Anonymous peer support, built by people who’ve been there.

I’m building Shema because I lived it. Mental health has affected me deeply. I’ve lost a lot of close people in my life. I’ve had multiple near-death experiences that changed how I see everything. There were years where I didn’t feel good enough for anyone, where I’d talk to myself because I didn’t know who else to talk to. The loneliness wasn’t just quiet. It was crushing.

Growing up in an Indian community, the silence around mental health was its own weight. Struggling isn’t just personal there. It’s seen as weakness, as something that brings shame to the family. You’re told it’s a test of faith, that you just need to be stronger, more grateful. Not to talk about it. So you don’t. You carry it quietly, because speaking up feels like betraying everyone who sacrificed for you. I carried that silence for years before I could even name what I was feeling.

And the hardest truth? My pain didn’t stay mine. The ways my struggles spilled over onto the people I love hurt them in ways I’m still making peace with. They didn’t sign up for that weight, but they bore it because they cared. My wife carried more than her share. She saved my life when I couldn’t save myself.

That’s why, when we named this platform, it was her name we chose. Because most people tried to fix me or tell me what was wrong. She just understood. No fixing. No judgment. Just someone who’d stayed close enough to actually see me.

That’s why Shema exists. Not as a product, but as the support I wish I’d had, and the support she gave me when no one else could. Anonymous peer support where you’re matched with someone who gets it. A way to bring back the connection, compassion, and empathy we lost.

I’ve heard countless stories from people carrying their own pain, and I keep coming back to the same thing: everyone deserves a version of what she gave me.

If this resonated with you, you’re not alone. We’re building Shema for people like us.

— Previn John, Founder of Shema