GIMBHI‘s Q&A with iMPACTFUL’s Founder, Scilla Andreen

Scilla Andreen is an award-winning filmmaker, author, entrepreneur, and mother of six. She is the Founder and CEO of Impactful Networks Inc., a health tech education startup that combines ethical AI, multimedia storytelling, and brain science to help people navigate life. Scilla’s work reimagines how we teach emotional wellness—from classrooms to kitchen tables—and her latest innovation, GiGi, puts compassionate, evidence-informed support into the hands of parents and caregivers everywhere.

Why did you start Impactful Networks?

Because the current system is broken—and I believe we can do better. I’ve spent the last 10 years filming youth, parents, educators, brain scientists and mental health professionals from around the world. I’m a storyteller and a pattern recognizer, obsessed with data, technology, and human connection. And what I’ve learned is this: we’re spending too much time trying to prevent death—and not enough time teaching people how to live.

We’ve lost two of our six children—one to cancer, and one just recently to suicide. That loss blew up our world. It created new purpose. I chose to build something. Not just in their memory, but for all the kids, parents, and educators who deserve better support and earlier access.

Impactful Networks was born to bring us back upstream. To teach self-awareness, trust, emotional fluency, and connection before the crisis. In schools. In homes. In communities. Not in waiting rooms.


Tell us about GiGi.

GiGi is our moonshot. She’s a free multilingual, ethical AI—mental health coach and relational navigator. 

She’s here for the parent who wants to help their kid but doesn’t know how. For the caregiver and educator who’s overwhelmed.  GiGi teaches emotional fluency in minutes a day, think Duo Lingo for emotional intelligence. GiGi helps families address challenges and makes mental health education feel normal—even empowering.

We’ve spent the last decade building a film and evidence-based, world-class knowledge base—and now we’re democratizing access. GiGi is how we bring it home. She’s not replacing human connection—she’s restoring and prioritizing it.


What’s one thing every parent or school should know right now?

As parents, we teach our kids how to brush their teeth and tie their shoes. We teach them to look both ways and to share.

But how do we teach them to put words to those big feelings—whether they’re joyful or dark?

How do we teach them to self-regulate and ask for help? 

We model it.

And we need to start as soon as they can walk and talk.

After filming and interviewing hundreds of people around the world, I can honestly say: if I had the knowledge then that I have now, I would have parented very differently. I’m grateful for how my kids turned out—but there were moments that were excruciating. I just didn’t have the tools.

Schools, too, aren’t just places of academic instruction. They are institutions of relationships. We send our kids to school to learn, yes—but also to be seen, to be accepted, to belong.

That means we need more than curriculum. We need connection. We need at least 65% of a community—educators, students, and parents—rowing in the same direction. And one of the most powerful ways to unify a community is through story.

We use movies. Good stories bypass shame and defensiveness. They invite understanding. They model how to talk, how to listen, how to respond. Let’s normalize learning how to be there for each other—and for ourselves. Let’s teach kids that life isn’t just about surviving. It’s about thriving. And going for it! 

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