EP 6: Trusting yourself over technology: the future of wellness tracking with the founders of MetriLife
The problem with most health tracking apps is that they tend to influence people to rely more on external data than their own thinking. Today’s guests are Paul Oneid and Jay Nera, the founders of MetriLife, a mobile app that teaches you how your daily behaviors affect your life and provide you with actionable feedback to improve your mental and physical health and performance. They join us on the show to talk about their app, but also the idea that all health goals are contingent on mindset, behaviors, and our ability to understand and be honest with ourselves. We begin by hearing how our two guests met before diving into a fascinating conversation about what mental health is all about and how to approach it. Jay and Paul talk about journaling, the need for reflection along with introspection, and the freedom of being in the present. We also discuss how to get past faddy understandings of conscious living and what we can learn about growth from a place of self-love rather than insecurity and obsession. We touch on defining what being good means for ourselves and how to start the process of breaking bad habits that are self-serving. From there, we take a deeper dive into MetriLife and how it differs from other tracking apps by holding an up a mirror based on feedback you give it, thereafter providing tools to form associations between where you are and want to be. Join us for all these amazing philosophical insights into the role of accountability and technology in health today!
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Key Points From This Episode:
- Jay and Paul’s background in the fitness space and cofounding 1-Life Inc.
- How our guests met through powerlifting and combined strengths in a business partnership.
- Lessons about mental health Paul takes from his job and applies in the business.
- How Jay got into stem journaling leading to writing Sisyphus is Smiling.
- Journaling practices and the use of them for achieving better mental health.
- The fad of living consciously and the deep introspection this habit really involves.
- Leveling up without becoming neurotic by learning from Sisyphus and powerlifting.
- Learning that freedom and growth are about being present in the moment, even if it’s difficult.
- The challenge of approaching growth from a place of loving, not hating yourself.
- Moving past stoicism to define your version of good using broader philosophy.
- Our tendency react to problems by depressing and never taking action.
- Getting past self-serving negative habits by being aware of the need they serve.
- How MetriLife works by holding up a mirror and helping users reflect on their feelings.
- The problem with many fitness tracking apps’ data gathering methodology.
- A story where a user’s bad attitude caused him to give MetriLife a bad review.
- Overall positive responses that MetriLife receives from the fitness community.
- The value of being open with struggles and taking initiatives to change them.
- The age range and demographic of users who are downloading MetriLife.
- The ins, outs, and benefits of Paul’s get shredded program!
- How Paul and Jay are training at this time where everybody is staying at home.
- Free resources from Jay and Paul, and new projects in the pipeline!
Tweetables:
“Living consciously is becoming a fad phrase and I honestly haven’t heard one person talk about it on a non-superficial level. It involves a lot more things than, ‘Oh, living consciously means not operating on a subconscious level.” — @jay_nera [0:15:12]
“If I’m working and I’m busy, I don’t have to think about my problems, but the reality is that those problems and that friction within your life is where all of your personal growth is going to be. You need to take time to reflect.” — @pauloneid [0:26:10]
“Our tagline for MetriLife is that it’s an intelligent approach to living healthier, living happier, and living stronger, and the reason why it is an intelligent approach is because you’re the one in the driver’s seat.” — @pauloneid [0:52:36]
“This is a reality check and look in the mirror to see where are you today, and then it’s a helping hand to guide you along a journey that you’re creating for yourself.” — @pauloneid [0:53:47]
“Through technology, we’re inundated with so many external connections that we lose this connection with the inside. We don’t look inside and that’s where the revolutionary act is.” — @jay_nera [0:55:05]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
‘Behaviors to Monitor and Practice’
Secrets of the Millionaire Mind
Seneca the Younger Marcus Aurelius