The Benefits of Practicing Mental Fitness

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Those are the words of Daniella Pierson, co-founder with Selena Gomez, and Mandy Teefey of Wondermind, the new media company that is offering “mental fitness.” These three women had joined their experience to create a mental fitness ecosystem, with the primary goal to destigmatize mental health and make it accessible to everyone. The mindfulness startup, already raising funds at a valuation of $100 million, is the result of the founders' mental health issues history and their interest in creating awareness of mental health.

In 2016 the singer announced she was taking time off to take care of her mental health, which was affected by her lupus diagnosis. Two years later, she entered a facility to deal with anxiety and depression after having a kidney transplant. At the time, the world thought depression, anxiety, and panic attacks were just side effects of the autoimmune disease. Still, at the beginning of the pandemic, in 2020, Gomez revealed she was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, which she had been treating with medication and dialectical behavior therapy.

Gomez has been honored by receiving the 2019 McLean Award for Mental Health Advocacy for her dedication to mental health awareness. As part of that commitment, she co-produced with her mother, Mandy Teefey, the Netlflix series "13 reasons why" in 2017, which discusses depression and suicide. Teefey, who is also co-founder of Wondermind, has a history of struggling with mental health; after being misdiagnosed for 20 years with Bipolar Disorder, she found out she had Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Since then, she has been determined to give visibility to mental health and the importance of a good diagnosis and treatment.

Because of that history, Selena and Mandy connected with Daniella Pierson over two years ago for an interview and ended up creating Wondermind. Pierson is the founder and CEO of The Newsette, a women-focused trendy newsletter, for which she had planned an entry on Gomez and Teefey. The 27-year-old Latinx entrepreneur has a net worth of $220 million and has struggled with mental health, dealing with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) since she was a child.

The three women haven't let their mental health issues stop them from being successful, and they want to share that with the world so that nobody feels limited by their minds. Wondermind consists of social-media content, a newsletter, and a coming soon podcast; they're also developing physical pieces, which may include therapy content.