Selena Gomez, Mandy Teefey And Daniella Pierson On Their New Mental Fitness Platform, Wondermind

Wondermind is a brand new firm getting down to create a world the place caring on your psychological well being is “democratized and destigmatized.” Its three cofounders are Selena Gomez (singer, actress, producer, and philanthropist), Mandy Teefey (Founder & CEO of Kicked to the Curb Productions, mom of Selena Gomez) and Daniella Pierson (Founder & CEO of The Newsette).

In November, I wrote about why psychological health is extra vital than resilience.

I obtained to sit down down with two of the three cofounders to debate Wondermind, why they selected to make use of the language of psychological health, and what we are able to anticipate subsequent.

Julia Wuench: Why use the language of psychological health versus psychological well being or resilience?

Daniella Pierson: We use the time period “psychological health” as a result of it feels extra approachable and fewer intimidating than “psychological well being,” and it additionally describes our philosophy: we imagine it’s best to work in your psychological wellbeing each single day, identical to you maintain your physique. And Wondermind makes that simple, accessible, and entertaining.

Wuench: In your opinion, what makes any individual mentally match?

Pierson: In our Wondermind world, being “mentally match” means working in your psychological well being each single day. There may be not a common threshold. Everybody heals and grows at their very own pace—what issues most is placing within the time and committing a couple of minutes each single day to mirror in your emotions, develop your mindset, and study from others.

Wuench: Why does the world want this and also you to steer it?

Mandy Teefey: Social media that was created to attach individuals has disconnected individuals. Now we have misplaced group. The three [founders] have struggled with psychological well being points for almost all of our lives. However, we won’t be main this on our personal. Our group continues to be rising. We’re studying with our group, not preaching to them. We can have professionals guiding our content material and helping us in creating tangible instruments for our customers.

Pierson: The world wants an ecosystem devoted to normalizing working in your thoughts and stifling the stigma that stops so many (together with myself beforehand) from getting the skilled assist they want. For therefore lengthy speaking about your psychological well being struggles was perceived as “weak” or “embarrassing” however we’re right here to vary the dialog and flip the script—individuals have to really feel protected, excited, and hopeful, which is the setting we’re constructing. So far as why we’re the appropriate individuals to do that, that’s easy: all three of us have suffered from the debilitating results of psychological sickness and know firsthand how our Wondermind customers really feel, as a result of we’ve lived via it (and proceed to take care of it). Moreover, I really like that we’re all from three completely different generations—I’m Gen Z, Selena’s a millennial, and Mandy is Gen X—as a result of it represents who we’re concentrating on: everybody. Psychological well being doesn’t discriminate in opposition to age, race, gender, or socioeconomic standing, and we’re excited to be inclusive to all.

Wuench: What experiences have the founders had that led to the inception of Wondermind?

Teefey: My psychological well being situations have been misdiagnosed once I was youthful. After a 20-year wrestle, I went to a psychological well being facility and located a supportive group. I used to be in a position to heal. I used to be appropriately re-diagnosed with consideration deficit hyperactivity dysfunction (ADHD). However once I got here residence from the ability, it was a lot more durable to seek out protected areas to speak about psychological well being.

Pierson:  I noticed one thing was mistaken with me once I was six years previous and I couldn’t sleep as a result of there was black tape on one aspect of my cover mattress and never on the opposite—they weren’t even. From there I might annoy my household with rituals, together with having to shut doorways a sure variety of instances, wanting underneath the mattress till it “felt proper,” and bolting to doorways or cupboards that weren’t solely shut to shut them. I didn’t notice what this was till freshman 12 months of highschool once I took a well being class the place we lined psychological well being problems, the place I lastly found the three letters I had been trying to find: OCD. It obtained worse, however I didn’t obtain assist till seven years later, as a senior in faculty. Now, 5 years later, my life has fully modified because of the in depth remedy, drugs, and help I’ve been fortunate sufficient to obtain. However not everyone seems to be as fortunate as I’m to have entry to those three issues—in order that’s why I made a decision, regardless of already being extremely busy with my different enterprise, that I had to assist make Wondermind a actuality.

Wuench: What do you hope Wondermind turns into?

Teefey: I hope Wondermind turns into the protected house I had the privilege of experiencing on the psychological well being facility. I hope it turns into the start of a world of acceptance about caring for our psychological well being.

Pierson: I hope Wondermind turns into the world’s largest psychological health ecosystem through our three verticals—manufacturing, media, and product—and encourages tens of millions to get skilled assist and deal with their psychological health simply as vital as they deal with bodily health.

Wuench: How can individuals study extra and become involved?

Teefey: We shall be launching content material to start with of 2022, however to get on our mailing record to obtain our updates you’ll be able to go to our web site www.wondermind.com or @officialwondermind on all social platforms, besides Twitter @OfficialWmind!

About Wondermind

Wondermind is a multimedia firm and psychological well being ecosystem created by entrepreneurs Selena Gomez, Mandy Teefey and Daniella Pierson, that democratizes and destigmatizes psychological well being via an approachable, 360-degree method. The multifaceted model will function a content material hub and each day e-newsletter; a weekly podcast that includes inspiring conversations with noteworthy company; and a line of merchandise to assist customers on their psychological health journeys.

About Selena Gomez

Selena Gomez is among the most globally and culturally celebrated artist, actor, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist of her technology. Philanthropy and activism have been key pillars of Gomez’s profession and he or she has used her platform to advocate for a lot of vital causes. Gomez has raised tens of millions of {dollars} for charities together with World Citizen, The Lupus Alliance, and Step Up. She additionally established the Selena Gomez Fund for Lupus Analysis on the USC Keck Faculty of Drugs and labored together with her model companions to lift cash for the fund. Gomez is an outspoken proponent of many social points and is unafraid to query the established order. Selena works intently with the Middle for Countering Digital Hate, which seeks to finish harmful misinformation on-line. Michelle Obama requested Gomez to affix her non-partisan group When We All Vote as a co-chair. Gomez has additionally collaborated with Vice President Kamala Harris, Stacey Abrams, Surgeon Normal Vivek Murthy and different world leaders. 

About Mandy Teefey

Mandy Teefey is a co-founder and co-CEO of Wondermind, in addition to the founder and CEO of Kicked to the Curb Productions, the place she has developed award profitable and nominated content material. Drunk with ardour and fueled by drive, Mandy will use this to anchor Wondermind deeply within the story as a result of she really understands the worth and starvation for inclusive content material, and the necessity to change the narrative on how psychological well being is portrayed. Mandy is finest recognized for her work on the hit Netflix present, 13 Causes Why. She is a Patron of Ladies in Movie and is a member of the Producers Guild of America. Mandy’s philanthropic endeavors embody Alliance for Kids’s Rights, mentoring youth and Psychological Well being rights. She is a nationwide organ donation reform advocate and has been working with bipartisan Congressional leaders to deal with pressing racial justice points to assist extra sufferers obtain life saving transplants. In her down time, Mandy enjoys scavenger hunts, spending time with household, going glamping and being an arm sofa detective!

About Daniella Pierson 

Daniella Pierson is the 26-year-old co-founder and co-CEO of Wondermind, in addition to the founder and CEO of The Newsette, a women-focused media firm and artistic company devoted to spotlighting numerous voices that may do over $40 million in income in 2021. She can be a Forbes30 Beneath 30 recipient and spoke on a panel at their annual convention in October. She was identified with OCD her senior 12 months of school. Exterior of labor, she’s enthusiastic about investing in different Latinx and women-owned firms (and secretly feeding her poodle, Leo, underneath the dinner desk).