The teen that’s transcending togetherness with tech

At only 15 years old, Anaiah Singh has moved seven times, attended multiple schools, and endured the isolation of the pandemic. 😵‍💫

And, like many teens, she’s been the victim of some pretty intense bullying.

This kind of struggle would knock most kids to the ground.

But not Anaiah. 👊

“My story is just one of many,” Anaiah told me. “Half of adolescents don't get the help they need even though one in four suffer from a mental health problem.”

And she would know.

While volunteering with TeenTalk—a platform that provides a safe space for teens to request support—she experienced firsthand how extensive the teen mental health crisis had become.

So she decided to do something about it.

That’s where Prequel came in. 👇

Mental health meets entrepreneurship 

While enrolled in BETA Camp, Anaiah realized that she could apply everything she was learning about entrepreneurship to make a positive impact with her peers who were struggling with their mental health.

So she decided to level-up, and joined AlphaX, a Prequel program where teens build their own Olympic-level masterpiece.

Her AlphaX journey began with two steps:

1. Becoming an expert

2. Building an audience

📚 Walking the walk

Anaiah set out to learn everything she could about mental health by talking to therapists, poring over studies, and cozying up to leaders in the mental health app industry (she’s become a fixture at Headspace).

Through her relationships and research, she was able to begin crafting an idea for a new and innovative app for teens.

📱 Talking the talk

Anaiah knew that no matter how driven she was to make an impact, it wouldn’t matter if she couldn’t reach people. 

So she faced her fears and got on Instagram to begin sharing the insights from her research, along with hopeful and encouraging messages.

And something amazing happened — through the trial-and-error process of building an audience, Anaiah adopted a true growth mindset.

Rather than complaining when her posts weren’t receiving the kind of reach she wanted, Anaiah looked inward. 

“My strategy isn’t working. I need to change it,” she would tell her AlphaX guide.

After months of trying, failing, and trying a hundred more times, one of Anaiah’s posts went viral — with nearly 30 million views. 🤯

The right solution

Anaiah’s research and Instagram efforts provided her with the insight and feedback she needed to craft her ideal solution:

HeartTalk — a platform that offers teens a lifeline with supportive voice messages.

“It’s like having a friend’s comforting voice in your pocket during tough times,” she shared.

Her mission is to encourage everyone to join the movement by recording messages of encouragement, understanding, and hope, creating a worldwide “ripple of support”.

That. Is. Amazing.

And the pros agree.

"I love this idea," said Sara Cohen, the VP of Content Creation at Headspace, "I think it's something we definitely need."

That’s pretty high praise — and hundreds of teens have already flocked to HeartTalk to give and receive positive messages.

But for Anaiah, this is just the beginning.

She’s only a freshman, after all. 🤯

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Support Anaiah by recording a message on HeartTalk and following her on Instagram.