A coach who made community part of the method
Coach and nutritionist Karin Franzén Bohman founded Bodily in autumn 2020, after watching friends and family fall into habits during the pandemic that left them feeling worse. Her answer was a 10-week programme built around a holistic approach to getting stronger, eating better, and sleeping better.
The community isn't a layer on top of that programme—it's how the programme works. Participants post videos from their own training, ask their questions in the open, and watch other members make progress alongside them. "We have very committed members because we have built the whole business around our participants sharing videos from their training in the community," Karin says. "They ask all their questions there, so all members are in the app seven times a week for ten weeks."
Finding a platform she could stand behind
Karin wanted somewhere to run her programmes that members would motivate one another inside—private, branded as Bodily rather than someone else's product, and simple enough to manage without a technical team. She also wanted a platform that would keep improving rather than stand still.
She didn't take it lightly. "After being in contact with over 30 different platform providers, I decided on Disciple, which on my wish list received the highest score. I am very happy with that."
One app for the whole 10 weeks
Bodily's app holds the programme content, live streams, videos, folders, events, and a calendar in one place. Members post from their training, ask questions, and follow each other's progress, while push notifications keep the programme present between sessions. "I love that I can easily build folders, live stream, and there is a calendar," Karin says. "There is no limit to how many photos and videos I can have in the app, which is important to my business."
The support sits alongside the software. Karin works with a dedicated Customer Success Manager and takes part in The Collective, Disciple's community for its own customers. "Disciple has a service-minded, sharp team that constantly strives to develop together with us customers," she says. "I really appreciate The Collective, which lets me meet other app hosts and learn from them."
Members who don't want to go back
Karin reports that members use the app 7 times a week across each 10-week programme—the repeated participation that keeps people with the habits they're building, and gives coaches one place to answer questions. When the first programme ends, continuation programmes keep people on the journey. "They become stronger, fitter, sleep better, eat better, and get great habits they enjoy and don't want to change," Karin says. "By creating different continuation programmes, we keep them on this healthy journey."
Members describe it in similar terms—"a diet and fitness program in one app with a great community to support you on your journey," as one put it. What began in Sweden now has participants across 5 continents, and Karin's ambition is to keep growing.
The clearest measure, though, is individual. One member who had lived with type 2 diabetes for 13 years saw his test results improve enough that his doctor was able to stop his medication.
