Today we’d like to introduce you to Sophie Cheung.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?

At 20, I moved to the U.S. alone with two suitcases, determined to pursue a creative career. My work appeared on a billboard in Los Angeles featuring a prominent K-Pop star, a music video on MTV Asia, and my mental health short film The Dragon Dream was selected for multiple film festivals.

But in 2020, everything came crashing down. My mental health deteriorated, leaving me feeling depressed and hopeless about the future.

I embarked on a wellness journey, joining a startup that grew exponentially from 3,000 to 100,000 users. There, I began recognizing my anxiety patterns. Over the next few years, I cycled through six different therapists and devoured countless self-help books. When online therapy fell short, I turned to “self-healing,” applying techniques I had learned from the wellness startup.

The turning point came in late 2023 when I integrated AI into my self-healing process. Through studying trauma and attachment, I uncovered how my attachment style had shaped many of my struggles throughout childhood, teenage years and adulthood — anxiety, panic attacks, isolation, and avoidance.

I realized that attachment is fundamental to our overall wellness. Between the age of 6 months to 2 years old, we essentially create a map inside our brains that instructs us how to react to daily circumstances and interpersonal relationships. If you are insecurely attached, your view such events with a distorted lens. But if you are securely attached, you view events with a regular lens. It’s why some people are viewed as “emotional”, or “overreacting”, or even “cold”.

Using AI journaling, meditation, and daily exercises, I made significant improvement in my mental wellness, relationship dynamics, and overall outlook on life.

I took these insights, assembled a top-tier team and combined my creatives from tech and media to build an app dedicated to helping others heal their attachment wounds.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

It’s been a journey full of highs and lows.

First, I had to work on my mental wellness—an emotional process filled with tears, confronting personal traumas, and realizing just how distorted my perspectives had been. I had a lot of misguided beliefs about life, but coming out on the other side, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude and peace (of course, I still have my triggers and blindspots).

Second, I started working on this app in the winter of 2023. I was in a transition period, navigating career and life changes, and feeling deeply lonely. As a non-technical founder, I had some basic knowledge of software and coding, but building an app was still an uphill battle. I spent a month learning how to use a no-code tool to bring my designs to life, making plenty of fundamental mistakes along the way.
For example, I initially wanted the app to look completely different from the clean, minimalistic designs that dominate the space. I was tired of seeing the same aesthetic repeated everywhere. So, I went in the opposite direction with friendly, whimsical branding. But after months of resisting the norm, I realized why those designs are so common—users trust them. If I wanted to build credibility and make people feel safe using the app, I had to align with what they were familiar with.

The third of many challenges was finding a co-founder. In San Francisco, most people are focused on B2B startups, making it incredibly difficult to find someone passionate about building a consumer-facing mental wellness app. I faced rejection after rejection, failed collaborations, and, of course, more tears. But finally, within my circle of friends, I met my current co-founder— Sri, an incredible partner who is both highly technical and an AI expert, while also deeply knowledgeable and passionate about mental wellness.

What I’ve learned through it all is that you have to keep exploring paths that don’t work—because eventually, one will lead you exactly where you need to go.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

Attachment is fundamental to our overall wellness. Between the ages of 6 months and 2 years, we create an internal map that shapes how we respond to daily experiences and relationships. If you’re insecurely attached, you interpret these events through a distorted lens. But if you’re securely attached, you see them as they are. This is why some people are perceived as “too emotional,” “overreacting,” or even “cold.”

Eden is an AI-powered app designed to help users shift from a distorted lens to a clearer, more balanced perspective. It’s the first app of its kind—the first to focus on attachment, the first to combine AI journaling, psychology-backed exercises, AI voice coaching, and meditation into one seamless experience.

Unlike Headspace or Calm, we don’t just offer meditations. Instead, we bring the best of both worlds together, giving users everything they need to manage their insecure attachment in real time. When triggered, they can access highly personalized support that comes in the form of meditations, or AI coaching, or journaling —anytime, anywhere.

Our members tell us Eden has changed their lives. Many say it’s better than a therapy session or as effective as the best therapist they’ve ever had. It has helped them manage their anxiety in the exact moments they needed it most. Hearing their stories has been absolutely incredible.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?

I’ve learned that the ups and downs of building a startup is real. Some days, things could be going really well, some days it could be going not as well. And at the end of the day, it’s important to have a vision in mind, be dedicated to the impact you want to create. And to know that it’s OK to be doing different things than your peers.

Pricing:

• 7 days – free
• Early bird monthly – $12.99
• Early bird yearly – $99
• Normal monthly – $24.99
• Normal yearly – $154

Contact Info:

• Website:www.attachedapp.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/attached_app/
• Twitter: http://x.com/attached_app
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@attached_app