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From Product Manager to Solo Builder: Growing an AI Meditation App with Claude Code
What does it actually take to build AND grow a real software product solo in 2026 — while raising kids and picking up the odd contract to stay afloat?
In this episode of Build.Grow.Repeat., Ben sits down with Jamie Murphy, a developer-turned-product-manager who used Claude Code to ship Still Mind, an AI-guided meditation and journaling app that started as a weekend favor for his wife and turned into a growing business.
It's an honest, tactical conversation about the full-stack builder life: not just writing the code, but owning the go-to-market, the SEO, the Apple relationships, and the tax-and-admin grind too. No hype, no overnight-success story — just the real mechanics of going zero to one.
WHAT YOU'LL TAKE AWAY
• Why "generalists" — not pure developers, designers, or PMs — are best set up to win in the age of vibe coding
• Scratching your own itch: how Still Mind grew out of a real problem instead of keyword research
• Spec-driven development with Claude Code, and why a mature "harness" makes AI feel 10x better
• The honest stack call: Flutter + Firebase + RevenueCat, and what he'd do differently today
• The relationship edge — booking WWDC editor slots and getting noticed by Apple when everyone can ship an app
• Vibe marketing that actually works for a no-authority app: technical SEO, ASO, and AEO
• How he built his own AI harness for Answer Engine Optimization — and got 60% more traffic referred from AI
• Bootstrapping vs. raising: the spectrum from Pieter Levels to MicroConf to Y Combinator, and the 10k MRR line
CHAPTERS
00:00 Meet Jamie: developer → product → solo builder
02:17 Why kids push us to build
04:05 Vibe coding's ideal builder: developer, designer, or PM?
09:32 Still Mind: building from a real itch
13:28 Idea → App Store → first paying customer
17:21 Bootstrapping vs. raising & the 10k MRR line
21:55 How he builds: Claude Code + spec-driven development
25:57 The stack — and what he'd change
28:22 The Apple relationship edge: WWDC, editors, Design Awards
35:18 Vibe marketing: technical SEO, ASO & content
39:47 Building an AEO harness (+60% AI traffic)
ABOUT THE GUEST
Jamie Murphy — builder of Still Mind, an AI-guided meditation & journaling app.
🧘 App: https://getstillmind.com/
🌐 Website: https://jamie-murphy.com/
🧵 Threads: https://www.threads.com/@making.jamie
ABOUT BUILD.GROW.REPEAT
Build.Grow.Repeat. is the Pirate Skills podcast for founders and builders who want to build products people actually want, grow them with AI, and do it as a small-but-mighty team. Hosted by Ben Sufiani.
🏴☠️ Pirate Skills: https://pirateskills.com
🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7kFl0BJiOYih8yqQTRR9SN
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/build-grow-repeat/id1870561487
View all episodes
By Ben SufianiWhat does it actually take to build AND grow a real software product solo in 2026 — while raising kids and picking up the odd contract to stay afloat?
In this episode of Build.Grow.Repeat., Ben sits down with Jamie Murphy, a developer-turned-product-manager who used Claude Code to ship Still Mind, an AI-guided meditation and journaling app that started as a weekend favor for his wife and turned into a growing business.
It's an honest, tactical conversation about the full-stack builder life: not just writing the code, but owning the go-to-market, the SEO, the Apple relationships, and the tax-and-admin grind too. No hype, no overnight-success story — just the real mechanics of going zero to one.
WHAT YOU'LL TAKE AWAY
• Why "generalists" — not pure developers, designers, or PMs — are best set up to win in the age of vibe coding
• Scratching your own itch: how Still Mind grew out of a real problem instead of keyword research
• Spec-driven development with Claude Code, and why a mature "harness" makes AI feel 10x better
• The honest stack call: Flutter + Firebase + RevenueCat, and what he'd do differently today
• The relationship edge — booking WWDC editor slots and getting noticed by Apple when everyone can ship an app
• Vibe marketing that actually works for a no-authority app: technical SEO, ASO, and AEO
• How he built his own AI harness for Answer Engine Optimization — and got 60% more traffic referred from AI
• Bootstrapping vs. raising: the spectrum from Pieter Levels to MicroConf to Y Combinator, and the 10k MRR line
CHAPTERS
00:00 Meet Jamie: developer → product → solo builder
02:17 Why kids push us to build
04:05 Vibe coding's ideal builder: developer, designer, or PM?
09:32 Still Mind: building from a real itch
13:28 Idea → App Store → first paying customer
17:21 Bootstrapping vs. raising & the 10k MRR line
21:55 How he builds: Claude Code + spec-driven development
25:57 The stack — and what he'd change
28:22 The Apple relationship edge: WWDC, editors, Design Awards
35:18 Vibe marketing: technical SEO, ASO & content
39:47 Building an AEO harness (+60% AI traffic)
ABOUT THE GUEST
Jamie Murphy — builder of Still Mind, an AI-guided meditation & journaling app.
🧘 App: https://getstillmind.com/
🌐 Website: https://jamie-murphy.com/
🧵 Threads: https://www.threads.com/@making.jamie
ABOUT BUILD.GROW.REPEAT
Build.Grow.Repeat. is the Pirate Skills podcast for founders and builders who want to build products people actually want, grow them with AI, and do it as a small-but-mighty team. Hosted by Ben Sufiani.
🏴☠️ Pirate Skills: https://pirateskills.com
🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7kFl0BJiOYih8yqQTRR9SN
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/build-grow-repeat/id1870561487