Behavioral science-informed product growth strategy

Your churn rate is a neuroscience problem.

Most products are built to acquire users. Few are built to keep them. I help Series A and B health, wellness, and wearables companies solve the retention problem most teams don't realize they have.

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Featured in UX Content Collective, Startup San Diego, Geek Girl, Software Advice, Leadpages

Is this you?

If any of these are true, you're in the right place.

You have strong acquisition but users aren't sticking past day 30.

Your team has shipped features to fix retention — and they didn't move the needle.

You're approaching a Series B and need retention metrics that hold up to investor scrutiny.

You're in health, wellness, fitness, mental health, or wearables.

You suspect the problem is behavioral, but you don't have a framework for it.

The problem

Products succeed when they align with human behavior.

Most products don't.

Retention breaks down when products ignore how the brain actually processes change, builds habits, and responds to stress. It is not a feature problem. It is a behavioral science gap.

Most churn happens before a user ever reaches the moment where your product delivers its promise. The brain encounters friction, runs low on cognitive resources, and quietly decides this isn't worth the effort. Users don't complain. They just stop.

The difference between products that retain and products that don't is not better onboarding steps. It is an understanding of how the brain decides whether to stay or go.

Typical retention curve · Health app average

Behavioral science-informed onboarding
Typical feature-focused approach
The gap is behavioral, not technical.

The methodology

The CHARM Framework

A proprietary behavioral science methodology that guides every engagement. Five phases. One through-line: connecting neuroscience principles to the retention and lifetime value metrics your investors care about.

C

Cut the friction

Most users don't quit. They stall.

H

Hook the habit

Getting them back is harder than getting them in.

A

Anchor the value

Features don't retain users. Meaning does.

R

Reinforce the return

A nudge that feels earned beats a push every time.

M

Measure and maximize

The right signal changes what you build next.

Every engagement is guided by CHARM — from audit findings to lifecycle strategy.

CHARM

What's your retention risk score?

7 questions. 3 minutes. Find out exactly which CHARM pillar is costing you users.

Take the free assessment

No email required

How I work

Two focused engagements. One through-line.

One-time diagnostic

The CHARM Adoption Audit

You suspect retention is suffering but aren't sure where adoption is breaking down. This diagnostic finds out.

  • A full CHARM assessment of your onboarding and early user experience
  • Identified behavioral friction points — ranked by impact
  • A scored findings report with a clear path forward
  • Prioritized recommendations your team can act on immediately
Learn more
Monthly advisory retainer

Resilient Product Growth Strategy

For product and growth leaders who want retention that compounds. We build the behavioral infrastructure behind your LTV.

  • Ongoing identification of behavioral friction driving churn
  • Onboarding, messaging, and lifecycle strategies built on neuroscience
  • Experiences that move users toward habits that stick
  • Retention metrics that hold up to investor scrutiny
Learn more
Mel Williams, founder of Product Charm

About Mel

I understand the whole product journey. And the neuroscience behind it.

12+years across product, content, research, and growth
PG Cert.Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health (in progress)
2027InterVarsity Press book on burnout and resilience

I sit at the intersection of behavioral science and product strategy. For 12 years, I have watched what happens when teams ignore one side of that equation.

Usually: churn.

My background spans product, content, research, and growth across early-stage startups and larger enterprise teams, including time at companies like Meta and Intuit. The gap I kept finding was the same at every scale.

Let's talk

Ready to find your retention gap?

I work with a small number of teams at a time. If you're building in health, wellness, fitness, mental health, or wearables and retention is the thing keeping you up at night, let's see if we're a fit.

I review every inquiry personally and respond within two business days.