A Monthly Dose of Good News from Help Texts: May 2025

Hi, friends,

Every day, people turn to Help Texts for support they can trust. Our messages are simple, human, and clinically sound. Whether someone is grieving, facing a difficult transition, or simply trying to make it through the day, we are here with help that fits into their life. Here are just a few of the messages we received from Help Texts subscribers this month.

• "These text messages have saved and revived so many of my bad days! There's times when I know they're coming, but life gets in the way, and I may not get to read them until later in the day. I've learned so much about myself, and how to help my loved ones help me if ever needed. Thank you so very much."
• “An absolutely fabulous service. I wouldn't have got through so far without the messages from you. I look forward to them and the positivity and gentleness of them.”
• "Thank you. The texts seem to arrive just when I need them. The fact that they use our names really does help. I have followed many of the suggestions and have shared them with members of my grieving family where applicable.The beauty is that I can look back on the text's and get comfort."
• "Your help and advice means so much. It has helped me through my bad times. Thank you.

Help Texts Now Offering Support for Job Loss

Help Texts is pleased to now offer support for job loss, as part of our Health & Well-being product. In our latest blog post, we explore what grief after job loss really looks like, why it’s so often overlooked, and how private, consistent support can help people move forward.

Read the full post → Grief Around Job Loss: How Support Can Help You Heal and Rebuild

Grief and Health: Help Texts on the Optispan Podcast

I recently joined longevity scientist Matt Kaeberlein in studio on the Optispan Podcast for a conversation about what happens to our bodies and brains when we grieve. This was an exciting opportunity to talk about grief with an audience deeply committed to health and well-being, but who tend to focus more on physical than emotional health.

Drawing on research, personal experience, and of course our work at Help Texts, I shared insights into the biological impact of loss, the four tasks that help people navigate grief, and the importance of building mental health tools guided by empathy and science.

Matt was a wonderful interviewer. If you're grieving or supporting a grieving loved one, this conversation is worth your time.

Watch the full episode

Welcoming Our New Advisor

I'm over the moon to welcome J. Galen Buckwalter, PhD, as an advisor to Help Texts. A research psychologist with over 30 years of experience, Galen is a pioneer at the intersection of psychology, technology, and behavior. From creating eHarmony’s original matching system to leading ethical AI efforts at psyML, Galen has spent his career exploring how data and empathy can work together to support human connection.

Galen will work with the Help Texts team on our AI roadmap, with a focus on enhancing well-being and scaling our impact without losing the human heart of our work.

Fun fact: Galen is also a musician and neuroscience research participant, exploring ways to turn brain activity into music. It was our shared love of punk rock that originally brought us together!

On the subject of AI, I'm proud to share that Help Texts has secured support from National Research Council Canada’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) to help us accelerate the critical work of building the world’s most ethical and effective grief-focused AI. The funding is expanding our ability to do large-scale sentiment analysis and crisis assessment, so we can continue to meet people’s needs with care and precision.

Welcome to the team!

As we grow our impact, we are thrilled to welcome two new team members whose work is essential to building a secure and responsive platform.

Sidhanth Sanil, AI Engineer, brings expertise in natural language processing and ethical AI. His work focuses on designing systems that help us better understand emotion and intent, so our human-written messages can reach the right people at the right time.

Anjali Shah, Engineer, joins us with a strong background in cloud infrastructure and DevOps. She is helping ensure our platform remains fast, secure, and reliable as we continue to grow.

We are thrilled to have them both on board!

New Clients

We are proud to welcome two new clients this month: Vancouver Hospice Society and Oceanside Hospice Society. Both organizations provide compassionate end-of-life care and grief support in their communities, and we are honored to support their work with text-based care that extends beyond the bedside.

Thank you for being part of our community.

With gratitude,

Emma Payne, CEO

Help Texts

If you know someone who might appreciate our monthly dose of good news, please invite them to subscribe here. And as always, remember that you can visit our website to buy a gift subscription for the griever in your life or learn more about Help Texts for your organization.