ABOUT US
At Zenimal, we are taking a low-tech approach to building self-awareness and joy. We understand that meditation must be taught and practiced like an instrument or a sport and we are committed to providing the tools necessary for children, teens, and adults to find their path to contentment. Our goal is to make it easy for people to cultivate the benefits of mindfulness for life.
Our Story
Zenimal was founded in Southern California in 2017 by Anna Peterson Macsalka, an entrepreneur who wanted to transform the lives of children by offering tools to help them lead a healthier, more joyful life. She felt that if kids could develop a meditation practice early on, they could cultivate skills to help them navigate our endlessly connected, fast paced world.
Zenimal is an easy-to-use device to bring mindfulness into everyday life that’s portable and screen-free. Kids are pulled in so many directions by their parents, teachers, coaches and peers that they often find their stresses to be overwhelming, particularly if they don't have effective coping strategies. While adults may not be able to prevent children from feeling sad, frustrated, or angry, they can provide the tools needed to process these emotions effectively.
With anxiety, depression, and sleep deprivation on the rise, Anna felt it was a necessity to provide her own children with the same gifts of mindfulness that she had experienced herself as kid - not just to manage anxiety, but to relax, improve sleep, practice gratitude, and have empathy for others.
About Anna
Anna Peterson Macsalka is the proud founder of Zenimal. As a child, Anna suffered from severe anxiety and panic attacks. She found peace in a mindfulness meditation practice that changed her life forever. After becoming a mother, Anna was determined to find an engaging, screen-free solution to teach her children awareness of their minds and bodies through meditation. Unable to find any tools that met this criteria, Zenimal was born.
After a career in acting/voiceover, she spent the last 5 years educating herself further about the benefits of meditation and mindfulness and how it can benefit not only children’s brains and behavior, but adult's as well. Currently, Anna is applying all her learnings of mindfulness meditation into developing devices that will help improve the lives of children and adults across the globe.
Born and raised in the Rocky Mountains, Anna earned her bachelor's degree in Theatre and Business Administration from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She now lives in Southern California with her amazing husband, two fantastic kids, and their awesome rescue pup from South Korea, Ernie.