In this episode, we sit down with Muktan Pappalardo to explore the journey of self-awareness, spiritual growth, meditation, yoga, and conscious living in today's fast-paced world. He discusses his creation of Amaru, a gamified self-care app designed to help users build and stick to mindfulness practices. Driven by personal and family struggles with mental health and burnout, Muktan sought to bridge positive psychology with game design. He highlights the challenge of balancing ethical tech design with market realities, detailing how he had to move past his own "artistic purity"—such as avoiding notifications and monetization—to better serve his users and keep the app sustainable. By utilizing a virtual pet to create a motivational scaffold, Amaru helps users manage anxiety, depression, and executive dysfunction (ADHD). Ultimately, Muktan emphasizes that the app aims to meet people where they are (on their phones) and uses gamification as a bridge to guide them back to real-world presence and self-care.

Learn more about Muktan Pappalardo