Dear Flowly Heroes,
Today, I’m writing to you to not just as Flowly’s CEO, but as Flowly’s founder, Celine.
You may notice that I did not address you as “community,” “member,” “subscriber,” or “user.” Starting today, I want to address you with a title, an identity, a feeling, that feels befitting of the journey you are on, and that is a “hero.”
This thinking came from my personal experience this past year. At the beginning of this summer, my best friend and close family member passed away.
I was devastated.
The next few weeks at work, I hid at the edge of Zoom meetings, trying to type out notes faster than the tears falling, blurring my vision. I spent the next two weeks working from 7 am to 11 pm, and then laying awake in bed for hours, too exhausted to work more yet too in pain to fall asleep.
Finally, my cofounder Julien pulled me aside and reminded me gently, “do a Flowly session.”
That night, I forced myself to enter a Flowly session. I remember very clearly, it was Comfort’s Realm with the blue horse. At first there was tension between my mind racing and what felt like the crawling pace of the breathing guide. But about five minutes in, I felt a change in my body, almost like a switch had turned off. My arms and legs melted into my bed and I felt a release in my mind and body. When the blue horse came closer to me, I almost cried in relief.
The next month, I did Flowly every night. 31 days straight. It was the first time I had used Flowly, my own product, so much, so consistently.
Flowly gave me security every night, an understanding I had a safe space I could relax into, a tool that could help me keep my pain at bay, and let me sleep through the night.
At the same time, on customer calls and interviews, I listened to your stories with a deeper empathy, a more raw understanding, and resonating understanding of how different yet connected experiences with pain can be.
I read your email about how you still live with grief and chronic pain from that moment you lost your son ten years ago. I spoke to you about your anxiety about taking care of your mother who has pain and challenges with managing her anger. I listened to your journey from college drop-out to starting your own small business but struggling to work while managing CRPS.
But I also heard how Flowly gave you the same safety, comfort, and relaxation it gifted me.
And through your stories, you became my hero.
You inspired and energized me, you gave me perspective and snippets of your reality, while sharing the hope you felt because of Flowly. And I realized, you are not only my hero, you are your own.
We had always felt Flowly was part of each person’s journey (thus, the ‘journey’ tab), but I don’t think I had ever made the connection that at the heart of a journey, is a hero.
To me, a hero is someone who has the courage to keep journeying on. A hero doesn’t have to be physically strong, always brave, or always know the right thing to do. A hero just keeps journeying on even when life is painful, the road isn’t clear, and when you don’t feel like a hero. But a hero keeps trying.
For some of you, you are a hero that is working to take back control of your pain so you can be more present with your children. For some of you, you are a hero on a journey to manage your anxiety so you can focus on your classes or build your own small business. For some of you, you are a hero on your way to improving your sleep so you can feel more energy, more joy, and more peace throughout the day.
That’s why in this next chapter of Flowly, I want to embolden you, empower you, remind you of your deserved title: Hero.
From now on, my team will no longer refer to you as a member, a subscriber, or a user. You are a hero at Flowly. You are my hero.
And today I write to you with gratitude in my heart, holding each and every single one of you in the light, and say to you: thank you.
I am dedicated to supporting you, and from now, I make this commitment to you: my team is here to empower your hero’s journey.
Welcome to your journey, Hero.
With care,
Celine Tien
