As we entered the new decade, the pandemic took a major turn. Being stuck at our home with the deadly virus outside has made lives really tough for people. It resulted in anxious behaviour and massive depression symptoms.
People are suffering from a huge breakdown during the pandemic. The second wave of Covid-19 is majorly affecting the mental harmony of people. As the cases are rising, things are getting more difficult and concerned.
What if I am next? Will my family survive this never-ending pandemic? How should I prevent my mental health? And plenty of such questions are stuck in our mind on loop. Our mental health needs proper caring and concern.
To our knowledge, we can’t control the global pandemic situation on our own, but what we can do is prevent ourselves by following safety measures and taking care of our mental health.
When we feel anxious, we prefer taking a walk around the park or meeting our close ones. But due to this dreadful situation outside, it’s better to take care of ourselves at our home. It’s okay not to be okay during such tough times! But, do not lose hope over these rising numbers. It is a tough time, indeed, but stay positive and take care of yourself. This too shall pass!
Well, before coming to any decisions, take a pause and think about what makes you happy. This pandemic has allowed us to take a break from our busy lives and give ourselves some time. Focus on the pros before you list out the cons.
Here are some tips and methods that you must take a read, for your mental wellness.
Things have absolutely changed as compared to before Covid situation. Many startups and businesses are going through some major downfall. The revenue and responses are degrading and the true potential of entrepreneurs cannot be discovered. Meanwhile, the cases are rising with dreadful speed. But, we know it’s not entirely in our hands, so instead of stressing over the corona cases, focus on brushing up your skills and your work through a digital platform.
Utilize your time and energy towards the productive aspect of your life. Learn new skills and work on the digital platform for the uprise of your business and work. Seek out every opportunity and utilize it by being productive over your work. Evaluate your working performance and strategize on the areas where you lack. This would help you to be a productive and better version of yourself.
When we look back to the first wave of the pandemic in the year 2020, we think about the chaos and the non-productive activities. Through the year 2020, we wasted a lot of time and ended up being entirely inactive. But, now as we again go through the same phase, we need to be more proactive and not repeat our mistakes from the first wave.
We went through some rollercoaster of emotion back then, but now we need to focus on our priority and deviate our mind from the stress to something we like doing. Take a tiny step ahead and get started with what you need to utilize your energy in.
We are all different from each other and so are our minds. Every human being is made structurally, emotionally, mentally, and physically different from others. Therefore, the requirements and needs for each individual are different and special.
We need to identify those special and distinct needs of our mental health and strategize our way to have them. Our mind is very delicate, so it requires special care. Every individual has their way of dealing with situations.
Some like working on themselves to cope with mental stress while others might need some alone peacetime with themselves. We all are unique and special in our way. So, focus on your mental health needs.
Not everyone is a writer, well, that’s true. But, writing your emotions doesn’t mean you have to show them to someone, you are doing that for yourself. You are fighting your battles and you are expressing them in your writing. You do not have to write a masterpiece or something.
Just write down your emotions and work on your mental peace. Writing is an excellent form of expression that helps you gain mental resilience. Psychologists say writing is an incredible therapy that lets your deepest emotions come out on paper. Write about your thoughts, frustrations and experiences on the pandemic and how it is affecting your mental health.
When we feel anxious, writing is the best way to calm down. This would absolutely help you in knowing facts and things that are majorly affecting your mental health.
Our mental health is affecting the most during the pandemic and for that, we need to work on ourselves to face those devastating consequences. Writing is the best way to cope with it. Try it and you will feel the difference.
Don’t believe WhatsApp forwards
There are a lot of rumours out there that we are making so much panic among the people. When we know that there is still hope outside and doctors, bed are absolutely available for those who are suffering and people are helping, it helps our mental stress to calm down. And we get the comfort that we need. But, those rumours spreading around are making things worse for people. It is affecting our mental health so much.
It’s not that you should not keep yourself updated, but don’t obsess over the numbers and situations. Check once to keep yourself informed about the situation but, don’t believe everything that comes on WhatsApp. Check the updates from an authentic source. And, stay safe.
FAQ
What are the 7 components of mental health?
The Seven Dimensions include Physical, Intellectual, Environmental, Vocational, Social, Emotional and Spiritual health.
How can I improve my mental happiness?
Manage your stress levels, Boost your self-esteem, and Talk and share, These tips will help you improve your mental happiness.
Does mental health bring happiness?
According to the Origins of Happiness report, eliminating mental health issues such as depression and anxiety would increase happiness by 20%.
Conclusion
We don’t have any specific idea on when this pandemic is ending. But, we should not lose hope for it. We do know this will be over. And until then, we need to take proper care of our health as well as our mental health. Stay home and stay safe.
Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verifiedinformation ondifferent startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by the organization it is based on.
With all the awareness initiatives and the movements taking place in the field of mental health, we see people talking about it but we actually don’t see people understanding what in reality goes behind being mentally unhealthy. For those who’ve felt like, “so many people have told me to open up, but nobody really understands what’s going on”, Bani Singh and Drishti Gupta launched nowandme.com in 2018.
Nowandme.com is an online safe space that’s bridging the gap between people, their problems and someone who wants to hear them and lend a helping hand. This venture believes in the power of human experiences and the community. The aim of this company is to develop a community where people can share their experiences and emotions without the fear of being judged. Also, this portal publishes blogs and videos on the website to generate awareness about pressing issues like mental health.
It’s as simple as logging onto nowandme.com and pouring your heart out!
Now&Me has shared and displayed more than 4000 personal and heartfelt experiences. Meaningful, wholesome and sensitive interactions take place among the community every day. One can choose to post/respond anonymously as well. nowandme.com is a pace where you can truly be who you are. It is basically a form of kinder internet, where you don’t have to pretend to be someone you’re not.
nowandme.com lets you connect with strangers on a deeper level and allows you to heal, learn and grow through mixed experiences of individuals. It acts as a platform for people going through a rough phase in life and wanting someone to talk to. Even those who want to share their achievements and success stories can be found. It is a community that is growing with each passing day.
Now&Me is a glocal brand, which started in Delhi-NCR. It conducts various offline events and workshops regularly. The most recent one being on ‘Stress Relief’ at IIT-Delhi. Another event on ‘Social Media’ was conducted by the team at LSR. ‘Create Don’t Hate’ was organized at SelectCity CityWalk Mall in association with JustDelhiing. The team has also created offline no-judgment zones, talking circles, network therapy, and safe spaces to encourage catharsis and been an active part of activities like Drum Circle – Music Therapy and Art Therapy as well.
According to the WHO, “There is growing evidence of the global impact of mental illness. Mental health problems are among the most important contributors to the burden of disease and disability worldwide. 5 of the 10 leading causes of disability worldwide are mental health problems. They are as relevant in low-income countries as they are in rich ones, cutting across age, gender, and social strata. Furthermore, all predictions indicate that the future will see a dramatic increase in mental health problems.”
Founders of Now&Me and team
Bani & Drishti, Cofounders of Now&Me
Now&Me co-founders Bani Singh and Drishti Gupta are college friends. Both of them graduated from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Delhi University in May 2019 with a degree in statistics. They officially started working together in February 2019, while in the last year of college. Bani mainly handles the creatives (content+curation) while Drishti looks into the technology, communications, and outreach. Usually, it is a bit of everything that the two of them need to pay attention to.
The Now&Me team also includes tech support staff and constant help from interns. They only recruit individuals who are passionate about the cause and can grasp the complexities and commitment required to run the organization. The team mainly hires in the field of web development, content creation and communications.
How was Now&Me Started?
The idea and inspiration for the company came to the co-founders after seeing the people around who were going through some or the other issues or problems in life, but were not able to find an outlet to let out their troubles. Drishti and Bani tested the idea amongst the peers in college, and their response was taken into consideration.
Now&Me – Name and Logo
Now&Me logo
Other than the obvious choice of domain availability, the name- “Now and Me” signifies being in the present with one’s feelings.
Now&Me was launched through word of mouth and social media while the co-founders were in college. Support from friends and families helped Drishti and Bani in giving the initial push to the brand. Regular offline events helped as well in building the brand identity. Everybody is going through something in life and everybody needs a shoulder to lean on. NowAndMe is that shoulder.
“To spread awareness among people regarding our product, we constantly share content on our social media pages and also upload informative blogs every week on the website, most of which are written by mental health experts. This has attracted more people and motivated them to share their feelings with us.” says Bani, co-founder of nowandme.
Now&Me – Startup Challenges
The biggest challenge for Now&Me is the long-standing stigma around mental health, that stops people from seeking help even when they know that it’s the right thing to do. Conducting safe, small talking circles in an attempt to encourage people to open up and own their feelings has proved to be extremely novel and successful in getting people’s attention.
Now&Me – Funding and Investors
NowAndMe has been bootstrapped and has not raised any funds yet.
Now&Me – Revenue Model
NowAndMe is a free platform and records no revenue.
Now&Me – Growth
nowandme.com gets over 10,000 unique visits every week, and has about 1000 registered users.
nowandme.com ranks amongst the best 10k websites in India (via Alexa Rankings)
Mr. Ankur Warikoo, former CEO, nearbuy.com is an esteemed supporter.
NowAndMe has conducted events on ‘Stress Management and Mindfulness’ in esteemed institutions such as Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IITD)
The co-founders say that while they want to keep the platform free, they also want to provide users with access to the right kind of knowledge and professionals. For this, they will be compiling different means of recourse available, such as online and offline therapy, 24/7 helplines and tele-counselling services, and workshops.
Now&Me – Future Plans
“Along with the sharing platform, we also aim to become the Yellow Pages for Mental Health in India.” Now&Me founder Bani Singh said emphasizing on the company’s future plans.
The long-term agenda is to integrate good professional help in the Now&Me platform along with its existing endeavors towards mental health and its affordability, availability and accessibility.
Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by Mom’s Belief.
Mom’s Belief is a start-up, that empowers parents of special needs children in the absence of accessible and affordable services. Founded in 2017 by Nitin Bindlish , Mom’s Belief has a clinical team of Child Psychologists, speech & occupational therapists & special educators who work together to provide training to parents & professionals who care for Children with Development disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, Down Syndrome, Learning Disabilities, Intellectual disability, global development delay, and Cerebral Palsy.
For its innovative model, Mom’s Belief was awarded as the most innovative project by Zero Project at the United Nations, Vienna in 2019
Lets go through the Success Story of Mom’s Belief and get a glance on Mom’s Belief Founders, Business Model, Funding, Growth, Revenue Model & more…
Established in 2015, Mom’s Belief launched its programs in early 2018 after three years of research and development.Mr. Nitin Bindlish created the program to empower the parents of special needs children with teaching tools and professional support, motivated by the simple intent to improve the lives of families who know the day-to-day challenges inherent in supporting a special needs child. Mom’s Belief has developed thousands of resources and teaching tools that accommodate the learning styles of children with special needs and has touched 3200+ lives till date.
Mom’s Belief assigns a master level child psychologist to each family which connects with parents using video conferencing, phone, email, and instant messaging. The psychologist helps parents to identify goals and create monthly individualized education plans (IEPs) and also get the teaching tools delivered to there home every month. Mom’s Belief also supports schools and therapy centres to enhance the therapies they offer for special needs kids.
Mom’s Belief – Founders and Team
Mom’s Belief was founded in 2015 by Mr. Nitin Bindlish.
Nitin Bindlish | Founder of Mom’s Belief
Mom’s Belief has a team of child psychologists, speech and occupational therapists and special educators who work together to provide guidance and training to parents and professionals who provide services for children with developmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, Down syndrome, learning disabilities, intellectual disability, global developmental delay, and cerebral palsy. The team also addresses behavioral and mental health issues and is led by senior clinical leaders who are associated with Stanford University and Sir Ganga Ram, Max (Gurgaon), AIIMS and VIMHANS hospitals in the New Delhi area.
Mom’s Belief – How it Started?
Mom’s Belief was created out of a desire to address the overwhelming need for special needs support in India. Their special needs support services address the struggle that parents of special needs kids face. It’s reported that there are 52 million children who show signs of a developmental disorder such as autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, ADHD, or intellectual disability. But there aren’t enough qualified professionals available to treat them.
Imagine what it must be like to have a 10-year-old child who is non-verbal, a 14-year-old child who struggles to dress him or herself, or a five-year-old child who can’t hold a crayon. Then imagine what it would be like to have no access to a professional who can help you. That is the reality that these parents face every day. Mom’s Belief was created to empower these parents with professional guidance, knowledge, and resources so they can help their child.
The mom’s belief name was inspired by Founder & CEO Nitin Bindlish’s vision of a company that empowers mothers to transform the lives of their special needs children because they firmly believe that a mother knows her child best and there’s nothing more powerful than her belief in her child.
Mom’s Belief Logo
The logo shows a mother cradling her child that portrays her warmth, love and support for her child.
The mom’s belief company’s tagline is“Actually You Can!” which reassures and reaffirms the belief that parents can play an active and important role in the development of their child with special needs, with the right guidance and support.
Mom’s Belief – Work Culture
Employees at Mom’s Belief are encouraged to take initiatives in their work and work on execution instead of waiting for permission to go ahead. Some of the main highlights of Mom’s Belief’s work culture are:
Taking initiative: As a company that uses an innovative model to empower parents as co-therapists and support children with special needs all over the world, Mom’s Belief employees are constantly motivated to take up innovative initiatives across various functions.
Encouraging transparency and open culture: The leadership team is highly approachable and this encourages employees to take up initiatives.
Creative thinking: Being a young organization, Mom’s Belief is ready to push boundaries in the field of health & wellness and is driven to come up with creative solutions to modern health needs.
Mom’s Belief – Competitors
The company have no competitors in India. There is no organization or individual who provides a home-based neuro-developmental program that incorporates training and learning resources for the parents of special needs children.
Mom’s Belief – USP and Innovation
Mom’s Belief’s has a Iconic Home Program where parents are connected with one of child psychologists, who completes a neuro-developmental profile of the child. The parents and psychologist then create an individualized education plan that is specific to the child’s needs. Once the education plan is in place, the psychologist customizes resources and teaching tools to support the education plan. The library of nearly 1000+ resources enables them to provide a highly tailored program for each individual child.
The resources are delivered to the home and after one month, they collect them, create another education plan, and then send a new set of learning resources. Parents receive training from a child development expert so that over the course of time, they become knowledgeable, skilled and effective therapists for their child. The mandatory training is delivered in weekly, one-hour sessions. Training sessions can be held at the company’s R & D center, or via video chat platforms such as Skype, Facetime or WhatsApp video.
Mom’s Belief – Business Model and Revenue Model
Mom’s Belief is largely a direct B2C company where a person enrolls in the program for a certain period and pays upfront for the enrollment. The company;s monetization model is highly unique for the industry.
Mom’s Belief offers a monthly subscription model that covers an initial assessment, customized resources that are delivered monthly to the home, and ongoing mentoring from an experienced child psychologist. Parents of special needs children are accustomed to paying fees for regular therapy sessions, and for some, the fees are exorbitant. Mom’s belief provides ongoing professional support and resources at a cost that is far more manageable.
Mom’s Belief – Funding and Investors
Mom’s Belief is a social enterprise and was funded through businesses and private investors with whom they have long-standing relationships. Mom’s Belief’s home-based program for families is a subscription-based program, and they make the program available at a more affordable price point for families in the EWS category.
Mom’s Belief – Startup Challenges
One of the key challenges that Mom’s Belief faces is encouraging parents to believe in their capacity to support their child with guided therapy. Parents are still encouraged to believe in the old model in which the therapist or psychologist delivers the therapy while parents stand by passively. Yet it’s known how effective parental engagement can be and several studies conducted in the UK have also demonstrated the effectiveness of supported parent engagement for special needs children.
Many parents are held back by the belief that they need special training or knowledge to provide support for their developmentally disabled child. The startup’s program provides dedicated hours of training and ongoing mentoring to the parent, which helps them realize that they can have an impact. In fact, the tagline is Actually You Can!
Over the past 3 years, the team have worked effortlessly to create a model that empowers parents, caregivers, and professionals and also create an ecosystem that fosters the use of tools, resources, training, and expert guidance to work towards a world where no child with special needs is left behind. And to further this cause, they have expanded their services to locations like New York, London, California, UAE, and Kuwait in addition to being India’s largest holistic care provider for children with special needs.
Currently, there are 113+ centres all over the country working with mom’s belief which provide special services like occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech therapy, as well as structured learning, and counselling.
“Having touched 3200+ lives is just the tip of the iceberg, as we are continuously working on expanding to new locations around the world and in India, where we aim to have 200+ centres pan-India by the end of the year 2020. We are also focused on leveraging technological developments in the world of innovative healthcare to help us reach and change a million lives in the next few years”, says Nitin Bindlish, Founder of Mom’s Belief.
Mom’s Belief – Awards
Mom’s Belief was awarded as the most innovative project by Zero Project at the UNITED NATIONS, Vienna in 2019, for its innovative model that supports the parents of special needs children and the professionals who work with them.
Also awarded in the fifth edition of the International Business Excellence Awards 2019 in Dubai the brand bagged the prestigious award for contribution in the Wellbeing and Health category. Mom’s Belief has also been awarded the ”Promising Brands” of 2019 by The Economic Times.
Mom’s Belief – Future Plans
The mission of Mom’s Belief is to improve the lives of one million children over the next ten years using a network of one million parents and professionals. To achieve this mission, they are expanding their team to increase their reach across India and into other countries where the demand for services is strong.
The UAE, Kuwait, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Vietnam are part of the plans and they are building networks in some of these countries, so they can take these plans forward. Mom’s Belief is also working on creating an active community of parents of special needs children in India so that they have a platform to share their struggles as a special needs parent and coping strategies that have worked well for them so that other parents can get the help they need and deserve.
This community will be a space for parents who are willing to ask for help, and to share effective parenting tips with other such parents who are struggling to get their life back, which includes being able to provide the best help and care for their children while at the same time living their life to the fullest, in order to avoid burnout and maintain personal wellness.
Mom’s Belief has a clinical team of Child Psychologists, speech & occupational therapists & special educators who work together to provide training to parents & professionals who care for Children with Development disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, Down Syndrome & more.
Who is Mom’s Belief Founder?
Mom’s Belief was founded in 2015 by Mr. Nitin Bindlish
What is the status of Mom Belief’s Funding?
Mom’s Belief is a social enterprise and was funded through businesses and private investors with whom they have long-standing relationships.
How does Mom’s Belief make money?
Mom’s Belief offers a monthly subscription model that covers an initial assessment, customized resources that are delivered monthly to the home, and ongoing mentoring from an experienced child psychologist. Parents of special needs children are accustomed to paying fees for regular therapy sessions, and for some, the fees are exorbitant
Technology has an impact on every industry. The recruitment industry has also been influenced by various technologies in past. The industry is experiencing rapid growth as a new players are entering the market. Technology has advanced at a ridiculous pace in the last ten years. Every company should be updated about upcoming tech trends in the market. As we near the end of 2020 lets look at some Top Tech Trends Every HR Must know in 2021.
Top 7 Tech Trends Every HR Must Look Out for in 2021
Artificial Intelligence in The Recruitment Process
HR tech trends in 2021
One of the most well known tech trend in HR is the use of Artificial intelligence which growing exponentially in every field from health to teaching to everything. In 2021, AI will play a major role in the recruitment and hiring process. AI can save the time of recruiters to screen and shortlist candidates. The recruitment process will also speed up with the help of AI as it can answer repetitive questions through a chatbot.
Every organization wants to improve workforce engagement. As an HR it is important to ensure that your employees are passionate about their jobs. Various feedback tools are available to improve the workplace environment and employee engagement tools for employees. There’s a lot of distractions in the modern workplace, especially for employees who use internet-connected devices to complete their daily tasks. These feedback tools will help management to better understand their employees. There are various Employee Engagement Software and Tools in 2021
On the Job Training
On the job training is an important top trends of HR that helps in the prosperous growth of the organization. Employees require continuous mentorship and skill development training to perform well in their jobs. On job training helps employees get business demands met more promptly. This also develops a great mindset of always learning in employees. Many companies have adopted Different Policies to Upskill the Employees.
Top HR trends of 2021
Employee Experience Platforms
There are various platforms available to rate companies on their Employee Experience. Employees don’t hesitate to share their experience on these platforms which can affect the company’s reputation. A positive employee experience makes it easier for companies to attract top talent in this competitive market. This generation is the largest part of the workforce and it is important to join millennials in your workforce.
Many organizations employ data analytics tools in human resources to improve hiring decisions. It can also help to identify factors that have the most significant influence on the employee. Employee data can be used to create a personalized experience to engage employees. Data analytics can be presented visually in graphics or statistical reports to better understand and take action.
Technology has advanced at a ridiculous pace in the last ten years. HR needs to identify the best workforce for their organization. The impact of technology has also enhanced the hiring experience for both the candidates and the hiring teams. Various tools and technologies are available for HR to facilitate the recruitment process.
Cloud based HR
The HR department is known to help key functions such as recruiting, managing the data of the employees managing the employees performance, hiring, etc. One thing they all have in common is data processing. Before the cloud based solutions like PeopleSoft, the HR managers would take care of all these details. Which is why with the introduction with cloud based HR solutions improving the process of hiring, getting an employer brand and updating information and data security.
Giving importance of the employees mental health
The mental health of the employees must be given importance because they are what make or break the company. For taking care of their wellbeing the HR department can hold a weekly office yoga session or a healthy Friday. Not only that the the physical, and financial health of the employees must also be given equal importance. And as such, the number one condition when it comes to getting your workforce ready for the future.
Frequently asked questions – FAQs
What do HR department do?
The HR takes care of the employer branding, recruitment or selection, Onboarding, performance management, learning and development and most importantly workplace safety and culture.
What does a HR manager do?
The HR manager has a lot of responsibilities such as managing their internal team, stakeholder management, making new policies for recruitment etc.
What does an HR analyst do?
The HR analyst works on the collection, analysis, and reporting of data.
Why is adding new tech trends important for the HR?
Adding new tech trends to the HR departments in improving the HR policies, growth of organisation helps in performing the basic functions of HR like recruiting, onboarding, training the employees, etc.
“The starting point of discovering who you are, your gifts, your talents, your dreams, is being comfortable with yourself. Spend time alone. Write in a journal.” says popular and best selling author Robin Sharma. The simple act of journaling can indeed make a huge difference in your life. While there are probably thousands of thoughts that crosses our mind everyday, keeping a record of those ideas and thoughts that matters, helps us in keeping our minds more organized, focused and thus peaceful. There are many successful people who religiously pen down their plans, thoughts and aspirations, and swear by the benefits of journaling. In today’s world, where increasing number of people are experiencing stress and burnout, journaling can do wonders in maintaining good mental health. If you still have an excuse for not building up the habit of journaling, well its time you forget them all, as now journaling is even simpler with Journify.co. Journify app does away the need to write down a journal by letting you maintain your journal via audio recording, which not only makes journaling fast, but also you can record your journal anywhere, anytime and even on the go!
We interviewed Journify founder Lamia Pardo to know more about this interesting startup that is working with the vision to incorporate mental wellness habits into the lifestyle and daily routines of today’s busy generation.
With 7 in 10 millennials already suffering from burnout before the pandemic, Journify’s mainstream approach to burnout prevention incorporates audio journaling into our daily routines.
The app is built around a mobile and voice-first user experience. All voice notes are encrypted so think of an off-the-record judgement-free option for venting. Users can tap to record at any time, organize their timeline with tags and notes, and replay or share the voice recordings via Whatsapp or email. Journify also lets users track their mental wellness journey with quick sleep, energy and motivation check-ins, and a burnout assessment.
“Journaling has many benefits similar to meditation, such as improving mindfulness, reducing tension, and counteracting the effects of stress. Due to its ability to help us slow down, journaling has also been linked to higher IQ, a boost in creativity, and better cognitive skills. Audio journaling is an easier way to leverage those benefits on the go with a more intuitive behavior. We already consume our content on audio, so it only makes sense we start producing content in the same way” quotes Journify founder Lamia Pardo emphasizing on the benefits of journaling.
What is Journify
Journify – Industry Details
With written journaling clinically linked to improved mental and physical health, and the global notepaper market expected to grow $18.8bn from 2020-2024, diary recording increasing popularity looks certain. In addition to that, millennials are also known as the wellness generation. The mindfulness trend (or brain hacking trend) is projected to become more dominant over the next 2 years and the self-care market is already over $10B.
Journify – Founders & Team
Lamia Pardo along with Justin Scott founded Journify in 2019.
Lamia and Scott met a few months ago on The Pond, an app that matches potential co-founders.
“The Pond app doesn’t show you many options every day, but they’re highly curated. I had already started the research process and, since our first conversation, he was immediately adding value from a product strategy perspective. We’ve been really efficient in bringing the app to life and hitting our first milestones, but we also had fun working together, checked in on each other’s mental health, and have a very strong vision for where we want the company to go. #CofounderGoals” Lamia says commenting on how she found a co-founder for her startup.
Presently, Lamia Pardo is the CEO of Journify and looks after demand generation and engagement, product design, analytics, and operations.
Journify CTO Justin Scott has a background in home automation devices and so he already had some experience with audio. Justin has done a fantastic job on building both the frontend and backend of the Journify app.
Zak Williams, who is a serial entrepreneur, investor and a mental health advocate is the advisor of the Journify team.
The Idea Behind Starting Journify
Being a millennial in a busy city, with a busy lifestyle, Lamia and her friends were quite aware of the importance of mental wellness. But most of them did not have enough time to dedicate for maintaining their mental health. While meditation is a great way to boost mental health, meditation is not for everyone as it requires expert guidance and also devoted time. Lamia started researching on the tools available for maintaining mental wellness and found that there are some goal setting apps which are very hard to use more than once and the mental health apps are strictly focusing on mental health illnesses. She felt that technology can do more to help the busy lot have a better mental health without devoting much time, and thus she stumbled upon the idea of starting an audio journaling app that millennials can use to keep a track of their thoughts and feelings on the go, without spending much time.
“When I started researching the space in early 2019, I noticed a big opportunity for a go-to app for mental wellness on the go. Now with COVID-19, I believe this opportunity has grown faster. We spoke to over 100 millennials to design the app, but also got really important inspiration from in depth conversations with therapists and coaches” Lamia quotes
Journify app initially included sessions with mental wellness specialists in addition to the tools, but a few months into it the company pivoted to only focus on the app.
To check the response of the potential users towards Journify, and their willingness to pay, Lamia also ran some digital tests.
Journify – Name & Logo
While finding a name, the Journify team’s goal first was to iterate around words that meant progress, advancement, betterment, etc. However, every mental wellness journey is messy and not always going up (and that’s okay), so from journey came Journify.
Journify Logo
Journify – Revenue Model
Journify’s pricing model based on engagement. Everyone gets access to the basic features for free but if users want to audio journal more than 5 times per month then they need to subscribe for $6.99 USD/month or $69.99 USD/year.
The company is now offering a free month of access to its premium option to the new users.
Journify – Marketing Strategies
Journify team is not spending much on paid marketing, but is focusing more on content and social media marketing. They started working on social and content marketing in parallel to building the product. They are constantly developing a more relevant content hub called ‘The Burnout Lab’ for millennials, with practical advice and audio experiences, which has helped them to attract potential users.
Besides the company is also working on App Store Optimization and has tied up with nano influencers to attract new users.
Journify – Challenges
Budget constraints is an issue faced by Journify, like many other startups do. In the absence of budget, deciding on how much and where to spend on marketing is also a dilemma faced by the founding team.
Also, finding pricing-market fit has been a challenge till date, since the company pivoted to focus on just audio journaling from offering audio journaling+ sessions with mental wellness specialists. While there are people who love to use tools for mental wellness, not many are willing to pay for it.
“There is a very unique behavior to the wellness industry that I wasn’t aware of before. Everyone believes they have to react positively to wellness ideas and at least most people are willing to try new options when they’re free, but willingness to pay was really hard to measure. I think we still have a long way ahead on pricing optimization. Our goal is to still offer a free version so we can reach anyone that would like to start working on their mental wellness, but as we add more features we are also incurring more costs. That’s why I’m very aware that we will also need to evolve pricing options as we evolve our offering.” Says Lamia speaking on the challenges the startup is facing.
Journify – Funding
Journify received pre-seed funding from Antler.co in 2019. The startup is also looking forward to raise a seed round soon to accelerate its growth.
Date
Stage
Amount
Investors
2019
Pre-Seed
Rs 100,000
Antler.co
Journify – Growth & Future Plans
Within just a few weeks of its launch, the Journify app has reached 1000 downloads, and also made it to #3 product of the day on Product Hunt.
The startup is planning to offer its users much more. Though currently the app is available just in English, the team is panning to make it available in other languages soon.
Journify is also planning to launch an audio live stream podcast. The interesting part about these podcast will be that it will not be the typical interview model podcast, but instead follow the life of 4 millennials (who are real users of Journify app) audio journaling their hectic lives. Through this podcast, Journify wants to give a fun, addicting and relatable experience to the listeners.
“We’re off to a good start but still very early in the process. In a few years from now, I would love to go on my audio journaling walks and bump into other people doing the same thing :). Our vision is to incorporate mental wellness habits into our lifestyle and daily routines. Maybe even make mental wellness more social. Audio journaling is our first step, but there are many more evidence-based methods we’re also considering for the future” Lamia says commenting on the future plans of the startup.
Chayanika Goswami
