Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Ascend Meditations: Combining Athletics, Mental Health, And A.I.
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Ascend Meditations: Combining Athletics, Mental Health, And A.I.
Send us a text
Today, I sit down with Walker Ferguson, a student-athlete from Wake Forest who has blended sports, mental health, and technology into one of the most innovative mindfulness tools in the wellness space. Mr. Ferguson is the co-founder of Ascend Meditations—an AI-powered app designed to help people create personalized meditations, sleep stories, and mindset plans. We start by exploring how meditation supported him and his co-founder through depression, anxiety, and the nonstop pressure of college athletics. He shares how simple breathing techniques, such as box breathing, shifted his emotional state and helped him live in the present moment.
Mr. Ferguson explains how meditation isn’t tied to any one religion or philosophy. For him, it strengthens his Christian walk through Scripture meditation. For his co-founder, it connects to Stoicism and body scans. We discuss how mindfulness improves gratitude, emotional regulation, and performance—and why learning to breathe intentionally became the “superpower” that pulled him out of some of the darkest periods of his life.
From there, we break down how Ascend Meditations works. Mr. Ferguson describes how the app uses a personalization quiz, an AI query box, and customizable settings—voice, background noise, and session length—to generate meditations tailored to whatever someone is feeling or facing. Whether it’s anxiety before a podcast appearance, trouble sleeping, or a desire to focus before a game, users can create a custom meditation in seconds. The app also generates meditation plans that help people visualize success, reduce stress, build better relationships, and stay consistent in their mental training.
We also talk about the development journey—how he and his co-founder partnered with computer science students, UI/UX designers, and developers to build the platform from the ground up. Mr. Ferguson shares how mentorship, risk-taking, and having “the right people on the bus” helped them build the first version of the app, launch their website, and plan for future updates that will include human voice actors, expanded features, and full-scale marketing after their seed-fundraising round.
Before wrapping up, Mr. Ferguson opens up about life after college, his acceptance into a startup accelerator, and his decision to trust God as he pursues full-time entrepreneurship. He leaves listeners with a powerful reminder: “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”
https://ascendmeditations.app/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/wferguson17?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_contact_details%3Bb%2FfXhvvARPmezEYAUT50bA%3D%3D
Website: https://coupleonukes.com
Exodus, Honor Your Heart, & Nulu Knives: https://www.coupleonukes.com/affiliates/
Want to be a guest on Couple O' Nukes? Send me a message on PodMatch: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1726279485588093e83e0e007
Sign Up For A PodMatch Account: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/coupleonukes
*Couple O' Nukes LLC and Mr. Whiskey are not licensed medical entities, nor do they take responsibility for any advice or information put forth by guests. Take all advice at your own risk.
View all episodes
By Mr. Whiskey
4.8
121121 ratings
Send us a text
Today, I sit down with Walker Ferguson, a student-athlete from Wake Forest who has blended sports, mental health, and technology into one of the most innovative mindfulness tools in the wellness space. Mr. Ferguson is the co-founder of Ascend Meditations—an AI-powered app designed to help people create personalized meditations, sleep stories, and mindset plans. We start by exploring how meditation supported him and his co-founder through depression, anxiety, and the nonstop pressure of college athletics. He shares how simple breathing techniques, such as box breathing, shifted his emotional state and helped him live in the present moment.
Mr. Ferguson explains how meditation isn’t tied to any one religion or philosophy. For him, it strengthens his Christian walk through Scripture meditation. For his co-founder, it connects to Stoicism and body scans. We discuss how mindfulness improves gratitude, emotional regulation, and performance—and why learning to breathe intentionally became the “superpower” that pulled him out of some of the darkest periods of his life.
From there, we break down how Ascend Meditations works. Mr. Ferguson describes how the app uses a personalization quiz, an AI query box, and customizable settings—voice, background noise, and session length—to generate meditations tailored to whatever someone is feeling or facing. Whether it’s anxiety before a podcast appearance, trouble sleeping, or a desire to focus before a game, users can create a custom meditation in seconds. The app also generates meditation plans that help people visualize success, reduce stress, build better relationships, and stay consistent in their mental training.
We also talk about the development journey—how he and his co-founder partnered with computer science students, UI/UX designers, and developers to build the platform from the ground up. Mr. Ferguson shares how mentorship, risk-taking, and having “the right people on the bus” helped them build the first version of the app, launch their website, and plan for future updates that will include human voice actors, expanded features, and full-scale marketing after their seed-fundraising round.
Before wrapping up, Mr. Ferguson opens up about life after college, his acceptance into a startup accelerator, and his decision to trust God as he pursues full-time entrepreneurship. He leaves listeners with a powerful reminder: “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”
https://ascendmeditations.app/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/wferguson17?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_contact_details%3Bb%2FfXhvvARPmezEYAUT50bA%3D%3D
Website: https://coupleonukes.com
Exodus, Honor Your Heart, & Nulu Knives: https://www.coupleonukes.com/affiliates/
Want to be a guest on Couple O' Nukes? Send me a message on PodMatch: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1726279485588093e83e0e007
Sign Up For A PodMatch Account: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/coupleonukes
*Couple O' Nukes LLC and Mr. Whiskey are not licensed medical entities, nor do they take responsibility for any advice or information put forth by guests. Take all advice at your own risk.