Picture taken by late sister of Kundu on her one year suicide survial milestone hike.
Saroni Kundu, a seasoned Experience Design Strategy leader with over two decades of expertise in the IT industry, has long been driven by a passion for customer-centric solutions. With a background in technology, customer experience and service design, she has now shifted her focus toward a deeply personal mission—improving mental healthcare accessibility and breaking the stigma surrounding it. Her journey into mental health advocacy is not just professional but profoundly personal, rooted in lived experiences that have shaped her purpose.
Kundu’s path to mental health advocacy was shaped by tragic personal loss and firsthand struggles navigating the complexities of mental health care. The suicide of her beloved sister in December 2022 was a devastating turning point that revealed the gaps in the existing mental health system. Despite her sister’s survival of a previous suicide attempt in 2021, access to adequate care remained an ongoing challenge, underscoring the inadequacies of even well-established healthcare systems. Kundu also experienced these challenges within her own family, with her son being diagnosed with high-functioning clinical depression and her daughter living with general anxiety disorder. These experiences reinforced her understanding of the difficulties many families face when trying to find suitable mental health care—whether in terms of affordability, accessibility, or the availability of the right professionals.
Driven by these experiences, Kundu decided to channel her grief into action. Along with her husband, she embarked on a new mission—one that combined their entrepreneurial aspirations with a heartfelt commitment to making a difference. Their journey led them to Ellie Mental Health, a franchise that resonated deeply with their values and goals. Recognizing the need for more accessible mental health services in their community, they saw Ellie as an opportunity to bridge the gap and bring quality mental health care to those who need it most.
“When Ellie Mental Health crossed my path, I immediately saw how it addressed the gaps I witnessed head-on. With customer-centric experience driving its business model, I was impressed with how personalized service was the key mission. My community could benefit a lot from this kind of mental health clinic,” Kundu explains.
The need for mental health services has surged in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, exacerbating an already existing shortage of mental health professionals. Many individuals, particularly young people, struggle with conditions like anxiety, depression, and trauma without the resources or access to appropriate care. Kundu’s goal is to change this by offering a clinic that provides comprehensive and personalized mental health services to meet the growing demand.
Her commitment to mental health advocacy extends beyond her business endeavors. Kundu actively speaks on various platforms across the globe, sharing insights on navigating the mental healthcare system, advocating for better support structures, and working to dismantle the stigma surrounding mental illness. Her approach is shaped by a combination of professional expertise in customer experience design and a personal understanding of the struggles individuals face when seeking mental health care.
Kundu’s journey toward purpose-driven entrepreneurship has been shaped by a lifetime of passion for community service. Even before her venture into mental health, she sought ways to make a meaningful impact—whether through her career in IT, where she focused on enhancing user experiences, or through her creative pursuits. She founded a dance school dedicated to teaching older women Indian classical dance, allowing her to blend culture and creativity in a way that nurtured her artistic spirit. However, despite these fulfilling aspects of her life, she still felt something was missing—the need to make a more direct impact in people’s lives.
Through Ellie Mental Health, Kundu has found a way to merge her skills, personal mission, and entrepreneurial aspirations into a single endeavor. She believes in the power of creativity and authenticity, two of Ellie’s core values that resonate deeply with her own approach to problem-solving and human connection. Her goal is to ensure that people in her community not only have access to mental health services but also feel understood, supported, and empowered in their journey toward wellness.Ellie’s mission to make mental health care accessible to all is no small feat.
Mental health care in the U.S. is facing a crisis of accessibility, with financial barriers and low insurance reimbursement rates, one of the biggest hurdles in making mental health care truly accessible is the misalignment between insurance reimbursement rates and the actual cost of providing care. Ellie Mental Health is on a mission to address this issue by advocating for parity in reimbursement rates, supporting sustainable business models for providers, and expanding access to quality mental health care nationwide. Our goal is simple: ensure that everyone can get the support they deserve, no matter their financial situation.
Beyond business ownership, Kundu’s mission is to create awareness and encourage open conversations around mental health. She recognizes that systemic change is needed to improve the mental healthcare landscape and is committed to advocating for those who struggle in silence. By turning her grief into purpose, she hopes to inspire others to seek help, support their loved ones, and collectively work toward a society where mental health is prioritized.
Her story is a testament to resilience, determination, and the transformative power of turning personal pain into meaningful action. Through her work with Ellie Mental Health, she is not only building a business but also creating a space where individuals can find the care, understanding, and resources they need to heal and thrive.
For more information, visit Saroni Kundu’s website.
