Darrin Guttman is an entrepreneur who owns two businesses based in Mission Viejo, CA. My wife, Barbara, and I have three children and relocated back to Southern California in 2019 after living in Northern California for 22 years. When my wife was diagnosed with depression in 2015, we started our journey of understanding the depth of mental illness and the stigma that surrounds it. After her diagnosis, I chaired a mental health and addiction committee through my synagogue in Northern California called Diseases of the Soul for four years.

Additionally, one of my companies is a fundraising organization that caters to elementary, middle, and high school students. ELF is of interest to me primarily because its mission is centered around two things that I’m passionate about; addressing mental illness to squash the stigma associated with it and working with children and families.