Flourish Science

If you're in the middle of finals week and feeling overwhelmed, here are a few simple ways that Sunnie and the Flourish app can help you maintain balance and stay focused during this intense period 🌱: 📚 Create a Study Plan: Break your study sessions into manageable chunks and set clear goals. If you need help creating a study plan, a quick chat with Sunnie can get you started! ⏰ Use the Pomodoro Technique: Work in short, focused sprints (usually 25 minutes), then take a brief break. You can earn cute tomatoes while you study if you use our pomodoro timer! ;) 😌 Breathe with Sunnie: During your pomodoro breaks, step away from your desk and do a quick breathing exercise. So simple, yet incredibly effective. (This is one of our most popular activities!) 🌳 Take a Nature Walk: If you feel stuck or need some inspiration, try taking a walk around the block. Even a brief stroll can refresh you and give you a new perspective when you return to studying! Remember, your well-being matters. Taking small breaks and making time for self-care can help you stay focused, energized, and ready to tackle your exams! 💪 Ready to try these out? You can get the Flourish app here 👉 https://lnkd.in/gZ6y7ueF #FinalsWeek #StudentWellBeing #StudyTips #Exams #NatureWalk

The best thing founders and product people could wish for — building a product that’s loved by its primary users and truly creates value for them! Kudos to my awesome team! 👏 🥳

HOT OFF THE PRESS!!!!!!!!! The results of our most recent Randomized Controlled Trial (n = 455) is out and is mind-blowing! We're writing a manuscript on the results, and we're opening up the "Flourish Challenge" partnership opportunity to psychology faculty who wish to participate in our multi-university research in the winter/spring semester!

Excited to share that over the past semester, over 450 students from University of Washington, Chapman University, and Foothill College successfully participated in our 6-week longitudinal study!!   🌱 Research procedure 🌱 In close collaboration with psychology professors at the above institutions, we conducted 4 waves of data collection on student mental health and well-being, which spanned the entire election season. Half of the students were randomly assigned to get access to the Flourish app, while the other half did not—which captures the default of college mental health. (And thanks to Qualtrics, we were able to implement random assignment at the individual level.)   ✨ Early results ✨ Meet our (second!) randomized control trial on the impact of our Flourish app and Sunnie AI on college mental health and well-being! For example, compared to those who didn’t get access to the app, students with access to the Flourish app showed: ✨ more positive emotions ✨ less loneliness ✨ less anxiety ✨ greater sense of belonging at their school ✨ higher level of flourishing (based on Ed Diener's well-established scale) And the best part? Students only needed to use Flourish A FEW MINUTES PER WEEK! As we continue to dive deeper into this rich dataset, more exciting results are on the way! 💡 A huge thank you to Professor Eta Lin, Professor Delancey Wu, Professor Jamie Trost, and Professor Dr. John Hunter for making this multi-institutional collaboration so rewarding 💙   📚 The debriefing process 📚 After we finished the study, we even hosted workshops for each school. This is what is known as "debriefing" in psychology—but we took it to a whole new level! The very students who participated in this study learned the early results, heard more about the story of building Flourish and Sunnie AI, connected the findings back to concepts from their research methods coursework, and got the tools for building resilience and mental wellness in navigating their (oftentimes very stressful) college life. And special shoutout to AhaSlides - Audience Engagement Platform, which made the workshop much more fun and interactive!   ☀️ Call to Action ☀️ We're opening up our research collaboration to more universities for the winter/spring semester! It is a perfect way for students to learn the science and practice of well-being and all the cool concepts in psychology with an adorable, engaging AI buddy. And it helps students overcome procrastination, build social skills, and improve stress management, too! So if you’re a professor or school administrator, we’d love to bring the Flourish Challenge to your community! You can share your interest using this link: https://lnkd.in/gjmahBTY Or, if you know someone who might be interested, tag them or share this post! 🌟 #FlourishScience #FlourishChallenge #StudentWellBeing #Workshops #MentalHealth #ResilienceTools

Negative emotions like stress, frustration, or self-doubt can feel overwhelming, narrowing our focus and making it hard to see beyond the immediate challenges. But research shows that cultivating positive emotions does more than just make us feel good—it fundamentally changes how we think, act, and grow. Dr. Barbara L. Fredrickson’s broaden-and-build theory posits that positive emotions—like joy, gratitude, or curiosity—broaden our mindset. They open us to new ideas, help us see possibilities we might otherwise miss, and foster creativity and problem-solving. Over time, these broadened perspectives build enduring psychological resources, like resilience, stronger relationships, and even improved physical health. This doesn’t mean ignoring or minimizing difficult emotions. It’s about balance: acknowledging life’s challenges while creating space to notice and savor the small moments of joy. Gratitude is one of the simplest and most effective ways to find that balance. When I’m feeling overwhelmed, I take a moment to reflect and jot down three good things, a practice first developed and studied by Dr. Martin Seligman and his colleagues, and repeatedly shown to boost positive emotions. It’s a small act, but one that shifts my perspective and helps me reconnect with what truly matters. In fact, “Three Good Things” is one of the most loved activities on the Flourish app. If you’re looking for a little guidance to get started, you can try it out on our app here: https://lnkd.in/gy5YktHj 🌱 What are three things you’re grateful for today? Small moments of appreciation have the power to bring clarity and strength when you need them most. #PositivePsychology #Resilience #EmotionalWellbeing #MentalHealth #Growth

As the holiday season approaches, remember that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to being present with your family. Growing up in a bicultural household, I’ve experienced firsthand the different ways love can be expressed and received. In my French family, love is expressed openly, through hugs, kisses, and heartfelt words. In my Japanese family, love is just as deeply felt, though expressed more subtly through acts of service, thoughtful gestures, and shared activities. I'm grateful for both the warmth of open affection and the depth of quiet care, and I cherish the unique ways my families show love. These distinct cultural expressions align with the work of cultural psychologist Heejung Kim, who has extensively studied the nuances of social support, distinguishing between explicit and implicit forms. While explicit support involves overt acts of care, such as verbal reassurance or physical assistance, implicit support is more subtle, conveyed through gestures, attentiveness, and emotional availability. Importantly, our cultural backgrounds play a role in shaping our preferences for different types of social support. So while cultural norms and media can influence our perceptions of what’s “ideal,” it's important to remember that there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach to connecting with loved ones. What unique ways do you and your family express care? Would love to hear about your experiences! #CulturalPsychology #FamilyLove #Culture #HolidayReflections #SocialSupport

When I was in grad school, pitch competition winners had a business plan and deck. Today's student entrepreneurs have live products, launched in multiple countries, with thousands if not hundreds of thousands of users!! Our future is bright!! Congrats to Marcos Rojas Pino, Xuan Zhao, PhD and Kavindya Thennakoon for winning the Stanford Accelerator for Learning pitch competition this week! 🤔 Clinical Mind Ai is an AI-powered platform that simulates real-world patient interactions to teach clinical reasoning. 🤔 Tilli is a learning toolbox (physical and digital tools) that progressively builds and measures 8 foundational skills from self-awareness to metacognition. 🤔 Flourish Science has Sunnie, an AI-powered well-being coach to help students manage stress, improve mood, and strengthen social connections. So fun to be on the judges panel with Jeong Choe, Ph.D.. Monique Malcolm-Hay, Dylan Arena, Malvika Bhagwat, Gloria Lee, Shelley Goldman, Michael Hardy, and Bryan Richardson. Thank you Isabelle Hau and Angela Chen for inviting us to attend!! And last but not least, THANK YOU to ALL the student entrepreneurs: Pear Chotbunwong, Brent Johnson, Mara Steiu, Jeff Cott, Eli Strauss-Reis! #edtech

Have you ever considered your relationships as an "emotional portfolio"? 🗂️ During my PhD, I attended an emotion conference where I discovered a concept I still think about often: "emotionships." The idea is that we have different relationships that help us manage a variety of emotions like sadness, anger, or anxiety. Here’s where it gets interesting: research led by Elaine Cheung found that people who diversify their emotional support—turning to different people for different emotional needs—tend to have greater well-being than those who rely on just a few close relationships for everything. It's not about having more relationships, but about having specialized ones. In our professional lives, this can be especially relevant. Maybe you have a colleague who's great at brainstorming when you're feeling stuck, a mentor who offers encouragement when you're doubting yourself, and a friend outside of work who helps you unwind after a long week. These connections might not involve deep, soul-searching conversations every time, but they enrich our lives in ways we might not even realize. By diversifying our "emotional portfolio," we can build a more robust support network that enhances our overall well-being. If you’re curious about this concept, the full paper is definitely worth a read!: https://lnkd.in/gyXwV2yr P.S. Sharing a bouquet my fiancé embroidered a few years ago because I think it beautifully captures the idea of cultivating diverse emotionships 💐☺️ #Emotionships #Relationships #Emotions #EmotionRegulation #MentalHealth #Wellbeing

We are deeply honored to receive such incredible recognition! This achievement isn’t just about the pitch—it’s a testament to the hard work, passion, and belief of the entire Flourish team in creating something that truly makes a difference. None of this would have been possible without the invaluable feedback and support from mentors, users, friends, and supporters who have been with us throughout this journey. Thank you for being part of the Flourish journey!

On Sunday, I had the privilege of pitching Flourish Science to 300+ Stanford University students at the StartX Campus Demo Day 🙏 🌱 StartX has been a transformative—pushing us, supporting us, and inspiring us to grow. In fact, we love it so much, we moved our office into the StartX space to stay close to this incredible community! Earlier this year, as a Student-in-Residence at StartX, I got my first taste of the energy and support that make this community so special. Fast forward to now, joining the full-time program and sharing our progress at Demo Day felt like a celebration of how far we’ve come—and how deeply StartX has shaped our journey. A heartfelt thank you to the amazing people who make StartX feel like a second family ❤️ : Kyle Wong, Pengpeng Wang, Anne Caillat, Pablo Lleras, Ryan Flanigan, Laura Kenney Bullard, Tota Zoura, Darsh Singh Mann, Ana Garcia Cortes, Ankita Tiwari, Erik Pavia, and Cameron Teitelman. And to everyone who stopped by our booth (beautifully put together by Xuan Zhao, PhD and Sunday Holland), asked thoughtful questions, and shared your excitement and encouragement—thank you! Your energy fuels us to keep going 🌟☺️ If you’re a Stanford University student or faculty member exploring the idea of launching a venture, I can’t recommend StartX enough. It’s a place where your ideas—and you—can truly flourish (pun intended 🌱😁)! P.S. Only StartX would think to add a fun bubble photobooth to the event—scroll to the last pic to see how much fun we had with it! 😂 #StartX #DemoDay #Community #Stanford #Flourishing