Owning Your Story: Ashanti Branch Ignites Real Talk at Rare Beauty’s 2025 Mental Health Summit
Published: May 5, 2025
By: Ever Forward Club Team
📌 Table of Contents
Introduction
Event Overview
A Stage for Self-Expression
Fireside Chat Highlights
Interactive Activities: Masks and Letters
Guidance on Embracing Vulnerability
Key Takeaways
Get Involved
About Rare Beauty, Rare Impact, and the Rare Impact Fund
Introduction
On May 1, 2025, Rare Beauty hosted its fourth annual Mental Health Summit at Rolling Greens in Downtown Los Angeles. The summit brought together a diverse and passionate audience of 175 influencers, Rare Impact College Ambassadors, mental health professionals, and community leaders. With a global livestream reaching over 8 million Rare Beauty followers, this year’s theme centered on self-acceptance, vulnerability, and emotional healing through creative expression.
Event Overview
The session, titled "Owning Your Story & Holding Space for Someone Else’s", was moderated by Judith Martinez, Rare Beauty's Director of Social Impact. Featured panelists included:
Dr. Jessi Gold – Psychiatrist, author of How Do You Feel?, and Chief Wellness Officer for the University of Tennessee System
Ashanti Branch – Founder of The Ever Forward Club and creator of the #MillionMaskMovement
Sam Ng – Chief of Staff at Letters 2 Strangers, the largest youth-run mental health nonprofit in the world
This conversation created a powerful blend of science, storytelling, and soul.
A Stage for Self-Expression
As Judith opened the session, she reminded the audience:
"We all wear masks in different ways, sometimes to protect ourselves, sometimes because we feel we have to. But what happens when we take a moment to examine those masks?"
This session invited participants to do just that—explore the masks they wear and the emotions they hide, using both dialogue and hands-on activities.
Fireside Chat Highlights
Dr. Jessi Gold spoke to the emotional toll of empathy, sharing from her book:
"Sometimes the heaviest emotional burden is bearing witness to someone else’s story. … There’s no clocking out."
Ashanti Branch explained how his #MillionMaskMovement helps young people, especially young men of color, use creativity to connect with their inner lives:
"When we create space for young people to name what they’re feeling—and to see they’re not alone—that’s when the real healing begins."
Sam Ng shared how letter writing empowers youth to speak the words they often keep inside, building community and healing through storytelling.
Interactive Activities: Masks and Letters
Following the panel, attendees participated in two reflective exercises:
🔮 Activity 1: Mask-Making (#MillionMaskMovement)
Participants wrote three words on the front of their mask (what the world sees) and three on the back (what they hide). This created a visual and emotional moment of truth-sharing.
📝 Activity 2: Letter-Writing
With prompts provided, participants wrote heartfelt letters to themselves or someone they trust. This practice, inspired by Letters 2 Strangers, emphasized the power of naming your truth through words.
"Putting it on paper made me realize how much I hide every day," shared one participant.
Guidance on Embracing Vulnerability
When asked how to take the first step toward openness, panelists encouraged:
✅ Start small—begin with a journal or trusted friend.
🖊️ Use creativity as a safe pathway to emotion.
❤️ Remember that healing is a journey—not a destination.
Judith summarized beautifully:
"Vulnerability isn't weakness. It's a bridge to empathy and connection."
Key Takeaways
Vulnerability is strength.
Art is therapy.
Storytelling builds resilience.
Community is healing.
Ashanti reminded the room:
"When we share our story, we give others permission to share theirs."
About Rare Beauty, Rare Impact, and the Rare Impact Fund
ABOUT RARE BEAUTY
Founder and creator Selena Gomez believes everyone is unique and rare. But today, too many people feel trapped by unrealistic expectations of beauty that are impossible to achieve. Rare Beauty is about celebrating who you are and what makes you different. We use makeup to shape positive conversations around beauty, self-acceptance, and mental health. Not only do we want everyone to feel good about themselves, we want to help them feel more authentically connected to one another and feel less alone in this world. Rare Beauty is available at Sephora, Sephora inside Kohls, SpaceNK and RareBeauty.com.
WHAT IS RARE IMPACT?
Rare Impact is Rare Beauty’s commitment to making a difference in the world. With a focus on mental health and self-acceptance, Rare Impact aims to support the mental health of our community, employees, and partners around the world. By celebrating everyone’s uniqueness and making people feel more connected, Rare Impact works to reduce the stigma associated with mental health and give people access to the resources they need to support their mental health.
WHAT IS THE RARE IMPACT FUND?
The Rare Impact Fund envisions a world where all young people have access to mental health care, stigma-free community support, and culturally responsive resources that are sensitive to their unique backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. The Rare Impact Fund is mobilizing $100 million for organizations increasing access to youth mental health services and education globally. As part of this effort, 1% of all Rare Beauty sales are donated to the Rare Impact Fund. In addition, the Rare Impact Fund raises funds from philanthropic foundations, individuals, corporate partners, and the community. To learn more, visit: RareImpactFund.org
Get Involved
✨ Make your own mask → millionmask.org
🫶 Join the Advocates for Young Men community → bit.ly/AYMcommunity
📬 Subscribe for updates → everforwardclub.org/contact