Our story
About KEEP CALM
KEEP CALM is a nonprofit built on a simple belief: a calmer mind shouldn't be a luxury. We make free, evidence-informed tools for stress, overwhelm, sleep, hard days, and steady leadership, written to help in the moment, and quick to point you toward real care when self-help isn't enough.
It was founded by two people from opposite ends of the world who arrived at the same conviction. Kaʻohele Carlos and Hawa Who each came through their own hard seasons and found steadier ground: through community, through care, and through the daily, unglamorous practice of looking after themselves. KEEP CALM is their attempt to hand that same footing to everyone, for free.
Co-Founder
Kaʻohele Carlos
From the North Shore of Oʻahu · Lives in San Francisco
Born and raised on Oʻahu's North Shore, Kaʻohele's Hawaiian values shape his empathetic leadership and his approach to mental health. A design and research leader, most recently as VP of Design & Research at ID.me after earlier work with Amazon, Paramount, and Fandango, he is known for crafting experiences that resonate with people and improve their daily lives. Drawing on wisdom hard-won through his own mental-health journey, he built KEEP CALM to spread aloha and put steady, practical calm within everyone's reach.
“As a Hawaiian, I'm committed to spreading aloha and nurturing mental wellness for the communities that need it most.”
Co-Founder
Hawa Who
From Ghana · Lives in Pittsburgh
Hawa moved from Ghana to the United States at the age of twelve, and that journey gave her a rare blend of African and Western perspectives. Growing up as the eldest daughter in an African household, she navigated her own hard seasons; her turning point came through embracing mental-health resources and a deep practice of self-compassion. With a background spanning cybersecurity and features in Harper's Bazaar and Vogue, she brings a gift for cultural storytelling to KEEP CALM, and a determination to make mental wellness something we talk about openly, across every culture.
“Let's raise a toast to the unsung heroes working tirelessly; and, in the rush of life, let's not forget to be kind to ourselves every chance we get.”
What we do
Our library holds more than 400 plain-language, evidence-informed articles on stress, overwhelm, sleep, hard days, and calm, steady leadership. Every page is written to be useful in the moment, grounded in research, and quick to point you toward real help when self-help isn't enough. It's all free: no paywall, no sign-up, no judgment.
Why it matters
Most people who are struggling never get formal care, whether because of cost, because of stigma, or simply because they don't know where to begin. KEEP CALM meets them where they already are: on their phone, at 2 a.m., at no cost.
How your support helps
Gifts and grants fund the things that keep this real and safe: licensed clinical review of our articles, translation so help isn't English-only, new tools and resources, and the outreach to reach the people who need it most. Every dollar goes toward keeping calm, and keeping it free.
How we measure, and what we never collect
To learn whether this work actually helps anyone, we keep simple anonymous tallies: how many visits the site gets each day, how many posters get shared, and how many people sign up. A number goes up; that is all. We never collect names, emails you browse with, precise locations, or anything else that identifies you, and we use no advertising or third-party trackers.
If your browser sends a Do Not Track or Global Privacy Control signal, we skip counting your visits entirely. You can also switch counting off for this device here:
KEEP CALM is a program of Keep Calm Inc., a nonprofit. This site offers free educational self-help tools and is not a substitute for professional care.