Movement and Mental Health
Our goal is simple: to offer realistic, supportive perspectives on how movement can be one tool among many for caring for your mental health.
On March 24, 2026, the Anxiety & Depression Initiative marks 11 years since its founding.
In 2015, co-founders Josh Rothman, Scott Hendrickson, and Matthew Miller formally launched the organization after months of planning and conversation. What drove that effort was not professional obligation, but something more personal. Each of the founders had seen—through their own experiences and those of people close to them—the real impact of anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges.
At the same time, they shared a common observation: physical activity played a meaningful role in their own mental well-being, yet it was rarely emphasized in broader conversations about mental health care.
The ADI was created to explore that gap.
Starting Small: Movement in the Community
In its early years, the ADI focused on simple, community-based activity groups. These were not highly structured programs or formal interventions. They were guided hikes, walks, yoga sessions, and fitness classes—designed to be accessible and low-pressure.
Over time, a growing number of individuals participated in these activities.
Alongside these efforts, the ADI also began building its advocacy and education work. This included presentations to local communities, mental health organizations, and the general public. The organization also developed and shared educational materials.
The ADI further expanded its community presence by hosting two Fitness 4 Mind & Body Expos, bringing together organizations, practitioners, and community members to highlight practical, accessible ways movement can support mental health and well-being.
The goal was not to create a program that people had to commit to long-term, but to offer opportunities for movement, connection, and a different kind of mental health support—one that felt approachable and grounded in everyday life.
A Turning Point
Like many organizations, the ADI faced a major disruption in 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought in-person activity groups to an abrupt halt. What had been simple, in-person experiences—walking together, gathering for classes, building informal connections—could no longer happen in the same way.
Some efforts moved online, including virtual gatherings and adapted programming. These provided a level of continuity, but they also highlighted a limitation: much of what made the ADI’s community-based approach effective depended on shared physical space, natural interaction, and being present with others in a real environment. Those elements proved difficult to replicate in a virtual format.
Participation and engagement became more inconsistent, and the programs began to feel different from their original intent. By 2022, those online efforts had concluded, and the ADI reached a crossroads.
The organization had to reassess not just how to continue its programs, but what role it could realistically play moving forward given its structure and capacity.
The shift that followed was not part of a long-term strategic plan. It was a response to changing circumstances—an opportunity to step back, reflect on what had worked, and consider how to continue advancing the mission in a way that was both sustainable and aligned with real-world constraints.
Evolving the Model
In the years that followed, the ADI began to rethink how it could continue advancing its mission.
Rather than focusing on directly running programs, the organization moved toward supporting others doing this work on the ground, while continuing its advocacy and education efforts. Presentations, community engagement, and the sharing of educational materials remain an ongoing part of the ADI’s work, helping to reinforce the role of physical activity within the broader mental health conversation.
This led to the launch of its grantmaking efforts in 2024.
To date, the ADI has awarded two grants of $10,000 each to organizations working at the intersection of physical activity and mental health.
These early grants reflect the organization’s current direction: supporting practical, community-based programs that make movement more accessible as a form of mental health support.
Examples include:
- A community initiative in Willingboro, New Jersey combining physical activity, mindfulness, and education to support mental well-being
- A youth-focused program in DeKalb, Illinois expanding access to outdoor, movement-based mental health experiences through paddleboarding and guided activities
These projects are intentionally small in scale, but grounded in real-world application.
Where Things Stand Today
Today, the ADI operates without paid staff and is led by a small, working Board of Trustees. The organization continues to move forward with a clear understanding of its capacity and a focus on building sustainably.
This means:
- Taking a measured approach to growth
- Supporting programs as funding allows
- Continuing advocacy, education, and community engagement alongside grantmaking
- Continuing to refine how best to contribute to the broader mental health landscape
The ADI’s role is not to replace existing systems of care, but to expand the conversation—helping ensure that physical activity is recognized as one of many practical tools that can support mental well-being.
Looking Ahead
Eleven years in, the ADI remains grounded in the same core idea that sparked its founding: that movement can play a meaningful role in mental health.
What has changed is how that idea is being pursued.
From small, local activity groups to a growing grantmaking approach, the organization continues to evolve—shaped by experience, constraints, and opportunities.
As the ADI looks ahead, the focus remains on building the next chapter with greater clarity, broader reach, and a continued commitment to supporting real, accessible ways for people to move—and feel better.
The Anxiety & Depression Initiative (the ADI) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting physical activity as a pathway to improved mental health. We support and fund community-based programs that help people move, connect, and feel better—one step at a time.
If you’re interested in practical, everyday perspectives on movement and mental health, we invite you to join the ADI’s quarterly newsletter. You’ll receive occasional updates, new articles, and insights into how communities are using physical activity to support mental well-being.
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