Before Puppy Sphere was a business, it was two burned-out friends and the dogs that pulled them through. Francesca and Lea built it so anyone could feel that, with or without a dog of their own. Mental health has been at the heart of what we do ever since, including how we give back through donations to organizations like NAMI.

So on Oct. 10, we brought puppies to Project Healthy Minds' fifth annual World Mental Health Day Festival at Spring Studios in New York and hosted two puppy yoga classes.

The festival is the largest public event in the world dedicated to World Mental Health Day, and it's free for anyone to attend. This year's programming was built around six pillars: Connect, Move, Restore, Reflect, Create, and Care, with movement classes from instructors like Sydney Miller and Becs Gentry.

Both of our classes booked up fast, and hundreds of people joined the waitlist hoping for a spot on the mat.

Remi Bader partnered with us for the festival and kicked things off with a speech before the flow. After losing her marketing job in 2020, Remi started posting "realistic clothing hauls" on TikTok, showing how clothes from popular brands actually fit a curvy body. The videos took off, and she's since built a community of more than 3 million followers across social media platforms and become a leading voice for size inclusion in fashion.

In her speech, Remi spoke openly about her own mental health and reminded everyone that it's OK to talk about what we're going through.

Hearing that before rolling out the mats set the tone for the whole class: show up as you are, and let the puppies handle the rest.

Project Healthy Minds is a Millennial and Gen Z-driven nonprofit working to make mental health care easier to find and access across the U.S. The team built what it calls the world's first free digital mental health marketplace, partners with culture makers to fight stigma, and advocates for employers to invest in employee mental health.

Its programs have served more than 500,000 people, and the organization is working to connect 10 million Americans with mental health services over the next decade.

The festival has grown every year since it launched. This year's speakers included NBA champion Karl-Anthony Towns, who opened up about grief after losing his mother, actor Terry Crews, "The Anxious Generation" author Jonathan Haidt, and licensed therapist Nina Westbrook.

Before Puppy Sphere, our co-founders Francesca Albo and Lea Burbidge Izquierdo were both dealing with stress and burnout in demanding corporate jobs. Their dogs, Nala and Hershey, helped them through it.

"Not everyone can have a dog, but everyone deserves to feel that," Lea said. So in 2021, they opened our first studio in Toronto to make puppy therapy accessible to anyone who needs it.

Schermer said this year's festival is free and open to everyone because "you don't need a diagnosis to belong in this room." Puppy Sphere was built on that same belief.

Thank you to Project Healthy Minds, Remi, and everyone who joined us on the mat.

Missed your spot? Our New York studios in Lower Manhattan, Flatiron, and Long Island are open for booking. Book your class today ♡