D id you know that almost 50% of all marriages end up in divorce and that the most common reason for divorces is communication problems? With the increasing rates of separations and divorces, building an inclusive community to support couples seems to be the order of the day. Most often than not, we are consumed by our relationships’ outcomes that it ends up taking a toll on our overall well-being and happiness! And, we also end up taking suggestions from social media on managing our relationships, health, and well-being!
How we wish we could have a curriculum of managing relationships, well-being, and managing a healthy relationship listed out! Now that most of us seek a strong relationship builder between couples, it would simply be a boon of sorts to have such a community amidst us!
Presenting Coupleness, an app for couples that has a well-defined mission to enable you to invest well into your relationship. It is reinventing modern-day love by enabling couples to build meaningful relationships.
Coupleness is a relationship tool for all couples in their daily lives. The app supports all couples in communicating better with their partners.
It offers a host of features such as the “efficient check-in”, in a 1-minute space to share how one feels with their partner. It also offers the “Answer the Question of the Day and learn something new”. The “Question of the Day” section makes it fun to discover new things about oneself and their partner. With a choice of different question categories such as Our Relationship, My Partner, Myself, Growth, Gratitude, Past and Future, and Fun, it kindles the curiosity among couples!
Team FemTech India caught up with Jenny Holmström, the CEO of Coupleness. Jenny has worked for the UN and big corporations and co-founded a child rights organization. Jenny is also an award-winning communicator, who is always striving to make a positive social impact.
Here is an edited excerpt from the conversation.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Perhaps, your background and also a quick summary of the projects that you have covered so far?
I have always been motivated to make an impact in the world and create a positive change, and that has been my driving force since the beginning of my career. It was this passion that enabled me to work with multiple settings and organizations, like UNHCR. I have previously
built an organization and the movement – Pornfree Childhood, to raise awareness about kids’ consumption of pornography and what adults can do about it.
How was Coupleness born?
While I was driven by my passion and was working on my projects, I started to realize how fragile a relationship could be. With small kids and not much time to nurture my relationship, I learned the hard way that I could not take my relationship for granted anymore. I knew we needed to do something to nurture and maintain a healthy relationship, but when I looked for things that could support us, it was hard to find proactive tools. Couples therapy seemed to be the only solution, but that doesn’t always fit in with people’s schedules and finances.
When I met one of my co-founders, Ted Rosén, we discovered that we shared the same frustration about how tough it can be to juggle everyday life with kids, a career, a house and a relationship. Just like with my previous organization, it was one of those moments when I just had to take action. It was clear that a convenient, proactive tool for supporting relationships was missing, so we teamed up with one of Sweden’s most renowned relationship experts, Registered Psychologist Linn Heed, and created one ourselves.
That is interesting to note. Since you pivoted to this industry of relationships/couples, what do you think drew you to that?
My tipping point was that I found myself not prioritizing my relationship as I would like to. With two kids, a house, a career and other engagements, my relationship was not on my priority list. It became clear to me that this would not be sustainable in the long run, and that I needed a tool to help me maintain and grow my connection with my partner.
I didn’t shy away from the tipping point because I’m very driven to make a positive impact on society. I’m used to working with large-scale issues like the experiences of refugees, and kids’ consumption of pornography (which is bigger than any parent wants to think, and more devastating than the adult world has realized). So I’m not afraid of trying new things and can step up when something needs to change.
When it comes to relationships, I had an inkling that we could do this in a better, smarter way. And, that’s how Coupleness was born, and that’s how I stepped into the industry!
Well said! With you having some sense of how the industry is progressing, can you list out any trends that you are noticing?
With more companies, organizations and people paving the way for talking openly about mental health, the stigma around mental health struggles and individual well-being is decreasing. The demand for mental health treatment continues to increase, and the pandemic led to a shift in more people receiving digital support for their mental health and well-being in general.
On the personal front, what do you consider to be your biggest achievement? And, what else have you planned for Coupleness?
Motherhood, and building my children’s rights organization have been my biggest achievements. And, right now, my achievement also lies in building Couplesness . As far as newer plans and projects, we are working on a relationship calendar that easily integrates with a digital calendar. It gives weekly activities for the relationship in a simple and intuitive manner.
That sounds incredibly exciting! Best wishes. Since your story is an inspiration to many entrepreneurs, we are curious to know who your source of inspiration is!
Well, I have a couple of names to share! I am truly inspired by the therapist and author Esther Perel and Whitney Wolfe Herd the co-founder and CEO of Bumble.
One final question before we wrap up this conversation. What is the most important piece of advice you would give to anyone who wants to start a career in this industry?
- Mindset is the foundation for everything: One way to embrace this in my everyday life is that ask myself, “will this state of mind get me to the results I want?” Sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes it’s no — and that’s fine too. Recognizing how I feel and why is important for me as I decide on a productive next step.
- Don’t forget to walk the talk: Prioritize your family, friends and partner. This might make me a relationship nerd, but before I fall asleep, I ask myself, “what have I done for my relationship today?”
- Find your own way as a new CEO: Being a female founder in tech, I realized that my road to scan goes elsewhere to find it.
- Strive for presence. It’s challenging for sure — in a startup, you need to have a laser focus on what’s most important, and it’s so easy to get distracted and feel success relies on me just being me. I don’t need to try to become someone else. If someone is looking for something different, then they scattered.
- You are more than your start-up: I live and breathe Coupleness 24/7 but I’m also a mother, partner, friend and daughter. I’m so much more than Coupleness.
For more info, visit – COUPLENESS