Demi Lovato and Carson Daly Among Guests for Project Healthy Minds’ World Mental Health Day Events (EXCLUSIVE)

Millennial and Gen Z-driven mental health tech non-profit Project Healthy Minds has revealed the participants for its third annual World Mental Health Day Festival and the guests for its second annual World Mental Health Day Gala. The festival takes Oct. 10 at New York City’s Hudson Yards, with the gala kicking off that evening at Spring Studios.

Participants revealed thus far for the festival’s 2024 edition include Demi Lovato, OBB Media founder/CEO Michael D. Ratner, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, showrunner and producer Brian Koppelman, Bonobos CEO Andy Dunn, comedian Gary Gulman, SoulCycle co-founder Julie Rice and the “Today” show’s Carson Daly. Gala guests include Laura Benanti, Paul Walter Hauser, Howard Schultz and Leo Pearlman; the gala is hosted by Carson Daly with an introduction from “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, who serves as a Dinner Chair alongside her husband, FGS Global co-chairman Mike Feldman. Producer and reality TV star Kyle Richards has also been added as a Project Healthy Minds gala dinner chair.

“I’m thrilled to welcome this year’s participants into our community of allies, all working to create a brighter future for mental health,” said Project Healthy Minds founder/CEO Phillip Schermer. “Their dedication to advancing the conversation is truly inspiring and we are honored to provide them with a platform to share their stories.”

Among honors set to be handed out at the event, Chance the Rapper is receiving the first-ever “Project Healthy Minds Trailblazer of the Year Award.” Also, Ratner will receive “Storyteller of the Year” (presented by Demi Lovato), while the “Humanitarian of the Year” goes to The Yabuki Foundation and “Corporate Visionary of the Year” honor is KPMG.

“It’s like prom for us at Project Healthy Minds,” Daly added. “As a proud board member, I have a front-row seat to all the incredible work that goes into this event. We’re so appreciative of all the participants & sponsors who support the cause.”

The mainstage festivities for the World Mental Health Day Festival kick off with “The Price of Passion: Mental Health in the Founder’s Journey” with panelists Dunn and Rice, where they will discuss the often under-discussed mental toll of entrepreneurial success. “Punchlines for Progress: Comedy’s Power to Shift How Americans Feel & Talk about Mental Health” will close out the event, where panelist Gulman will discuss how comedians can use their platforms to support mental health awareness.

More details can be found at the Project Healthy Minds site (https://www.projecthealthyminds.com/wmhdfestival2024).