What Happened To Liberate After Shark Tank?
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Regardless of how busy your work and personal life are, you should always take time for your mental health. Olivia Bowser, a certified yoga and meditation teacher (per LinkedIn), created Liberate for this very reason. Liberate provides individuals and corporations with virtual classes and workshops to increase mental well-being. Based in Los Angeles, Bowser, who has a background in marketing, founded Liberate in May 2020 from an apartment she shared with a roommate (via Thrillist). As this was amid COVID lockdowns, Liberate quickly found success.
Bowser told PIX11 that the anxiety she felt from working a demanding job led her to explore meditation and other wellness practices, resulting in Liberate. Bowser explained, "What I wanted to do was to create a way to reap the benefits of mindfulness while still having that dynamic energy that you'd get from a physical fitness workout." In December 2021, Bowser went on season 13, episode 9 of "Shark Tank" to get investors for Liberate.
Bowser walked into the tank, unrolled a yoga mat, and said (via YouTube), "Oh did you think we were on our physical fitness today? No sharks, today we're working out our mental muscles." Bowser went on to explain that Liberate was designed as an online tool to help your mental health and that classes, which she and other instructors led, were held on Zoom. The sharks were intrigued by this concept but had doubts about Liberate.
The sharks believed Olivia Bowser was underselling Liberate
On "Shark Tank," Olivia Bowser asked for $200,000 for 10% of Liberate, noting that the money would be used to hire a sales manager. Bowser explained that Liberate was a subscription service and charged users $19 to $49 a month for access to videos and other tools. In addition, Bowser told the sharks that 65% of Liberate's revenue came from corporate clients. However, Bowser left the sharks disappointed when she said she had only made $50,000 in total sales.
Although she quipped that Liberate was still growing, Robert Herjavec told Bowser (via YouTube), "I love everything about what you're doing, but there are big companies doing similar stuff, and they're charging us $50 [to] $150,000." Herjavec also questioned why Liberate wasn't making more money. Meanwhile, Mark Cuban said, "You're on trend, you're on need, you're on value, sell at a premium, don't sell out of desperation." Daymond John and Lori Greiner praised Liberate but felt that the company was too young.
Despite Bowser's plea for the sharks to give her a chance, Liberate's low sales were a deal breaker for the sharks, and they walked away. Bowser left "Shark Tank" teary-eyed but said that she had no regrets and that "Liberate" would be a success. Bowser ended up being right.
Liberate offers various services and products
So what has Liberate been up to after "Shark Tank?" According to LinkedIn, Olivia Bowser is still running the company, but she's not alone. With nine other employees, Liberate appears to have grown and primarily caters to corporations. Liberate has a series of one-time wellness classes, including mindfulness, gratitude, and more workshops.
These Zoom classes are 30 to 60 minutes long and can be booked by corporations or individuals. Liberate claims that these classes are advantageous to the mental health of corporations and their employees. The prices for these classes are not listed, and individuals are encouraged to contact Liberate for more information. Both live classes and on-demand classes are available.
Liberate has customized wellness plans for corporations and has expanded to include free eBooks that include affirmations and journal prompts, amongst other things. The company now has merchandise, including journals (one of which can be purchased on Amazon), shirts, totes, and hats.
Likewise, Liberate sells a 21-Day Wellbeing Challenge for $6 that is designed for those dealing with job burnout. Liberate still offers the subscription service Bowser mentioned on "Shark Tank." For a monthly fee of $19, you get journal prompts, on-demand and live classes, and more. Liberate also launched a free app.
Clients find Liberate useful
Liberate is active on Instagram and LinkedIn, where the company posts journal prompts, quotes, and tips for employees and employers. Overall, Liberate hopes to increase their client's well-being while giving them the right skills and tools so they can continue doing so on their own. According to Liberate, over 200 companies use their services, including Anheuser-Busch, Morgan Stanley, and Ritual.
Moreover, clients say that Liberate is an excellent way to get the most out of your mental health day. On LinkedIn, Liberate posted a testimonial from a user who did their meditation class that said, "This was a really great experience. I'm surprised how effective the virtual exercises are, I didn't expect to feel such a benefit from home vs in a studio and will definitely use these visualization tools again."
Another raved about Olivia Bowser's teaching methods on Liberate's website and wrote, "These classes are a nice break from the workday, and I am able to refocus and have a better/more productive rest of the day."
Although the sharks from "Shark Tank" did not invest in Liberate, F6S reports that Liberate received funds from an angel investor and Techstars Global. The company notes that Liberate is set to make $500,000 in annual recurring revenue.
Olivia Bowser talks Shark Tank
Olivia Bowser has not stopped working since appearing on "Shark Tank" in 2021. She consistently posts on Instagram and said in one post that being on the show was a "bucket list moment for me." In a 2022 interview with Authority Magazine, Bowser opened up even more about her experience in the tank and revealed, "I felt a bit nervous before presenting and used techniques that we practice with the Liberate Method to feel confident, calm, and capable. I practiced breathwork exercises, visualization meditation, and I journaled affirmations to remind myself that I was prepared, and I could do it!"
While she did not get a deal, she noted, "We got wonderful feedback from all sharks, and they all really believed in the work we are doing. We received great publicity, feedback, and inspiration, and we will never forget it."
In 2023, Bowser went on The Look Up! Podcast with Marc Weinstein. In the episode, she talked about the moments that led her to create Liberate. In April, Bowser spoke about Liberate at her alma mater, Syracuse University. Per her Instagram, she also spoke and gave classes at WPP Stream, a technology conference that was held in Northern California in May 2023.