We were lucky to catch up with Diya Mankotia recently and have shared our conversation below.

Diya, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

Although I’ve accomplished a lot, things weren’t always like this. In fact, exactly one year ago, my life was the complete opposite of what it is now. I was still silently struggling with the aftermath of my eating disorder and woke up every day trapped within my rigid rituals. Quite frankly, I was burned out, stuck in the same cycle day in and day out, and I couldn’t even see it at the time.

So when someone really close to me finally said something, it hurt me more than I would like to admit. However, it wasn’t because they were trying to be mean. It was because, deep down, they were right.

Ever since, that moment has been the catalyst behind all the work I now do. Even though I know their intentions were genuine, I didn’t want to live a life where I was defined by my weakness. I built Project EDSA. I decided to take everything I went through and turn it into something that could help someone else. That moment hurt, but it gave me the clarity I needed to move forward with purpose.

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.

Diya Mankotia is an inspiring youth changemaker from Texas, transforming how schools address eating disorders and mental health. After being diagnosed with anorexia at 14, she founded her school’s first Eating Disorder Support & Awareness Club and later launched Project EDSA, a national initiative with over 200 volunteers across 117 cities and 16 countries. Partnering with the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) as their Program Coordinator, she has helped launch more than 50 school-based mental health support clubs across 18 states.

Her work has been featured in Inspiring Teens Magazine, Bold Journey, Business Outstanders, Texas Standard, the Association of Texas Professional Educators News, Channel Kindness, and more. Through her advocacy, Diya has turned what was once her biggest weakness into a powerful purpose: making eating disorder education and mental health support more visible, inclusive, and accessible nationwide.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When I first started Project EDSA, I had no idea what I was doing. I just knew that students needed better support than what I had. So I cold-emailed organizations, built resources from scratch, and stayed up late organizing meetings and events. Those were the nights where my resilience was really tested, because as a high school student trying to start a national initiative, it often felt like I was in way over my head.

But I reminded myself why I started. I thought about the students who had already reached out saying that EDSA had supported them. And I decided to keep going. Even when there was no visible progress, I told myself that small steps still counted—that even slow growth was growth.

That choice became the foundation for everything that’s followed. Project EDSA now has over 200 volunteers across 117 cities and 16 countries, but it all began with one moment of deciding not to quit.

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

My whole life, I’ve let numbers define my success.

How many pounds did I lose this month? How many hours did I work out? How many calories did I consume? Later, it shifted to my advocacy: How many volunteers signed up? How many likes did my post get?

But no matter how hard I worked, no number ever satisfied me. I kept chasing more—more progress, more impact, more validation—hoping it would finally make me feel like I was doing “enough.”

But the truth is, there will never be an “enough.” Chasing success through numbers is like chasing a moving target. There’s always one more goal, one more metric. In the end, the real value isn’t in the number, rather it’s in the meaning behind it.

Sure, it feels nice to say that our work has reached over 100,000 people on Instagram. But for me, fulfillment doesn’t come from hitting a number. It comes from knowing that even one person felt seen because of something I helped create.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://projectedsa.wixsite.com/home
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/projectedsa/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577873555661#
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/project-edsa/about/?viewAsMember=true
• Other: https://anad.org/asap/
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