Courtney Stanfield

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign. [00:00:18] Speaker B: Welcome back, everyone, to the Tron Podcast. This is your host, Rashad Woods. Today I have a very special guest who managed to carve out some of her busy schedule for me. We have a veteran broadcast TV producer, host all around, very good, accomplished individual from my neighbor to the north in Canada, Courtney Stanfield. Thank you so much. [00:00:35] Speaker A: Hi. So good to be here. This is a nice time together. I'm so glad we could arrange this and have a conversation. [00:00:43] Speaker B: I appreciate you. You know, I. I managed to look, you know, obviously your information up. And first of all, how did you get into broadcast journalism? [00:00:49] Speaker A: That will take you way back, many, many moons ago. I've been in TV for almost 20 years now. How did we get to that point in life where we could say that? But, yeah, it was right out of high school, and there was a local news anchor who was a neighbor of mine. I saw her one day and I thought, you know what? I think I'd like to do that. So I applied to journalism school and moved across the country, went to school, got my degree, and then I started the media hustle. If you're familiar, you usually start in small stations, work there for a year or two, then you move to another station, you move to another station, and you move all across the country until you find a gig where you stick it out for a while. [00:01:26] Speaker B: That's awesome. That's awesome. So you know it and so what that taught you, obviously, like you, there's got to be so many interesting things you got a chance to dip your toe into. First of all, I'm mad that whether y' all are bringing down here to metro Detroit with that fire and smog and everything. I know, not your fault, but it's like, man, this is the second year in a row that, you know, unfortunately, nature happens. [00:01:45] Speaker A: You know, Mother Nature loves to give Canada a little bit of everything we have. Everything from the freezing cold, the blizzards, and then to the smoking hot summers, to the dry conditions, to the wildfires, we have seen it all. So our apologies for sending that south. If you could just send some warmth north next time, maybe, you know, in the middle of winter would be okay, but I guess in Detroit, you still have winter, too. [00:02:10] Speaker B: Oh, it can be fun here. It's. It's a lot of fun. You know, so obviously your. Your experiences in the news, you transition your career afterwards. I don't want to get too personal, but obviously you decided to do something different when, you know, when you had children and then you decided to transition your career. And I would love to talk about the app you created Air out too. [00:02:29] Speaker A: Yeah. So I'd been working in tv. Everything was ticking along. It's what I thought I was going to do forever. I loved it. I met my husband in studio when he got hired at the same station. And then we got married really fast. Yeah, he did weather, I did traffic, we did the morning show side by side. And then we had three kids in less than two years, twins and then another one. A year and a half. Yeah. So we just like jumped right into parenthood, you know, no messing around. Let's just do it. It. [00:02:55] Speaker B: Yeah, it took me five years after marriage, so it's. [00:02:57] Speaker A: Yeah, it's, it's. It's a whole thing. It's a whole different lifestyle. Right. And we don't have any family around because we're both doing the media shuffle and we both happened to end up here. So it was, it's just him and I. Our kids are still really small. Our twins are five and our littlest is almost four. And so I took some time away from work to be with them. And I just found myself in a situation a couple years ago where like, parenting is intense. Really, really intense. And it pushes you mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, on every level. And I just didn't like I had someone I could talk to to express some of the thoughts and feelings I was having without any sort of judgment or without anyone making me feel bad or guilting me or in any way. And so I thought if I feel like this, there has to be someone else out there that feels like this, where you just need to move the energy. Like you truly just need a sounding board just to get it out so you can move on and stop carrying it around. So I'd been kind of asking, you know, the universe some bigger power and I was like, give me, give me an idea. Like, I feel like I have something here I can help people with and I want to help people that, you know, I'm in. I'm no special position here. I'm just like everyone else with young kids trying to, you know, do the day to day grind. So if for sure I'm feeling this way, other people will relate to. And so I'm like, I need an idea. And then it was March last year, I had a dream about Air out, which is the app, and it woke me up. It was so profound. I could see, see it. And I could most of all feel the emotional relief that people had from using this app. And basically it's just a completely anonymous space. No usernames, no Likes, no comments, no user interaction. It's just a space where you can express yourself to put all of the thoughts, feelings, self doubts, vulnerabilities that you may not want to say out loud. Because often when we do open up to other people, we end up feeling worse. And when in reality we just needed to say it, you know, so it's like this void of humanity where we can all just offload anything that doesn't feel good in a safe place because no one will ever know it's you and no one can ever come at you for it. So that's another difference because of course there are endless social media apps that we can all turn to if you're looking for that, exchange that feedback, that advice. But if you open up on any public forum with your name and your face, you can be sure you are going to get bombarded with comments that a lot of the time are going to be judgmental and hurtful and make you wish that you never said anything in the first place. But if we don't have an outlet to say it, we're going to hang on to it. And so if you use this example, let's say, you know, you're with your kids, they're being like extra, you know, big energy, they're hands on, lots of demands, lots of meltdowns. It's, it's been 10 days in one day already, you know, and it's not even noon. And then you hit that point where you're just like, you're overwhelmed, you're overstimulated, you're frustrated, you're feeling like just down and you have a moment of like, I never should have became a mom, mother. You can't say that to anybody without instantly having that guilt or having it thrown back in your face like, how could you say that? You're so lucky and you're so blessed and yes, all of those things I am. But in this moment, I don't actually mean that. That's like my brain trying to find the words to justify my emotional experience of being completely overwhelmed and over stimulated. And I'm in fight or flight. And if I can't express that, I'm going to carry, going to push it into my body. So I'm going to say, I never should have became a mother, I'm a terrible mother. And then I'm going to start to look at other people and think, well, it comes so much easier to them. Why do they seem so much happier? Why is this person not feeling like this? And I'm only going to Feel worse and worse. And that guilt's going to build, that shame's going to build and my entire day is going to be marred by this heaviness that I don't even have to carry. But if I have a tool like air out where I am safe and anonymous to turn to, to say the raw, vulnerable things that cross our minds, true sel expression, then at least I can take that thought, push it away, move it elsewhere, put it on a shelf so I'm not carrying it anymore. And it's like this instant body relief of like it's not mine to carry. [00:07:10] Speaker B: Right. And I thought it was really good too because I downloaded it and used it and the first thing like, and yeah, because of course, you know, like I thought was great about it was I've downloaded, obviously I have social media. And the one thing was like you get the verification email and you're in. Everything else is like, type in your number. Do you want to sync your contacts? Do you want to make your profile picture? Do you want to put your date and date and birth. And you're just like, it's like, what am I filling out like a mortgage application right now? [00:07:35] Speaker A: Exactly. [00:07:36] Speaker B: You're like, oh my God. [00:07:37] Speaker A: Yeah, none of that. Yeah, we don't even ask you your name and you can sign up with whatever random email you want. You could make a new email to sign up for the app if you're that worried about, you know, being anonymous and being safe. We don't ask your name, how old you are, what country you live in, what you look like, how much money you make. None of that is relevant because this app is just for humans to be humans in a place where we don't have that option without feeling like we have to be censored or guarded or protect our self image or being fearful of what people will think of us here. It's a non issue. So you can actually just say the things that are on your mind, which is such a relief. We bottle up way too much. [00:08:22] Speaker B: And the bad part is, is that you can see when people weigh life on themselves, right. You know, and you know, especially when you, whether people are mothers, whether they're grandparents, there's a lot of people, unfortunately, who are even like the caregivers of their kids, kids, their grandkids, so to speak, or there's or extended family. Right. And they really don't have a support structure at all. Like a lot. I don't know how Canada works, but there's not. You don't get assistance for that. If you're not the legal guardian in the States, right? So like, you're just kind of like, yeah, I took care of my kids, my sister's kids, but I don't have legal guardianship. They may have had some issues that I have to take the role of it. But there's nothing to really help those people, unfortunately, because they're technically not legally the guardian of the kid. And it's unfortunate. And that outlet is available for people to talk, to, have a forum. So my question is, is that, and I'm not saying this as a, as a negative thing, what if somebody was like, man, I really like what this person is posting? Like, how would they get. Is it, is it just like that whiteboard for somebody? Because if they really were like, this person's saying information for me that is really relevant to my life, I'd like to make a connection. Is there anything that, I don't know how that would work? [00:09:27] Speaker A: No, this wouldn't be the forum for that. So that would be more of your traditional social media. We like to brand ourselves as the world's first anti social app in the sense that we have the benefits of social expressing yourself and being able to share your life and what's going on, but without any of that feedback. We are faced with that feedback everywhere and anywhere you turn. So this is a place where you just want to feel heard. So if, you know, you do not want advice, you don't really want to engage in that conversation. But you could write, you know, eight paragraphs on Reddit and you can get a hundred comments. But for sure it's going to consume your day and it's going to bring you down if that's not what you're looking for. But if you just need that quick hit of moving that energy out of your body, this is the place. But that being said, a lot of users will say how refreshing it is and comforting is to read the post. [00:10:19] Speaker B: Yeah, I saw that. [00:10:20] Speaker A: I saw totally. So you can't like or comment, but you can read them and in reading them alone, you feel less alone. And I like to say that the app shows how unoriginal we are in our struggles because it really does draw the parallels with people and makes you realize how relatable we all are. When we take away anything, that's a front, that's a cover up and we are just true humans going through the human experience. We all share in these insecurities and vulnerabilities and thoughts and feelings. So in that sense, you have this huge relief of like, wow, I'M not the only one struggling with this. [00:10:58] Speaker B: Well, it's crazy because the first comment I saw was somebody said my dad died and like immediately, like my dad, you know, died nine years ago. And the very, as soon as you see something like that, you're like, oh my gosh. Like, you know, and what I, what I thought and I've said, talked to people who have been mental health professionals in other areas. Is that the one thing? Is that the time when, like, if you go to a funeral or something bad happens? You know, being in the back seat is a lot different than being in the front seat and being in the front pew, right. When you're in the back, you're just like, okay, you're, you're support. But when you're in the front, it's you. And so it's when you actually, when like a service ends and you actually have to compartmentalize alone by yourself is when the raw emotion starts coming out because, you know, the thank them, everybody else's life quote unquote, had to move on while you still have to deal with your emotions. And then you can carry that to your professional life, to your personal, you know, life, and you can go down a dark path. So I thought like, literally when I logged in, and it was basically like an almost was like a chalkboard. Right? And you just like, oh my gosh, like, I can just write my thoughts out right now. Like, maybe you got stuck in traffic and instead of actually having, you know, escalating a bad traffic situation, you're like, I just got cut off. Right. And that's better than how you could have acted out. [00:12:08] Speaker A: Exactly. So two things that you just said, this is so perfect, is that, yes, it bleeds through. If we're not tackling what we're feeling, we are carrying it. And so I like to use the example, if someone gives you something to hold now, here, can you hold this physical object? Okay. And let's say that represents a thought of, you know, like, I'm a terrible mother. They hand you another one, and that represents, I'm in a dead end career. I feel like I've wasted my life, I'm a loser. They hand you another one. That one says, I don't even like my spouse anymore. I think I married the wrong person. How many can you hold before you slam them down on the ground and you snap? Because that is a reasonable reaction. You cannot hold this anymore. So our goal is to, if you think about it physically, if someone hands you a rock, to hold a negative thought. We want to deal with it right then and right there. And it's as simple as just moving the energy behind it. That's all it is. It's just a buildup of energy in this thought. And if we're not moving that, it's going to build. So in the example of getting cut off, you know, on your way to work in traffic, that might seem small, but you may internalize that as no one sees me, no one cares about me. And then you're going to go to the office and maybe someone took the last coffee pot and then you're going to interpret that as, no one respects me, I'm always last. And it's going to bleed and grow and you're going to go home and you're going to show up a completely different person for your family than you would have had you been moving that and addressing it as you go. And grief in particular. I just did a whole podcast on grief actually. Because we all grieve so differently. And because it can hit you, you could be fin and then one second later you're brought down to your knees. You don't know what, why, how, but it just comes at you. And because we all grieve differently, you're left feeling very alone. Like people, you know, have this, whether they say it or not, we get this idea that we should be over it or we're bringing people down if we talk about it. [00:14:02] Speaker B: Exactly. [00:14:03] Speaker A: We're the one that's, you know, changing the vibe because we want to keep, you know, living in the past, whatever it may be. [00:14:10] Speaker B: Exactly. [00:14:10] Speaker A: But you are entitled to all of those feelings and true self expression. Expression, whether it's grief or frustration or vulnerability, whatever it may be, is enough in itself. It is not our job to justify whether you are right or wrong exactly in the thoughts you are having. Your only job is to properly deal with it. That is self expression. If you're looking to justify it, you're censoring. And when you start censoring your thoughts and your feelings, you're not fully expressing yourself. You're giving little safe tidbits to people to try and put your toe in the water, but that's not actually moving it. You're still carrying the bulk of that in your body. So we have to be real and raw and we do not have to worry about whether it's right or wrong. Because a lot of the time it's not even true. You don't even mean it. It's just heat of the moment. It's just in that time and space, you're having a hard time, and that's okay. And you're just finding the words to cope. And so we have to be able just to meet ourselves where we are without the judgment and move it and process so that we can all feel just like an ounce better. It's so simple, but effective. [00:15:19] Speaker B: Yes. And, you know, quick sidebar, like, what got me through it, ironically, was it small children, right? So at the time, I had two daughters, not three. And because they were so young when my dad passed away, they still wanted to play at the park or they still want it like, it literally was like, yeah, dad was sad. But if they're 2 and 1 year old, 1 years old at the time, they're not compartment. It's not even in their realm of like, okay, this happened because they don't know, so they still want a snack, they still wanted to play. And that got my mind psychologically away from what took place. And I didn't know, but I would have absolutely have loved to use an app like that. So how has the reception been from amongst people? And were there test focus groups or was it just like, put this thing out and see how it goes? [00:15:58] Speaker A: Pretty much, let's just bring this baby to life. So it launched in January 2025, and again, this is not my background at all. I never, ever anticipated I would be here developing an app. I do not have that technology whatsoever. So thank goodness there are people out there that do and can and can communic. But yes, it just felt like this intuitive project and I wanted to quit a hundred times. And I just kept coming back to, like, this peaceful moment of, like, no, this needs to exist. And so I by no means feel like I own this app or it's mine. I feel like I am a shepherd. The way it was brought to me that to bring it to life. And I feel like it's alive. It's an entity of its own. And I am just so excited to see where it goes and how it grows, too. I feel like a spectator too. Like, I did my job. Okay, here it is. And now let's see how it unfolds. And I have no doubt it'll end up in the right hands of the right people at the right time. I think it's a beautiful tool for people, and that's what it is. It's important to say it's not another social media app. It's a tool for you. It's almost like a modern journal on the go, because we know journaling is so powerful and beautiful, but it Requires time and space, and we don't always have that. And by the time we can sit down to journal, we've forgotten half of what we've gone through, but we're still carrying it in our body. And this is quick and easy 24 7. You can do it while you're looking your boss in the face. And you could be roasting them or in line at the grocery store, or you're sitting there with your spouse. Like, it's quick and easy. It's a hundred characters. So it's to the point. And it's just a tool for people to cut through some of the noise just to feel a little lighter, a little better. So I'm excited. Yeah. [00:17:40] Speaker B: I have this image in my head right now with a couple getting ready to fall asleep. Sleep. And somebody's playing a TV program that the other one can't stand. Right. Somebody just goes in there, like, you put back on this thing on thing again. I can't stand when they watch this show. [00:17:53] Speaker A: Right. [00:17:53] Speaker B: But it's better that than lashing out at your spouse. Right? You know what I mean? [00:17:56] Speaker A: Exactly. That is exactly it. So this app is going to save you from saying a lot of things to people that you don't have to and should not. Because you can still move that energy. Because that's what happens when. When you snap on someone. Right. It's like this. This rush of energy and you're just like, enough. Well, now you have a place to put it where no one knows it's you. And it's super quiet and just as effective. And then you don't have the same impact with the relationships around you. [00:18:27] Speaker B: No doubt. I think of that Michael Douglas movie back in like 92 or 93. It's called falling Down. Right. I don't know if you've ever seen it. Like, okay, so he's like the regular corporate guy. He has like the suit and tie guy. Like the Foo Fighters did a video spoofing this movie, but it was like, serious. So he's in traffic. He's like in la. Bumper to bumper. Long story short, the guy had a bad day and he just gets out of his car. And then everything after that, it was almost like he runs into the gang bangers he runs into. You know, he has a run in with the police. It's just everything that escalated from this guy getting stuck in traffic and quote, unquote, having enough. If you ever get a chance. I'm like, man, if this guy actually had something that he could write out of all of his Instances is the movie was basically based on, like, everything that everybody bowed in what you talked about earlier and didn't handle it in the right way. Right. [00:19:12] Speaker A: Yes. [00:19:13] Speaker B: You know, so I love that. [00:19:15] Speaker A: And especially too, like, so there are six different spaces. Moms, dads. Not just for moms and dads, for anybody with a mom or dad. We're talking intergenerational here. There is the love. So dating marriage is grief, loneliness. There's work. I mean, who doesn't have grievances about work? The person that, you know is always stealing the pens, the loud chewer, the person that you just can't stand, who wants to talk five minutes before you're done for the day. You have the brag area, which is amazing because we want to celebrate the good stuff, too. That energy needs to be celebrated, too. Maybe you're, you know, celebrating fitness goals, sobriety. Maybe you won five bucks on a scratch. Maybe you. Maybe you didn't snap off when you normally would have snapped off. All of these things are so valid in celebrating yourself. And then the venting area, which is hands down the most popular and most amusing to read, that is for the everyday occurrences, the little things that come up, the big things that come up, and it's really cool. But I do want to highlight the. The dad's chat, because we're talking about how people are becoming more aware of their thoughts and their feelings, and we are really in this cultural shift where men are becoming more vulnerable. [00:20:22] Speaker B: I want to talk about that, too. [00:20:24] Speaker A: Yes, yes. And more emotionally available. But there's still a lot of reservations on actually opening up. So while this conversation is being had of, like, yes, men are in touch with their emotions and their feelings more, but are you really feeling safe to actually express it? And my husband has been vital in this process, saying that, you know, he. He doesn't. Because he doesn't want to feel isolated. He doesn't want to feel like he's that guy. And he also doesn't feel like he has a voice next to his partner, the mother of the children, and next to his kids. So he's feeling like his needs come absolutely last because he's trying to support his wife, trying to show up for his kids. And let's also talk about how, like, now parenting as a dad, now trying to be emotionally present and physically present and available in a way that you were never shown. Previous generations did not show you how to parent in this way. And now dads, many of them, let's use typical traditional example, but, I mean, there are exceptions of Course, but a lot of dads were not shown how to be emotionally present and available. So now you have have these men that are, you know, providing for their families, feeling handcuffed to their jobs, feeling like their needs come last, like they don't have a voice in the room and they're trying to parent in a way that they were never shown before. That is complex and it does not have to be scorekeeping in relationships. Everybody has their own challenges and their own struggles and their own emotional development going on, and that is a beautiful thing to honor. So I think having a space like this that is completely anonymous, it's a starting place for so many men to actually feel safe. You don't have to tell anybody you're on there. Nobody, no one will ever know it's you and just start to pay attention, like your thoughts matter, your needs matter, and you are going to show up for your family differently if you express yourself throughout the day. There was one, one man in there, he actually said just last week or so that at the end of the workday, he doesn't want to be around his kids and he hates himself for that. That because it's just demands, demands, demands. And I'm sure that by even being able to acknowledge that thought, and probably again, not true, but in that moment, those words needed to be said and being able to have an outlet to say that completely and anonymously and safely, he's going to show up differently just as a simple result of that. And this is how it starts. This is how we start to make significant change in our lives by just little steps, feeling safe. [00:22:58] Speaker B: I mean, let's just call it for what it is. I mean, before, like 2010, it was like, if you were a young boy or a man or your father, grandfather, you never saw them cry. Or if they just like, even if, you know, you. You bruised the knee or fell off a bike after 10 minutes of crying, it was like, hey, dude, suck it up, right? Like, as for what it is. So it was never a long period of time that you could actually say, I'm hurt and mental health for, like, I mean, let's be honest with you. It used to be like the mental health was like, you know, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, you know, Jack, it used to be parodied and made fun of if you had a mental health issue, you know, and it's just now turned the curve where it's like, hey, we have a large swath of people who really never got the help that they needed to or had A moment to actually express how they were feeling. And unfortunately, that's how mass shootings happen. That's how domestic violence happens. That's how, you know, people unfortunately abuse kids or just go completely off the rail. And to your point, I talked to people who are also, you know, in your field as well too. Not with apps, but just more when it comes to one on one sessions. There's a large pattern of male loneliness because they don't. When the older they get, the smaller their inner circle gets. Right. They don't disconnect from friends that from college and from high school, maybe people have passed away and all they have is work, kids and their family and they have nothing else to go to. Right. And so they, they need something like yours to actually just say, man, I'm feeling this way. And it's nice to read that I'm not the only one in this vote. So, yes, that's absolutely. Yeah, it's a beautiful thing. [00:24:24] Speaker A: And they'll say a lot of mental health Aspergers will say the, the opposite of depression is expression. So instead of pushing down, controlling, shrinking, we need to rise out, we need to push out. You have to move that energy. And I'm so glad you said loneliness because that is really a common thread you will see in every chat space in the app is whether you've been married for three decades or you're dating or you're single or whatever it may be, or you're trying to manage a career or family life, there is this underlying currency of loneliness between so many people. And people aren't willing to go out and say that. You won't go raw, authentically unmasked and say to people, I feel lonely. I feel like a loser. I feel like I have no one in my corner. Corner. The person you say that to is gonna, oh, I'm here for you. [00:25:18] Speaker B: But like, right, right. And then five, 10 minutes gone for it. Then the life, you know, they go on with their lives. And then the problem is too, is if you say that on the wrong social media platform, you're gonna enter in a group of people that you really didn't. Because people can be cruel. Let's just call it for what. Oh, yes, they're gonna be cruel. Like there will be good people who reach out and there will be good people who respond back, but there are people out there for motivations I still have never quite understood and won't understand. Yeah. That feel like that's their time to pounce and really, like dig in on people. And that's Sad. [00:25:48] Speaker A: So I think it's hurt people, hurt people. And if we're all walking around with this, this sense of loneliness and not showing up authentically and not being able to express ourselves and there's shame and guilt around it, then of course the easiest place to do that is behind a keyboard and lash out. Because that's where you can take some of that hurt and you can move it. Because that's, that's another thing. People are just trying to move the energy. That's a perfect example of it. The ruthless, you know, the keyboard warriors or the troll trolls out there that are going to attack you. All they're trying to do is move some of that energy out of themselves in a very not constructive or healthy way, unquestionably, but. But that is where we are at. And then also if you open up to someone and you say that like, I'm so lonely, this and that, like that other person, they won't forget, so then you're often left like, well, what do they think about me? And maybe I shouldn't have opened up and now I feel embarrassed. And so then you put on this extra front of being like, super good the next time you see them because you don't want them thinking that you're like, like sad and down and there's something wrong with you. So there's all of these, like, games that come with expression. And it's just so unfortunate because good people have. We'll call them bad thoughts. And bad thoughts are just anything less than ideal, anything that doesn't make you feel good, but it doesn't mean it's you, it doesn't mean it's yours to carry. It's just trying to make sense of your emotional state. And if we were all more accepting of that and better at spotting it in ourselves, all of our relationships would change and we would start to actually connect more authentically. Because intuition is everything. That's our whole heart's purpose, that's our whole guide. That's everything for how we are living our lives. But we can't get there when we are surrounded with mental and emotional clutter. But if you can start to cut through some of that noise by using a tool like, like air out and just expressing yourself or pen to paper, however you want to do it, you're going to quiet that. You're going to quiet mind. You're going to have a more peaceful body, more relaxed energy, and you're going to get closer to who you are so you can discover what you actually want to do in this world and where your passions lie and what makes you happy and excited because you cut through the noise and so many of us are lost and feeling like we don't know where we're going in life and what we should be doing. We don't just feel restless and like we know we're not on the right path. Well, we can't get those answers until we start to deal with the noise around us. [00:28:16] Speaker B: So my question is, and you, you said that very eloquently, beautifully. Right. And more people feel this way than people give credit for because they just want to make sure, well, I got to be just this one small segment society. So I'm just going to keep this bottle up. So my question is, is what's the growth strategy long term? Because let's say this thing gets really, really it. As it should, because I think it's a beautiful app. Like what happens when people are like, hey, I want more out of this. Is there a secondary app? Is there going to be some sort. I'm just curious, how do you, what's the net that's a good, like good problems are good problems to have for a business like yours. Right. But like, you know, I'm just asking, what if people want more and you start getting feedback? [00:28:52] Speaker A: I am loving this because that is showing big picture and that's what I'm here for. I was like, I will pedal this app until like I can help every single person I know feel a bit better. And I want to say it's free to download, it's free for 30 days. Like you'll feel, just pay attention to your body. Like when you write something out. But then after that it's 99 cents. It just goes to maintenance, then upgrades. Because I'm just a person, like I'm not a company, I'm just a person trying to help people. So I just want to be upfront about that. [00:29:19] Speaker B: If I saw that too, your terms were very easily laid out about what it was. [00:29:24] Speaker A: It's just, I'm just a person trying to help people. Yeah, I mean there's just, you know, you gotta be realistic about it long term. But aside from that, I don't know where it's gonna go, what it's gonna do. I love the design right now. I love how simplistic it is, how minimalist it is, how non threatening it is. And my goal is just to see that grow. And I, I feel like we will know the answers for what's needed next when we get there. But right now I think it is the perfect landing ground to get people just to start paying attention to themselves and feeling okay when with expressing them. Because our biggest problem is that we're scared of these thoughts that come right. We kind of hide from them. Like, that doesn't feel good. I don't want to do that. But it's almost like sitting in a cabin or a hotel room with the blinds closed and they're knocking on the window. Those thoughts and feelings aren't going to go away and you're just trying to hide from them. And once you realize that the only thing to be scared of is actually turning and facing them head on and then being able to sort them, they lose all of their power over you. Once you're able to turn and think, you're just a thought. I'm not going carry you around all day because you don't feel good, so I'm going to move you over here. But it's in that turn where you can face them that so many people are scared. And understandably so. It doesn't feel good from afar, so why would it feel any better closer up? But that's where your power is. Because I've heard people say that they love scrolling the app, they love reading it, but they're. They're scared to open up. And I had one friend, actually. I was like, well, just anything, like anything that crosses your mind, once you start to pay attention, you realize you'll have like a hundred of these a day. And she's like, well, I know normally just keep that stuff inside. I'm like, exactly. But now you don't have to because no one's going to care. They have no idea who you are. They couldn't find you if they wanted to. So I just encourage people to try it. That's where the magic is. That's where you will start to feel better. Pay attention to how you feel. Even writing it out. There's therapy in that, right? Like, it's a physical act of writing and then hitting send. And pay attention to how your body responds because that will give you an indication of if you're on the right track or not. And I. I can almost guarantee you will feel that relief. I mean, even talking about it, you. You can feel the relief. [00:31:39] Speaker B: Yeah, I was. Because in my mind, I'm like, man, that almost seems like therapists would almost want to be part of this and say you can anonymously send. Like, they would almost have like a subsection in there. And it's like, hey, anonymously send me something. And then it could eventually you could eventually have a separate email to them and then there could be a service provided integrated within the app that's just me and my head operating, that they can have then that off the record conversation to then, you know, navigate that space with that individual who may want therapy sessions, whatever the case may be. That's just me in my mind. Right. [00:32:12] Speaker A: No, I love that. And I've also thought about, you know, young sports teams as well, like being able to talk about some of the challenges they're going through in young athletes and teenagers. This app is rated 1313 plus. I will say there are filters in place to keep, to keep the language as safe and welcoming as possible because we don't want anyone to feel worse. So we do try and keep it safe. There are some, some guards in place as well for self harm. So you seek the proper resources for sure. But yeah, we try to keep it as welcoming and open as possible. Teenagers by all means are absolutely encouraged to use this app and to express themselves. So in the future, yeah, if I, if you know, young sports teams or youth groups get together and they can anonymously actually express how they're feeling without any fear, I think that's a beautiful potential for this, this type of tool too. [00:33:02] Speaker B: Well, you know, I got to tell you, it's. It's to navigate from television producing and hosting to suddenly this avenue, you know, the mother in you came out. Right. And I mean that, you know what I'm saying? Like, because there are so many people that when you actually, it's almost like being on like a subway or a bus and then you don't really know what they're carrying, right. And then all of a sudden, you know, you've heard stories that'll make, they make you cry, right? Because you don't know what somebody's going through and you're like, you don't know who, what any situation somebody has. So an app like this is very helpful for people from all walks of life. So I want to thank you obviously for your time and this and the resource that you have for people that you become made available. [00:33:40] Speaker A: Well, thank you. I so, so appreciate that. I have loved this conversation. I think I feel like you get it. I feel like you understand Aaron and the power of it and how it is a life of its own and so many people could benefit. I say there's not a single person alive that can't benefit from true self expression. That is what we need to do for ourselves. [00:34:00] Speaker B: Yeah. And it was crazy. Like so you know, myself personally, like I will Make. Take more use of the app. Because I'll be honest with you, I can be a bit of a smart alec. And sometimes when you're talking about that thing, like in bed, I will. We all do it. If you know something gets on your significant other's nerve, nerves, you'll say it. Even the best of person, even the most disciplined, you'll be like, you know, what if they can't, you know, like if they lost their moat, like you lost the remote again, right? And you know not to say that. You just know not to, but you do it anyway, right? And you're like, you open up that. That it. You could. They could be having that moment where they're gonna snap and you're like, dang, man, I walk. I walked in and just said the worst thing. I shouldn't have said it. It could be something to not, you know, I mean, like, I should anonymously post it rather than say it. You know what I mean? Yeah. [00:34:41] Speaker A: Yes. Do you know what's funny? So my husband and I, obviously, we've been on the app since the very beginning when there were the two of us on there and maybe three or four. And we could so easily see, like, if it was him complaining about me, me saying something about him, and I'd be like, did you really say that? So, yes, it's funny when at the very early stage it was very easy to tell, like, you know our voices now, I'm happy to say I think there's upwards of 500 plus users now, which is pretty cool. So, yeah, no one will know it's you now. Voice is lost in the mix. I can't find it anymore. But I know he's on there just like I am, just like everyone should be. [00:35:21] Speaker B: I just have to make sure not to complain about hgtv because otherwise my wife will know it was me, you know, like, not again, man. [00:35:27] Speaker A: It's a dead giveaway. [00:35:28] Speaker B: Not again, man. Anything but that. You know what I mean? So it is what it is, you know, But I gotta tell you, you know, Courtney Stanfield, you know, your accomplishments speak for themselves. I hope this is not the last conversation you and I have have. And it has been absolute joy. And just stop the smoke from coming from Canada and we will have the best day all possible. [00:35:44] Speaker A: I'll do what I can. Okay. You know what? You should talk about that in the app. Talk about how much the smoke is bringing you down today. [00:35:51] Speaker B: Yeah, it's great. So thank you for being on the Tron podcast. You have a wonderful day. [00:35:54] Speaker A: Okay, thank you. This has been a true pleasure. [00:35:56] Speaker B: Thank you. [00:35:57] Speaker A: Thanks, Sam.