About

Our Journey

We are Anjali Reddy, a sophomore at UPenn, and Tia Reddy, a high school junior from Massachusetts. SMILES & Breathe was started in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to combat societal loneliness caused by social isolation. S&B has evolved to help people to find resources and create their own path to belonging, to foster their micro-community and to help each other. If there is one thing this pandemic has taught us, it is that we are stronger and at our best when we work with each other. We believe that it is the many, little good things done by one or many of us that will make for a positive change.

Loneliness, a simmering issue in the population before the pandemic was brought to the forefront by the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of our mother’s role as a physician, our dinner table conversations during the pandemic included the social isolation’s effects on the population. These discussions inspired us look for ways to help people; during the pandemic it was a positive diversion. We delved into research ranging from the coping skills used by astronauts during isolation in space to the practice of solitude. We volunteered in a long- term care facility and collaborated with the MIT’s AgeLab.

Our quest inspired us to create SMILES & Breathe to combat loneliness. We initially distributed the SMILES & Breathe pamphlets among older adults in the community, cafes, restaurants, libraries etc. Along the way, we realized that the loneliness problem spared no age group and adjusted the contents to encompass more age groups. Thanks to the generous feedbacks, we made periodic updates. The website has hyperlinks to various resources. We hope to continue to make changes and welcome any feedback from you, the visitors and users.

We collaborated with the MIT AgeLab through the Omega Chat Hours, the Summit, blog/s and research. Through this collaboration, we developed and published the Intergenerational Page and piloted the intergenerational skill-sharing program at the AgeLab’s Omega Chat-Hour on January 28, 2023. We have since collaborated and advised organizations on intergenerational programming. Through this experience, we have learned so much from the many kind people whose lives have touched ours— mentors, family, friends, teachers, 85+ Lifestyle leaders at the AgeLab, and sometimes strangers. We hope to build further and pass on what we have learned.

Every person deserves a sense of belonging. We hope the resources on this site will nudge one to take the tiny steps in that direction. We hope every person feels that they belong within themselves, within a community and within a society; embraces solitude; and finds peace in their quest for “un-loneliness." Please feel free to pass on the information so those in need can use them. As always, if you have any feedback or ideas, we are happy to hear from you.

Sincerely,

Anjali & Tia