Shine Text

Shine is a mental wellness platform focused on making self-care more accessible and inclusive, particularly for underrepresented communities such as BIPOC, women, and LGBTQ+ individuals. The company was founded in 2016 by Marah Lidey and Naomi Hirabayashi. Their journey began from their own friendship and the peer support they provided each other while working together at DoSomething.org, where they respectively served as Director of Mobile and Product and Chief Marketing Officer. They identified a gap in the market for a relatable and trustworthy wellness resource that felt like a friend, which led to the creation of Shine.

The business initially launched as Shine Text, a service delivering daily motivational text messages with research-backed tips on confidence, mental health, and productivity. This quickly evolved into a comprehensive mobile application available on iOS and Android. The app operates on a freemium model; core features like daily meditations are free, while a premium subscription unlocks an extensive audio library of over 800 original meditations, bedtime stories, and self-care courses. Revenue is generated through these individual subscriptions and an enterprise-level platform, "Shine at Work," which provides mental wellness resources as a corporate benefit to over 90 clients.

Shine's product is distinguished by its focus on representation and inclusivity. A majority of its content is created and voiced by people of color, addressing specific experiences like representation burnout and race-based trauma. The app's features include mood tracking, guided journaling, and virtual workshops. In September 2022, Shine was acquired by Headspace Health, a move intended to scale its inclusive mental health support. As part of the acquisition, founders Marah Lidey and Naomi Hirabayashi joined the Headspace Health leadership team in product and marketing, continuing their mission to close the equity gap in mental health.

Keywords: mental wellness, self-care app, BIPOC mental health, inclusive wellness, daily meditation, Headspace Health, Marah Lidey, Naomi Hirabayashi, mindfulness app, mental health support, corporate wellness, subscription model, mobile health, guided meditation, anxiety support, stress management, self-improvement, diversity in tech, female founders, mental health for women