Why the check-in is now our mission

Why the check-in is now our mission
A letter from Cesar Carvalho, CEO of Wellhub

Growing up in the countryside of Brazil, our Sunday afternoons were full of expectation. My grandparents didn’t have a phone at home, so they would walk to a public phone in the square to call us. Rain or shine, they made that walk. That was their way of checking in with us. Every Sunday.

I’ve carried on that tradition. Almost every morning I check in with my dad, after my workout, while I’m making breakfast for my kids. I hope that’s the example my kids take, and that one day they check in with me too.

A check-in says the same thing every time, whoever makes it: I see you. I’m thinking about you. I’m showing up for you. I care. It’s the currency of care.

As of today, that idea is our mission: Wellhub exists so everyone can check in with wellbeing, every day.

Here is why we chose this as our mission. A company becomes a client. They add you as eligible. You pick a plan, find a gym nearby, download an app. All of that is preparation. The magical part is the check-in: when you walk into a class, lift weights, open an app to meditate, or sit down with a nutritionist. Since the day we started Wellhub, that has been the most fundamental way we deliver anything, and the most important.

So if checking in is that important, why is it still so difficult to be well? Because checking in is hard. Someone has to go out of their way, stop what they are doing and prioritize it.

I know that firsthand. There was a time I lost sight of my own wellbeing. If I had a few free hours between meetings, I filled them with more work. My health, my sleep and the people I love all came second. I wasn’t the only one. Drivers, grocery store workers and bankers were all finding it hard to look after themselves. Many still are. 

Even when you do make the time, taking care of your whole self gets expensive fast. You pay for a gym membership, then a yoga studio membership, then a subscription for a meditation app and another for nutrition. Each one is another bill. It’s also hard to choose. Something new comes out every week, and it’s tough to know what’s right for you. And most of these options aren’t built for where you are. If you’re just starting, or starting over, walking into a gym for the first time can feel like walking into a room where everyone else already knows the rules. So a lot of people never start.

It shouldn’t be this hard. But it is.

That’s why we started Wellhub in 2012: to have a plan that works for EVERYONE, making looking after your whole self affordable and easier, wherever you are and whatever wellbeing means to you. One plan, covering fitness, mindfulness, nutrition and sleep. More than a single-activity membership could offer, for less than the cost of one. And choices for every level, so there’s always an easy place to start.

It’s working. People have checked in with Wellhub  1.5 billion times. Each one was a person making time: a lunchtime yoga class, a strength session after work, a meditation before a hard conversation, a call with a nutritionist.

And it’s only the beginning. Most people still don’t have an easy way to check in. A mission is only words until it changes what you do, so ours comes with a commitment: everything we build will make checking in possible.

I live by this myself. Every morning I check in. If I have time, I work out. If not, I meditate or think about what I need to do to sleep better the next night. I also do breakfast for my kids and call my dad. When I travel, I call my kids at 7:30 p.m. their time, even if it means setting an alarm for 2 a.m. mine. That’s what checking in looks like for me. For you it will look like something else entirely, and that’s the point.

Every check-in is a small choice. Made by millions of people, those choices add up. When everyone checks in with wellbeing, people get better. Their families get better. Their companies get better. Their countries get better. The world works better.

The first check-in I remember was my grandparents’ Sunday walks to that phone. They managed it once a week. I manage it most mornings, because somewhere along the way (with the support of Wellhub), it became possible. 

Check In Every Day

Thanks for checking in,

Cesar Carvalho
CEO and co-founder, Wellhub