The Story of Attention

Wendy Spero is a writer and performer raised in Manhattan by her mother, a therapist. Amos Elliston, a software engineer, grew up in an adobe house in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They met when Amos asked Wendy for a piece of gum in the science center (she was known for carrying candy in her backpack), at Wesleyan University, as psychology majors. Two decades later, they live in California with their 12-year-old daughter.

Like many families, they've faced challenges over the years, including the demands of parenting and partnership, anxiety, depression, OCD, mood swings, grief, shame, and chronic illness. Wendy and Amos have also struggled with writer's block and stage-fright, marathon training, and severe closet disorganization. They turned to podcasts, self-help books, professionals, and wellness apps for support.

Yet, halfway through Covid's lockdown in 2020, and the emotional and physical setbacks that came with it, they realized they needed something more. They yearned to have the advice they'd devoured for years seamlessly woven into their daily routine. Not hidden away on a bookmarked page on their shelves. Not scrawled on a Post-It note slapped on the refrigerator. They wanted a rich, nourishing reminder. A dose of light. A healing notification that would help guide them through the week.

Amos built a tool on their phones that allowed them to record soundbites of inspiration for one another, which they could attach to images. They scheduled these audio-visual "cues" to pop up at various intervals—to interrupt their pandemic spell and center them before potentially triggering situations at home or on Zoom. These "cues" became almost medicinal. They kept the family on track.

Amos and Wendy wondered: "What if every wellness expert out there—every therapist or coach or trainer or meditation instructor or insightful podcaster or self-help author—could also create these small surges of wisdom (in audio or text form) for their clients or community?"

Together, they decided to build an app to help individuals integrate wellness into their days and to help professionals dispense small bits of advice and encouragement as a healing supplement to their programs. They named it ATTENTION because, well, that's what's called for: a moment of attention. A super-brief break in the day that will—they hope—make it better.