Former Superbowl champion creates digital platform to improve mental health access in the Black community
Image: Alkeme Health
Ryan Mundy, an eight-year NFL veteran and Superbowl champion, has found purpose beyond the field advocating for mental health in the Black community. In 2020, he launched Alkeme Health, a digital platform that provides a wide range of free mental health resources specifically geared towards Black people.
Following his retirement from a decorated career as a professional athlete, Mundy found himself struggling with his own mental health while simultaneously witnessing some of his family members contending with multiple health challenges. In his search for wellness resources, he noticed a significant gap in access to quality and affordable healthcare for Black people.
"There's a lot of inequity in healthcare," Mundy said in a recent interview. "Our community is at an outsized risk for every chronic disease and illness in the book. So how do you take the first swing at that?"
Inspired by the Paulo Coelho classic novel “The Alchemist”, Mundy founded Alkeme Health to create a solution that centers Black wellness, and addresses the barriers to accessing mental health resources faced by Black communities. Alkeme describes its mission as the provision of health and wellness tools needed to heal, empower, and thrive today, while creating generational health for tomorrow. Taking an intentional approach to mental health, Alkeme finds entry points with a focus on Black culture. The platform offers free videos and therapy modules called Labs, guided meditations, and live-streamed discussions led by licensed therapists and professionals.
Since its founding, Alkeme has continued to grow exponentially and is expanding its impact through the launch of several new initiatives. These include the Alkeme Athlete Coalition, which specifically targets addressing mental health awareness and education among athletes of all levels, and outreach promoting usage of the Alkeme app for Black college students.
On his vision for the future of Alkeme, Mundy says “Twenty years from now I want to look back and say ‘Alkeme was the catalyst to making a significant impact on the trajectory of Black Health’”.
Video: CBS Chicago
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