Co-Founder Of New England-Based Melissa & Doug Toys On Living With Depression

If you've had a kid in the last three decades, then you definitely know Melissa Bernstein.

She, along with her husband Doug, founded the New England-based toy company Melissa & Doug in the 1980s in their basement. Since then, they've had wild success selling classic, wholesome, colorful kids toys, all designed by Melissa: it's now a $500 million company.

But while the toys she designed brought so much joy and happiness to millions of kids, Melissa has long struggled with anxiety and depression. As their company grew more successful, Melissa shrunk deeper into a dark despair: struggling alone with existential depression.

Now, she's opening up about her struggle. She's out with a new memoir, and together with Doug, has launched a new company: LifeLines. It's a free online community for people struggling with mental health, that features a podcast series, and video series with talks and events.