Sophie Gray, Dive Thru

A former fitness influencer finds a new way to deliver mental health services.

Life is busy, and I think developing a practice of 
checking in with yourself, 
a practice of getting to know yourself, is so important.

Sophie Gray

Some people experience a moment that forever changes the course of their lives. For Sophie Gray, it was a panic attack. 

In the summer of 2015, Gray, who has struggled with her mental health throughout her life, was travelling a lot for work while ignoring her well-being. “I was boarding a connecting flight from New York to Toronto and had a panic attack as the flight was taking off,” says Gray, a popular fitness influencer on social media at the time. “When we landed, I was so shaken up that I couldn’t board the next flight. We ended up having to drive. I had panic attacks the entire way home.”

A friend she was texting with during the drive helped Gray realize that she needed to face the fact that she was not alright. “This was a pivotal movement for me as I had long avoided my issues,” she notes. “I could no longer pretend I was fine.”

As a result, Gray started to shift the content she was posting. She began to share stories about her mental health, something to which she found many in her audience could relate. At the same time, she ended her focus on working out and eating “clean,” both topics borne out of her body image issues. Gray also began posting photos of herself with a less perfect complexion and which no longer showed off her abs, as well as inspirational messages about body positivity and self-care.

She began losing Instagram followers, lots of them. Initially, she lost around 60,000. “I’ve continued to lose them [almost 200,000 now] but I don’t necessarily think that’s like a big deal. Because when you’ve been posting on social media for 12 years, followers come and go,” she says, adding that she doesn’t post as often as she is no longer an active “creator.” Despite not being as prolific online, her page still has 225,000 followers.

What she is creating instead is a way to help others access mental health care in a personalized and modern way. After returning from that cross-country drive home, Gray realized she needed to get help for her mental health. However, she found pursuing her new direction to be overwhelming.

“Navigating the mental health system was so confusing, and took so much work. I went to a number of different therapists, and had to put in so much effort. It was also so cold and clinical. I felt like it was something to be ashamed of or kept quiet.”

Sophie Gray

Her experiences led her to found DiveThru, which started as a journaling app. “Throughout the pandemic, we evolved into a more comprehensive psychoeducation tool,” Gray says. “We had built this engaged community around our mission of shamelessly talking about mental health. We connected with our community to better understand what they needed, and saw how my original vision for the company was what people were asking for.”

DiveThru’s first in-person studio opened in Edmonton in February of 2023 and includes therapy services for individuals, families, couples, adolescents, and children. The St. Albert location for DiveThru is scheduled to open in early March. As well, virtual therapy sessions are also available, and there are reduced rates for those who qualify. The app allows users to find resources created by therapists while offering tools to help cope with and monitor a variety of mental health issues.

The 29-year-old was born and raised in St. Albert, but for the last decade Gray has made Edmonton her home. Her entrepreneurial roots extend back to her early teen years. “In Grade 9, I was in a Girl Power class through school where we did a project on a woman who inspired us,” she recalls. “I chose Eveline Charles, and I even got to interview her. At that time, I wanted to own a chain of hair salons, so I feel like the entrepreneurial spirit was always present for me. As I got older, I knew I wanted to make a positive impact in the world and solve a problem that I felt personally myself, which is why I started DiveThru.” 

The busy entrepreneur manages to find a work-life balance by staying true to her personal values, which include family and health. As a result, she has firm work boundaries which include taking weekends off. “I like to think that in order for me to sprint five days a week, I need to rest two,” she explains. “I need time off for my health and I need to have balance with my work so I can spend quality time with my family.” 

Gray suggests that people who want to improve their lives take the time to connect with themselves. “Life is busy, and I think developing a practice of checking in with yourself, a practice of getting to know yourself, is so important. From this place, you can be honest with yourself about what you need. You can also really establish your personal values and create a plan to prioritize those in your life.”

We had built this engaged community around our mission of shamelessly talking about mental health. 
We connected with our community to better understand what they needed, and saw how my original vision for the company was what people were asking for.

– Sophie Gray

DiveThru

St. Albert: 720-860 St. Albert Trail (open in March)
Edmonton:104-10155-81 Ave.

1-866-658-0566
divethru.com  |  [email protected]