Check Out Loryn Bamberg’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Loryn Bamberg.

loryn, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
After my life was turned completely upside down, I made a decision that scared and energized me all at once — at 33, I went back to school. Just a few days after earning my bachelor’s degree, I jumped straight into a graduate program to become a marriage and family therapist. I knew I wanted to help people heal, but what I didn’t expect was how broken parts of the system would feel once I stepped inside it.

When it came time to find a traineeship, I had a moment of clarity: something about this process wasn’t right. Interns were expected to work for little to no pay while providing therapy billed at $70 to $120 an hour. Their schedules were rigid, the demands were high, and the whole structure felt deeply exploitative. At the same time, therapy remained financially out of reach for so many people who desperately needed support. It just didn’t add up.

In typical Loryn fashion, when something isn’t right, I do something about it. So, I called my friend Mallory Garcia, an LMFT who shares my passion for making mental health care more accessible. Within minutes, we were saying the same thing: there has to be a better way.

That conversation sparked what would soon become The Wellness Exchange.

We didn’t have grants, fancy office space, or a perfectly mapped-out business plan; we just had an idea and a shared belief that both clients and trainees deserved better. We envisioned a place where emerging therapists could gain meaningful experience without being taken advantage of, and where individuals and families could access affordable, high-quality care.

So we built it.

Within our very first month of launching this nonprofit, we booked over 100 appointments. One hundred. The message was loud and clear: the need for low- and no-cost therapy was urgent

And here’s the part I’m oddly proud of — we didn’t wait for grants or outside funding to get started. We funded it ourselves then, and we still do. We believe so deeply in our mission that when we asked the question, ” Who is going to fix this?” The only answer we could come up with was: us.

The Wellness Exchange was born out of frustration, yes — but even more out of hope. Hope that the mental health field can do better. Hope that care can be both ethical and accessible. And hope that sometimes the biggest change begins with one uncomfortable realization and a single brave phone call.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We’re still funding this ourselves, and so wow — the road has been bumpy. Starting a nonprofit from scratch is not for the faint of heart. We’ve had to figure out every legal detail and contract on our own… and by “we,” I mostly mean me, Google, and a whole lot of phone calls.

Mallory, our clinical director, is out here training and mentoring trainees for free, pouring into them every single day just because she believes in this mission that much.

Right now, we’re hunting for office space, applying for grants, and honestly building the plane while we’re flying it. It’s stressful, messy, and sometimes overwhelming — but we already have trainees who need us and clients who are showing up for support.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
There are so many nonprofits out there doing incredible, ethical work — truly. But we also came across twice as many that were still far too expensive for someone already struggling (which, let’s be honest, is most Americans) to afford mental health care.

One thing I am beyond proud of is this: we have never turned anyone away because they couldn’t afford therapy. Not once. If someone is brave enough to ask for help, the last thing they should hear is that it’s out of their price range. We built The Wellness Exchange to remove that barrier, not reinforce it.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
If you feel called to build a nonprofit, do it for the right reasons — lead with heart, purpose, and integrity. When your mission is genuine and your passion is clear, the right people will find you. Build it with intention, and they will come.

Pricing:

• www.wellnessexchange.org

Contact Info:

• Website: https://wellnessexchange.org
• Instagram: thewellnessexchangeca