Mental Health
Today, too many do not seek treatment because of stigma or a lack of understanding. One of the greatest challenges in mental health is changing this culture: from treatment-avoidance to one where people seek treatment before their mental health negatively impacts their lives. Kristin Rulon is one of them who took her own mental health serious and found a company called Mind Star Health. Mind Star Health advocates universal self-care.
Rulon’s story
Rulon is a survivor of severe postpartum depression/anxiety and OCD. When Rulon gave birth to her third child she developed PPD/PPA/OCD after the birth control shot. Rulon did her best to combat it naturally – eating healthy and exercising and upping her vitamins. It helped and then right after her daughter’s first birthday, Rulon’s mental health came crashing down again. She knew she deserved to feel better so she finally went on meds, started therapy and began to read every personal development book she could get her hands on.
The idea of Mind Star came in the summer of 2018. When Rulon came home from work, finished kickboxing and made dinner for her three kids. That’s when she thought “Where is my gold star for being an adult?”
“Why can’t people be rewarding for taking care of themselves? What if people were rewarding for making their bed, drinking their water, going outside and getting some fresh air?”
Rulon tells when you are in the trenches of a mental illness, it can be hard to see anything. It pulls you into isolation and some days you are reaching for anything to pull you out of the fog. Rulon truly believes Mind Star can help do that by building awareness and self-compassion for its users.
‘’It’s time we start celebrating the small things we do for ourselves, instead of focusing on the bigger, expensive things we do.’’
Mind Star app will help users build awareness, self-compassion
- Create a custom self-care routine that fits their life and self-care goals
- Track their self-care routine over time by collecting stars (points) and as they reach self-care milestones, users will unlock free rewards provided by sponsored businesses.
- Connect with other users based on health concerns and find mental health professionals nearby.
How did it go, getting approached by a company through Instagram?
When the idea came to me I wrote it down in my “Million Dollar Idea” journal. I have several journals I have given this title to because as a creative, ideas have come and gone, some stay, but as fellow creatives know – when an idea comes you that causes a rush through your whole body, you have to hang onto it! I began obsessively writing about Mind Star. I then thought “This has to be brought into the world, but I can’t do this.” It was because of this limiting belief that I decided to post about the app. I used the hashtag app idea on Instagram and then I put the idea in my journal as a “maybe.” Is it amazing how we are so quick to agree with our limiting beliefs, to just go with the flow because this is how our life has always been or this is how we think w should be. A few months went by and I dreamt about the app, I would journal about it but I didn’t go beyond that.
I then received a direct message from the company Inventive Byte. They told me they liked my vibe on Instagram and wanted me to check out their website because they help people apps. My first thought SCAM, see ya! I was a Sunday and I was at the clinic for my oldest. Shortly after that I received another message from them saying that their CEO wanted to talk to me. I knew I had a decision to make – take a cash and give out my number to complete strangers or ignore the message. I took a chance and a few hours later I was sitting in my closet, sorting my husband’s underwear and socks when Ankit Sharma (the CEO of Inventive Byte) called me and before I knew it, we were talking about how to make Mind Star a reality! I still can’t believe it all started over Instagram!
What makes Mind Star app so special from the other health apps?
Mind Star is special is that is recognizes true self-care, not just hyped up forms of self-care that society likes to feed us. Things like making our bed, eating breakfast, saying something kind to ourselves and others, reading a few pages of a book, going outside for some fresh air. There are so many things we can do to take care ourselves but many people don’t have the awareness or understanding of what true self-care is, that it’s not selfish but a vital part of being our best selves. You can pour from an empty cup.
If you want to love others the way you need to be loved, you must first learn how to love yourself so you know how you need to be loved. Mind Star will help users build a self-care routine they can track over time, earning points as they check-in daily. Those points add up and once they reach a self-care milestone they will be rewarded for their self-care progress! What a great way for businesses to show they care about people’s mental health and overall well-being! Mind Star also advocates universal self-care – which means we welcome all
We have a few other unique features we hope to implement in the near future, such as the ability for users to search other users based on health concerns (all depending on user’s privacy settings, of course). Imagine putting eczema as a health concern and then searching that in the app and finding other users with public profiles who have eczema, being able to reach out to them
How can customers create their own self-care routine, how do they know what’s right for them?
We will have suggestions curated by mental health experts, professionals who are on the Mental Health Advisory Board, and what is great is that if they don’t see something on the list of suggestions, they can add their own self-care item to the routine. I think by looking at the suggestions they will gain a new perspective on self-care. Sometimes it’s putting on your favorite song and dancing to it, remembering to pay your bills on time, making your bed, giving yourself time to decompress after work.
What popular entrepreneurial advice do you agree/ disagree with? Why?
I disagree with the notion that you have to work non stop. You have to work for your dreams, yes, but I say you have to work smarter, not harder. Time management is very important so you can have time for those you love and you’re not neglecting your relationships as you build your dream. That said, sometimes we have to sacrifice nights out for nights in to work but we are not robots. We need connection, we were made for it. We need to rest, reflect, rise and repeat.
I’ll say it again, we have to learn how to take car of ourselves, and do the personal work of loving others before we can give back and truly love others. We don’t have to answer every email right this second. Sure, we must be timely and when opportunities arise, we must leap but we must also know when to take a step back and make sure we stay aligned with our passions for our purpose lies within our passion. We must reflect on all forms of success (even the hard-lesson mistake successes). and learn to grow through our struggles before we rise and reach our goals.
Health apps are receiving a lot of personal information from users. It is a common thing that a lot of companies sell personal information like this to health insurance companies or any other commercial companies. how is Mind Star app using their users’ information?
We respect a user’s decision to share or not share (and be anonymous) sensitive information with us. Mind Star has no intentions now or in the future of selling any of the data it collects. We want people to feel safe and welcomed and not have to worry about their data being used in anyway to anyone. User’s data will be protected with the utmost care.
What is the most rewarding aspect of Mind Star App?
There are two things one: Even though the app is not out yet, when I share with people, especially with those who have a chronic mental illness, what using Mind Star will be like, their eye light up, some even are on the verge of tears because they know this is something that is going to help them with those really rough days when their mental illness is lying to them.
This is the app I needed when my mental illness was affecting my life and who I wanted and needed to be in order to function in society. When people open up to me about their struggles and we share encouragement with one another, I joke that those situations make my heart grow a few sizes (Grinch reference! Yes, I am a Grinch fan) but seriously, I have always felt a calling to give back and to stand up for those who need someone to help them up and know I am doing that with Mind Star.
Do you believe in destiny or do you think you can control your fate?
I believe in both. I believe our destiny will call to us over and over again and it’s up to us to quiet our minds and really listen. If we ignore, that’s a choice, we are controlling our fate by not answering the call. We all have a purpose here and that is to shine our light in our own unique way for all to see. If we all shined, how much of the darkness in this world would be blinded by our light? I understand the beauty, the hidden treasures in the dark but I also know we were meant to be the light. I don’t know about you but I only have one life and I want to be as bright as the sun.
What else motivated you to become an entrepreneur?
Besides my personal development work, I’d say my children. Our kids are my muses, they are the future. God also motivates me, not because I’m looking to please him but because I know he gave me Mind Star for a reason and I want to do it right because it was meant to help change the world.
What does the future of universal self-care look like?
The future of self-care is embracing what self-care really is – small, acts of kindness toward ourselves done consistently over time. We all deserve self-care not matter our gender, race, religion. All minds deserve to be here and deserve to be celebrated. The future of self-care looks beyond all that and looks what we all have in common – our humanity and our ability to hope for a better tomorrow.
I’m a award-winning journalist with a degree in journalism from Northwest Missouri State University (December 2007). I’m a former life coach, blogger and fiction writer. I’m a creative, that dabbles in oil painting and the occasional Pinterest craft. I’m the mother of three humans and one fur baby, a Newfie named Tank. I’ve been married for more than 10 years to my high school sweetheart, Adam. I’m a military wife and sister. We are currently crowdfunding with Indiegogo Mind Star App
![From Music to Perfume: How did your background as a music teacher influence your transition into perfumery, and how do you incorporate your musical sensibilities into creating fragrances? I’ve always thought in terms of metaphors, and music has many that can be related to perfumery! Beyond just thinking in terms of top, middle and base notes [soprano/alto/tenor in choir], I approach each fragrant idea as a composition. When documenting my ideas, song structures often come to mind. As the scent brief is visited, I meditate on what the fragrance should convey - do I want to create an accord or a “chord” of fragrance note combinations? Do I want an a capella soloist (a particular ingredient to stand out more than others?) Many of my thoughts regarding song composition transfers to my scent formulation process, with me treating each note as an intentional soliloquy at some point.
Brand Origin: What inspired you to start Pink MahogHany in 2005, and how has your vision for the brand evolved since its inception?
An avid lover of all things pleasantly scented (with slight modesty), looking back in retrospect, it’s no huge surprise that I’ve created an indie perfume house with just an idea to provide unique options for those who may be sensitive to unnecessary pungency. Initially, I just wanted to evaluate various blends to note their aroma profiles when “played” together…it wasn’t until I had friends and family asking if I knew of brands that catered to those who may be on the more olfactory sensitive side, that I really began to take my research more seriously. In the almost 20 years that Pink MahogHany has been in existence, our micro visions for the brand have evolved to larger territory. Where Pink MahogHany used to only be a personal brand, we are now also a bespoke formulation service provider to other indie brands seeking unique fragrance offerings for their products. These products range from (but are not limited to) perfumes, candles, body butters and lip balms. Ingredient Transparency: You emphasize transparency and the use of desirable ingredients in your products. How do you select your ingredients, and what challenges have you faced in maintaining this standard?
Being an indie brand often comes with a set of assumptions and misconceptions - one of them being more negative than positive as it relates to ingredients used. There is a lot of “fluff” in the industry with labeling falsification. Because fragrance formulas are a trade secret, not every molecular breakdown of a material has to be noted on the ingredient label (it would be incredibly long), but we at Pink MahogHany™️ adhere strongly to the IFRA [International Fragrance Regulatory Association] regulations that state for common and potential allergens to be listed on our ingredient label. We’ve taken this a step further to also include these ingredients listed on our website to promote further transparency, all while protecting our intellectual property. Unfortunately, we’ve had companies to unethically sell lesser expensive “dupes” of our artisan perfumes, so as a way to create a better authenticity stamp, we make it our duty to be honest about our claims. If our perfume says “Rose Bulgaria”, it is in fact just that and not a component of rose being passed off as the source material. Collaborations and Custom Scents: Can you share more about your work with private label clients? What excites you most about creating custom scent solutions for other indie brands? I could easily sum this up in one word and say “Funding.” True, there is money out there, but I’m always thinking outside the box. Having a program that has an “Each One Fund One” mentality doesn’t exist (that I’ve been made aware of). Bootstrapping can be quite the challenge, even when you’ve reached the 6-figure mark annually. Competition to be seen and set apart is extremely high, so having quality packaging and branding is a must. There are lots of factors to consider, though when desiring to make upgrades. If there were a unique, tier-geared funding operation available, it would help perfume brands offset packaging and bulk material costs in the beginning stages.
Industry Challenges: What are some of the biggest challenges you've faced as an independent fragrance house, and how have you overcome them to grow your brand? As the brand continues on the path of organic growth, I would like to expand our reach into schools, offering perfumery as an arts elective for middle and high school. I’d love to partner with botanists, farmers and horticulturists directly to grow and source raw materials for the students to work with in the creation of tinctures. My passion is getting back to nature as best as possible, as nature was my first “scent experience” as a child. We would also love to witness our fragrance creations being used to scent model homes, our focus diffuser blends being used in automobile dealerships as well as partner with Air Bnb and boutique hotels that specialize in highlighting minority, indie brands. Personal Journey: How has your personal experience, particularly as a divorced mother and someone who has experienced the loss of a child, shaped your approach to life and your work in perfumery?
Because I homeschool my twin sons, we are together a lot more than most, so one thing we all do is have moments of sharing where a neutral “floor” is laid to converse about anything. Though they are quite communicative by nature, I realize that sometimes I can be in work mode so much that it spills over into what should be our quality time. My sons see the authentic me and learn how to communicate through seeing authenticity. I’ve learned not to feel as if I have to be the epitome of perfection but allow them to see my imperfections vulnerably but with discernment. Having had two traumatic experiences pretty close together has taught me how to truly slow down and enjoy the simplicities of life - igniting a spiritual aspect that I’ve always carried but never fully explored…until Kenji’s sudden passing (2018.) Grief has a way of catapulting us into a quest for more meaningfulness in both life and business. After Kenji’s passing and my processing through the initial stages of grief, I was able to incorporate our spiritual bond into Pink MahogHany by way of essential oil diffuser blends for both focus and sleep and most recently aromatic perfume elixirs. It’s been quite the process channeling the void of his physical presence, but I also have peace knowing he can be honored in a great way through scent. I noticed once I began to be more open and receptive to spiritual signs, synchs and “winks”, more ideas began to flow. It’s been this way since his transition. Emotional Expression: Fragrance is often tied to memories and emotions. How does your personal life influence the fragrances you create, and do you have a particular scent that holds special meaning to you? My creative process is much more alchemic now, and I include Kenji by talking out loud to him, believe it or not. I’m a firm believer that when our loved ones transition from the physical plane, they are still present - just in another form. I choose to keep his memory alive by not pretending he never existed (even if for a brief period of time). I am working (slowly) on a book and accompanying fragrance, but I know it will require me to revisit some memories I’m not quite ready for, so until then, his big brothers will launch their debut fragrance, The Peaceful Tiger (they chose the name.) I’ve learned that even in what we consider “small things”, our transitioned loved ones want to be recognized and acknowledged. When the twins and I designed their fragrance label (with a designer out of the country that didn’t know anything about me personally), we had issues with the graphic - so much so that the designer asked if they could rework the design. When they sent the proof for approval, the Tiger was not only younger but sleeping, with an uncanny, angelic resemblance to baby Kenji! Becoming more aware and being more sensitive to my intention for launching a fragrance has definitely made room for more divine situations like these to occur. Healing Through Scent: In what ways has creating fragrances been a form of healing or expression for you, especially after the loss of your son, Kenji Mwamba? I know my sons may not necessarily want to be perfumers, but they definitely have an entrepreneurial heart. My desire is that whatever they decide to pursue (acting, script-writing, music or architecture), they know that anything is possible with the right amount of determination, grit, belief and immersion. One reason I chose to homeschool is so they could enjoy learning without restraint and have ample time to devote to their own separate passions and it still be fun. They know Pink MahogHany is theirs if they want it (many, many years from now - lol), and we are already discussing business structures for whatever they choose their role to be once I retire. Work-Life Balance: How do you find balance between your professional responsibilities and personal well-being, and what self-care practices do you prioritize? I’m not just a perfumer; I’m also a consumer, and self-care is huge for me. I often take salt baths to reset my energy and clear my mind after being around large groups of people or free a long day. I’m a habitual perfume sampler, and I have so many to choose from to wear as my “nightcap.” Even if just for 10-15 minutes, I cherish each moment I’m able to have some “me-time.” When time and co-parenting schedules permit, I’m definitely on a flight somewhere to indulge in some delicious food and mouth-watering mocktails!](https://www.womenontopp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_3812-1200x720.jpeg)
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