Emma Payne · 22 September 2025
When I first chose text messaging as the vehicle I'd use to build a global grief support platform, I thought it would be my MVP - something I could fund off the side of my desk while keeping my tech job. Text, I thought, was affordable, scalable, and nearly ubiquitous.
Flash forward 10 years and I believe my decision to build a text messaging platform was the best decision I could possibly have made. I've learned a lot about the technology, psychology, neuroscience, and impact of text as a mental health intervention. Other technologies come and go, but everyone still loves text messages. Here's why.Read more
Emma Payne · 17 September 2025
Among the million things I (embarrassingly) didn't know in 2016 when I started working on Help Texts (we were called Grief Coach back then), is that there's an incredible field of study called Thanatology, and that the world is full of (IMO undervalued) Thanatologists who make the end of life experience better. Much better.Read more
Emma Payne · 18 April 2023
At Help Texts we're on a mission to make mental health and bereavement care accessible and affordable for all. As we look to scale our impact as a public benefit corporation, we're considering launching a community raise with Wefunder, a crowdfunding platform that will give our community an opportunity to own part of our company. If you think this is something you might consider, please take 30 seconds (literally!) to complete this survey. There's no commitment but hearing from our community will help us decide whether or not to raise money this way.Read more
Emma Payne · 22 June 2020
Feature articles by Employee Benefit News and NBC News have filled my inbox, and filled my bucket too. It feels good when your work is recognized.Read more
Emma Payne · 15 April 2020
Text-based Grief Support Provides Relief For Those Bereaved by COVID-19 … Coping with loss during the pandemic requires new kinds of grief support, delivered safely from a distance.Read more
Emma Payne · 23 January 2020
Whether it’s a card game or text messages, I love that there are new ways to take the awkwardness out of the moments in our lives when we most need each other.Read more
Emma Payne · 14 January 2020
After decades kept firmly backstage, people are talking about death and grief, and bringing difficult conversations into the limelight.Read more
Emma Payne · 20 November 2019
Recompose and GiveInKind dominated Seattle start-up news on November 19th, with nearly $6M raised. And they're just getting started.Read more
Emma Payne · 29 October 2019
Like so many people who suffer a traumatic loss, Ashley was devastated when her daughter died, but also felt isolated in the aftermath, as friends struggled to find the words or - worse - stayed away.Read more