International NGO Transcendence Lab announced the continued expansion of its "Creating for Healing & Growth" project, an approach that helps imaginative creators share their work with wider audiences while making the process transformative for both creator and reader. According to Education Director John Toomey, the initiative concentrates on Substack writers, since they have manifested the most success with the protocol. Unlike typical creator-growth advice focused primarily on tactics and hacks, Creating for Healing & Growth is built on a core premise: building a subscriber base can also coincide with meaningful emotional and cognitive growth. The program aims to address what the team describes as a modern shortfall—many people living lives that are less emotionally and cognitively evolutionary than they could be—and offers practical, repeatable in-person and online experiences designed to help participants discover the feeling-states that change this.
At the heart of the initiative is a set of six core "Portals"—gratitude, laughter, awe, group brainstorming, storytelling, and novelty—described by Transcendence Lab as gateways into expanded experience. The Lab's founders use the term "Portals" to emphasize that these are more than emotions; they involve a complex blend of feelings and thoughts that can be intentionally cultivated in online groups with the help of AI. The Lab has been developing and facilitating these experiences since 2016, with "vast improvements" following the arrival of widely available AI tools in 2022–2023. A central question guiding the work is whether human beings have something like an "RDA"—a Recommended Daily Allowance—for beneficial emotional experiences that have supported mental health for centuries, and whether modern tools such as AI, social platforms, video, and online group gatherings can help people access them more efficiently and consistently.
"Most platforms help you broadcast," says Collaborations Coordinator Amy Chang. "What we do helps you bond—and it succeeds because so many heart-centered, sensitive, forward-thinking creators are already on Substack, looking for a way to grow alongside others." Teams Director Soani Gunawan noted that one portal-based practice—the "mini-Hero's Journey"—expanded over time into what became the Hero Award, which ranks at the top of search rankings for that term, even though more than 15 organizations offer a hero award. One participant described the cumulative effect of moving through the portals with a congenial group—either live or via Zoom—as "like graduation day from a school where you made many friends, learned a lot about others and yourself, and experienced many transformations… you fall in love with being human."
Transcendence Lab is a creator-centered community and facilitation group developing and sharing protocols that help people cultivate beneficial feeling-states—such as gratitude, laughter, awe, group brainstorming, storytelling, and novelty—through social media, online gatherings, and AI. The Lab's work aims to help creators grow their audiences while also supporting personal growth, connection, and transformative experiences. The initiative's expansion highlights a shift in creator support models, moving beyond mere audience metrics to integrate psychological well-being and community bonding. This matters because it addresses growing concerns about digital isolation and emotional health in creative professions, offering a structured alternative that leverages technology for deeper human connection rather than superficial engagement. The implications include potential new standards for creator platforms, where success is measured not just by subscriber counts but by qualitative growth experiences, and where AI is used to foster empathy and shared emotional states rather than just optimize content delivery.
