Mandy Teefey, the mother of Emmy-nominated actress Selena Gomez and co-founder of the mental health startup Wondermind, is being widely criticized by employees for her management style, according to The Cut.
Fourteen current and former employees spoke to The Cut about the various ways in which Teefey, Wondermind’s CEO, appeared “unstable” while leading the company.
According to anonymous employee accounts, Teefey often slept at her office and was believed to be “intoxicated” by some employees.
One employee described Teefey’s office as a “drug den,” and another recalled her snorting a substance that they believed was Ritalin, a stimulant medication that is often used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy.
Teefey denied the allegations. “It’s unfortunate that a few disgruntled employees with an ax to grind can spread lies about me and distort the truth,” she said in a statement shared with US Weekly.
The Cut additionally reported that Teefey told former employees she relied on IV drips—believed to contain the antihistamine Benadryl—to recover from a case of double pneumonia, which she publicly revealed on Instagram in 2021.
Wondermind was co-founded in April 2022 by Teefey with celebrity daughter Selena Gomez and Colombian-American entrepreneur Daniella Pierson.
“Wondermind is not just for people who have a diagnosed mental illness—this is for anyone who has feelings,” said Pierson on ABC’s Good Morning America in an interview given by the women in April 2022.
Pierson, who is the founder and CEO of the media company The Newsette, left Wondermind in January 2023.
Employees who spoke to The Cut described Mandy Teefey’s relationship with Pierson as “hostile.” A representative for Teefey called that characterization a “gross distortion.”
“Leaving Wondermind was a very difficult decision, but she was proud of what they had built in the time there,” Pierson’s spokesperson told Forbes after four former staffers claimed that Pierson was “pushed out.”
The Cut article is not the first time that Wondermind has been in the spotlight this year. In May 2025, Forbes reported that the start-up failed to pay its employees. Just two days later, another Forbes story was published claiming that two-thirds of employees have been laid off.
“What’s worse is somebody like Selena who sees it firsthand and doesn’t do anything,” one staffer told The Cut when explaining that they believe Teefey’s behavior “wasn’t malicious.”
Some staffers described the relationship between mother and daughter as appearing “strained and uncomfortable,” according to the outlet.
Teefey gave birth to Gomez at the age of 16 and spoke to The Cut about the mental health struggles she dealt with during that time.
Despite the employee allegations, Teefey revealed to the outlet that she remains optimistic about the future of Wondermind and is preparing to launch a community-building app featuring “mental fitness” tools.
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