We’ve all felt the weight of emotional challenges and desire a safe space to reduce and eliminate our emotional baggage. Social media is often the cause of most of it, but with Maunda, an app made by the visionary athlete Joseph Bamisile and co-founder Nabil Rezqui with just this in mind, users can now de-stress and cope with anxiety. A creative visionary and thought leader, Bamisile has harnessed his personal experiences and passions to create something truly transformative—Maunda, the first mental health-focused social media app.
Maunda is here to provide a supportive space for the journey to better mental health. It’s not just another app; it’s a platform designed to reduce stress, manage anxiety, and enhance self-awareness. With the tagline “Building a Community of Hope,” Maunda is more than just a tool-it’s a community. It seeks to provide users with the tools and community support necessary to improve their mental wellness.
Maunda’s most iconic characteristic is the “Uplift” feature. Bamisile and Rezqui realized that traditional social media is extremely toxic and full of inauthentic content, so he created the Uplift feed with care, thinking about positivity and real connections. Uplift allows users to share posts to inspire and uplift others or simply share random thoughts and not worry about the likes or comments being shown publicly. Users also cannot see others’ followers count.
Maunda switches “followers” to “supporters” and “likes” to “loves” in order to stress on building a supportive community more than on competition. With no algorithms that trigger virality, the app creates an equal ground with every post adding to the user’s Maunda score, thus promoting meaningful engagements over performative metrics. Uplift has allowed Bamisile to build a refreshing alternative: one that emphasizes mental health and authenticity to digital offerings.
Moreover, the journaling feature and affirmations encourage users to reflect on their experiences and cultivate gratitude. This feature is complemented by solo and group meditation sessions, after which they can upload a story and earn points. The streak system inspires users to take just five minutes each day for themselves, developing a habit of regular self-care.
The founder of Maunda, Joseph Bamisile, is a true inspiration for all entrepreneurs, tech-savvy people, and those who care about their mental health. As a Division I basketball player at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Bamisile demonstrated his expertise on the court, but he is not just brawn. Creative and influential, Bamisile possesses the ability to motivate and inspire those around him.
Bamisile’s academic journey was not simple. Over the course of four years, he attended four different colleges: Virginia Tech, George Washington University, the University of Oklahoma, and finally, VCU. At every university, Bamisile experienced his fair share of challenges as an athlete and individual. In addition to his athletic and entrepreneurial endeavors, Bamisile is also semi-fluent in ASL.
Bamisile’s achievements are not limited to the tech world or the basketball court. As an artist, he has gathered over three million streams on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube through his podcasts. Hence, it is safe to say that the most striking characteristic of Bamisile’s journey is his diverse skill set. Through Maunda, he is building a community that not only acknowledges but actively supports mental health.
Maunda is rapidly becoming one of the best mental health tech spaces. It is a living embodiment of Bamisile’s vision of a community where mental well-being is prioritized and celebrated.
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