What if the support young people need most isn’t another weekly appointment—but someone who truly understands their journey?
As anxiety, depression, and social isolation continue to rise among teenagers and young adults, many families find themselves searching for solutions beyond traditional mental healthcare. Therapy remains essential, but for many young people, lasting change also requires consistent guidance, lived experience, and someone who can walk beside them through everyday life.
That belief inspired entrepreneur Colin MacDonald to build a different kind of mental health company.
At Humans of Fuzia, a global thought-leadership platform dedicated to leadership, entrepreneurship, coaching, women empowerment, and socially conscious business, we celebrate founders who are reimagining how meaningful impact is created. Colin’s entrepreneurial journey demonstrates how purpose-driven innovation can transform lives while challenging conventional approaches to mental health support.
Building a New Model for Mental Health Support
Two and a half years ago, Colin MacDonald and his co-founder, Haley Caddis, launched Not Therapy Coaching with a mission to bridge the gap between clinical treatment and everyday life.
Instead of limiting support to scheduled appointments, their team provides seven-day-a-week mentorship delivered by coaches who have personally overcome significant mental health challenges.
“We mentor teens and young adults through lived experience.”
Working primarily with people aged 16 to 25, the organization focuses on helping clients navigate real-life milestones—graduating from high school, finding employment, transitioning to college, and building confidence.
“It’s kind of emulating like a big brother or big sister.”
Today, the company has grown from two founders into a team of ten and has supported more than 100 families across the United States.
Scaling Without Losing the Human Connection
Growth in healthcare and coaching presents a unique challenge.
As organizations expand, maintaining consistency, trust, and quality becomes increasingly difficult—especially when clients are navigating vulnerable moments in their lives.
For Colin, growth has never been about increasing numbers alone.
“How do you scale while also keeping it super personal with all the clients that we work with?”
Rather than sacrificing relationships for efficiency, the team is building systems that strengthen outcomes without replacing the human connection that defines their approach.
One of their newest initiatives is an internal platform designed to standardize client milestones and track meaningful progress while preserving the personalized coaching experience.
“We’re actually helping them get outcomes.”
By combining technology with human mentorship, the company is creating scalable systems focused on real-world transformation rather than simply increasing activity.
Thought Leadership as a Growth Strategy
In the mental health sector, trust is everything.
Colin believes visibility is one of the organization’s strongest growth drivers.
“Thought leadership is like one of the biggest things.”
Rather than relying solely on traditional marketing, the team reaches parents through podcasts, speaking engagements, and educational events—sharing practical insights while building credibility with families seeking support for their children.
This strategy reflects a broader trend in entrepreneurship: expertise builds stronger businesses when it is generously shared before it is sold.
Execution Tip
If your service depends on strong relationships, document the milestones that define success for your clients. Scalable businesses don’t standardize human connection—they standardize the systems that support meaningful outcomes.
What Honest Entrepreneurship Means
For Colin, honest entrepreneurship starts with personal accountability.
“You can’t ask someone to do something that you’re not willing to do yourself.”
In a mental health business, that means practicing the same habits of wellbeing, self-awareness, and resilience that the company encourages in its clients.
“I always say you can’t hold space for others unless you’re holding space for yourself.”
That philosophy has become the cultural foundation of the organization, guiding everyone from the founders to every coach who joins the team.
Conclusion
Colin MacDonald’s journey demonstrates that entrepreneurship is at its most powerful when innovation is rooted in empathy. By combining lived experience, mentorship, and outcome-focused coaching, Not Therapy Coaching is helping young people navigate life’s most challenging transitions with confidence and support.
Through stories like Colin’s, Humans of Fuzia continues to empower entrepreneurs, coaches, healthcare innovators, and business leaders with actionable insights on leadership, entrepreneurship, mental health, coaching, and sustainable business growth.
Connect with Colin MacDonald
- Website: Colin MacDonald | LinkedIn
