Game-Changer: One Founder's Mission to Support Struggling Teens

Game-Changer: One Founder's Mission to Support Struggling Teens

From No Shame On U by No Shame On U

February 24, 2026 · 35 min · Season 2 · Episode 2

About this episode

Anusha Samani discusses her mission with Mindzen, a mental health app aimed at supporting teens and addressing mental health stigma.

In this episode, we sit down with Anusha Samani, founder of Mindzen, a dual-purpose mental health app designed to support young people's emotional growth while helping social workers detect mental health risks early. Anusha shares how watching youth labeled as "disruptive" go unseen — and her own experience of emotional struggle as a teen — inspired her to build something different. We explore the Mindzen app's gamified approach to social-emotional learning, featuring an avatar named Koala, and how evidence-based tools work quietly in the background to flag students who may need support. Anusha also speaks candidly about the mental health stigma in her home country of Pakistan and why she sees global accessibility as central to Mindzen's mission. Plus, Anusha gets real about burnout, boundaries, and why rest isn't something to be ashamed of — a message that resonates far beyond the app itself. Learn more about Mindzen at www.mymindzen.com

People in this episode

Guest: Anusha Samani

Topics covered

  • mental health
  • emotional growth
  • social workers
  • youth support
  • gamified learning
  • mental health stigma
  • global accessibility

Keywords

  • Mindzen
  • mental health app
  • emotional growth
  • social-emotional learning
  • youth support
  • burnout
  • mental health stigma

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Mindzen

Places: Pakistan

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