For six years, Charlamagne Tha God has used one of the biggest media platforms to push a message many people, Black men especially, were taught to keep quiet about: your mental health matters, and taking care of it is a sign of strength.

On Saturday, October 10, that message filled a room again, as thousands of attendees gathered at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) in Newark for the 6th Annual Mental Wealth Expo.

Hosted by Charlamagne, wellness educator Devi Brown, and the Mental Wealth Alliance, the free, all-ages event took place at NJIT’s Joel and Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center in honor of World Mental Health Day. This year’s theme, Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change, shaped a day built less around awareness and more around action.

Attendees left with practical tools, resources, and strategies they could carry into their everyday lives.

The lineup brought together some of the most recognizable voices in mental health and wellness, including Grammy-winning singer and author Michelle Williams, Iyanla Vanzant, clinical psychologist Dr. Rheeda Walker, Koya Webb, Yale emotional intelligence expert Marc Brackett, Jay Barnett, former NFL tight end turned therapist Julius Thomas, and Jovian Zayne.

Throughout the day, attendees moved between interactive panel discussions, live therapeutic workshops, and healing experiences on topics ranging from generational trauma to everyday anxiety.

Just as important as the conversations was the access. The Expo connected attendees with mental health professionals and resources at no cost, in line with the Mental Wealth Alliance’s mission to make care more accessible to underserved communities, where cost, stigma, and a shortage of culturally competent providers often stand in the way.

Charlamagne has been open about his own experiences with anxiety and panic attacks, and he stressed that self-care doesn’t have to start with a grand gesture. It can mean starting therapy, having a difficult conversation, or simply recognizing when it’s time to ask for help.

The Mental Wealth Alliance is also backing that message with resources, committing more than 10,000 hours of free therapy to underserved communities to help remove the financial barriers that keep many people from getting care.

Six years in, the Mental Wealth Expo has become more than an annual event. It’s a reminder that the conversation around mental wellness only matters if it leads to real help for the people who need it most.