#17 Ashley Edwards - Co-Founder & CEO of MindRight

Futures Collective

Meet Ashley Ashley Edwards is Co-founder and CEO of MindRight. MindRight is a tech nonprofit with the mission of empowering youth of colour to heal from trauma from systemic oppression. We partner with schools to provide daily, evidence-informed mental health coaching over text message to students impacted by trauma. Ashley is a 2018 Forbes 30 under 30 Social Entrepreneur and MindRight has been recognised by Forbes as one of the top 30 innovations of the next century. MindRight has also been featured in Fast Company, TechCrunch, and Huffington Post. Unlike a crisis hotline, MindRight doesn't wait for students to reach out to them - MindRight coaches proactively check in with students 7 days/week, before, during, and after crisis. We coach students to build positive coping skills and manage traumatic stress. Through our service, we collaborate with school and community leaders to triage and support the emotional needs of every student. Ashley holds a Master of Business Administration & Master ofEducation from Stanford University. She graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor’s in Economics where she was awarded the Yale Franciscus Fellowship in Entrepreneurship. What we discuss What trauma is and its impact on young people Gratitude & fulfillment Challenges of starting a tech non-profit