When mental health and tech come together there is an opportunity to create spaces for people seeking resources, support, community and safety. There are numerous mental wellness apps available for Android and iPhone users, but not all of them were made with Black people or marginalized communities in mind.
Keep reading for five Black-owned mental wellness apps that you need to download today.
Allayya
Founded by Jazmina Urriola, PhD, Allayya is a holistic mental wellness app for women that offers everything from 5-minute breathing to a 10-minute coaching session to research-informed content. The goal of the app is to create space for women to find themselves through self-care and mental wellness. Inspired by the founder’s journey as a caregiver of a chronically ill parent, Urriola is a biotechnologist and mental health advocate who is passionate about helping women navigate through common struggles, as well as help them thrive throughout every stage of life.
PoppySeed Health
At PoppySeed Health, the mantra is “Your emotional and mental health comes first.” Founder and CEO Simmone Taitt created the app to revolutionize the way we care for pregnant and postpartum people with 24/7 text access to doulas, midwives and nurses. The goal is to provide pregnancy, postpartum and loss support accessible for everyone. Members receive unlimited, on-demand text support from a real human at any time.
Shine App
The Shine App is a mental wellness app focused on transforming the mental and emotional health space to be more accessible, representative, and inclusive of all of our experiences. Founded by Marah Lidey and Naomi Hirabayashi, a Black woman and a half-Japanese woman, the Shine app offers its users new self-care strategy every day, support from a diverse community, and an audio library of more than 800+ original meditations, bedtime stories, and calming sounds to help you shift your mindset or mood. The ultimate goal is to help more people cope, process, and heal on a daily basis, as well as to make the mental health of marginalized communities a part of “mainstream” wellness.
Alkeme Health
Inspired by Paulo Coelho’s novel “The Alchemist,” founder Ryan Mundy created the Alkeme Health app in response to the lack of health platforms focused on the trajectory of Black health. Alkeme Health aggregates the best practitioners across different modalities and uniquely centers on the Black community. Some unique features the app offers includes Labs (therapy modules), Waves (guided meditations) and Live Labs (live therapist discussions). Unlike its competitors, Alkeme Health not only helps its users address their problem, but also supports taking the steps to conquer fears, address hurts, and create emotional well-being.
Exhale
An app designed specifically for Black, Indigenous, Women of Color (BIWOC), the idea behind Exhale is that communities of color are constantly holding their breath for the next police shooting, microaggression or negative health impact statistic. Founder Katara McCarty believes it’s time now to exhale, return to our breath and prioritize our well-being. The app offers guided meditations, podcasts, calming sounds, and content.