Prince Harry got another job, as we discussed yesterday. He has taken the position of Chief Impact Officer for Better Up, a billion-dollar Silicon Valley outfit focused on life-coaching and mental health, with a focus on corporate accessibility. Harry told the Wall Street Journal that he has the Better Up app and he’s used the services and found them helpful. Better Up’s CEO Alexi Robinchaux “wouldn’t reveal the specifics of what the royal will do for the company nor how much he’s being compensated” but the CEO said Harry will have “a meaningful and meaty role.” Harry is “expected to have a say on product strategy decisions and charitable contributions” and he plans to be on hand for meetings in San Francisco and “be a special guest at events,” which sounds like a natural fit for a charismatic people-person royal prince. Harry also wrote a blog post for Better Up’s site called “Why I’m Joining BetterUp.” Some highlights from the post:

First of all, I am really excited to be joining the BetterUp team and community! Thanks for having me. I firmly believe that focusing on and prioritising our mental fitness unlocks potential and opportunity that we never knew we had inside of us. As the Royal Marine Commandos say, ‘It’s a state of mind.’ We all have it in us.

Being attuned with your mind, and having a support structure around you, are critical to finding your own version of peak performance. What I’ve learned in my own life is the power of transforming pain into purpose. During my decade in the military, I learned that we don’t just need to build physical resilience, but also mental resilience. And in the years since, my understanding of what resilience means — and how we can build it — has been shaped by the thousands of people and experts I’ve been fortunate to meet and learn from.

I’ve personally found working with a BetterUp coach to be invaluable. I was matched with a truly awesome coach who has given me sound advice and a fresh perspective. And because we believe in strengthening our own mental fitness, our entire Archewell team also has access to BetterUp coaching. As BetterUp’s first Chief Impact Officer, my goal is to lift up critical dialogues around mental health, build supportive and compassionate communities, and foster an environment for honest and vulnerable conversations. And my hope is to help people develop their inner strength, resilience, and confidence.

[From Better Up blog]

The rest of the piece is Harry setting out his own goals for the company and it definitely feels a bit heavy on the self-help/self-actualization buzzwords, but so be it. That’s who Harry is and that’s who Meghan is too. I felt Harry leaning heavily into his military background as well, and it struck me that even without the royal title, many of these billion-dollar companies would probably love to have a charismatic veteran (who served in war) in their corporate ranks, plus Harry’s invaluable background as a public figure ensures that he will be very good at the glad-handing, customer-facing and investor-facing part of the job.

Meanwhile, Salty White Folk Isle’s favorite news outlet, the Daily Mail, made this story their top story online for many hours. Their headline: “Harry gets a real job: Duke to become ‘Chief Impact Officer’ for $1.73billion San Francisco-based mental health coaching start-up Better Up that works with US giants from Hilton to Chevron.” The Mail’s “PR guru” Mark Bukowski claims that Harry is likely being paid a six or seven-figure salary, probably with benefits and all kinds of bonus structures too. Bukowski got salty about all of it:

‘He’s got this woke job title of Chief Impact Officer and today’s announcement has done just that for the company, had a huge impact. This announcement is worth millions to this startup in free publicity and if he’s done a good deal with a salary as well as shares in the business, it will probably make millions for Harry too. He could never have done this deal if he was still a working member of the Royal Family. They’ve announced the job just after the Oprah interview, amid an outpouring of support for the couple in the US. They’re on a crest of a wave there. If the company is as good as Harry says, it is a smart move. But if it’s a pile of poop, he won’t have too many more chances to cash in. If people weren’t clear on Harry and Meghan’s business strategy, they should be now.’

[From The Daily Mail]

“But if it’s a pile of poop, he won’t have too many more chances to cash in.” Harry and Meghan are laughing as they sit atop a pile of money from Netflix, Spotify and now Better Up. They can literally go anywhere and do anything.

The use of the word ‘real’ may pain the royal relatives Harry’s left behind https://t.co/uHKlkLXYta

— Peter Hunt (@_PeterHunt) March 23, 2021

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, WENN.