We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chrishelle Griffin. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chrishelle below.

Chrishelle , appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Leading up to Year 8 of operating my consulting firm, Consult Chris, LLC, I went through an extended period of burnout, loss, grief and a “self-admitted crash out of 2024”.

I realized I couldn’t continue to operate the way I had been (i.e. seemingly always on “go”), and decided I no longer wanted to compartmentalize my work, life and wellness.

So I took a moment to pause and reflect on what it looked like to build a brand and life that centered wealth as a tool for wellness and allowed me to unapologetically show up as my authentic self in all areas of my life.

During that moment, Curated By 29 (CB29) was formed, alongside 29Consult Co. (formerly Consult Chris, LLC) and 29Mindful Brand (formerly Mindful29), all of which is housed under The 29Collective.

Curated By 29 was essentially born out of lived experience. It was created as a curation of safe and inclusive spaces — tangible and intangible — that centers wellness to amplify voices, stories and identity.

One of those spaces is the CB29 zine, a bi-monthly digital publication — with a limited press run of 29 copies per issue — that launched in May of this year. Every issue is free and available to explore on our working website (link shared below).

As a multimedia journalist and lifelong writer, I have always found writing and storytelling to be therapeutic. I created the CB29 zine to serve as a space to openly share stories, lived experiences and reflections.

Beyond the zine, we are in the process of building out our hybrid framework for curated experiences that will go beyond traditional popups and wellness events. Our goal is to eliminate barriers to wellness care and allow others to show up as their authentic selves without fear of stigma or pretense.

A core pilot program in development is our therapy voucher fund for uninsured individuals to seek traditional or holistic treatment at no cost to them. We are currently exploring potential partnerships with aligned collaborators, funders and supporters to launch and grow this initiative.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Chrishelle (Chris) Griffin:
Mindfulpreneur.
Creative Strategist.
Multimedia Journalist.
Storyteller, Poet & Author.
Speaker & Advocate.
Rooted & Restless.
Eclectic Collector & Curator.
Fearfully & Wonderfully Made.
Unapologetically Human.

After six years working in various newsrooms across the country, I left my position in 2017 as a web producer at 6abc Philadelphia to return to Pontiac, Michigan, to help my mom pursue her entrepreneurial dreams at the age of 57.

Inspired by her journey and the work I was doing with her and others in the city’s small business community, I decided to change career paths and form Consult Chris, LLC. Launched in 2018, our firm works with changemakers to create people-first strategies and storytelling in branding, curation and wellness with an unconventional approach by design.

Two years later, at the age of 29, I was formally diagnosed with bipolar disorder and anxiety. Following my diagnosis, I decided to share my journey with others to raise awareness and foster a community of informed understanding. I started by self-publishing a book of original poetry and mindfulness. I also created Mindful29, a line of intentional collections of everyday essentials for mindful living.

Fast forward to last year, during a season of “Amplified Accountability”, I chose to stop fighting life and God’s will and just let go of everything I was seemingly struggling to hold onto. Going into this year, I wanted this next chapter to mark a BOLD, new era.

If I’m being completely honest, there are days when both have proven to be easier said than done, but I’m learning and unlearning to find a balance. Above all else, I am now very much living out loud in color with bipolar disorder. Unapologetically.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

This question made me reflect on the letter I wrote for the second issue of the CB29 zine, which I wanted to share below:

Cliché as it may sound, I knew I was different early on. Rather, I became self aware that my kind of different
didn’t align with the differences that are typically accepted, celebrated, or even acknowledged in the web of identities that both connect and divide us.

To be honest, then and now, for the most part, I have always liked being me. The little brown girl with curly hair. Outspoken. Assertive. Direct. Unapologetically nonconforming. And as my partner’s mom would say, “able to think on my feet, ‘talk fast’ and match energy.”

Oh, can I match energy.

Still, I’m human. And like all of us, regardless of what we declare on social media, everyone wants and deserves
to give and receive the things that cost us nothing, because they come from within.

Somewhere along the way, I decided to mute myself. I stopped wearing color. I became what others called
“dry.” Unemotional. Unaffectionate. Unresponsive.

In reflection, I wonder now if that shift was really about survival. About making myself more agreeable. About shielding myself from a world that didn’t know how to hold my full spectrum, especially when I wasn’t performing joy, usefulness, or softness.

For most of 35 years, I did and became everything to everyone, and saved nothing for myself. In this period of
rediscovery, l’ve chosen to return to the little girl in me. The one who saw the world through her own eyes, not
through the lenses of others.

Still, there are times when I wonder if we’re meant to pick up the pieces, or just learn to live with the gaps. Even if God holds the power to restore all things, could some parts of us be lost on purpose?

Rage. Grief. Exhaustion. It doesn’t always explode. Sometimes it just simmers.

In those moments, I find myself “seeing red”, and I can’t tell if my perspective is being shaped through my own
lens, or still trapped behind someone else’s filter.

Sometimes identity isn’t neutral. It requires you to choose: your side or the other side. Solitude can turn into isolation. And sometimes, loneliness lingers even in a crowded room.

Somewhere in the middle, there’s a flashing red light: a reminder to pause, recognize the intersection, and choose the route that brings us closer to ourselves.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I think my entrepreneurial journey, thus far, is a testament of my resilience. I’ve had to learn some hard lessons (some more than once), take some major losses and start over or rebuild more times than I’d like to admit.

I would say my decision to openly share my mental health journey as a means of advocating for safe spaces for open conversations about work and wellness, compounded some personal and professional challenges along the way.

I’ve faced burnout, self-doubt, and even had my transparency used against me. Still, I truly believe everything happens for a reason. Every decision that leads to an encounter or experience is meant to be a lesson or a blessing.

For me, resilience is knowing that life — in all areas — is a matter of trial and error. It’s not about always “getting it right” because no one has all the answers. Instead, it’s about not giving up in the process of navigating the unknown.

I thought last year was a test of my resilience, but this year is proving to be an even bigger test of my faith as I start over and rebuild and figure out what’s next. At this point in my life, I would say my greatest takeaways are:

1. Some opportunities are to the benefit of others and the detriment of self. Choose carefully.
2. As you journey, remember to hold space for your voice, your story, your truth.
3. Put God first and at the center of your life. His will is and will always be greater than your own.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://29consult.co
• Instagram: @curated_by_29
• Linkedin: Chrishelle Griffin
• Other: TikTok: @curatedby29

Image Credits

Zachary Geiger:
— Zine covers
— Four square image

Tiffany Farr:
— Harold’s Italian Ice image
— Grey headshot
— BTS footage image