Strong Mind: Your Digital Companion for ESRT Course

We are excited to announce the launch of our latest app-based ESRT companion, Strong Mind, an innovative app designed to enhance your experience with mindfulness-based interventions. Created by mindfulness practitioner and technology expert Stephan Schoenig and tested as part of an MSc in Mindfulness-Based Approaches at Bangor University, UK, this unique platform serves as a vital link between teachers, participants, and researchers in the field of mindfulness.

app-based practice

Key Features

Strong Mind operates on three interconnected layers:

  • A customizable platform to tailor the curriculum content, manage the timings of their ESRT groups and support participants’ involvement.

  • Easy access to course content (written, audio, and video), personal journaling tools, and practice reminders to encourage consistent engagement.

  • Integrate with questionnaires and access built-in analytics tools to gather usage data and course effectiveness, enabling continuous refinement of mindfulness interventions.

This comprehensive approach makes Strong Mind more than just an app — it is a versatile platform for delivering, experiencing, and studying wellbeing interventions.

Available for download on iphone and android devices

It is important to note that Strong Mind is still in its early stages of development. This collaboration with ESRT marks its first large-scale deployment in the field, providing an exciting opportunity to gather real-world feedback and continue refining the platform.

By extending the reach of ESRT and facilitating engagement with course content and daily practice, Strong Mind aims to play a crucial role in helping participants integrate ESRT principles into their daily lives, ultimately supporting the program’s goals of enhancing resilience and well-being.

Note: Participation in ESRT or other affiliated courses required to access Strong Mind

Meet the developer

Stephan Schoenig, MEng, MSc
Enterprise IT Architect and Mindfulness Technology Innovator

Stephan Schoenig bridges the worlds of technology and mindfulness, holding degrees in Computer Science and Mindfulness-Based Approaches. With a background in applied Computer Science research and extensive experience in startups and corporations, Stephan’s journey into mindfulness began in 2012 with an MBSR course following the development of a chronic health condition susceptible to stress. Recognizing mindfulness’s impact on his work and personal life, Stephan pursued advanced training with the Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice (CMRP) and Oxford Mindfulness Foundation (OMF). His innovative spirit led to the creation of Strong Mind (formerly Mindful Brian), a mobile-first platform designed to modernize mindfulness course content distribution.

Stephan’s MSc thesis expanded Strong Mind into a platform for teachers and researchers to host Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) and gather participant engagement data. The app received top quartile scores in Usability (86/100) and Usefulness (94/100), demonstrating its effectiveness as a digital companion for mindfulness courses. This work caught the attention of Prof. Rebecca Crane, leading to collaboration with Dr. Carter Lebares on the ESRT project. Today, Stephan continues to develop Strong Mind, focusing on making it more scalable to assist researchers in testing, measuring, and deploying wellbeing interventions in healthcare settings. Stephan would also like to thank Sarah F. for her volunteer work setting up ESRT on the platform, implementing reminders and liaising with the team.