Buy From The Bush Big - Break Winner Ruby Riethmuller, talks mental health and what’s next for Womn-Kind
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When Ruby Riethmuller entered the Buy From The Bush - Big Break competition, , she knew her youth-led mental health organisation, Womn-Kind had a shot at taking the top prize of $30,000.
The Big Break competition was launched by Buy From The Bush and sponsored by PayPal this year to give rural entrepreneurs across Australia an opportunity to expand or kickstart their business.
At just 23, Ruby started Womn-Kind with a mission to close the gap in effective mental health education and support for girls across Australia, by starting a support and mentoring community that operated through a website, on the phone or face-to face meetups in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales.
In a video created exclusively for PayPal Australia’s Newsroom, Ruby tells us why winning the Buy From The Bush - Big Break competition will allow her to level up her business, through an online expansion and smartphone app development. Putting her prize money to good use, she wants the app to give young Aussie women access to vital support mental health services 24/7, regardless of their location.
The mental health and support services for young Australians offered through initiatives like Womn-Kind, are needed more than ever. Australians are acutely aware of the impacts the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the national wellbeing, with a 2020 survey conducted by Headspace finding 74% of young people reported their mental health was worse than it was before the pandemic began.
Ruby, a self-proclaimed fan of Buy From The Bush and avid user of PayPal says, “Both businesses have inspired me in my journey as an entrepreneur, and it’s been an honour to be supported by companies that stand for innovation and technology, as more essential services become available online.”