From growing up in poverty, moving states and navigating parental divorce, Demond Martin has overcome his share of odds.

The University of North Carolina and Harvard Business School graduate went on to serve as an assistant to the White House chief of staff in the Clinton administration before a two-decade career as the only Black partner in the country at a major hedge fund, Adage Capital Management.

But six years ago, Martin’s life changed as he stood in the middle of an emergency room with a loved one during a mental health crisis. The moment gave him clarity.

He had the resources to support his loved one, but if the 14 year old version of himself had gone through the same thing, he would have likely ended up dead or incarcerated. Ruminating on this heavily, he imagined how to become part of a bigger solution. In 2023, he launched WellWithAll as his answer.

Co-founded by Martin and Carmichael Roberts, WellWithAll produces vitamins, supplements, and drinks to promote overall wellness, while its sister foundation invests in community-centered health innovations and education. Their model includes structured giving to communities of color, with 20% of profits donated to health equity initiatives that can “close the wellness gap across generations.”

To expand their message and reach, WellWithAll has also produced wellness guides and a documentary film, “Black Longevity,” which takes on negative myths about aging and health.

“Black health, despair, and death have been synonymous. When you think about Black health, you think about diabetes and hypertension, and the reality is we wanted to tell the fullness of the story of Black longevity. The oldest living woman in the country is a black woman, Naomi Whitehead,” Martin said.

“If all you see is death and despair, that becomes an expectation.

WellWithAll wanted to change that expectation. This story is about seven incredible human beings that have lived long, healthy lives … That’s the story that I wanted people to understand and strive for, as I am, when they think about Black health.”

The foundation has recently donated $100,000 to support mental health services at Mississippi’s Tougaloo College, and is preparing for its first $1 Million prize competition to support AI-powered health tools. Finalists will be assessed based on “proven patient impact, a track record of reaching underserved communities, and a scalable path to serve 100,000 people.”

Other company initiatives include working with doctors to take complex medical approaches, such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and simplifying them in a way that everyday people can apply tools in their daily lives.

For Martin, investing in the Black community in these ways feels like part of a broader purpose. The reality is in cities across the country, there are massive life expectancy gaps across racial lines. In Boston, the gap is as stark as 23 years, comparing Back Bay to Roxbury.

“I’m a Christian, and it is always my intent to walk the path that God has set for me. As I was the only Black partner at a major hedge fund in the country, I thought God was preparing me to continue down that pathway. I did not see this coming, but the reality is that all of the steps, all of the things, the life experiences that I’ve had were preparation for this,” he said. “So I wake up every day with the greatest clarity, that I’m doing exactly what I should be doing right now, and it gives me so much joy.”

For Black entrepreneurs and business owners of color, he emphasized wisdom shared in his new book “Friends of The Good.” People can surround themselves with friendships and allies to help them achieve mental wealth. Your five closest friends, he said, are your future – guiding what to do and what not to do.

“One of the things that I say is that I’m not self-made. I’m community built,” Martin said. “You can’t do these big things by yourself - you need a crew to ride with you.”