Can Being Present Change the World?

A big part of the inspiration behind the app is Levine and Wilde’s romantic connection. The couple was introduced through a mutual friend who realized they shared similar interests: Wilde hosted a podcast focused on motherhood and spirituality, while Levine is a chiropractor working with energetic frequencies for holistic healing.

Little did they both know that their lives were about to turn upside down. With Levine based in Toronto and Wilde in New Jersey, after a month of talking on the phone, they decided to meet at a winery that marked the halfway point between the two places. Even though the East Coast was in the middle of a snowstorm, they both made it, and the minute they wrapped their arms around each other in the parking lot, they knew they were meant to be.

One international move and a truckload of logistics later, Levine and Wilde recently celebrated their first wedding anniversary and describe themselves as “wholemates”—the state of being one soul spread across two bodies. When I speak to the couple online from their home in Toronto, where they cohabit with their three children from previous relationships, their love for each other is palpable.

The couple tells me their connection has allowed them to work on becoming the best versions of themselves, together, and to receive unconditional love while processing past traumas. Now, they want to use their love as a force for good in the world.

The power of attention

One way they are doing this is through the relaunch of WishWell (the first iteration was released in 2020). Fundamentally, the app works by bringing together a global community of well-wishers to focus their attention on each other, rather than enriching advertisers and social media companies.

The app allows users to make a public wish related to anything their heart desires. At the same time, users can reinforce—through short meditations and audio blessings—the wishes of others. WishWell Village describes itself as being about “crowdfocus,” rather than crowdfunding, and putting to use the most valuable commodity we as humans possess: our presence. The beauty of presence, according to Wilde and Levine, is that we all possess it in equal amounts, in contrast with other resources like money.

Wilde, who built the app’s latest website, says that science supports the power of the mind to shape our realities. “There’s a saying that, where the attention goes, our energy flows,” she says. “We don’t realize that what we’re choosing to focus on is one of the most important parts of creating our reality.”

“We’re so used to giving our attention away on social media that it’s been devalued,” says Levine. He explains that refocusing our attention on other people’s needs is not only a way of reclaiming our agency, but also provides us with biochemical benefits. When you give to others, your brain releases feel-good chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin, boosting our moods, giving us a sense of pleasure, and making us feel closer to others.

Positive change

Levine and Wilde tell me that the app has already seen success stories: people wishing for family members to get back on their feet, for example, and seeing rapid changes. They also explain that even in cases where someone’s wish doesn’t come true, the app has still been able to make a difference: someone who eventually passed away from cancer said that knowing people were wishing her well around the world made her feel much less alone in her journey.

The ultimate goal for the app is simple: to bring love to the world. For Levine and Wilde, this process starts at home, where they often work on WishWell side by side. “As long as we are working like ‘wholemates’,” says Levine, “then we’re bringing our love into whatever we create—and if we create from love, we’ll be perfect for the world.”