About
The M Project is a purpose-driven media platform and nonprofit dedicated to making mental health accessible, engaging, and a natural part of daily life. We are redefining mental wellness by meeting people where they are—in pop culture, social spaces, and everyday experiences—so mental health is no longer seen as intimidating, isolating, or out of reach. Through thought-provoking content, community, and culture, we are normalizing conversations around mental well-being and shifting the perception of mental health from something reactive to something empowering. Ultimately, we are changing the landscape of mental health—transforming it from a conversation people avoid into a movement people embrace.
To our core,
our mission is a return to the core of what it means to be human. In a world that pushes us away from ourselves—through toxic environments, performance-based worth, and constant distraction—we believe mental health suffers when we disconnect from who we are and what it actually means to be a human being, who is inherently worthy of being alive.
HUMAN-BEING OVER HUMAN-DOING
We lead with compassion, honesty, and the belief that being human—with all its complexity—is enough. Worth is not earned; it’s inherent. We honor the full spectrum of the human experience. Healing isn’t about being flawless—it’s about feeling fully, connecting deeply, and embracing your wholeness.
CONNECTION OVER ISOLATION
Turning the me of mental health to we. To ourselves, each other, nature, and the present moment. We believe true mental wellness begins with reconnection—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We turn mental health from an individual struggle into a collective movement, reminding people they’re not alone in what they feel and that healing is something we can do—together.
ACCESS OVER STIGMA
Mental health impacts everyone—because it’s part of the human experience and everyday life. We believe support shouldn't be a privilege or a last resort. We challenge these negative self beliefs by redefining mental wellness—removing stigma, offering alternatives, and making people feel seen, understood, and empowered.
CULTURE OVER CLINICAL
We bring mental wellness into everyday life—through pop culture, conversation, and community—so it becomes a movement people embrace, not a topic they avoid. We meet people where they are and make mental wellness feel natural, relatable, and within reach for all. Everyone deserves tools to feel whole, whether they’re seeking help or simply learning to be more human.
Meet Emily
Emily Gray founded The M Project from a deeply personal relationship with mental health and a desire to transform pain into purpose. For much of her life, she didn’t even realize she had mental health, she just believed she was her thoughts. When those thoughts expressed a desire to not be alive, she assumed something was wrong with her and her circumstance. It wasn’t until she discovered mindfulness that everything changed. For the first time, she saw that she was not her thoughts. That realization created space to witness her inner world without becoming consumed by it. It shifted everything.
“I didn’t ‘heal’ my mental health. I changed my relationship to it. That changed everything.”
After experiencing this transformation, Emily left her career to join a meditation startup, determined to share the tools that she believes saved her life. But while her journey toward healing was unfolding, she was also witnessing a much larger crisis. Between 2022 and 2023, she lost two close friends to suicide. The grief was indescribable, but it also became her fuel. She knew their deaths weren’t isolated tragedies, they were reflections of a culture in crisis.
Out of that loss, The M Project was born: a nonprofit and movement dedicated to making mental health feel human, accessible, and relevant. The “M” stands for mental health, mindfulness, and the meaning of life. The “M” being an acronym also honors her friends RJ and T, who she called by the acronyms of their names.
Emily’s mission is to speak to the version of herself and her friends who didn’t think mental health was “for them.” By weaving education and awareness into the spaces we already spend our time—culture, social media, events, daily life—The M Project reaches people who may otherwise never seek out traditional mental health support. It’s not just about saving lives. It’s about helping people want to live them.