In 2022, Farah Cadet was puzzled as to why she was burnt out and not so much in love with life anymore.
“I have everything. Life is fantastic. Like, don’t get me wrong, I’m not rich, but I have the important things,” Cadet said. “We have a roof, I know what we’re eating, my wonderful children, my wonderful everything.”
Despite that, she still felt “blah.”
For a year, she explored methods to find internal peace—morning walks, guided meditations, hot yoga, pilates, watching sunrises on the beach and journaling.
Cadet soon discovered that wellness is highly personal, what works for one person may not work for another.
“The first basic step in having any kind of mindfulness or awareness is knowing where you are right now, you don’t have to fix it… you don’t have to be mad at it,” Cadet said. “When you begin just by saying I feel disconnected…that’s a huge thing to know.”
Those experiences inspired her to develop Ritually, a mobile wellness app powered by artificial intelligence that generates quick and personalized mindfulness rituals.
The product was released in the Apple App Store in June.
It was created by combining Swift—Apple’s open-source programming language—with AI.
Users register by creating an account and then the app asks the following questions:
- How do you feel right now?
- What is your energy level?
- How much time do you have for yourself?
- What would you like more of?
Each question provides the AI with information including the user’s mood, energy and the time that they have available to generate a ritual that aligns with them.
Cadet gained the skills to create the app this past Spring, after completing the Apple iOS App Developing certificate program at North Campus. Participants were given the chance to present a mobile app on a demo day to students, faculty and a general audience.
She was among six presenters who were selected for the Aventura Apple Swift Showcase. At the demonstration, Cadet and her peers showed off their talents and innovative ideas to potential investors at the Apple Store at Aventura Mall.
“I remember her specifically, really wanting to participate, but not knowing where to start with her application,” said Melany Valderrama, a product designer who facilitated workshops on design thinking and entrepreneurship to Cadet’s cohort.
It took a lot of planning and drafting before Cadet, who is pursuing an associates degree in applied artificial intelligence from MDC, was able to present in the Apple Store, but she was determined to share her invention with others.
“I could see that ambition in her, the drive in her, the interest and curiosity,” Valderrama said.
Ritually is available for free on the Apple App Store.
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