Living with a mental health diagnosis can put you at risk of getting tangled in a maze of social media apps. Persistent and practically addictive features such as “likes,” impressions, and notifications have defined the last two decades of online media. If you feel empty amidst all of this, you are certainly not alone.

While video content, livestreams, and social media interactions offer many benefits, they also come with a massive downside. However, whether you’re interested in recovery education, peer support, professional development, spiritual care, or personal growth, there’s still a wealth of therapeutic content available to explore. Unfortunately, most social networks operate with limited fact checking and creator quality assurance.

In my line of work as a spiritual caregiver, I’ve noticed that people are seeking new and more intentional solutions when they interact with their devices. It was only a matter of time before a company was formed to fill the numerous gaps in our society when it comes to mental health. Since 2021, a Saint Paul-based tech company named Cadre has been intentionally developing a vision for “a stigma-free community.”

Here’s where my mind went the moment I heard about Cadre: I was immediately reminded of better and more altruistic days on social media. In 2015, I had the pleasure of posting on a short- lived social media app created by YouTuber Casey Neistat called BEME. This simple app used the proximity sensor in your phone to capture authentic moments when you pressed your device up against a wall and talked directly into the camera. There was an 8-second time limit for each segment of your “BEME,” and the app would stitch them all together into a larger video. BEME’s content was candid and intentionally centered around authenticity by the creative team. When I got into the rhythm of Cadre, I started to feel that invitation to authenticity return. At first glance, Cadre has some parallels to Neistat’s initial vision.

However, Cadre is distinct because it takes authenticity and puts it in the hands of vetted professionals, caregivers, and folks with lived experience.

When Casey Neistat and Matt Hackett’s promising app BEME was sold to CNN in 2016 and shut down a year later, I witnessed a major shift in tech. The sandbox of social media became more like a cage match. Today, everyone from your grandmother to my nephew knows about “the algo,” and quite frankly, it is affecting our spiritual and mental well-being. Everywhere I go, I hear about people deleting apps, turning off notifications, digital detoxes, emergency online therapy sessions with the EAP, and numerous other ubiquitous side effects of doomscrolling. Luckily, I have faith that the team behind Cadre has an ethical vision rooted in honest community-building for a truly diverse audience.

If you are looking for a tight-knit online community that is slowly discovering itself, this is what you can expect with Cadre.Cadre founder Luke Wentland believes that the future of tech has room for bona fide and trusted mental health recovery contributions. He should know; he cobbled together his personal wellness solutions on his own. Reflecting on his life when he was seeking solutions for anxiety, Luke says, “I think that I lived my life on Google.” Wentland’s upbringing didn’t foster open emotional sharing. “I grew up with two farmers… that really didn’t talk a whole lot about feelings.” Luke joined the millions of curious individuals who took to the anonymity of search engines, blogs, podcasts, and social media to seek answers to their deepest problems. He ran into a confusing cacophony of opinions and content as he patiently walked the path of recovery.

Luke’s personal journey led him to create an online community with a screening process for content creators, who at Cadre are called “contributors.” If you explore the platform, which is dubbed “The Cadresphere,” you’ll notice it is devoid of politics, harassment, and charlatans. When I interviewed Luke on Zoom between meetings, this is what he shared: “We started to put up guardrails around political, topical areas, considerations that we know are polarizing. We have to make sure that there are guardrails up, and there’s honest, relatable conversation around it. And sometimes the answer is, ‘Not now.’ And sometimes the answer is, ’This topical area of consideration, we’re just not there yet.’ Or ‘This isn’t a conversation that Cadre is ready to have.’” This is what sets Cadre apart. In order to become a contributor, you need to be interviewed, researched, referenced, and proven to be reliable. In the Cadresphere, there are no fake accounts, trolls, or clickbait. Luke and his team have created a space where personal growth is valued more than the platform’s growth rate.

If you are looking for a tight-knit online community that is slowly discovering itself, this is what you can expect with Cadre. Folks can open the app and find meaningful, casual, and candid livestreams, posts, and videos. Shannon Stauff, COO of Cadre, explains the level of authenticity to expect in the Cadresphere: “The coolest thing about Cadre is that it’s so genuine, and by that, I mean, like, people show up to their lives. They’re not trying to be polished. They’re not trying to be perfect. Two days ago, a doorbell rang during a woman’s livestream. She’s like, ‘Hey, friends, I gotta go check this.’” As a user, I’ve learned to expect natural flaws and imperfections that make peer and professional support truly meaningful. Quite frankly, it takes some getting used to because most online content I consume is staged or fake. Cadre, on the other hand, features contributors who cry while going live, log into a livestream in the middle of parenting, shift focus mid-livestream, and genuinely make themself laugh.

If Cadre were just a bunch of creators thrown onto a platform, it would be a disorganized mess. The user would wonder why a comedian, counselor, former Mayor of Minneapolis, doctor, and nutritionist are all in one place. The Cadre team obviously values community over commerce, which is why one of Cadre’s strongest features is how the livestreamed contributions in the Cadresphere are programmed like a radio station or streaming service. Shannon explains how things are organized: “We have topics on days of the week—Monday, professional development; Tuesday, community; Wednesday, mental well-being, etc.” To go live on Cadre, contributors are first interviewed by the director of programming and then situated in the lineup with their colleagues. Each day and each time slot are congruent and consistent. As the platform grows, it will be interesting to see how this unique feature develops.

My big questions about Cadre are: Why haven’t I deleted Cadre from my phone? Why do I intentionally open the app and engage with it? How can one eight-minute, unscripted livestream cause me to reflect on a regular basis for the next month? Why do I walk away from broadcasting a livestream without worrying about how the algorithm has responded to my post? Why can I go about my day without stressing over impressions or comments?

Here’s a clue as to why: Cadre contributors have good intentions. There are no followers or subscriber counts. I’ve never once seen someone talk about clout. Snake oil, manipulation, and relentless calls to action are absent from Cadre by design. This means that when I open Cadre, I witness contributors bringing their passion for wellness directly to the user. This is why Cadre is a perfect addition to my app screen.

Seth Perry (he/him/his), an ELCA Pastor, devotional blogger, and mental health recovery educator, embraces his journey of living well with Bipolar Type 1. He works to reduce stigma where faith, mental health, and personal growth intertwine. Pastor Seth currently serves Elim Lutheran Church in Scandia, MN. His website is: www.ourstigma.com.

Last Updated on September 7, 2024