Tessa Adams' Journey to Create a Safe, Supportive Online Community for Mental Health

We all know that social media is a major contributing factor to feelings of anxiety, isolation, and negative self-comparison. Yet the human desire for connectivity continues to fuel the usage of platforms that users themselves know to be detrimental to their mental health. 

Is there a solution? While struggling with her own mental health challenges, Tessa Adams recognized the need for an app that could foster a sense of community without the harmful effects of self-comparison. She had had a successful career in marketing and had spent time much of her time working with major companies like Red Bull. However, in July of 2022 she experienced a life altering breakdown. 

"It was one of the darker moments in my life,” she recalls. “I’m not someone who asks for help, so suppressing my feelings and toughing it out was my solution.” However, this approach failed her. Her growing struggles with anxiety and self-doubt, coupled with comparisons to others online, left her feeling trapped and isolated.  "I knew the content I was consuming wasn’t reality, but in weak moments you can’t help but compare yourself to the perfection of online lives of others. Ultimately, it broke me” she admits.

Creating a Safe and Supportive Environment

Looking for a way out, Adams began researching online communities that could offer support. "I needed help, and I wondered if anyone else was going through the same thing," she remembers, adding, “I was hoping for advice and support, and maybe even a sense of community.”

What she was looking for was a place where she could talk about her struggles without fear or worry about being judged. The existing spaces were in her view, all the same, addictive practices, commoditization of users, and ultimately “communities” that left people feeling emptier than when they began.

Inspired by the entrepreneurial mantra, "Find a hole and fill it," she identified a missing element in existing mental health platforms. Without strong data privacy protections, these so-called safe spaces couldn't genuinely offer safety.

To address this gap, she launched everle (styled in all lowercase), an online platform designed for people like her. She brought on a team of coders who prioritized privacy from the start. "The platform we created employs ironclad security measures," she explains, "including Two-Factor Authentication that requires both a password and a code sent to the user's smartphone."

To enhance user privacy, everle does not store membership data or sell or commoditize its member base. The platform offers encrypted messaging and multiple privacy settings throughout the app. “On everle, you cannot access someone’s content if you are not mutually connected," Adams explains. "Essentially, someone can be completely private and unsearchable on our platform while still benefiting from engaging with others in gather communities." everle also goes as far as disabling screenshots to ensure that messages remain private. For Adams, the idea that her deepest personal thoughts could be captured and exposed to her peers had been a nightmare scenario.

Adams’ platform currently has 5,000 members and over 20,000 on the waiting list. She wants to control the speed at which new members are brought onto the platform to ensure the community grows into a safe and authentic space while also stress testing for scale. 

Tessa Adams (@tessaeadams/Instagram)

Mental Health and Community

Everle’s mission is to shield its members from the harmful effects common on other platforms. They’ve eliminated features like number chasing, influencer culture, and the comparison mindset. In addition, everly provides vetted mental health resources on demand, offering access to crisis support, therapists, and mental health coaches to ensure users can find professional help when needed.

With strict community guidelines, an early stage vetting process, and a subscription-based model, they have been able to curate a space that offers protection from poor behavior. “The community is behind a paywall from the start. There are plenty of free spaces to troll, but our space is for people who truly believe in our mission and want better for not only themselves, but for each other as well.”   

everle is also launching mental health nights where therapists and mental health coaches can engage with members and answer questions around popular community topics. "We're not providing treatment," Adams clarifies, "but we are providing a safe space for people to build community as well as connect with what matters most without the noise of traditional social media spaces."

Adams often receives feedback about everle like this: “I cannot believe there are other moms dealing with the levels of anxiety that I am. I truly thought I was completely alone. I feel safe expressing myself on everle.”

The Path Forward

For Adams, everle is more than just a social media app; it's a mission to combat loneliness and create a safe space for honest conversations about mental health. everle is currently available on the App store.