Our New Logo Is Here! And It Was Designed by a Local High School Student ❤️

March 10, 2025

This is one of those full-circle moments that just feels right. I’m so proud to reveal our brand new logo for Shusharoo—designed by Claire Kinkelaar, a talented senior in the Graphic Arts program at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, OH.

Claire created this design as part of a student competition I hosted to bring young artists into the journey of building Shusharoo. Her work stood out immediately—it’s clean, creative, and somehow captured the calm, supportive energy I hope users will feel when they visit the site or open the app.

I’ll be posting the logo image with this article, so you can see it for yourself! 🎨

It means a lot to me that this logo comes from someone who’s just beginning her own creative journey. It’s a reminder that the work we’re doing at Shusharoo is for everyone—including students, creators, dreamers, and anyone who’s trying to navigate life with a little more peace.

Claire, thank you for sharing your gift. And to all of you reading—thank you for being part of this community.

Another Milestone: Accepted into the SEA Change Accelerator for Social Enterprises!

February 17, 2025

I’m honored (and honestly still processing it) to announce that I’ve been accepted into the SEA Change Accelerator, a program that supports social enterprises—aka startups that exist not just to make money, but to make a difference. 💡🌱

SEA Change focuses on helping founders like me build sustainable, mission-driven businesses that create real impact. That’s exactly what I want Shusharoo to be—a tool that supports people’s mental health in everyday, accessible, and personal ways.

This opportunity means I’ll be surrounded by mentors, coaches, and other change-makers who are walking the same path of turning vision into reality. I couldn’t be more grateful.

It’s incredibly affirming to be part of a community that sees the why behind my work. I’m building Shusharoo because I believe we all deserve tools that help us understand ourselves better, cope more easily, and feel less alone.

Thank you to SEA Change for believing in this mission—I’m all in.

Big News: Shusharoo Accepted into the University of Akron’s I-Corps Program!

Feb. 10, 2025

I’m thrilled to share that I’ve been accepted into the University of Akron Research Foundation’s I-Corps program! 🎉

For those who aren’t familiar, I-Corps is a National Science Foundation program that helps early-stage startups dive deep into something called customer discovery—basically, talking to real people to understand what they need, what they’re struggling with, and how we can build something that truly helps.

This is such a huge step for me and the work I’m doing to create a website and app focused on mental wellness. I’m not just trying to build another app—I’m trying to build something meaningful, something that supports people in the moments when they need it most. The I-Corps program is giving me the tools and structure to make sure I’m doing this with my future users, not just for them.

I’m genuinely excited (and a little nervous) to dive in, listen, learn, and grow. Every conversation is helping me shape Shusharoo into something that reflects real needs. If you’ve ever thought, “Why doesn’t anyone make an app that actually gets me?”—I’m working on it. And I’d love to hear from you, too.

Thank you to UARF for this opportunity and the support. Here we go!