Selena Gomez: her mother mortgaged her house to pay salaries of the workers of her daughter’s company
The mental health startup faces salary delays, suspension of medical benefits and doubts about their leadership. The company ensures that the situation was already corrected.
Wondermind, the mental health startup co -founded by Selena Gomez, is going through a severe financial crisis which led its executive director, Mandy Teefey “The singer’s mother,” to resort to a Loan with mortgage guarantee To cover pending salaries, according to a report of Forbes.
In March 2025, the company began to run out of funds to pay its workforce of approximately 15 employees, not counting independent suppliers and contractors. Until now, the staff has received only one of the two payments owed, while several freelancers They still expect sums that would amount to “hundreds of thousands of dollars.” Among the creditors would also find a public relations firm that Wondermind should be about 60 thousand dollars.
In accordance with internal documents cited by ForbesTeefey informed his team in March about the STemporary USPENSION OF MEDICAL BENEFITSapologizing for communicating the news during a “welfare day.” It was also indicated that employees should take advantage of the Cobra program to maintain their medical insurance, a common measure in the United States when jobs are lost or working hours are reduced.
The company responded to the environment ensuring that the situation “has been rectified” and that the remaining payments were made on Monday, May 12. In an official statement, Wondermind acknowledged to be going through “the typical growth difficulties” typical of a startup and announced a new stage focused on its mission of promoting “mental fitness”.
Is Selena Gomez’s mother responsible for the company’s break?
However, internal sources link financial deterioration with the appointment of Mandy Teefey as the only executive director in January 2023. Some employees would have questioned their experience in business management, noting that she rejected advertising agreements with brands such as Airbnb by demanding the active participation of Selena Gomez.
These accusations were rejected by Emma Wright, Chief of Wondermind staff, who described the comments as “extremely misleading” and defended Teefey’s leadership. “He has worked tirelessly to maintain the jobs and growth of the company. He leads with pure grace,” he said.
Founded in 2021 by Selena Gomez, Mandy Teefey and Daniella Pierson, Wondermind was born as a digital platform focused on emotional well -being and open conversation about mental health. In 2022, the company obtained initial financing of five million dollars, positioning itself as an innovative proposal in the field of “mental fitness.”
Despite the recent challenges, the company states that it remains committed to its mission and prepares a new development stage. Meanwhile, according to the magazine BloombergSelena Gomez reached the status of multimillionaire in 2024, with a fortune estimated at 1.3 billion dollars, much of which comes from the success of its cosmetics brand, Rare Beautylaunched in 2020.
The singer and actress has also capitalized her artistic career, her real estate investments and commercial collaborations. So far, neither Selena Gomez nor Wondermind representatives have publicly responded to reports.
