Our story
About KEEP CALM
KEEP CALM is a nonprofit that makes free things to help you love your life and enjoy the people in it. Articles, posters, songs, games and Calm Coaches, all evidence-informed, all built for an ordinary minute of an ordinary day, and all free.
It was founded by two people from opposite ends of the world who arrived at the same conviction: everybody deserves the tools to feel steady and glad to be here. Kaʻohele Carlos and Hawa Who each found their own footing through community, through care, and through the daily, unglamorous practice of looking after themselves. KEEP CALM is their way of handing 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 Chief Design Officer 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 cultural storytelling, she brings that gift 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
The library is 400 plain-language, evidence-informed articles on stress, sleep, focus, relationships, hard days, and calm, steady leadership, published in 36 hand-authored languages rather than machine-dumped out of English. 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 is all free: no ads, no paywall, and we never sell your data.
Then there is the making. Posters are free and unlimited for everyone, on every plan, at print quality 2400 by 3200, so you can make one, keep it, print it, and give it away. Games are free to play, unlimited, with no signup. Songs and games are what a membership makes: describe what you need in your own words, and a brand-new calm song comes back with your own poster on the cover. Playing is never something anyone buys.
There are also 70 Calm Coaches across 14 specialties, from sleep and focus to anger, loneliness and confidence. Chatting with a coach is included on every plan, Free included. Live video with a coach is by invitation and is not open yet.
Why it matters
Feeling good is not a luxury item. A steady mind is what lets you enjoy your people, your work, and an ordinary Tuesday. Plenty of people never find formal care, whether because of cost, distance, or simply not knowing where to begin, so KEEP CALM meets everyone where they already are: on the phone in their pocket, in their own language, at no cost.
How your support helps
Donations, memberships and the shop pay for the work behind the free part: translation into 36 languages so help isn't English-only, editorial review, new songs, posters, games and coaches, and the servers that hand it all out. 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.
KeepCalm.org is published by KEEP CALM INC, a United States 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, entity 6473311, formed November 25, 2024. This site offers free educational self-help tools and is not a substitute for professional care.