Shaanacee Wilson made it her mission to become more serious about mental wellness, not just for herself, but for those around her. Wilson did so by starting a business called Fueled Purpose.
“I started working on my first product in early January, the Fueled Purpose planner,” Wilson said. “The Fueled Purpose planner is a 12-month non-dated planner with motivational activities to help you establish purposeful habits and discipline in your daily routine.”
A fourth-year public relations major at FAMU from Orlando, Wilson started this business after she reached a point in her life where she wanted to shift her focus to self-achievement and mental wellness.
Anxiety is something many college students experience. With students having to juggle school, work, campus organizations and much more, it could be hard to keep track of assignments and stay focused.
Anyone can get anxiety when faced with stress of any kind.
According to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America, anxiety disorders are the most common and pervasive mental disorders in the United States. Anxiety in college students is especially common. According to the American College Health Association Fall 2018 National College Health Assessment, 63% of college students in the country felt overwhelming anxiety in the past year. In the same survey, 23% reported being diagnosed or treated by a mental health professional for anxiety in the past year.
While Wilson doesn’t have the cure to anxiety, her planner is something that students can use to ease their anxiety and help students stay organized and on top of their tasks.
“I decided to create a planner because having one helped me map out my goals and manage my time adequately,” Wilson said.
She said her own personal experience with anxiety motivated her.
“When I began suffering from anxiety, I would forget many of my responsibilities, so for those moments I would get lost in my thoughts, I would turn to my planner to refocus my energy,” she said.
Being an entrepreneur can have its difficulties, but being a college student at the same time may have its bumps and turns — but that didn’t stop Wilson on her endeavors to make her business happen.
“The hardest part of starting a business is making it to the launch date,” Wilson said. “Nothing is ever perfect, but because I believed in the mission of Fueled Purpose and the value of the product I was creating, I made it through the agonizing month of things not being done when I expected them to.”
Wilson described mental wellness as how you treat yourself.
Wilson said she is grateful for the ups and downs of running her business. She said she needed those lessons to understand business development. Wilson intends on adding more products and tools that will help students focus on lowering their anxiety levels to achieve success. Her products will consist of candles, digital planners, journals and a motivational podcast series.
For students looking to get organized and stay on top of their tasks, you can purchase the Fueled Purpose calendar at www.fueledpurpose.com.