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Jamie Samhan

Hop believes wellness should be for everyone, but the industry is currently filled with unrealistic expectations. Hop is making wellness manageable through short-form content and activities so people can build lasting results.

Tell us about yourself?

I worked in media for many years, including covering the Royal Family, which included travelling around to report on them, such as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s honeymoon tour and being at ET Canada. As exciting as the industry is, it was burning me out. After realizing that self-care wasn’t just surface-level and that wellness was a holistic journey, I set out to help others who felt the same way I did but couldn’t find a wellness program they could achieve.

If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?

Network, network, and then network some more. Some of the best opportunities come from meeting new people.

What problem does your business solve?

Hop provides people with manageable wellness lessons across all dimensions because better wellness is a rounded approach, not just mental and physical.

What is the inspiration behind your business?

After being burned out from my previous job in media, I started on a journey to better my wellness. I often knew what I needed to do – but doing the work was the real struggle. The wellness landscape was often unattainable for most people, so I wondered how I could change that.

What is your magic sauce?

Hop believes simplicity is key. There is no need to overcomplicate wellness. If someone is given an hour lecture on bettering their nutrition or finances, they would be confused about where to start. Hop breaks it down to bite-size content so people can be confident.

What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?

The next five years will be all about community. Hop wants to support everyone on a journey to better wellness. While technical milestones like releasing on other platforms are high up on the list, being able to support Hop’s users with virtual and in-person events is something we are all very excited about.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?

Confidence is always key when running a startup but sometimes easier said than done. You have to get used to hearing “no”, but then pick yourself up and keep going. Luckily, having a strong support system and that confidence in yourself will help you win.

Do you have a social initiative?

Keeping in our belief that wellness is for all, Hop offers a free account to a low-income, marginalized individual or single-parent user for every five users that join. Users also earn redeemable points that can be used towards charity donations.

How can people get involved?

For those interested in joining Hop or for investment opportunities, please email us at hello@hop-wellness.com or check out our website www.hop-wellness.com.