Last year, we were given the opportunity to lead a team designing and developing a new meditation app for Oxford Mindfulness.
To be honest, we knew from the start that we weren’t entering an empty field. There’re already plenty of meditation apps out there, with multimillion-pound marketing budgets, larger teams, and strong customer followings.
So why did we bother?
Because as a charity, our goal isn’t profit, it’s impact. And building from scratch gave us the freedom to do things differently:
✅ Quality – Every meditation offered is from experienced teachers working to Good Practice Guidelines and quality reviewed. No random recordings, no AI, no algorithms choosing your next track. Just well-structured, well-taught practices.
✅ Clarity – Users can see exactly what kind of mindfulness they’re accessing, and why. Whether it’s for movement, positivity, or calming the mind, users can understand the intention and have confidence in each practice.
✅ Impact – Apps are now part of everyday life. For us, this was an opportunity to scale access globally and reach those who might never walk into a mindfulness course, including workplaces and community specific areas.
✅ Relatability – In my research, three user groups naturally stood out: individuals, communities, and workplaces. We’ve built in flexibility so the app can speak directly to each group, tailoring content and experience accordingly.
✅ Accessibility – As a charity, we’ve been able to adopt a pricing model that covers costs without locking employers into expensive per-head contracts. Impact is our primary goal, not revenue.
How are we different?
Well.. we don’t have 500 employees or a billboard in Times Square.
But 12 months later, we do have:
✨ A beautifully designed app
✨ High-quality content, including research, blogs and audio meditations
✨ A self-paced course developed from Oxford University curricula
✨ The ability to tailor sections for employer partners
✨ And a pricing model driven by purpose, not profit
“I’ll be honest, we knew from the start that we weren’t entering an empty field. There are already plenty of meditation apps out there, with multimillion-pound marketing budgets, sleek branding, and strong customer followings“
Collaborating with employers
We’re now working with employers to offer the app in workplaces to assist in efforts to support employee wellbeing and mental health.
👉 If your workplace already offers a meditation app, we’d love to hear how that’s going.
👉 If you’re responsible for wellbeing and curious about what we’ve built, register to join a brief info session:
App Info Session for Employers
Wednesday 2nd July 2025 | 16:00-16:45 UK Time
Join us for a short, informal session introducing the new mindfulness app developed by Oxford Mindfulness.
In this session, we’ll cover:
▪️What the app offers and how it works
▪️Options for customisation and partnership
▪️Pricing designed with charities and public benefit in mind
▪️Opportunity to ask questions
For HR leads, wellbeing champions, or anyone exploring ways to support mental health at work.
📣 Special thanks to the Visual Snow Initiative, whose generous sponsorship made this app possible. Their commitment to supporting mental health and access to mindfulness has enabled us to bring this vision to life.
