Building 'Coach' from Scratch: A Cybernetic Approach to Personal Growth

“Coach” started as an idea scribbled in my notebook: What if I had an AI that could help me improve myself day by day? I wasn’t interested in a generic self-help app or a simple habit tracker. I wanted something more dynamic, something that could evolve with me—a cybernetic loop between me and a machine that’s invested in my growth. So, I began building Coach from scratch as a personal experiment in self-improvement meets technology.

From the outset, I knew Coach had to plug into my life seamlessly. I’ve integrated it with my calendar, task list, even my text messages. Every morning, it sends a quick check-in via SMS about the day’s priorities (yes, my software literally texts me a pep talk). It’s tied into my Notion notes, so when I brainstorm weekly goals, Coach remembers them and later nudges me if I’m drifting off course. Designing these feedback loops was a balancing act: I wanted Coach to hold me accountable but not become an annoying nag. Sometimes it feels like I’m coding a friend who isn’t afraid to call me out—like when I postpone a workout, it might gently remind me why I committed to it in the first place.

The “cybernetic” part of this approach is all about feedback and adjustment. I pay attention to how I respond to Coach’s prompts. If a certain nudge isn’t working or feels off, I tweak the system. In a sense, Coach and I are co-evolving. The more I use it, the better it understands how I operate (for example, it’s learned that evenings are a better time to suggest reflective journaling for me than early mornings). And conversely, the more insights it gives me, the more I adjust my own routines and goals.

Building Coach has been a deeply personal project. It’s not just another app to me; it’s a mirror that I’m engineering—one that helps me see my habits and mindset more clearly. There’s still plenty to build (I have a wish list: deeper emotional check-ins, smarter scheduling suggestions, etc.), but already I can say this experiment is paying off. Having a little AI companion devoted to my personal growth, even if it’s a bit quirky, has made the journey of self-improvement feel less lonely and a lot more interactive.