Breathwork That Actually Moves the Needle

Most breathwork and mindfulness apps are content libraries: broad, passive, and disconnected from someone's actual life. The app needed to build a program around the user instead, their mood today, their lifestyle, their goals, their daily activities, with the AI continuously adapting so the experience on day 30 looked nothing like day one. The audience spanned stressed professionals, athletes, and people managing anxiety, each with different triggers and motivations, unified by one need: practices that actually fit their life.

I ran comprehensive research on competitors and market trends, then did deep interviews with opinion leaders in the wellness space to understand what was missing from existing apps and where they fell short. From there I built and tested an MVP extensively before committing to the full product, using that testing to validate the direction before scaling the design and feature set.

Made mood a daily input, not a one time profile question. Every session started with a check in, letting the AI surface the right practice for how the user felt right now rather than relying only on their long term profile.

Designed onboarding to sell through experience, not just explanation. Beyond questionnaires and social proof, users performed a live breathwork exercise during onboarding and reflected on it afterward. They felt the product working before they ever committed to it.

Made courses the core of the app, not a secondary feature. To keep users progressing through courses instead of cherry picking individual practices, each lesson was structured as a three step loop: a practice, game cards showing real life application, and a daily challenge.

Built freemium with a clear hook. Select practices, nature sounds, and guided meditations were free, and the first lesson of every course was unlocked, giving users a genuine taste of the full experience before asking them to convert.

• $3.50 paid user acquisition cost
• 3 month average user lifetime
• 18% course completion rate
• 6.2% free to premium conversion

As solo founder, product designer, and product owner, I owned this end to end, from concept and design through launch and growth.