Today we’d like to introduce you to Kadi Carroll.
Hi Kadi, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born and raised in Jesup, GA where childhood consisted of walking through the woods to my best friend’s house, riding 4-wheelers with the boys until sundown, and spending countless hours at the dance studio. Dance was my first love and unwavering confidant. It was my way to freely express myself, release my emotions, and feel beautiful in the battle for confidence that every young girl feels. Still, I always dreamed of big city living and being surrounded by all kinds of different people. As much as I loved my town and my community, I always felt as though I belonged elsewhere.
Right after high school, I moved to NYC to attend Marymount Manhattan College. Now in the dance mecca, for me it became less of a dream and more of a comfort. I would take classes at Broadway Dance Center when battling depression or choreograph for younger dancers back home, but my lacking confidence in my abilities while surrounded by so many other great dancers caused me to engage in a safe, self-protected level. Just for me, not for anything else.
That rapidly became a theme in my life. Dream logically, step strategically, and self-protect along the way. I didn’t realize how much this would cost me until my early 30’s.
In 2013, I moved to Atlanta in hopes of shifting my career from corporate marketing into a more purpose-driven, fulfilling role within the non-profit space. I spent 8 great years with North Point Ministries; I met my husband and stepdaughter there and we started growing our family in Roswell. Though we had so much to be thankful for, by 2019, I found myself in an unprecedented rut. COVID-19 and postpartum depression from the birth of my second son certainly played a role, but the rut outlived and overarched it. To many, I would say that I felt as if my brain was “calcifying.” I didn’t feel challenged or that I was on a path headed in any particular direction I truly desired. Through countless hours of journaling, counseling (individual and couples), and praying, I realized that I was stuck in a pattern of disqualifying myself from what I really wanted. Self-protection kept me safe but decayed dreams along the way.
It was a painful revelation, and I was determined to reset from that point on for the sake of how bravely and authentically I wanted my own children (and everyone around me) to live and for the sake of fully embracing and utilizing all that God has given me. To change the course, I had to start rebuilding a relationship of love, gentleness, and belief with myself. I’ve always been a natural motivator and coach to others, but I overlooked the most important influencer of that mission. . . me.
After much deliberation, I resigned from my full-time job in August 2021, unsure of what was next. I began retracing words of affirmation in old letters, cards, and emails. The kind words others wrote to me over the years inspired me to build a new mindset. I asked myself: “What if I chose to believe and live as if these words were true about me? How different would my days be if I talked to myself the way other people talk to me?”
Over the coming months, I was able to start hearing my internal critic and intentionally take on a more loving and motivating dialogue to myself. It’s changed everything in my life…rapidly. My relationships, my resilience, my dreams, my faith.
This was the beginning of Wou – an idea to use technology to maximize the power of positive words spoken to us and about us. We have a digital cardbox app, as well as a wellness workshop for companies and communities to unpack how our brains process positive affirmations and personal habits to grow through self-imposed limits. My hope is that countless others will unleash their inner underdog for fuller, more authentic living and help others do the same through something as simple as a shared compliment.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The hardest part was getting over my own self-doubt. Talking to a few people about an “idea” was one thing, but actually taking steps to create it and going public with it in conversation and on social media. . . many meltdowns were had. My husband can attest.
In the beginning, it was also financial hell. I say that not just because bootstrapping is hard, but the most gut-wrenching part was letting go of all of the creature comforts I didn’t realize I was addicted to. It was a detox of shopping for new clothes, mindless Amazon purchases, Starbucks runs, etc. It’s embarrassing to admit, but the emotional toll of cutting back to build Wou and keep our family afloat in the midst of inflation on one income was hard.
Also, I’m a non-tech founder, so it took a lot of admitting what I didn’t know, asking for help from others and trusting my gut to figure out how to build the app solo.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Wou?
Compliments and affirmations build confidence, motivation, and connection to others. Yet, at least 70% of people dismiss or explain away compliments, and studies have proven that dismissed compliments are quickly forgotten. Wou provides a digital card box app and workshops to help you embrace affirmations from others as a catalyst for self-empowerment and growth.
The Wou app allows users to quickly store positive emails, texts, and handwritten notes, receive routine reminders and provide templates to send powerful compliments to those around them.
We also offer a 1-hour Wou Workshop to companies and communities to help people understand the way in which our brains receive and retain positive affirmations and build personal habits to live out a fuller life aligned with our unique strengths.
You can learn more about Wou at yourwou.com and download the app at app.yourwou.com.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
As with every industry, technology is the ever-growing forecast. The greeting card industry, for example, continues to slowly decline 3% YOY as technology overtakes our way of connecting to others. The power of written words will need a convenient & modern vehicle to continue to establish strong relational connections and preserve meaningful moments.
More alarming is our mental health crisis. According to The Lonely Project by Harvard University, over ⅓ of Americans and 51% of millennial mothers are experiencing an ongoing sense of loneliness. Studies have also shown that individuals with higher social media usage are more than three times as likely to feel socially isolated. Looks like many of us are lonely and turning to social media where we are growing even lonelier.
To combat these concerning trends, we will need to sail the course with an intention for impact. We are in dire need of technology that boosts mental health and draw us into deeper, more fulfilling connections with ourselves and others.
Pricing:
- Wou App: $3/month or $30/year subscription
Contact Info:
- Website: yourwou.com
- Instagram: @kadicarroll | @wou.app
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wouapp/
