“The pain and suffering that come to us have a purpose in our lives – it is trying to teach us something.” – Peace Pilgrim, American Spiritual Leader.
Kevin Miller, an Award-winning, published global communications and healthcare executive with 25 years of business and market development experience always wanted to use his creativity and experience leading large complex global transactions and global teams to eventually create a profound impact on the way behavioural health is addressed in the U.S and abroad. His desire comes from a very personal and tragic experience when he witnessed his Best Friend lose her life at the hands of someone suffering from a Co-occurring disorder (Schizophrenia mixed with a cocaine addiction). Kevin stood helpless over the phone listening to her life aimlessly taken away, stabbed by someone who wouldn’t have done so if he had the proper access to treatment.
“Truth be told, I never really recovered from that, nor did I want to, because in pain you find purpose. I committed that day to never let her death be in vain. I could not save my friend but many lives could be saved by making sure people have the proper access to behavioral healthcare. She continues to inspire me in my audacious aspiration to prevent needless loss of life, by ensuring the best engagement and treatment models across the behavioral health community,” recalls a resolute Kevin.
And so here he is, as the current CEO of Revive BHM (Behavioural Health Management) owns and manages several behavioral health centers providing Mental Health Outpatient and Addiction Recovery services. Their MAT-based programs, coupled with innovative analytics to maximize community engagement have helped them save thousands of lives and help many others find hope and a second chance at life.
This has been the key for Kevin because after all of the large technology deals and innovative pursuits he has led, creating a total of over $1bn in new revenue from servicing brands such as NY Times, WPP, NY Daily News, The Associated Press, ABN Ambro, Christian Louboutin, NY Dept of Economics and Finance, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Eli Lilly, Boston Scientific and many more. 20-Awards later and thousands of lives saved, Kevin is still motivated more than ever to impact the global behavioral health system in a way that has not been seen.
Creating a Legacy
Kevin is passionate about leaving the world a better place than he found it. He wants to create a legacy that out-lives him and inspires others to be great and to be the best version of themselves. “I am where I am today because I was encouraged along the way by my family and friends.
Consequently, this has led me to owning Behavioral Health Centers designed to help people unlock their full potential,” he says.
Kevin’s tryst with the business world started early in the college dorm ways of Stony Brook University, where he started his very first business selling Ginseng energy supplements to fellow college students on campus. His business was wildly successful and eventually helped him pay his way through college and made him realize that he could think of an idea, actually write a business plan, without any training or experience, and execute it with great success. At 17, he
knew that with a campus of 10,000 students there had to be some unmet need that he could help solve. The success of this business inspired him to create another business while attending school at North Carolina A&T selling Mix Tapes and DVDs which also was the top-performing student-owned business on campus. Shortly thereafter, Kevin came back to NY and started his career in Technology, while starting a business with a good friend providing wireless, voice, and data products and services.
Kevin soon became a Global Technology Executive, leading complex global IT and Telecommunication deals with the likes of some of the largest and most well-known brands in the world. With each win, he continued to thrive for more, to have an even bigger impact. Shortly thereafter, he became a global innovator of sorts, winning The Innovation of the Year award from Johnson & Johnson for creating several joint innovations leveraging mobile technology that would eventually help the company save many lives around the world.
Currently, Kevin owns several behavioral health companies in the U.S. focused on Mental Health Wellness and addiction recovery. The opioid epidemic remains the worst drug-related epidemic in recent history and is the leading cause of death for individuals under the age of 50. His Behavioral Health practice has helped save hundreds of lives through Medicated Assisted Treatment and innovative technology to maximize community impact.
Overall, Kevin has graciously received over 20+ awards for innovation, leadership, character, and business results. This includes The Outstanding Leadership Award from Health 2.0 received last year, the Global Visionaries Award from Heath 2.0 in Dubai for all his innovative work across the globe, and most recently The Hall of Fame award from Passion Vista Magazine for his collective business results and achievements, followed by one of the most prestigious global awards available; The World Leaders Summit Award to be hosted at The House of Lords in London UK by The UK Parliament with members of The Royal Family expected to be in attendance. This Ceremony will feature the top 8-10 World Leaders in their respective fields to receive this honorable global recognition.
Facing the COVID Challenge
Covid was particularly tough on Kevin’s business like most companies, but his team took the opportunity to hit the reset button and restructure while creating new back-end management systems and greatly reduced costs by moving the business toward behavioral health license ownership versus joint venture partnerships in its previous form. The move will help the company maintain creative control, improve operating efficiencies, and accelerate revenue growth by leveraging reduced costs. They also added Telehealth to their portfolio of services allowing them to increase access to their behaviour health support specialists. “The key to success in any business is about maintaining your ability to adapt as the seasons change; after all this has been the story of our evolution,” says Kevin.
Facing Challenges with a Positive Mindset
Kevin’s life experience has taught him that life is what you make it and it starts with your worldview, your paradigm. He has learned that one can’t make the shot that they don’t take and that one cannot hit a target that they cannot see. It’s all about goal planning and follow-through fuelled by the ultimate passion. Therefore, Kevin feels it is essential that people follow their passion, and focus on what other people tell they are good at and what they love to do.
“I’ve had to fight really hard to achieve everything that I have and that fight begins with Faith. If you have no faith, you have no fuel. The greater the vision the greater your Faith must be to achieve your vision,” he says.
Kevin is inspired by several people, but at the very top of that list is his Parents. His parents moved to the United States from Jamaica with nothing in hand and worked hard to create a career. Kevin’s mother worked in Hospital Administration and became a top employee in her department while raising 3 kids. His father started as a maintenance worker quickly rising through the ranks and becoming The Manager of Buildings and Maintenance for his company.
Together it allowed the family to move from the Bronx, following the tragic loss of two uncles to gun violence, and into a safer environment in upstate NY. A move that became a pivotal moment in Kevin’s life because the environment is key.
Being an Inspirational Leader
To the aspiring and budding business people, Kevin’s 3-point advice is:
· Follow your Passion! Be authentic, don’t worry about how different you may be from your friends or others. Everyone must follow their own path based on what you love to do and what you are good at. The two must meet in order to achieve the greatness you seek. It isn’t enough to do something you love, but aren’t good at. You can love to sing, but you may be missing the voice needed to be successful. You must love to sing and be good at it for your career to go anywhere. This is the truth in all career paths.
· Change your paradigm, change your reality! How you see the world is everything. Do you see the glass half full or half empty? Your worldview will determine your attitude; therefore, it is always best to think positively. I have learned that no matter what happens, it is better to find the positive in all things. This is key because you cannot be the best version of yourself in a state of depression or riddled with anxiety. You must keep a clear mind by focusing on what you are grateful for every day.
· Nothing can happen without self-discipline! You must learn to be disciplined in order to achieve any level of success. The more you can train your mind and body to do the things you may not feel like doing, but do them anyway, the further you will go in life. Set goals, write them down, and focus on doing all that you must to execute these goals. Like a good basketball or football team, it’s all about momentum. The team that wins is the one with the most momentum. The same applies in business and your professional career.
Quote: “Leadership is one’s ability to be the beacon of light to those he or she is leading so they can clearly see the path and by seeing they should be evolving.”
Quote: “I believe that we all have that duty to ourselves and our community at large.
As such, this ideal has always been the cornerstone of my audacious pursuits and eventual achievements.”
Quote: “My greatest strength is my ability to communicate clearly and effectively, supported by very strong analytical skills and creativity.”
