Hernan Carvente-Martinez

Hernan is a formerly incarcerated, Chicano, community organizer and social entrepreneur. After a decade of advocacy aimed at closing youth prisons and empowering formerly incarcerated youth, Hernan has made it his mission to reimagine wellness and mental health for all New Yorkers. As a suicide survivor, and someone working with people who have experienced all kinds of trauma, he saw that there was a gap in how people both talked about and accessed different kinds wellness and healing modalities. As a result, he founded Healing Ninjas, Inc., a social enterprise dedicated to de-stigmatizing mental health and wellness and providing access to traditional and non-traditional resources across NYC’s five boroughs. 

Hernan aims to create a web-based platform and app that will allow people to locate and access the mental health and wellness resources near them. The Healing Ninjas brand also emphasizes community over “anonymity,” asking neighbors, friends, and partners to join each person’s journey toward a happier healthier life.