- McCotry faced four layoffs and discovered ADHD at 45, sparking her mission to address emotional wellness gaps in tech.
- Zelmwell combines therapy-informed exercises, soundscapes, and tracking tools to help users manage ADHD and rejection sensitivity.
- She emphasizes community support for Black women experiencing job loss, noting entrepreneurship isn’t everyone’s path but AI tools can help.
After four layoffs, a late ADHD diagnosis, and repeated professional rejection, an Atlanta entrepreneur is using her experiences to empower Black women through emotional wellness and technology.
Source: Courtesy
For Atlanta-based entrepreneur Keisha McCotry, losing her job wasn’t simply another professional setback. It challenged her confidence, reopened emotional wounds, and ultimately inspired her to create a resource she couldn’t find for herself.
After spending more than 20 years building brands for major companies including Google, Netflix and Disney, McCotry launched Zelmwell, an emotional regulation wellness app designed for adults navigating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), rejection sensitivity and emotional overwhelm.
However, the road from corporate executive to tech founder required McCotry to confront challenges that even her extensive professional experience couldn’t prepare her for.
In an exclusive interview with BOSSIP’s very own Lauryn Bass, McCotry opened up about navigating unemployment, receiving an ADHD diagnosis in her 40s, and discovering what it truly means to bet on yourself.
“Let’s be clear. This is my fourth layoff,” McCotry said when asked whether losing her job changed how she viewed her value. “I think for me when you have 20 years of experience and being promoted in these positions and then for a whole year being told that you’re not good enough, put that on top of someone who has ADHD and RSD.”
Despite the challenges, McCotry said she remains committed to discussing her experiences openly.
“I am an open book because I want to empower more people.”
Behind The Corporate Success Was A Woman Learning To Understand Herself
Although McCotry built an impressive career in marketing and communications, she says that her ADHD diagnosis didn’t come until she was 45.
“I was diagnosed at 45, in my 40s. After I had built my successful career in marketing,” she explained. “What people saw as success, they didn’t know what that took out of me.”
McCotry admitted that therapy wasn’t something she initially embraced. However, an employer-sponsored benefit eventually encouraged her to seek support.
Source: Courtesy
“I wasn’t originally one that believe in therapy but at the time, one of my jobs offered coverage and it was free-99,” she joked.
During those sessions, McCotry began connecting experiences from her childhood with emotional patterns she had carried into adulthood.
“It took my breath away as my therapist was explaining things I was talking about,” she said.
McCotry recalled being called a “cry baby” as a child because of her emotional reactions. Growing up in a Black household where faith was central, she said prayer was often the response to personal difficulties.
“I grew up in a household where you went to church and prayed with God for everything in a Black Household.”
McCotry also revealed that she survived sexual assault and had sought therapy approximately 15 years earlier, when she received a diagnosis she described as “high functioning depression.”
Her experiences have made her particularly passionate about challenging the stigma surrounding mental health.
Pointing to public conversations involving entertainers such as Tisha Campbell, McCotry said she appreciates seeing more people use their platforms to discuss emotional wellness.
“Just to see that more people in general using their platforms to talk about it, like Tisha Campbell’s press tour or the new A Different World,” she said. “I want people to know that nothing is wrong with you. I want them to unarm and disarm the fear. It’s 2026 and taking care of your mental health and your brain is just not important if not the most.”
For McCotry, those conversations are especially important for Black women who may feel obligated to maintain an image of strength even when struggling privately.
“We make it look cute. You never know what’s going on in our heads,” she said. “When we show up, it’s like a caricature of ourselves. We’re highly successful and doing all of the things. But once we get out of your presence, we’re spiraling.”
McCotry said those internal struggles often remain invisible to colleagues, friends and family.
“You don’t know how this is affecting me behind closed doors. You can’t show emotion especially as a Black woman trying to regulate. We get the job done and you don’t know why this is happening until you get your diagnoses.”
Eight Months Of Job Searching Led To A Life-Changing Idea
According to McCotry, the idea for Zelmwell emerged approximately eight months into her unemployment journey.
“For those of us with ADHD, our mind never stops racing,” she said. “I still remember when I was 8 months in, applying for jobs and my mind was like, Keisha you are spiraling.”
Source: Zelmwell / Zelmwell
Searching for a way to manage those feelings, McCotry turned to Apple’s App Store.
“I went to the App Store to see if there was a platform or program for people with ADHD and RSD, I saw 50 million apps to help organize but none were for me.”
That experience sparked a realization: While productivity tools were widely available, she struggled to find a resource addressing the emotional experiences she associated with ADHD.
Rather than continuing her search, McCotry began exploring how to create one herself.
“I have 8 certifications in AI. I utilized all of my skills and wanted to see if there was a need in the market for this,” she said.
Although she had never founded a software company, McCotry recognized that her professional background could help her approach product development strategically.
“Before this was easily accessible I never knew that I could be an app developer. I come from a marketing background,” she said. “I know color psychology and my experiences with Google. I already knew what I needed my app to look like. I used AI to help as a product developer.”
McCotry said the idea ultimately came together during an emotionally overwhelming evening.
“One of those nights when I was overwhelmed, one of my lightbulbs went off,” she said.
According to Zelmwell’s launch announcement, McCotry began developing the platform in March 2026. The process required six months, 18 builds, a redesigned onboarding experience, and six rejected App Store submissions before approval.
Source: Zelmwell / Zelmwell
The finished app allows users to document emotionally difficult experiences, identify possible triggers, reflect on thought patterns, and access calming soundscapes.
It also includes exercises informed by cognitive behavioral therapy principles and downloadable session summaries that users can share with mental health professionals.
Even A Founder Still Experiences Rejection
While Zelmwell was inspired by McCotry’s personal experiences, she told BOSSIP that the platform has also become a resource in her everyday life.
Source: Zelmwell / Zelmwell
In fact, she recently experienced another professional disappointment after becoming a finalist for a communications position.
According to McCotry, the role called for more than 15 years of public relations experience and familiarity with artificial intelligence, qualifications she believed aligned with her background.
She referenced her work involving Google’s Gemini as an example of her experience.
“I went through 4 rounds of interviews and when I didn’t get the job, I began to spiral,” she said.
However, this time she had access to the resource she had created.
“I went to my app and did the custom meditations. I also did the soundscape afterwards to keep me calm now that I understand my brain,” she said.
The experience reinforced her belief that emotional wellness requires ongoing attention, even after someone develops a greater understanding of their mental health.
Still, McCotry was careful to distinguish Zelmwell from professional treatment.
“My app is a wellness app only, it doesn’t replace a therapist,” she emphasized.
She explained that users can download summaries of their emotional experiences to discuss during therapy appointments.
For McCotry, professional support has remained essential throughout her journey.
When asked who helped her through moments when she didn’t feel strong, her answer was immediate.
“Honestly, my therapist. My therapist. I’ve been with her since I was diagnosed. She’s who I lean on the most,” she said. “Yes I can go to my mom or other people for support but even when I explain what ADHD is, they want to help but they don’t have the tools.”
Her experiences have strengthened her commitment to making emotional wellness resources more accessible while encouraging people to seek support from qualified professionals.
Entrepreneurship Taught McCotry A Different Kind Of Hustle
Despite her decades of corporate experience, McCotry admitted that entrepreneurship has introduced an entirely different set of responsibilities.
“I think the biggest thing, of course when you have a job, you’re going to show up and want to shine and grow,” she said. “But there’s a different type of tenacity, want and hunger in entrepreneurship.”
McCotry said working for herself has changed how she approaches both professional ambition and personal responsibility.
“When you think about the future and the type of life that you want for yourself. The want to work harder for yourself, there’s a lot from a negative perspective as well.”
While traditional employment may offer more defined working hours, she noted that business ownership can make it difficult to disconnect.
“When you’re corporate you’re working 9-5 and then you’re off. The mental toll as an entrepreneur, you’re always on. There’s a different hunger, but the way you’re managing your mental is also different because you’re working harder for yourself than you’d work for anybody else.”
Even the name Zelmwell reflects McCotry’s marketing background and commitment to creating a recognizable wellness brand.
“Zen gives you peace. Zen gives you calm. I wanted my company to communicate calm,” she said. “I was needing a differentiation like other companies like Netflix and Hulu who have made up names that would stick from a marketing perspective.”
For McCotry, the result is a platform that combines her professional expertise with her lived experiences.
Her Message To Black Women: Find Your Community And Remember You’re Not Alone
McCotry’s journey also comes amid broader concerns about Black women’s employment and economic stability.
The company’s announcement cited nearly 600,000 Black women being economically sidelined through job loss, unemployment and workforce exits in 2025, underscoring the challenges the founder hopes her story will help illuminate.
When asked what advice she would offer Black women with extensive experience and qualifications who continue encountering professional rejection, McCotry emphasized the importance of community.
“Number one, find your community,” she said. “With that being said, there has been so many that have come up for black woman who have lost their jobs. There are so many articles.”
She said communities of Black women have created spaces to exchange professional opportunities and provide encouragement during difficult career transitions. She has her own platform and space called “Life As Keisha” on Substack, where a column titled “Broken Bougie: A Survival Guide for Formerly Successful Black Women,” helped insight conversation.
“In these communities, we’re sharing job opportunities. But even from a mental perspective, you can know sis, you are not alone.”
McCotry also stressed that building a business isn’t necessarily the right path for everyone.
“Entrepreneurship isn’t for everybody and that’s okay,” she said. “There are black women in 9-5s as well but if you are wanting to work for yourself, I am an advocate for AI.”
For women considering entrepreneurship, she encouraged learning about available technology and surrounding themselves with people who understand their experiences.
“Root yourself in community, we’re all we got. They’re out there,” she said.
Zelmwell Is About More Than An App
While McCotry hopes Zelmwell continues to grow, her ultimate goal isn’t simply to establish another successful technology company.
Instead, she wants people navigating ADHD and emotional challenges to recognize that needing support doesn’t diminish their worth.
When asked what she hopes someone feels differently about themselves after using Zelmwell, McCotry returned to the message that inspired her journey.
“That there’s nothing wrong with me and I’m okay. I just didn’t have the tools to know how to function. There’s nothing wrong with me.”
For Black women navigating career uncertainty, her message is rooted in self-understanding, community, and the possibility of finding a new direction without abandoning their ambitions.
Zelmwell is available for free through Apple’s App Store, with premium access offered at $9.99 monthly or $79.99 annually following a seven-day free trial.
Readers can learn more about the platform at Zelmwell.com or download Zelmwell through the App Store.
