Minimalist AI coaching in your pocket

A minimalist AI coaching app that helps you get unstuck with the right guidance at the right moment. No setup, no friction, just clarity.

Comment

Inspiration

Coaching delivers massive return on investment, but most people never access it. It’s expensive, hard to find the right coach, and rarely available in the moment you actually need help.

At the same time, many AI coaching tools feel overwhelming too technical, too configurable, and too far removed from real human guidance. Inspired by Simon’s work around systems, clarity, and minimal design, I wanted to explore what coaching would feel like if it were simple, immediate, and genuinely usable.

The goal was to build something that feels less like an “AI tool” and more like a calm coach you can turn to when you’re stuck.

What it does

Minimalist AI Coaching in Your Pocket is a mobile app that lets users discover, create, and interact with AI coaches designed for focus, clarity, and momentum.

Users can:

  • Browse or create AI coaches with different purposes
  • Add personal context and values so guidance feels grounded
  • Start coaching immediately with no complex setup
  • Choose between text or live video sessions depending on the moment
  • Organize conversations into intentional coaching sessions instead of endless chat threads

Each session is designed to help users move forward, not scroll backward.

How we built it

The app is built as a cross-platform mobile application using React Native and Expo, allowing a single codebase to run on both iOS and Android.

AI coaching is structured around session-based conversations rather than infinite threads. When a user starts a new session, they can optionally see a brief recap of their previous session, helping preserve context without clutter.

Live video coaching is supported alongside text, giving users flexibility while keeping video positioned as the most immersive experience. RevenueCat is integrated to handle subscriptions and future monetization in a sustainable way.

Challenges we ran into

One of the biggest challenges was resisting feature creep. It’s easy to keep adding controls, settings, and customization when building AI products, but doing so would have worked against the core idea of minimalism.

Another challenge was designing conversation flow in a way that feels like coaching rather than chatting. That led to the decision to use session-based interactions and intentional resets instead of long, unstructured message histories.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Delivering a clean, usable MVP that stays true to the brief
  • Designing a session-based coaching experience that feels intentional
  • Supporting both text and live video coaching without overwhelming the user
  • Building a product that prioritizes clarity, calm, and momentum over complexity

Most importantly, the app is something you can actually open and use in a real moment of friction.

What we learned

This project reinforced that good product design is often about subtraction. When the purpose is clear helping someone think better in the moment every decision becomes simpler.

We also learned that AI feels most powerful when it fades into the background and supports human-like interaction rather than trying to impress with features.

What's next for Minimalist AI coaching in your pocket

Next steps include:

  • Making it easier to share and discover community-created coaches
  • Deeper personalization using values and long-term goals
  • Smarter session summaries and progress tracking over time
  • Refining monetization to support sustainable, long-term use

The long-term vision is to make high-quality coaching accessible, calm, and always available — without losing the human feel.

Built With

Share this project:

Updates