Quick Moments, Lasting Connection - Meet Quickie
In getting to know the People of Marquette, it’s evident that inspiration and creativity are woven into the ethos of the community and that Marquette welcomes exploration, growth, and the embrace of opportunities and ideas. For Marquette resident Jennifer Gorton, she embraced this spirit by adding tech founder to her title when starting her company, Quickie.
As a licensed therapist, tech founder is not a title that Jennifer always envisioned herself holding. But a common problem she uncovered in her years of experience as a Licensed Professional Counselor and certified sex therapist inspired her to pursue this path and create her company, Quickie.
Jennifer has guided many couples through challenges in their relationships, which for many, has been surrounding intimacy–both physical as well as the emotional–and keeping it a priority in their relationship. “Intimacy often gets forgotten,” Jennifer explained. “It’s what we do as
kind of an afterthought.” There was another pattern she found, around not only what couples were seeking professional help about, but also at what point they did so.
“There was a pattern with the couples that were coming to see me,” Jennifer said. “A lot of them were saying, ‘You’re our last hope,’ or ‘This is a last-ditch effort,’ or one partner says, ‘I promised to do this.’ A lot of times divorce was on the table. That’s a really tough place to sit with anyone.”
It was from this common occurrence that the idea for Quickie was born. Jennifer wanted her couples to have a tool to help–one that felt less like work, was more approachable, and could integrate into their daily lives. Importantly, she wanted them to have support earlier in the process of navigating this part of their relationship than when couples got to the point of seeking her counsel.
This is exactly what Quickie is designed for. It is an intimacy and wellness app designed for couples to connect with each other. It is designed to be a proactive step for couples to re-prioritize their intimacy and the parts of their relationship that may have not gotten the attention needed through quick moments.
Through simple prompts shared with partners through the app, Quickie offers couples opportunities and reminders to prioritize intimacy in their relationship. There are three different levels of prompts: ‘Fun and Flirty’ with lighthearted questions to spark laughter, ‘Curiosity and Connection’ to explore deeper questions, and ‘Heart and Heat’ with more vulnerable prompts to explore emotional and physical intimacy. With varied prompts, couples have the flexibility to create intimate moments in their relationships wherever they need it.
Prompts that Quickie offers range from questions like, “What kind of dog breed are you?” to nudges to show your partner brief moments of physical intimacy. Jennifer has created a library of more than 1,000 prompts to utilize when the app development is finalized.
Jennifer’s vision in creating Quickie isn’t to create work for couples, rather remind them of the fun and connection that can be found in these moments. “Quickie is not meant to introduce work or worksheets,” she explained. “It’s to introduce fun back into relationships.”
There are solutions that are similar to Quickie that exist in the form of physical card games, or other apps that are related to helping couples with their relationship. For Jennifer, when she was creating Quickie, it was important that it was a solution separate from therapy–not to discourage therapy for couples, rather to offer an invitation for couples to have more of these moments together.
Jennifer’s experience as a therapist working with couples has set Quickie apart from other seemingly similar solutions through its content and the experiences the app inspires. When it came to building tech components to deliver her idea, she turned to Innovate Marquette for their expertise.
Innovate Marquette has been a critical resource for Quickie and has supported Jennifer in navigating the many components of starting a business and building a tech platform. They even helped her get connected with AirDev, who has developed the original model for the app and is currently refining its operation and design. Through the resources Innovate Marquette has provided, the prospect of becoming a tech founder and creating the vision she had for Quickie transformed from a dream to a reality.
For Jennifer, there’s been no better place from which to build Quickie than Marquette. She’s found the resources here she needs, without having to give up the community and the place she cherishes. In fact, Marquette has been a point of inspiration for her to pursue her idea. “Why not build what you love in an area that you absolutely love?” she shared.
The life she’s created for herself personally and professionally, along with the opportunities she’s been able to explore–like building Quickie–have only validated her belief that Marquette is the place to find belonging in and pursue your passions. “People come here for a reason, because it can be hard. The winters can be challenging. So if you’re looking to embrace those challenges, and are considering it, think, yes,” she encouraged. “Marquette is such a rewarding place to live and such a supportive environment.”
Whether it’s a new trail, new career, or new business you’re looking to explore, Jennifer has shown that in Marquette, the possibilities of paths to explore are truly endless.