass was a publicly traded company employing hundreds of people. It was an incredible ride, and lucrative in every sense of the word. I can say that the most valuable, most lasting thing about that time for me is my friendship with Doug.
Doug is like one of those teachers you remember your entire life—the ones that unlock something in you, open up worlds. Over the decades we’ve stayed in touch. He eventually took the reins at another software company in Canada—that company, too, went public.
He’s still doing the entrepreneur thing, this time in the service of bringing people out of the dark when it comes to mental health. For Doug and his wife Margey, mental health is personal, and they’ve put their money and their blood, sweat, and tears behind helping. Years ago, they founded the Colbeth Clinic at the University of Illinois-Chicago’s Institute for Juvenile Research. The clinic provides treatment to kids who otherwise could not afford psychiatric care.
Visit MedCircle and play the video to let Doug tell you about MedCircle.
After he retired, Doug had a couple shoulders surgically replaced, had his back tuned up, and got back to work. The result is a novel startup company called MedCircle. MedCircle produces videos of interviews with some of the best mental health professionals in the country. The videos are not intended as treatment, but as education, and a safe, secure way for people to learn about the most prevalent disorders—and how to address them.
I think anyone who has dealt with things like depression, bipolar disorder, or other mental health issues (or is close to someone who has) understands the chasm one faces when it comes to getting treatment. Where to start? The web? It’s easy to self-diagnose (incorrectly) and difficult to find the right therapist or psychiatrist. Not everyone is comfortable asking friends and family for therapist recommendations, and the truth is, it’s a matchmaking process—your friend’s provider might be great, just not for you. How do you even know what you need?
MedCircle’s mission is to help people cross that chasm. To give people a comfortable, private way to better understand mental health disorders, to understand how they can be treated, to get a sense of different therapists’ styles—in general, to destigmatize mental health issues and equip people to deal with them.
Debunking depression, with Dr. Sue Varma.
MedCircle produces in-depth series on topics like depression—over the course of several interviews, nationally renowned clinicians provide a thorough education. (Here’s one on understanding the difference between dementia and Alzheimer’s.) The first part of each series is absolutely free, and you don’t even have to provide an email address. If you decide to subscribe, you get access to all episodes of every series—and eventually, to participate in online Q&A sessions given by featured providers.
I’ve watched a lot of these sessions—I can tell you, they’re good. They can help one understand disorders, get ideas about what to do, and get a sense of what style of therapist might fit. More than that, they’re fundamentally hopeful. Even if you never subscribe and watch only the first episodes, they’re valuable. And there’s a weekly news digest.
Full disclosure: I do some work for MedCircle, and I do have an interest in its success. It is a for-profit business, not a charity.
All that said, MedCircle embodies my friends Doug and Margey’s spirits: You can do good while doing well. I hope you’ll check it out.
Just think about it, he was working from home back in the day before the internet, while in 2019 some companies are still hesitant to allow their workers to work from home, even a day a week, and contribute to a healthier work-life balance. ‘How would I know if they are really working?” said a friend of mine who opposes the idea. “If you don’t trust the people you hire, why hire them?” was my answer. I checked MedCircle and will share it with my FB tribe. I know many of them would appreciate. I also appreciate the principle of “do good while doing well”. Thanks for this post, Mike!
Ahh Mike, thinking that ‘I know it all’ after taking care of a husband with Alzheimers for more than 10 years I debated watching the video….but I did. And I thank you, as you never know it all. I’ll certainly give MedCircle a try, it’s only a matter of time! Yes, time.
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