{"id":68588,"date":"2019-10-30T12:33:06","date_gmt":"2019-10-30T16:33:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/?p=68588"},"modified":"2020-09-03T05:53:17","modified_gmt":"2020-09-03T09:53:17","slug":"cancer-survivor-tapped-into-the-wework-network","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/community-stories\/member-spotlight\/cancer-survivor-tapped-into-the-wework-network","title":{"rendered":"A cancer survivor built a wellness platform using the WeWork network"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

W<\/strong><\/em>e to We<\/strong><\/em><\/a> features members who have built their companies on the WeWork platform.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kathleen Brown hopped on a video call from a car in Los Angeles after meeting with a fellow WeWork member and potential partner for Buddhi, the community-powered wellness platform Brown is creating for cancer survivors and their loved ones. She was in L.A. on a business trip from Chicago to meet with prospective partners for her business, many of whom she met through her connections at WeWork. \u201cAnything I don\u2019t know how to do myself, I put out to the WeWork community and someone is able to help,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Brown was young, she was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer and within three months was given her last rites at a local hospital. During her 15 months of treatment at St. Jude Children\u2019s Research Hospital<\/a>, she was inundated with flowers and get-well cards from well-intentioned supporters. \u201cPeople show their support in the way they know how to,\u201d she says. \u201cBut it made me feel sicker, pitied, and also ashamed that I was not fully appreciating their support.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Miraculously, Brown made a full recovery after finishing her treatment in December 1996. She started sharing her story at fundraising events, and later took on a variety of volunteer and professional roles at St. Jude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She began working from a hot desk at WeWork 220 N Green St<\/a> in Chicago in April 2017 while working at St. Jude. Through St. Jude and WeWork, she connected with many people who had been touched by cancer and who were looking for a support system. \u201cA cancer diagnosis does not come with a get-well guidebook,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd I kept thinking: How can we empower friends and families of those who are sick to invest in the kind of support that their loved ones actually need?<\/em>\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

That question became the genesis of her company Buddhi<\/a>, a wellness platform for those whose lives have been touched by cancer: patients, survivors, family, and friends. \u201cThe platform aims to reduce stress for patients and loved ones, so they can find support that is personal to their needs,\u201d she says. Brown wants to provide survivors with resources and a network of other survivors and patients, and to help friends and families understand the kind of support that is most helpful to patients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was not a born entrepreneur, and I never thought I would start a company,\u201d Brown says. But after dealing with long-term side effects that were related to her treatment, she spoke with the WeWork community team about her idea. They immediately wanted to help, encouraging Brown to start talking to other WeWork members. Through the help of the community team and the WeWork member network<\/a>, she was able to find investors, business partners, financial advisers, and a web company to design the brand and site. Even the photographer for her website<\/a> is a fellow WeWork member. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alex Ford-Carther, a WeWork member and the cofounder of Coder, a venture development platform that works with early-stage businesses, was introduced to Brown by the community manager at their building. \u201cWe could tell Brown was not only passionate and knowledgeable about the idea, but that she also had the business experience and fortitude to execute,\u201d Ford-Carther says. Since their introduction in March 2019, Ford-Carther and his team helped Brown define Buddhi\u2019s brand, build out her pitch deck and financial model, and design the user interface. \u201cEvery interaction I\u2019ve had with Brown is genuine and pure,\u201d he says. \u201cThere\u2019s no doubt Buddhi will be successful as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brown left her job at St. Jude in April 2019 to pursue Buddhi full-time and got a hot desk in the same location to maintain her network. She plans to launch the platform by early 2020. On the site, cancer patients and survivors will be able to access resources for their mental and physical health, while their friends and family can learn what type of support would make the most difference. For example, rather than flowers, supporters will be able to send a subscription to a meditation app or superfood mixes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brown is planning a soft beta launch to work out the kinks and get feedback from early users. \u201cWe already have a wonderful community of supporters through my own network, through St. Jude, and through WeWork,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKathleen Brown truly embodies the word community,\u201d says Lori Covey, a community lead at WeWork 515 N State St<\/a> in Chicago who has grown close to Brown. Brown recently signed for a three-person office at the newly opened WeWork 625 W Adams Street<\/a> in Chicago, where she\u2019ll debut the official headquarters for Buddhi in November. \u201cI never would\u2019ve had the courage to leave my job if I hadn\u2019t had the security of the WeWork community,\u201d Brown says.<\/p>\n\n\n