We’re in this together.
Hang on Health
Hang on Health is a Nashville, TN nonprofit that empowers entrepreneurs with mental resilience. By supporting entrepreneurs with mental wellness resources such as education, community and coaching, they are emboldened to achieve peak performance both personally and professionally.
Secondly, HOH supports entrepreneurs in fostering a workplace culture that prioritizes mental health. When companies focus on their employees’ mental well-being, they’ll yield better work attitudes, enhanced productivity, and greater tenacity in how employees tackle and overcome challenges.
With a healthy entrepreneur and a strong workforce, companies are destined for success.
Meet Tina
Founder & Executive Director
3x Founder, Growth Exec, & Speaker
2021 - started battling suicidal depression & anxiety
2022 - diagnosed with Bipolar II Disorder
2023 - continued to battle depression & anxiety
2024 - still figuring it all out
Triggers: Loss of identity, grief, insecurity, guilt, shame
Fourteen years after Tina Stoyka graduated from college in Philadelphia, her life took a dramatic turn. From the moment she landed her first job at 22 in Washington, DC, her professional journey was a source of immense pride. Tina threw herself into her work, consistently giving more than 200%, always pushing herself to outperform her peers. Her determination and laser-sharp focus paid off, and by the time she was 28, she had earned the title of vice president and equity partner at a thriving multi-million-dollar government affairs firm in the nation's capital. Along the way, she also held Director roles on two nonprofit boards, contributing her expertise and passion.
In 2017, Tina pursued a new dream—launching a country music venue in DC, a venture she poured her heart into. (Company #1) However, in 2020, that dream came crashing down. As luck would have it, it was also the time she had decided to leave her government affairs firm. Undeterred,Tina pressed on and in August 2020 she launched company #2, 615innovations LLC, in Nashville, where she had moved in 2017.
Like all entrepreneurs, Tina faced challenges. In August 2021, a year after starting 615innovations, the company hit a devastating low. As she navigated the emotional rollercoaster, she went through the stages of grief, eventually finding herself in the grip of suicidal depression. A year later, her struggles led to a diagnosis of Bipolar II Disorder.
Despite everything, and because of everything, Tina found the silver lining and realized a new purpose: to support other entrepreneurs in managing their mental health and to ensure that no business owner ever feels the way she has —and sometimes still does. (Company #3)
If you’re wondering where Tina’s drive comes from, it was inspired by her upbringing. As the only child of Donna and Jerry, who now reside in Virginia, she saw firsthand the power of hard work and determination. Her parents ran a successful insurance appraisal business in New Jersey for over 20 years. Donna also founded a boutique for girls’ clothing. Even in retirement, Jerry couldn’t stay away from entrepreneurship—he launched a second appraisal company and, at 75, started a lawn-mowing business, handling both commercial and residential properties. Mow Pro is still going today!
Today, Tina is happily married to her husband Chris, whose unwavering patience and support carried her through the most challenging years. Chris is also a 2x founder and entrepreneur, and they live with their fur baby Brooks in Nashville.
“Finding the silver lining is the key to my resilience.”
Hang on Health
Mission
Empowering entrepreneurs to achieve peak performance with mental resilience.
Vision
A world where entrepreneurs can build successful companies with the most important tool they need: a healthy mind.
Values
We Are All Human Honesty Vulnerability Courage Communication Fun
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Want to hear something fun?
The name Hang on Health was inspired by sloths! Yes, the animals that live in tropical rainforests and spend most of their time hanging in tree canpoies. Sloths and entrepreneurs have more in common than you think! Here’s why we’re called Hang on Health.
Sloths hunker down when it rains. - Entrepreneurs hunker down A LOT. We hunker down when we’re hard at work and we keep to ourselves when we’re depressed or feel ashamed.
Sloths can obtain an almost 360° view of their surroundings, which proves to be a highly beneficial defense mechanism - Our head always feels like it's on a swivel, making sure we know what’s going on so we can control the situation.
The facial structure of a sloth gives the appearance that they are constantly smiling – even if they’re experiencing pain, stress, or anxiety. - Just like business owners, we never talk about what’s happening behind the scenes, the pain we’re constantly feeling. We portray that everything is great when it’s really not.
Research shows that sloths are frequently held by their claws or arms with no support, causing them to experience high levels of fear and stress.- How often do we feel like we have no support causing us massive fear and stress? Another place where we’re similar to these unique creatures.
Studies vary on how long sloths have existed. One study found they’ve been around for 32 million years while another goes up to 100 million years. If sloths can exist that long than so can the entrepreneur species.
