Emma Heming Willis and Helen Christoni Share ‘Make Time’ Brain Health Mission: ‘Your Purpose Finds You’ (Exclusive)

Long before they heard the startling statistics, Emma Heming Willis and Helen Christoni knew something was wrong. How is it possible, they asked, that no one talks about brain health in everyday life?

“My doctor will talk to me about my breast health, my cholesterol, my heart, but not my brain,” says Heming Willis, whose interest in the subject, as well as in our body’s most complex and precious organ, was sparked in 2014 by the birth of her youngest daughter. Evelyn, 9.

She had brain fog, but her doctor dismissed it as “mommy brain.” Out of breath, the entrepreneur and former model, who also has a daughter, Mabel, 11, with husband, actor Bruce Willis, eventually sought out a specialist.

“I’d never heard the term ‘brain health’ before,” says Heming Willis, 47. As the fog gradually lifted thanks to “handfuls” of daily nutritional supplement pills and healthy lifestyle changes, the experience planted the seeds of what would become a lasting purpose.

Emma Heming Willis Launches Brain Health Brand, ‘New Purpose’ Amid Bruce Willis’ Dementia Battle (Exclusive)

In 2020, Heming Willis, along with Christoni, 53, her business partner and dear friend, co-founded Make Time, a wellness brand and movement to raise awareness about the importance of brain health, especially for women. (According to a 2023 Alzheimer’s Association report, women make up two-thirds of Alzheimer’s patients and caregivers.)

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Emma Heming Willis and Helen Christoni. Make time wellness

For both women, who we celebrated in this week’s issue of PEOPLE magazine with other innovators, activists and role models who are making big changes in their communities and beyond, the cause has become deeply personal.

Heming Willis revealed in February 2023 that Bruce had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Christoni lost both her grandmother and mother-in-law to dementia, and last year her daughter to mental problems.

“All families are affected by this,” says Christoni. “We found ourselves in this position, with this mission. Your purpose finds you.”

Bruce Willis and Emma Heming Willis.

Emma Heming Willis/Instagram

“Making time,” Christoni points out, can be as simple as a quick adventure (the couple recently tried yoga with baby goats) or blocking plans with a friend.

As a caregiver, Heming Willis learned firsthand the value of filling and comforting in a shared experience. “I was able to rely on this new community that I found myself in, so giving back to people who are on this journey as partners in care was extremely meaningful,” she says. “Community is everything.”

Following Bruce Willis’ dementia diagnosis, Emma Heming Willis is to publish a new book about caregiving

In 2023, the couple launched a podcast and created Make Time Wellness, a product line that includes brain-nourishing multivitamins and drinkable supplements, initially fueled by Heming Willis’ growing distaste for “choking” solid pills. A portion of the proceeds benefit Hilarity for Charity, a non-profit organization dedicated to caring for families affected by Alzheimer’s disease and supporting research and education.

Emma Heming Willis and Helen Christoni. Make time wellness

“Nobody talked to women about their brains,” says Christoni. “It was a male-dominated conversation. I thought we’d do it.”

Educating women about the importance of brain health early, and “not just when you get a diagnosis and it’s too late,” says Heming Willis, is a key focus of what she and Christoni see as purpose-driven work. “Brain health can happen at any point in our journey,” says Heming Willis. “We’re really just trying to empower women to think about it.”

For more on PEOPLE’s Women Changing the World, pick up the March 11 issue, on newsstands Friday.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education