Wanting to see more discussions surrounding mental health, co-founders Mandy Teefey, Daniella Pierson, and Selena Gomez created Wondermind—a “mental fitness company” according to @officialwondermind on Instagram. Personally, I had never heard of a company purely dedicated to mental health before, and since I have immense admiration for Selena Gomez, you know I had to look into this one. This wouldn’t be the first company Selena Gomez has helped create. Her makeup company, Rare Beauty, launched back in 2020 and has since received fantastic reviews from various influencers and reputable news companies. It is obvious Selena puts a lot of time and effort into her projects, so I’m expecting no less from Wondermind. According to the official website, “We’ve each had our own mental health struggles, and we realized there was no inclusive, fun, and easy place where people could come together to explore, discuss, and navigate their feelings. So we created it.”
Looking at the Wondermind website itself, the layout is decently impressive for a new company. The font is clear, easy to read, and there is a pretty cloud theme going on. Because Wondermind was just launched in February 2022, it’s still in phase one (or, as the website explains, “Drop #1”) of the “Wondermind World.” For this first phase, readers can subscribe to an email newsletter where they’ll receive three editorials a week featuring advice from a variety of experts in a casual, easy-to-understand format. It seems from the website that the next phase hopes to introduce a Wondermind podcast, so that’s something to be on the lookout for.
That’s all I want this to be. A real, honest, face, comfortable place–something people can turn to.
Selena Gomez, Co-Founder of Wondermind
One of the first newsletters from Wondermind begins with a Q&A with Selena Gomez about her mental health journey and her aspirations behind this new company. She states, “that’s all I want this to be. A real, honest, safe, comfortable place—something people can turn to.” Continuing with the newsletter, it includes a “Monday Warmup” where it gives readers a challenge under each of the three categories: Try this, Think on this, and Remember this. I think these mini mental health exercises are one of the more enticing things about Wondermind and will probably be the most effective section of the newsletters for me. According to an interview from InStyle, “This ‘homework,’ or daily practice of taking care of your mental health in small, but impactful ways, is what the founders are calling ‘mental fitness.’” Just like exercising your body, Wondermind’s goal is to help readers exercise their minds, working towards developing more effective methods for improving their mental health. The last section of this newsletter includes a statistic on how “75% of U.S. adults between the ages of 18 to 25 said they could have used more emotional support over the last two years” and goes on to include a little interview from a clinical psychologist. The newsletter concludes by linking several important resources like the SAMHSA National Helpline, Trans Lifeline, and more.
While still in the early stages, Wondermind already looks like an extremely promising mental health resource. It is in no way a replacement for a therapist, but if you’re looking for a way to learn more about mental health and add some exercises to your weekly routine, you should definitely check it out.