The Verywell Mind 25

It's Mental Health Awareness Month, and we're back for our second-annual—and highly anticipated—Verywell Mind 25, where we recognize the individuals who are using their platforms to help reduce stigma, serve their communities, and make a difference in the mental health space. These selected leaders make up a diverse group of community organizers, influential advocates, experts, and thought leaders who are enacting positive change in their own unique way.

How We Chose the Winners

Finalists were first nominated by our readers (yes, you all!), members of the Verywell Mind expert review board—which is comprised of over 20 accredited specialists in the fields of psychology, psychiatry and mindfulness—and the Verywell Mind editorial team.

Winners were then voted on by a panel of nine expert judges who used the following criteria to make their choices: quality and accuracy of content and work, mental health credentials and lived experiences, reach, and alignment with Verywell Mind’s core values. The final list of winners celebrates people who are actively moving the conversation about mental health forward in a meaningful way—whether it's in their community or for a wider audience.

Taraji P. Henson

Actress, Co-Founder of Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, Entrepreneur, Author

A few things come to mind when you think of Taraji P. Henson—award-winning actress, haircare entrepreneur, and author. Now, add a mental health activist to the list. The "Empire" actor has been working to destigmatize mental health in the Black community since 2018 when she co-founded the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation (BLHF). Named after her father, Boris Lawrence, the foundation aims to help Black folks access cognitive care by offering free therapy sessions and scholarship funds, plus a host of other programs, including this year’s fundraiser and mixer, the Can We Talk? Symposium event. 

Mental health advocacy is more than a passion project for Henson—her work is directly inspired by her experience growing up with her father, who was a Vietnam war veteran with untreated mental health issues. This difficult upbringing moved her to not only create the foundation in her father’s name but also speak to Congress about Black youth suicide rates and launch a Facebook Watch series dedicated to having open conversations around Black mental health. It’s these many accomplishments that moved us to name Henson as one of this year’s Verywell Mind 25.

Dr. Judith Joseph

Psychiatrist, Media Consultant, Content Creator

Dr. Judith Joseph is a board-certified psychiatrist with expertise in everything from women’s health to child and adolescent psychiatry to serious mental illness. Not only that, but she is also an award-winning mental health content creator, with more than one million followers on social media. She is on the medical board of the national non-profit Let’s Talk Menopause, an organization focused on destigmatizing menopause so that women can “get the information they need and the healthcare they deserve” (two things this country has consistently failed to provide).

Dr. Joseph also runs an unprecedented clinical lab, comprised of 10 female researchers, that studies high-functioning mental health conditions, such as high-functioning depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD, OCD, PTSD, and schizophrenia—the first lab to ever do so.

Her incredibly popular social media posts focus on the mental health topics researched in her lab, and make difficult subjects like trauma approachable and accessible. Dr. Joseph stood out to us for her social media content that makes mental health education easy and fun and for her work taking the misunderstanding and discrimination out of menopause.

Phil Schermer

Founder and CEO of Project Healthy Minds

With a background in both finance and politics, Phil Schermer knows a thing or two about stress. In October 2020, while the entire world struggled through the COVID-19 pandemic, Schermer launched Project Healthy Minds with the goal of attacking a problem that has only increased since then—the high barriers between millions of people and access to necessary mental healthcare.

Schermer’s stated mission, then, is to combine technology and industry with a Gen-Z/Millennial sensibility to reshape how we access mental health help. The first step is to break down our own barriers in the form of stigma that prevents us from even talking about our mental health in the first place.

To follow through on its stated goals, Project Healthy Minds created a free mental health marketplace to quickly connect users with the resources they need when they need them most. From wellness exercises to therapy providers and educational resources across the mental health spectrum, Schermer’s organization is growing into a mental health force to be reckoned with.

Kenneth Cole

Fashion Designer, Activist, Founder of The Mental Health Coalition

Kenneth Cole is known for his iconic shoes and clothing. However, in addition to making people look good, he also advocates for making them feel mentally well. In October 2019, Cole announced the formation of The Mental Health Coalition (MHC), which aims to spread awareness.

In 2023, Cole collaborated with Sesame Workshop to raise awareness around children’s emotional well-being. He designed a collection of T-shirts, hoodies, and sneakers featuring Oscar the Grouch, Cookie Monster, Elmo, and the Count. Each design features a unique message about mental health and the importance of being open and honest about feelings.

His coalition’s most recent initiative, SOS (Safe Online Standards) for Kids' Mental Health, aims to establish safe online standards for kids’ mental health for the first time ever. While Cole believes that the mental health crisis in the United States is possibly one of the biggest of our time, he is inspired to keep making a difference through the MHC.  

Lady Gaga

Singer, Actress, Founder of Born This Way Foundation

Lady Gaga is an international pop superstar who established the non-profit organization Born This Way Foundation in 2012 with the mission of addressing and eliminating the stigma around youth mental health. This past year, she and her foundation teamed up with the Cotton On Foundation to try and bring even more awareness to the importance of mental health. Together, they launched the “Kinder, Braver Together” campaign, whose mission was to build a kinder and braver world where youth can openly discuss their mental health and get the help they need.

For a little over a month, 100% of the proceeds from Cotton On went to Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation and the collaboration has amassed 5 million dollars in funding for Born This Way. By spearheading this operation, Lady Gaga has brought attention and support to this important cause.

Born This Way Foundation also launched #BeKind365 last year, a digital kindness platform that resulted in 19 million acts of kindness from individuals around the world. The Be There Certificate, a free online mental health course launched by Born This Way Foundation and Jack.org, also just reached a major milestone: more than 40,000 individuals earned their certificate and learned how to support their peers’ mental health. Peer support is key, and Born This Way Foundation research revealed that young people often turn to one another for support first; the certificate is empowering young people to do so safely.

Tasnim Sulaiman, LPC

Counselor, Therapist, Founder of Black Men Heal

Tasnim Sulaiman, LPC is the founder and CEO of Black Men Heal, an organization focused on providing mental health treatment, psychoeducation, and community resources to men of color. While Black men are disproportionately diagnosed with serious mental illness, they are also far less likely to seek help because of stigma—Sulaiman is on a mission to change that, with the motto “Healed Men Heal Men.”

Sulaiman's organization, Black Men Heal, takes a two-pronged approach. It offers Black men who are mental health clinicians the opportunity to provide services to other men of color, and it offers Black men seeking therapy the opportunity to take part in eight free therapy sessions. These services, as Sulaiman explains on the Black Men Heal website, are especially important for young Black men, who are 20% more likely to experience mental illness than White men and for whom suicide is the third leading cause of death.

Her work is aimed at taking apart the social and economic systems that keep people of color from accessing quality mental health care. Black Men Heal also offers Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training for organizations focused on learning more about racial justice. Sulaiman’s important work sheds light on the lack of equity in mental health in this country and is acting to change this broken system.

Dr. Julie Smith

Clinical Psychologist, Bestselling Author, Content Creator

Dr. Julie Smith, better known by her followers as Dr. Julie, is a clinical psychologist with over a decade of experience as a therapist and, more recently, a hugely impactful social media presence. 

One of Dr. Julie’s strongest assertions as a psychologist is that a major part of therapy is educational—which is what led her to start making videos on TikTok in 2019. Her informative yet accessible videos have since become massively popular, garnering a following of 4.7 million people (and an additional 1.9 million on Instagram). In these videos, Dr. Julie often utilizes visual metaphors and tools to explain a psychological concept. For instance, one of her most popular videos uses a Chinese finger trap to explain how when we pull away from difficult feelings, our emotional “trap” tightens, but when we face those tough emotions head-on, the trap loosens, creating space for us to heal.

She continues to create content that both supports and comforts people on their journey towards better mental health. 

Published in 2022, her first book, “Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?” was a breakout hit, becoming a New York Times bestseller and a bestselling non-fiction book in the UK in 2022. It breaks down some of her top strategies for navigating life’s challenges and improving mental health. Dr. Julie is now actively working on writing her second book.

Eric Nam

Singer/Songwriter, TV Personality, Co-Founder of Mindset App

With over a decade of experience in South Korea’s entertainment industry, Eric Nam is a multifaceted entertainer, singer, songwriter, and TV personality. He is the host of the number one K-Pop podcast, Daebak Show, where he frequently discusses mental health, cultural identity, and personal growth. He's also the co-founder of DIVE Studios, a production company that creates culturally driven content, community, and connection between the K-pop industry and its fans. In 2021, they launched Mindset, a daily self-care app that strives to improve the way people take care of their mental health.

Recently, Eric Nam was honored with the 2023 TIME100 Impact Award for his work in mental health advocacy, particularly within the K-Pop industry and API communities. His multifaceted approach helps ensure that his message reaches a diverse audience, making mental health care more accessible and appealing to young people and generations to come.

Esther Perel

Psychotherapist, Author, Podcast Host

Esther Perel is a Belgian-American psychotherapist, and New York Times bestselling author and is widely considered to be the reigning expert on romantic relationships. Her popular podcast, Where Should We Begin?, broke the mold by inviting listeners into private couples therapy sessions that Perel leads—these appointments illustrate not only Perel’s clinical prowess but also her deep understanding of relationships and all the cultural, racial, and sexual identities that influence them.

Her first book, "Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence," changed the conventional conversation about relationships (so much so that it’s been translated into 25 different languages); her second book, "The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity," asks us to question everything we know about monogamy.

Perel’s unique expertise in relationships and all their complications and nuances caught our attention, and we appreciate the honesty and raw emotion we’re allowed to experience through her podcast.

Naomi Osaka

Professional Tennis Player, Activist

Naomi Osaka is a celebrated tennis player and four-time Grand Slam winner who is an outspoken activist for athletes’ mental health.

After withdrawing from the French Open in 2021, Osaka revealed her long-time struggles with anxiety and depression and declined to participate in press conferences in order to protect her mental health. Despite the criticism that followed this decision, Osaka has continued to publicly fight for the right of athletes to take charge of their mental wellbeing.

She is also a BIPOC activist, having participated in protests following the murder of George Floyd and boycotted tennis matches following a Black man’s murder by police in Kenosha. At the following US Open, Osaka wore face masks bearing the names of people who had suffered racial violence. Osaka’s continued mental health and racial justice activism stood out to us as especially important work this year.

Jeffrey Marsh

Non-Binary LGBTQ Activist, Speaker, Author

Jeffrey Marsh is a prominent non-binary LGBTQ rights advocate, speaker, author, and public figure. They have written a bestselling book titled "How to Be You" that was featured on Oprah’s Gratitude Meter. 

Their short-form videos on Instagram and TikTok have over a billion views, largely due to Marsh’s strength in finding the balance between support, inspiration, and education when discussing trans rights in 2024. Thus, they’ve become a major voice in the LGBTQ mental health space.  

They were also the first non-binary person to appear on national television while being interviewed for Newsmax in 2016 and the first non-binary person to get a book deal with a Big 5 publisher. Moreover, Marsh is also a 20-year practitioner of Zen Buddhism and lived for a time as a Buddhist monk. 

In the face of death threats and accusations of grooming or pedophilia, Marsh continues to show up every day as a voice of advocacy for the non-binary community. Their goal is to show kids (and everyone) that it’s OK to be yourself, it’s OK if you don’t fit the mold of society, it's OK to love yourself and just be you.

Stephanie Harrison

Founder of The New Happy, Author, Designer, Speaker

Stephanie Harrison is an author, mental health advocate, and creator of the “new philosophy of happiness.” With an MS in Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, Harrison started her company, The New Happy, back in 2018 to share her psychological findings with the world.

As stated on her website, “We’ve been told that achieving our own success will make us happy. But happiness comes from helping other people to live happier lives. We are here to help each other.”

What’s unique about Harrison’s approach is her signature use of simple geometric data visualizations. Through these colorful graphics, Harrison manages to communicate and clarify various mental health concepts that might otherwise be harder to wrap your head around. Her methodology has won her a combined following of over a million followers on Instagram and TikTok, and her impact is set to expand its reach with the upcoming release of her first book, “New Happy” to launch in May 2024.

Adriana Alejandre, LMFT

Trauma Therapist, Keynote Speaker, Founder of Latinx Therapy

Adriana Alejandre, LMFT is a trauma-informed psychotherapist, EMDR specialist, podcaster, and mental health educator and advocate. She is perhaps best known as the founder of Latinx Therapy, a growing hub of bilingual mental health information and resources for the BIPOC, indigenous, and Latinx community. Additionally, she launched a non-profit charity organization, the Alejandre Foundation, in 2021 which utilizes therapy grants to increase equity for Latinx Americans. 

Her advocacy and educational work—focused on racial trauma and the destigmatization of mental illness in real-world and digital spaces—includes numerous speaking engagements at organizations and universities across the nation. These endeavors overlap with the subject matter Alejandra discusses on her popular podcast, Latinx Therapy. 

According to her practice's website, she states: "I help people through their toughest moments in their lives, at a time when they may be afraid to change but know it is necessary to. I work to empower my clients to work towards reducing dependence of a person, negative feeling or a memory and gain autonomy, control of their lives and remember their own worth.”

Lorenzo Lewis

Author, Mental Health Expert, Social Entrepreneur, Founder of The Confess Project of America

Lorenzo Lewis is a prominent mental health advocate, entrepreneur, and public speaker who lives by the motto, “turn your pain into purpose”. With complicated personal roots, Lewis found his purpose as an entrepreneurial changemaker after he was nearly incarcerated at age 17. Since then he has become a nationally recognized keynote and TEDx speaker with his work being featured in numerous media outlets including (but certainly not limited to) Oprah Magazine, BET, NPR, Men’s Health, and the Huffington Post. 

He is perhaps best known as the founder of the groundbreaking The Confess Project of America which he started in 2016. The Confess Project of America utilizes the culturally safe spaces of barber shops as a tool for helping Black men confront their mental health challenges. By empowering barbers to become mental health advocates, it creates a sustainable outlet for their patrons and community. Most recently, Lewis opened the Joy & Wellness Hub in Little Rock, Arkansas, with the support of his parent nonprofit L&J Empowerment, which provides employment, transport, economic, and healthcare services to marginalized communities. 

His ultimate goal is fostering prosperity—both mental, emotional, and economic—for the communities he serves, and his book, "Jumping Over Life’s Hurdles and Staying in the Race," unites all the lessons and wisdom he’s learned over the course of his mental wellness advocacy journey.

 

Jenny Tzu-Mei Wang, PhD

Licensed Psychologist, Speaker, Author, Founder of Asians for Mental Health

Jenny Tzu-Mei Wang, PhD is a Houston-based licensed psychologist and founder of the @asiansformentalhealth community. Wang founded Asians for Mental Health, an Asian therapist directory, in 2019 with the dream of helping Asians feel seen, heard, and empowered in their journeys toward better mental health. Today, her community boasts a following of close to 100K followers on Instagram.

Wang is also the author of “Permission to Come Home,” which was published in May 2022. In it, she fuses her personal narrative as a Taiwanese American with her insights as a clinician to offer her readers a chance to explore the areas in their lives that call for attention, questions, and answers on the road to reclaiming their mental health.

Her passion for Asian mental healthcare was born out of a loneliness in her struggles to understand the mental health issues within Asian culture. Currently, she hosts community mental health sessions (called Creating Space) and joins other renowned mental health experts to talk barriers to care and how we can work to make mental health resources more accessible for BIPOC.

Sahaj Kaur Kohli, MA, LGPC, NCC

Therapist, Columnist, Founder of Brown Girl Therapy

As a child of immigrants and the “first to do many things” in her family, practicing therapist, writer, and speaker Sahaj Kaur Kohli, MA, LGPC, NCC understands firsthand the unique struggles that come with straddling differing cultural identities.

Her passion for mental health advocacy led her to found Brown Girl Therapy in 2019—the first and largest mental health and wellness community organization for children of immigrants—where she uses her clinical expertise and personal experience to create original resources and content for this underserved population. As a consultant and educator, Kohli aims to help others create healthier, more culturally inclusive relationships, workplaces, and lives despite what they’ve been told.

Today, Kohli writes for various media outlets and has a weekly advice column with The Washington Post. Her book, “But What Will People Say?” will be released in May 2024 and “rethinks traditional therapy and self-care models, creating much-needed space for those left out of the narrative.”

Elyse Fox

Filmmaker, Mental Health Advocate, Founder of Sad Girls Club

Elyse Fox AKA “your fave wellness gyal” is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker, mental health advocate, and founder of Sad Girls Club, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating community by bringing girls together who are battling mental illnesses. The organization aims to destigmatize mental illness for young women of color through resources, live seminars, yoga sessions, and other in-person events.

At the end of 2022, Fox launched Remedy via Sad Girls Club, a granted therapy scholarship program that prioritizes Black women and the BIPOC population through 1-on-1 talk therapy with a safe space to cope, express themselves, and seek professional advice without having the burden of costs. The program received an overwhelming response from over 900 applicants—uplifting Fox and her team to raise their initial goal from 120 hours of free therapy to 1,000 hours and from 15 grantees to 50. 

According to the Sad Girls Club website, the organization has members in five continents and over 40 countries today. Fox continues to spread awareness by partnering with like-minded brands, consulting, journalism, speaking engagements, and more.

Alex Elle

Bestselling Author, Wellness Educator, and Podcast Host

Alex Elle wears many different hats: she is a New York Times-bestselling author, certified breathwork coach, restorative writing teacher, and host of the podcasts Hey Girl Hey and This Morning Walk. Inspired by her own journey of self-discovery through writing, Elle launched her instant bestseller, “How We Heal,” in August 2022. “How We Heal” extends an invitation to others who are looking to cultivate inner strength through Elle’s essential techniques for self-healing, journaling rituals, tools for processing difficult emotions, and restorative meditations to ease the mind. In June 2023, Elle also created an affirmation card deck that includes 50+ practices to take inner work to a deeper level. To cap off the year, she announced a Create Your Vision immersive writing and creativity workshop to help attendees hone in on their vision for 2024. 

The intention behind Elle’s work is to “build community and healing practices through literature and language.” In addition to the mindfulness content she creates for her social media channels, she teaches workshops, courses, and retreats to assist others in finding their voices and creating clarity in their lives and relationships.

Her latest book provides a roadmap for unapologetically creating those healthy boundaries.

Sana Powell, LPC

Therapist, Author, Educator

Austin-based licensed professional counselor, Sana Powell, LPC, is an Indian-American therapist, author & educator on a mission to “making mental health content more accessible and less intimidating.” In 2023, Powell authored a card deck called Pocket Therapy, a take-anywhere guide to practicing self-care and prioritizing your mental health, which stays true to her mental health mission. Powell’s writing for this deck was inspired by her work with people in individual and group therapy, her education and training, as well as her personal life experiences. 

In addition to her authored works, Powell regularly maintains her website blog and Instagram with relatable content through a psychology and neuroscience lens, including her expert take on current events and popular Netflix shows. According to her website, she hopes to “contribute a unique, inclusive perspective” to a field that’s “often homogenized in its approaches.” Her work is making a difference, giving young people with mental health struggles a voice they didn't know they had.

Olamide Olowe

Entrepreneur, CEO and Co-Founder of Topicals

This founder of science-backed skincare brand, Topicals, has a mission that goes beyond skin deep. After growing up with chronic skin conditions, entrepreneur Olamide Olowe made it her mission to take the focus off of having “perfect skin” by prioritizing effective treatment of skin conditions in a fun and approachable way without shame. Her aim was to build a brand that removed the stigma associated with having a skin condition and kept the unique emotional pain points of this customer in mind. 

Topicals was also born out of a need to fill a glaring gap in the skincare industry when it comes to treating skin of color. It has since become the fastest-growing skincare brand at Sephora and has picked up high-profile investors, including celebrities like Kelly Rowland, Gabrielle Union, and Hannah Bronfman. 

Olowe continues to be vocal about the connection between skincare and mental health—donating over $100,000 to mental health organizations to raise awareness about this connection, provide resources to the community, or connect them with mental health providers.

Tricia Hersey

Writer, Activist, Founder of The Nap Ministry

Tricia Hersey has claimed the title of "The Nap Bishop" for her work about the revolutionary power of rest in the spheres of racial and social justice.

Hersey is a writer, activist, and artist who founded The Nap Ministry, an organization based on the fundamental idea that rest is a form of resistance. Based on Black Liberation Theology, womanism, and Afrofuturism—teachings that highlight the Black and female experiences—Hersey has repeatedly pushed the boundaries of how we feel about the act of resting. Her work explores how the ability to fight back against oppressive systems is directly related to how we rest and use our imaginations.

Hersey’s book, "Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto" is both a call to arms and a guide for those who are facing discrimination and are literally tired of fighting without pause.

Hersey’s unique perspective caught our attention, as the first person to examine rest as resistance and its effect on white supremacy and capitalism.

Dr. Vivek Murthy, US Surgeon General

Physician, Research Scientist, Entrepreneur

It increasingly feels like our smartphones are controlling our lives. Most often, that comes in the form of social media—especially for young people. Whatever connectivity and pleasure it may provide, evidence continues to pile up regarding the harmful effects that social media overuse can have on us.

With study after study showing increased stress, depression, anxiety, and loneliness as a result of extended social media use, Dr. Vivek Murthy has used his unique platform as Surgeon General to sound the alarm. Taking the drastic step of issuing a Public Health Advisory, Dr. Murthy has laid out a path for lawmakers, tech companies, and everyday Americans alike to take action to protect the mental health of the youngest and most vulnerable among us.

In the months since, the government has committed millions of dollars to support organizations and programs geared toward mental health, including additional support for the 988 crisis hotline. Under Murthy’s watch, mental health has been a political priority to a degree never seen before in American history.

Anderson Cooper

Broadcast Journalist, Author, Anchor, Correspondent, Podcast Host

Grief may be the most intensely personal emotion that all of us share. While we’re all bound to deal with loss at some point in our lives, we don’t grow up being taught how to handle it. Instead, we learn on the fly—often when we are least prepared for it. Anderson Cooper, one of the most prominent journalists in the world, is working to change that. Having lost both his father and older brother at a young age—the latter to suicide—it was many years before Cooper even began to truly grieve.

Cooper’s podcast, All There Is, was created in the wake of his mother’s passing. What follows is a deep and often heartbreaking journey through his grief, and an exploration of how all of us can learn to live with our losses. Featuring guests that range from the likes of Stephen Colbert and President Biden to everyday listeners, the podcast is raw, real, and moving in the way it navigates the seemingly endless complexities of grief.

Cooper’s journey is personal, but the message of how show is universal. Grief touches us all, and while it can bring us to our lowest of lows, finding ways to overcome it can build strength we never knew we had.

Alison Malmon

Founder and Executive Director of Active Minds

American kids have been going through a mental health crisis. For too long, the needs of younger generations have not been met, a fact reflected in rising suicide rates and a significant increase in reported mental health concerns. This issue is finally being given the widespread attention and concern it deserves. For over 20 years, however, it has been Alison Malmon’s life’s work.

During Malmon’s freshman year at UPenn, her brother took his own life, and in her search for a place on campus to talk about mental health, she found none. So she started one—Open Minds, a student group for others like her to share their struggled and seek support amongst the safety and comfort of their college peers.

Now, over 20 years later, the organization—now called Active Minds—has grown to over 600 campuses across the country and now includes programs for kids of all ages. Malmon has forged a path for thousands of students to talk openly about their mental health and to create solutions that ensure nobody ignores this problem any longer.

Ken Duckworth, MD

Chief Medical Officer of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) 

The National Alliance on Mental Illness is one of the premiere organizations in the United States dedicated to improving the lives of individuals affected by mental illness. NAMI provides educational resources, support groups, helplines, mental health research, and much more. For over two decades, Dr. Ken Duckworth has been a critical part of that mission.

As the Chief Medical Officer of NAMI, Dr. Duckworth is a true leader in the world of mental health. Double-board certified in adult and adolescent psychiatry, he has spent a lifetime increasing our awareness and knowledge of mental health issues, serving through some of the most difficult times in recent history.

Most recently, he authored “You Are Not Alone,” the organization’s first published book. The exhaustive guide provides a roadmap for better mental health through the shared experiences of over 100 experts, caregivers, and individuals who have struggled with mental illness. Dr. Duckworth’s interviews for the book were later turned into a podcast as an additional resource for those seeking help. Under Dr. Duckworth’ stewardship, NAMI has continued to blossom from a grassroots organization into one of the most important organizations in the mental health space.