On My Mind podcast: Meeting Young People Where They Are

THE BRIEF

How do you reach a teenager carrying more than they should have to? By meeting them where they are.

Rooftop was tasked with developing two seasons of podcasts for UNICEF and Spotify’s On My Mind. The goal was to bring evidence-based mental health support into one of the most popular formats a young person already uses. We were also asked to create a companion children’s series base don an existing comic series by UNICEF.

THE CREATIVE

Clinical mental health content is precise and carefully curated. The challenge was to preserve every detail while transforming it into something a young person would actually listen to. Rooftop led the full adaptation process, working closely with mental health experts to ensure accuracy while reshaping the structure for an audio-first audience. For the guided exercises, we built purposeful sound design and an original musical score. The companion Magnificent Mei series presented its own distinct challenge: adapting a UNICEF comic book into a six-part audio adventure following 13-year-old Mei as she navigates new towns, new schools, and new feelings – weaving evidence-based coping tools through story, so the learning happens through experience rather than instruction.

THE IMPACT

Both series live on Spotify as part of Spotify for UNICEF. Rooftop facilitated translation into Ukrainian, Polish, Spanish, and Portuguese – opening the work to young people across regions where conflict and displacement have made mental health support hardest to reach. Neither series replaces professional care. What they offer instead is a safe space in a familiar format, where young people know they are not alone.

THE PODCASTS

THE DETAILS