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Paul Barry is the co-founder of Habit Driven, the world’s first conversational AI-powered habit-building app. His mission is to make personal growth accessible, consistent, and empowering. With years of experience working with thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and organizations, he’s developed solutions that personalize the habit-building journey through AI, data insights, and community support.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulbarryofficial/
Website: https://www.habitdriven.ai
Connect: http://www.habitdriven.ai/chatwithhabi
Host: Richard Lowe | Guest: Paul Barry
Summary of Transcript
Richard Lowe: Hello, I’m Richard Lowe of The Writing King. Today, I’m here with Paul Barry, co-founder and CEO of Habit Driven. Paul, tell us a little about yourself.
Paul Barry: Thanks, Richard! I’m Paul Barry, CEO and one of the three co-founders of Habit Driven, a habit-tracking app designed to help people build better habits and remove the ones that don’t serve them. Our AI-powered assistant, Habi, makes habit-building a conversational experience.
Richard Lowe: That’s an interesting idea! How does it work?
Paul Barry: It all started when my business partner, Mike, was tracking his habits in a Google spreadsheet. When ChatGPT came out, he uploaded his data and asked it what insights it could glean about him. The results were eye-opening. He kept asking more questions and realized this could be the foundation for a powerful app.
At first, he built it for himself, but then he assembled a team of developers to refine it. About ten months ago, I joined him. I had been creating conversational marketing chatbots for high-ticket coaches and consultants, and we saw an opportunity to merge our expertise.
The result? Habi, a conversational AI assistant that helps users stay accountable, adapt, and build lasting habits.
Richard Lowe: Let’s say someone struggles with overeating. How would they use Habi to help?
Paul Barry: The first step is understanding why they feel this way. If someone tells Habi, “I have an eating problem,” the AI won’t just give generic advice. It will ask probing questions: What do you mean by that? Why do you believe it’s a problem? What have you tried before? What do you hope to achieve?
Once we identify the deeper motivation, Habi personalizes recommendations. The app also gathers data on sleep patterns, work schedules, and daily routines to create an action plan tailored to the user.
Richard Lowe: What about procrastination? Let’s say someone constantly delays tasks and only scrambles at the last minute. How does Habi approach that?
Paul Barry: Habi helps users uncover the triggers and fears behind procrastination. It might ask what’s holding you back, what fear is tied to this habit, or what the real consequence of delaying is.
A great example: I once spoke to a college student who had been avoiding scheduling her driving test. On the spot, I encouraged her to book it, reassuring her that she could always cancel later. Once she scheduled it, she immediately felt committed and didn’t want to cancel.
The key to breaking procrastination is lowering the mental barriers to action. Habi guides users through that process.
Richard Lowe: That reminds me of Atomic Habits by James Clear. He talks about improving 1% at a time. I’ve been following that approach, making tiny, consistent changes, and it’s worked wonders.
Paul Barry: James Clear also emphasizes environment design, making good habits easy and bad habits hard.
If you struggle with snoozing your alarm, don’t keep your phone by your bed. Put it across the room so you have to physically get up to turn it off.
If you’re trying to quit junk food, don’t buy it. If you can’t resist buying it, delete it from your online cart. If you must go to the store, avoid that aisle entirely.
Habi helps users identify these environmental triggers and adjust their surroundings to make success easier.
Richard Lowe: I love that. And what I find most useful is that AI tools like ChatGPT and Habi remember and personalize guidance over time.
Paul Barry: That’s what sets Habi apart. Unlike a human coach, AI is available around the clock, infinitely patient, and never judgmental. You can share things with Habi that you might hesitate to tell even your closest friends or a therapist.
Once Habi understands your patterns, it suggests small, manageable steps to get you moving forward.
Richard Lowe: So, if someone wanted to try Habi, where can they find it?
Paul Barry: You can visit habitdriven.ai and sign up for a 7-day free trial. If you want to jump right into a conversation with Habi, go to habitdriven.ai/chat-with-habi.
Richard Lowe: Thanks for sharing, Paul! I’m Richard Lowe, The Writing King. You can find me at thewritingking.com. Thanks for tuning in!