MyVictory

The Challenge: Safety, Sensitivity and Complex Software Requirements

Building a platform for cancer survivors meant facing a unique dual challenge. The emotional needs were high, and the technical scope was large. Survivors are often immunocompromised and may be recovering from treatment. They may experience physical limitations, anxiety, fatigue or cognitive fog. The product needed to meet them with care.

From a technical perspective, the scope resembled an early version of Peloton. MyVictory required:

• A complete livestream fitness system

• A large on-demand video library

• Multi-tier membership and payment processing

• Instructor broadcasting dashboards

• Real-time class chat and community interaction

• Achievements, streaks and motivational mechanics

• Secure backend architecture built for growth

• Scalable deployment on AWS

• Privacy and emotional safety considerations

• A user experience simple enough for individuals with limited energy

Technically, this was one of the most advanced builds we had taken on at that time. Emotionally, it was one of the heaviest. Several members of the founding team had lost loved ones to cancer. Our own team was processing the loss of a family member. We understood immediately that this project needed to be done with precision and dignity.

It was not just a product build. It was a responsibility.

Discovery: Understanding the People the Platform Exists For

During the research phase, we immersed ourselves in survivor stories, oncology recovery insights and interviews with instructors who specialized in low impact and adaptive movement. We needed to understand not only what survivors wanted but what they feared.

We discovered four key truths:

1. Survivors wanted privacy. Many did not want to be seen struggling or moving slowly in a gym surrounded by high performing athletes.

2. Survivors needed adaptability. Energy levels changed from day to day. The platform needed to support moments of strength as well as moments of fatigue.

3. Survivors needed emotional safety. Tone, visuals and instructor demeanor needed to be supportive rather than performative.

4. Survivors needed clarity. When someone is tired or experiencing cognitive fog, overwhelming interfaces create friction. Simplicity becomes a form of care.

These insights guided every design and product decision moving forward.

The Breakthrough: Designing Movement for Home, Comfort and Control

One insight reshaped the entire direction of the platform. Survivors felt safest at home. The idea of entering a gym filled with mirrors, noise and intensity created anxiety and sometimes shame. We realized that MyVictory needed to be a fully at home experience. Livestream classes, on demand workouts and supportive instructors would meet people where they were most comfortable.

This shifted the entire product architecture. We built:

• A high reliability livestream system that allowed real time coaching

• A video on demand library dynamically categorized by energy level

• Instructor dashboards that simplified broadcasting

• A progression system that rewarded consistency rather than intensity

The core idea was simple. When people feel safe, they can begin to heal. When people feel seen, they can begin to move again.

Product Identity: Building a Platform That Acts Like a Companion

MyVictory was not built to behave like a typical fitness product. It was designed to feel like a companion during recovery.

Visual Identity

The aesthetic avoided anything clinical or aggressive. Colors were calm and optimistic. Typography was highly readable. Motion was soft and measured.

User Experience

Navigation was simplified to reduce friction for tired users. Classes were labeled by energy requirements and movement type. The platform reinforced pacing over performance.

Instructor Experience

We built a dedicated instructor control panel that allowed easy broadcasting, class scheduling and community interaction. Instructors were trained to guide survivors with encouragement rather than pressure.

Streaming Technology

Working with AWS, we implemented a scalable architecture that supported both live and archived video. The infrastructure needed to perform under unpredictable spikes in usage, especially during COVID when in person exercise became impossible.

Payments and Membership

We built a multi-layer membership system that allowed survivors to join at accessible price points. Subscription logic and billing operations were fully automated.

The entire system was designed to remove friction. Every feature served one purpose: to help survivors show up for themselves, even on difficult days.

Results: Momentum, Media Recognition and Industry Validation

The platform launched and the community formed almost immediately.

Within the first month:

• 1000+ active users

• Survivors completed more than five hundred livestream classes

• Engagement and retention exceeded expectations

• Instructors began forming relationships with returning participants

During the COVID era, gyms across North America reached out to license the platform as a white label solution for remote fitness. This was a clear sign that MyVictory had built something ahead of the industry.

Media took notice as well.
AWS published a feature on the platform’s technical architecture.
Business Insider covered the story.
Health publications highlighted MyVictory as a breakthrough in survivor focused wellness.

All of this served as confirmation that the platform was more than a product. It was a lifeline.

Legacy: A Space Built for Healing

Although the platform appears less active today, its legacy remains meaningful. MyVictory proved that technology can create dignity. It proved that fitness can be built around empathy rather than intensity. It proved that a digital platform, when crafted with care, can become a sanctuary for people who feel overlooked by traditional wellness environments.

MyVictory created a blueprint for survivor centered digital health. It showed that community can exist without physical proximity. It gave hundreds of survivors a way to rebuild strength physically and emotionally during one of the hardest periods of modern life.

Why This Project Matters to Métisse

MyVictory challenged our team technically, creatively and emotionally. It required precision, care and restraint. It taught us that design is a form of support. It taught us that product strategy can coexist with compassion. Most importantly, it showed us that building for vulnerable communities can create impact that reverberates far beyond launch day.

This project remains one of the clearest expressions of who we are as an agency. We build worlds where people feel safe, seen and supported.