Mental well being is something a great number of people struggle with, no matter what their profession or background. Even performers like Selena Gomez are affected — and she elaborated on how the Wondermind platform can be a resource for those experiencing mental health issues in a Monday morning TV interview.
Good Morning America brought Gomez on to talk about her Wondermind platform to coincide with the platform’s first newsletter going live on Monday. First announced in November, Wondermind is intended as a resource for those who are struggling to learn and grow, offering podcasts, interviews, a daily newsletter, articles, resources and stories and discussions from therapists and celebrities.
Gomez is working on the project alongside producer Mandy Teefey (who is also Gomez’s mother) and Newsette co-founder Daniella Pierson and . According to the ABC news account, it’s designed as “inclusive, fun, and easy place where people could come together to explore, discuss, and navigate their feelings,” as well as a way to help people with mental health issues who might not be able to afford some of the higher-priced resources available but not uniformly accessible.
As the singer, actor and producer noted,
“There are places where people go when they need help, it’s unfortunate that they cost ridiculous amounts. But [as with] Planned Parenthood, there’s a place for women to feel ok and understood, I want that for mental health. I think it’s so important and I can’t stress enough how much I care and how much I really, really want people to be understood, seen and heard.”
Content on the site is vetted by a committee of experts to ensure it is appropriately measured for those who may visit — and, though Gomez and her partners want to help people via the site, Pierson did say the space should not be used as a total replacement for therapy. Similar to how people assess and try to affect their physical health through exercising and dieting, Pierson said they also Wondermind to be supplemental to exercise an individual’s mind.
“If you work on your body and your physical health, and that’s so important, why isn’t your mental health just as important? You have to do the work in between — any good therapist will tell you the same thing … we are creating an ecosystem where people feel like in between therapy sessions, if they’re lucky enough to see a therapist, they can work on their mental fitness.”
Pierson also emphasized that the site’s essentially for everyone, noting,
“Wondermind is not just for people who have a diagnosed mental illness — this is for anyone who has feelings,” Pierson said. “It’s for anyone who ever feels sad, lonely, scared, anxious and we’re really not labeling anybody.”
The project is, however, a personal one for Gomez, Teefey and Pierson. Each struggle in one form or another. Gomez revealed a bipolar diagnosis in 2020, Teefey has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and Pierson admitted in her ABC News interview she kept an obsessive-compulsive disorder diagnosis secret for years. Pierson said they hope Wondermind lessens the stigma of things like these and on Twitter users have commended the trio for communicating so openly.
One fan on Twitter expressed, “Love you [so much]. I am in awe of all three of you. Wondermind is gonna inspire and help so many people. I can’t wait to continue fighting the stigma around mental health with you. <3 Thank you for all that you do.”
Those curious about Wondermind can offer are able to sign up for free at wondermind.com.
Published: Apr 4, 2022 11:22 am