Balancing Football, Entrepreneurship, and Mental Wellness: The Vision Behind Ascend with Walker Ferguson and Hampton Tanner

Episode Summary:

In this episode of BizBlend, host Reema interviews Walker Ferguson and Hampton Tanner, co-founders of Ascend, an AI-powered meditation and wellness app. As student athletes from Wake Forest University and Georgetown University, Walker and Hampton share their unique journey of balancing the demands of college football with entrepreneurship. They discuss how lessons from the field—discipline, resilience, and servant leadership—shaped their vision for Ascend, a platform designed to promote mental wellness through personalized meditation and wellness tools. The episode delves into their insights on integrating AI into mental health solutions, addressing technology’s role in mindfulness, and their plans to expand Ascend's impact through partnerships with universities.

About the Guests:

Walker Ferguson and Hampton Tanner are co-founders of Ascend, a cutting-edge meditation and wellness app that leverages AI to provide personalized mental health solutions. Both are student athletes and entrepreneurs, with Walker playing football for Wake Forest University and Hampton transferring to Georgetown University. Their combined experiences in sports and business have inspired their mission to make mental wellness accessible for athletes and beyond, helping users reduce stress and achieve their goals. Listeners can download the app from Appstore, check out their Instagram, LinkedIn pages and can also Walker and Hampton via emails - walkerferguson@ascendmeditations.app and hamptontanner@ascendmeditations.app

Key Takeaways:

1. Resilience and Discipline from Athletics
   Walker and Hampton highlight how their experiences as football players taught them critical entrepreneurial skills, including time management, consistency, and servant leadership.

2. Ascend’s Unique Offering
   Ascend uses AI to tailor meditations, sleep stories, and wellness content to individual users, differentiating itself from other apps by focusing on personalized experiences and goal tracking.

3. Technology and Mindfulness
   The team addresses concerns about screen time by designing the app to foster a mindful, appreciative experience. They believe technology, when used thoughtfully, can be a powerful tool for mental wellness.

4. University Collaborations
   Ascend is forming partnerships with universities like Wake Forest and Georgetown to offer free memberships to student athletes. They’re also conducting a case study with Wake University Law School to measure the app’s impact on stress reduction and bar exam performance.

5. Future Expansion
   The long-term vision for Ascend includes integration into university wellness programs nationwide, helping more students access mental wellness resources tailored to their needs.

This episode is an inspiring exploration of how young entrepreneurs are harnessing the power of technology, sports discipline, and innovation to create a meaningful impact on mental health.