How Jewel’s star power is making a difference.
Singer/songwriter Jewel has made a name for herself as a musical pioneer, exploring the worlds of folk, pop, country, and blues. The four-time Grammy nominee has sold over 30 million albums to date, including her wildly successful multi-platinum debut, Pieces Of You.
Fast forward to last year when the beautiful Alaskan revealed her commitment to helping with mental health struggles that face our nation. In 2023, she launched her second annual #NotAloneChallenge, an initiative that works toward providing accessible mental health services to the public. The endeavor has raised over three million dollars for Jewel’s nonprofit, Inspiring Children Foundation. This organization provides educational and mental health tools for underprivileged youth
She is also the co-founder and chief strategy officer of InnerWorld, a virtual mental health environment. InnerWorld offers free 24-hour, anonymous peer-to-peer support conducted by guides trained in Cognitive Behavioral Immersion—or CBI—a form of psychological intervention to address depression and anxiety.
Music remains a priority for the busy artist. Later this year, she’ll embark on a co-headlining US tour with fellow music legend Melissa Etheridge, which will bring her to South Florida.
How did the idea for InnerWorld come about? About twenty-two years ago, my partner Ryan Wolfington and I wanted to see if we could create a nonprofit for mental health for kids who had suicidal ideation, PTSD, and anxiety to find ways to help them. We’re really proud of having one of the highest rates in the world of helping kids with suicidal ideation. InnerWorld was born out of my desire to create a scalable model that solves the bottleneck that the mental industry is facing.
What are some of the mental wellness implementations you are excited about? I’m a big fan of behavioral tools. If
you’re not changing your behavior, your life won’t change. You should have goals with your therapist. Your happiness is your responsibility.
You’re going on tour this year with Melissa Etheridge. Tell us about it. Yeah. We’re actually going to share her band! I’ve been trying to get someone to share a band and crew with me for twenty-five years. She’s the first person who’s taken me up on it! I’m stoked.
One of the most celebrated qualities of your career is that you can draw a diverse fanbase. Tell us about it. I have conservative fans. I have gay fans. Wildly diverse. Underneath, you can find a lot of commonalities between people, and I really try to focus on that.
