Hello! I'm Ariel McNichol

I'm a product designer & entrepreneur creating products that make you feel good   inspire awe shift your mindset help you sleep solve problems built empathy improve health outcomes

my latest work, MotiSpark

ahh, yes, need is the mother of invention

Luckily, I have common struggles & love to build prototypes 😉

A few years ago, I was stuck - anxious, sickly, struggling to eat well and exercise. My career had gone from decades of inspiring luck to feeling like an unethical troll, using my skills to addict kids to their devices. So, I tried to leave tech and started graduate school to become a therapist...creating a perfect storm for motherly invention. I learned about a lot of clinically validated behavioral interventions that could help me exercise, eat better, see myself with purpose, build intrinsic motivation - so I started making prototypes and after a few months, they started working not only for me, but friends too - which led to brilliant co-founders joining me, a pilot and building MotiSpark, scalable benevolent motivational nudging.

I've become an accidental content creator - like the video above that I shot on my phone while glamping...then with the help of wise collaborators, I've been mastering AE, Premiere, learning to use MongoDB for templates and database schemas, WP, GA, gravity forms, Twilio - thankful for the great software tools!

Skills

Design Thinking

Decades of experience facilitating innovation through qualitative & quantitative analysis, interviews, and prototyping
empathy

Set teams up for success

I love building happy, highly productive teams and ensuring that BD, engineering, R&D, creative & marketing are in harmony
Collaborate

Action oriented creative

My drive to find solutions makes me happy to wear whatever hat is needed to make successful solutions & I've mastered a lot of tools
Execute

Beyond work

I am a mom of 2 bi-lingual boys and 2 dogs. I grew-up in Laurel Cyn raised by a single mom who started multiple unusual businesses. Today, my teenager tries desperately to fend off my questions about what's cool. My 10 year old still lets me exploit his cuteness like in the videos I made of him right before Covid lockdown (pre-masks) as part of a sales/feasibility test with a Medicare provider. It made people feel better, got us a new customer and gave my son a sense of mastery during a time when everything seems out of control, hurray!

I love to geek out on behavioral economics, pop-neuroscience, social psychology & trying to figure out how to make the power of stories into therapy. I fear climate change...but hold strong with belief in human innovation.

Testimonials

Fotios Konstantinidis
Fotios KonstantinidisSenior Director - Innovation and Strategic Partnerships Visa
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“Ariel is one of the few people that possesses all qualities that lead to success in the business world: Creativity, tenacity, persistence, professionalism, business acumen and above all integrity. She is amazing in her creative work and vision, product management and presentations to investors and clients. She always goes above and beyond on what is required to make her company successful and profitable.”
Eva Eilenberg
Eva EilenbergLegal IT expert, worked with Ariel at 2 companies
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“Ariel is a brilliant dynamo. Her piercing intelligence and visionary creativity, combined with her “Energizer Bunny” drive and unstoppable passion for technology, make her an asset to any enterprise and an absolute delight to work with...I trust her instincts, her sensibility, her skills and talents, as well as her ability to work harder—and smarter—than just about anyone I know.”
 Deena Varshavskaya
Deena VarshavskayaFounder and CEO of Wanelo
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“Ariel is phenomenal at getting things done. She is incredibly creative, yet extremely focused on execution. She is able to bridge the gap between highly conceptual and abstract ideas and practical outputs...”
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let's connect

Get in touch via email or LinkedIn, and let’s discuss how I can help you.

What are you feeling right now?

I'd love to know!
Can you think about the last time you felt proud of yourself? If you had to pick why, was it because you felt smart, talented, helpful or strong?

MotiSleep

Ariel McNichol, 2022 © All Rights Reserved.