How Anthony Young's personal struggle with the mental healthcare system led to the creation of 24hr Therapy, a platform that prioritizes immediate access over industry trends

The wellness industry is flooded with solutions promising quick transformation—apps that gamify meditation, platforms that reduce therapy to chatbots, and trends that treat mental health like a lifestyle choice. But what happens when someone actually needs help? When the inspirational quotes fall short and the waitlists stretch for months?

For many people seeking mental health support, the gap between need and access remains painfully wide. This is the story of how Anthony Young's personal frustration with that system led to building something different: a platform that puts qualified care and immediate access above everything else.

1. What personal experience or moment led you to realize there was a gap in the wellness industry that you needed to fill, and how did that shape your company's core mission?

A few years ago, I found myself in a situation where I needed therapy and fast. What I got instead was a months long waitlist, phone calls that led nowhere, and platforms that made booking feel like applying for a mortgage. That moment of frustration stayed with me. I kept thinking: if getting mental health support is this hard for me, what about someone in real crisis?

That’s what drove me to build 24hr Therapy. Our core mission is simple make qualified mental health support accessible, instant, and human. No gimmicks, no long waits, no confusing tech. Just someone ready to listen, when you need them most.

2. The wellness space can be crowded with quick fixes and trends - how do you ensure your approach is both evidence-based and sustainable for long-term well-being rather than just appealing to what's popular?

There’s a difference between a well being trend and real mental health care. 24hr Therapy isn’t about inspirational quotes and mindfulness checklists it’s about safe, structured support delivered by trained professionals. And in our next phase, we’re going even deeper by integrating screening tools for conditions like ADHD, PTSD and postnatal depression all grounded in UK medical guidelines. Well being isn’t solved with a one off meditation. It’s a journey and we’ve built a platform that walks it with you.

3. What's been the most unexpected challenge you've faced while building your wellness company, and how has overcoming it changed your perspective on either the industry or your approach to helping people?

One of the hardest and most unexpected challenges was proving traction before funding, especially in a space that often favours buzzwords over impact. We were bootstrapping, building a regulated platform, and trying to give away free therapy to those who couldn’t afford to wait. That doesn’t scale easily, and it doesn’t always impress investors looking for explosive growth.

But we stayed the course. We built V1, got over 800 therapists onboarded, and users started booking therapy within minutes without needing to self refer or wait months. That proved to me that impact can come before hype, and that solving the real problem is worth more than just joining the noise.

That experience shaped our belief: if we keep building what people genuinely need, the traction and transformation will follow.