I had panic attacks for years and now I’m building the app I wish I had then.
Hey Indie Hackers 👋
For years I struggled with anxiety and panic attacks, and most of the time I felt completely alone with it. Now I’m building the app I wish I had back then: an AI-powered SOS anxiety app that acts like a calm, compassionate “panic button” when things get overwhelming.
What the app does
Right now the app guides users through:
• 🧠 Grounding exercises (5 senses, cognitive refocus, etc.)
• 🌬️ Breathing + body calming techniques
• 💙 Reassuring scripts & self-compassion prompts
• 🤖 AI chat for supportive, non-judgmental responses in the moment
• 📲 All designed to be fast, simple, and available in the middle of a panic spike
It’s built in Flutter, works on iOS + Android, and is already bilingual (Portuguese + English) because anxiety doesn’t care about borders.
Who I am
I’m a solo founder with a background in psychology + development. I’ve been obsessing over:
• UX that feels gentle, not clinical
• Flows that actually help in real panic moments
• Content based on evidence-informed techniques (grounding, breathing, reframing, etc.)
What I’m looking for
Where I’m weak is marketing and growth.
I’m looking for a marketing-oriented cofounder (or very committed partner) who:
• Cares about mental health / wellness
• Enjoys testing growth experiments from zero
• Is happy to iterate on:
• Positioning & messaging
• Go-to-market strategy
• Content & social (IG, TikTok, Reddit, newsletters, etc.)
• Early acquisition channels and simple funnels
• Ideally has experience with launching apps or digital products
I’m open to equity, not just a contractor arrangement — I want someone who feels like this is our thing, not my side project.
Where things are now
• ✅ Core app built (Flutter, iOS/Android)
• ✅ Bilingual content (PT/EN)
• ✅ SOS flows for high anxiety/panic moments
• 🔜 Next steps: small beta group, refine onboarding, test positioning/messaging
If this resonates with you
• Drop a comment or DM
• Tell me who you are, what you’ve done in marketing/growth
• Share any link (site, app you helped grow, LinkedIn, etc.)
Also open to feedback on positioning:
If you saw this in an app store, how would you expect it to be described?
This really resonates. Turning lived anxiety experience into a calm, in-the-moment tool is powerful. Love the gentle, non-clinical approach this feels genuinely needed.
This sounds like something I would use!
This is such a meaningful problem space — anxiety and panic attacks are surprisingly underserved by simple, in-the-moment mobile support tools, so building something compassionate and fast feels really important. The mix of grounding exercises + AI chat seems like the kind of experience that could truly help someone in a tough moment.
From a growth perspective, early traction often comes from real stories and empathy-driven content (e.g., short videos or threads about how people cope, what actually helps them right now, and breakdowns of evidence-based techniques). This not only builds trust, it directly aligns with your product’s mission.
Curious — are you leaning more toward organic community content (like Reddit, TikTok educational snippets) or in-app referral / word-of-mouth networks for early user acquisition? Would love to hear what you’ve tested or are planning next.
Hi.
I’ve been thinking about how to position this.
Here’s the wording I’m leaning toward. Curious if this resonates with you or if you’d push it in another direction:
Tools for moments of anxiety, panic, and overwhelm.
Ground yourself, breathe, and find steadiness — right when you need it most.
Best.
Hi, love the idea. I have helped consult an app called MenuFit to 400k mrr and 150k+ active users in about 5 months. I know exactly what your app needs when it comes to sales, marketing, growth etc and I have the right people to help as well. Would love to connect!
Hello, I'm a marketing manager, and I would like to talk with you about the project. Can you share your email?