Whether it’s to do with mindfulness or messaging or mah jong, all apps are made by people. And the reason apps look, feel and behave like they do is because of what those people value and believe. Here at buddhify, we are led by our values and our beliefs. We like to think that they are part of what makes the app so special and so different. So call it our manifesto or the buddhify way, here are the beliefs that underpin everything that we do. Together, they are our promise to you:
Everyone’s life is unique and their relationship with mindfulness is no different. We don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach and so that is why buddhify will never tell you which meditation to do and when to do it. Instead we think it’s important that you get to choose how you use the app since no-one knows what you need better than you. You may want to use it every day or you may just want to use it a couple of times a month in those moments of need. If you want to deepen then we will create pathways for that. If you want to just be a casual meditator, then that’s fine too. Whatever works best for you, we will be there for you.
We believe that the ultimate purpose of a meditation app is to help someone no longer need a meditation app. Buddhify is designed with the aim that it becomes redundant. Our ideal outcome is that someone learns enough techniques and understands the practice well enough so that they both become independent – and don’t need the app to meditate. They may well come back to it every now and then for more inspiration and more support but they do so as a creative, empowered meditator, not a dependent ‘consumer of meditation content’.
We will stay true to who we are, leading by example not following the herd. We will empower you to do the same, giving you control over your meditation adventures. On our path we will be led by our values and our creative vision, safe in the knowledge that they are the reason buddhify is the best product of its type.
We are a business and one that wants to do very well commercially. But we are also a values-led business where people are at the heart of everything we do. That means that we will always look to make decisions that are in the best interest of our community and the wellbeing of our team first instead of blindly being led by the bottom line. For us integrity and business success go hand in hand. So while there will no doubt be challenging decisions along the way, we will aim to continue to grow without losing our soul. And if you ever feel that is happening, then we need you to let us know.
buddhify has always been grounded in its understanding, love and respect for mindfulness and the tradition it has come from. We are also deeply creative, and continually strive to deliver even more magical experiences to our users, whoever and wherever they are. So although the way we express and share the practices may change, their authenticity, their heart will not.
Diversity is very important to us. Not only does having a diverse team make a better product, it also means that people who use our app will have a better chance of seeing themselves represented. That really matters. Perhaps today more than ever. Most successful mindfulness apps are made and managed by men in a market which often skews female. Then there is the mindfulness teacher community which does well on gender balance but not so well on other dimensions such as ethnicity. Like so many walks of life, these are systemic issues and not something that can be necessarily solved overnight. But as makers, we feel a responsibility to model the change. That is why our core team is gender balanced and perhaps more importantly our roster of teachers/voices is majority female and a third are people of colour. We still have blind-spots of course but as we grow we hope to continue to do so in such a way that the diversity of our people match the diversity of our community. Because ultimately they are the same thing.
