Starting a Non-Profit Was Never the Plan

If you’d told me ten years ago that I’d be running an international mental-health nonprofit, attending board meetings, and using phrases like “strategic partnerships” without irony… I would have laughed, finished my drink, and probably asked you to pass me the glitter.

Back then, I was what you might generously call a free spirit. Others might say “wild child.” Either way, my life ran on instinct, spontaneity, and the kind of chaos that felt charming rather than concerning.

And yet here I am, founder and CEO of Pineapple Support, a nonprofit providing free and low-cost mental health support for people working in the online adult industry. Since we launched, we’ve connected thousands of individuals with sex-worker-friendly therapists, facilitated support groups, created educational resources, built global partnerships, and, most importantly, saved lives.

How did this happen?

The Accidental Beginning

Pineapple Support was born out of heartbreak, frustration, and the unbearable weight of watching people in my community struggle without support. The stigma was crushing. Resources were nonexistent. Loss after loss kept hitting us. I didn’t have a plan, but I had a fire in my chest saying: Do something.

And to be clear, I did not plan on starting small.
I aimed for world domination from the very beginning.
Because I only know how to go balls-deep.

I flew home from the January shows, sat down, and started building. By April, we had launched. No sponsors. No guarantees. Just determination, a very nervous savings account, and a refusal to wait for the “right moment”, because people were suffering now.

In that first month, therapy requests started trickling in, two or three at a time, then steady growth. And a few incredible therapists, who still work with us today, offered to delay invoicing until we secured funding. Their generosity built our foundation.

By October, we’d secured our official 501(c)(3) status.
By December, our first sponsor arrived: Pornhub.

I will always be grateful to them for believing in our mission when it was held together mostly by passion, stubbornness, and caffeine.

The Transformation I Didn’t See Coming

Here’s what no one prepares you for:
Starting something like this doesn’t just change your work.
It changes you.

If someone had told me everything I’d need to learn, the emotional growth, the leadership challenges, the internal rewiring, I’m not sure I would’ve had the nerve to start. That’s not the motivational TED Talk line I’m supposed to give you, but it’s the truth.

I went from someone who couldn’t keep a houseplant alive to someone managing a global organisation, overseeing budgets, fundraising, hiring staff, negotiating contracts, and (to my own shock) actively enjoying spreadsheets.

The shift from “wild child” to “businesswoman” was not graceful.
There were mistakes, cringe-worthy emails, panic-inducing meetings, and many nights sitting in the glow of my laptop thinking, What the actual hell have I done?

But slowly, eventually… I found my footing.

Along the way, I learned:

• Leadership isn’t about being the smartest in the room – it’s about listening to the people in it.

• Growth is messy, uncomfortable, and usually requires admitting you were wrong more often than you’d like.

• You can absolutely be taken seriously and still keep your sense of humour. (In fact, it may be the only way to survive.)

The Grateful Bit

I didn’t start Pineapple Support expecting it to change me. I thought I was doing it to help others. But somewhere along the way, it became the thing that helped me, too.

It gave me purpose.
It taught me resilience.
It forced me to develop patience (still a work in progress).
And it showed me that no matter how unlikely your starting point, you can grow into exactly who you need to be.

Would I do it again, knowing what I know now?
Absolutely.

Would I do it exactly the same way?
More or less.

Would I still keep the glitter?
Always.

With love,

Leya