Ark, 2022-09-12
A conversation with Upotential
Upotential is on course to make tools that have long been popular in sports psychology and coaching available to the wider public. With an upcoming pop-up version at A House Ark of their otherwise online gym, we wanted to explore the story behind Upotential. In a sit-down with founders Marianne “Maja” Marescotti and Catrin Eriksson, they shared the drive that led them to start the company in the first place, as well as some of the challenges they have faced along the way.
Hello Maja and Catrin at Upotential, what is it that you do?
uWe are the founders of Upotential – The Gym for Mental Fitness. A training club for personal growth where people from all over the world proactively train their mental skills.
Since the concept of mental fitness gyms is still an emerging trend globally, not everyone may be familiar with what that means. Could you talk a little about how the idea was born?
Upotential emerged out of both frustration and a desire to create a positive impact. We felt that something was off in the discussions around mental health; instead of focusing on what can be done proactively to prevent mental health problems, too much emphasis has been placed on reactive treatment. We wanted to create a solution that would inspire people to focus on their personal growth and proactively train their mental skills – before problems occur.
In your quest to make these tools available to people outside the sports industry, what has the response been so far?
People are amazed at how easy it is to train your mental skills and how quickly you can achieve tangible results.
You call Upotential “a gym for mental fitness”; what are the benefits of approaching mental exercise as if it were a traditional workout?
We believe it should be just as natural to go to the gym and train your mental skills as it is to go to the gym to strengthen yourself physically. Using the gym as a metaphor can, we hope, highlight the importance of proactively focusing on your mental well-being: making it part of your overall health routine and everyday life.
What mistakes have you learned from along the way?
It is impossible to know what journey you embark on when you start a company, and it is easy to underestimate the challenges. As founders, we have no choice but to learn to embrace uncertainty, as our future depends on it. And regardless of what mistakes or poor decisions we have made in the past, we learn from them and move on.
Which of the A House principles resonates with you the most, and why?
We really like “thinking by doing” – action is required to bring order to one’s thoughts, and vice versa. Just do it!
For more information about the upcoming pop-up gym on Wednesday, September 21 at A House Ark, see our Upcoming Program. Learn more about Upotential via their website, Instagram or LinkedIn.