Suki Waterhouse & Poppy Jamie Launched An App To “Rewire” Your Brain

When Suki Waterhouse and Poppy Jamie started sending gratitude lists to each other on WhatsApp, the benefits were too profound to ignore. The best friends of 12 years often phoned each other for life advice and some soul-fulfilling yapping — but for the weeks when life was busy and the phone chats less frequent, the two started sending bullet point lists of things they were thankful for in their day instead. “I was really surprised with how much nourishment we got from seeing each other's lists,” Waterhouse says. “It was something that deepened our connection and friendship.”

This realization led to the creation of their brand-new app, With Gratitude, which allows anyone to create lists of things they’re thankful for, then share them easily with friends and loved ones.

Practicing gratitude isn’t anything new, and it’s certainly not as woo-woo as it sounds — in fact, jotting down a thank-you note to the universe is scientifically proven to show a “significant improvement in perceived stress and depression.” But if you’ve ever bought a gratitude journal, eagerly written in it, then tossed it aside a few days later (guilty), this app might be the secret to staying consistent with your practice.

“I could be having the worst day ever, but a friend will send me her list and I'll go, ‘Oh my God, I can be grateful for that too,’” Jamie says. “And the fact that you do it with a friend, you actually bother to keep going because I'm not going to let Suki hanging. Once I've read her list, I'm like, ‘OK, great, I'm going to write my list.’ It’s contagious.”

Ahead, Waterhouse and Jamie share more about the creation of their new app, their secret sleep-boosting drink, and more wellness rituals they swear by.

Can you share some of the personal benefits you’ve experienced from sharing your gratitude lists with one another and with friends?

Suki Waterhouse: It really just gives me such joy to share this positive thing every day. It's not [whining], it's not bitching — it’s the great things we’re really happy about. And it brings out a soft, vulnerable side [to people] that honestly would never come out in a text or a night out.

Poppy Jamie: We have pretty much never missed a day and it has fully rewired my brain. I had a really challenging beginning to the year, but I surprised myself in that even when the worst-case scenario unfolded, I was still able to go, “You know what? I know there's something good in all of this mess.”

I love that. It’s like you’re telling your brain what to pay attention to.

PJ: Yes, that's what the lists start training your brain to do. You are finding the smallest things to cultivate joy, or just a sense of greater peace, and they force you to focus on the things that matter.

Do you share your gratitude lists first thing in the morning?

PJ: Yes. Then I take a walk as soon as I possibly can because I find that sleep is really important to me and I know that I've got to set my circadian rhythm early in the morning. I work a lot from home, so if I don't get out and do a walk, I feel like I have no momentum.

What about you, Suki?

SW: Well, I'm awoken by the sounds of my baby, which is a natural alarm clock that’s been quite a positive thing — it gives you a structure and also an instant adrenaline push.

I definitely struggle with getting the day started because there's nothing more that I love than just lounging in bed for as long as possible. If I don't actually have work to go to, I can dangerously end up staying in pajamas through midday.

Fully relate. And what about nighttime — how do you wind down so you’re getting the best sleep possible and setting yourself up for a productive day?

SW: In the evenings, I've been drinking Cuddle, which is a sleep drink that helps me wind down and relax. It's full of magnesium and all kinds of great things for sleeping, and it tastes like hot chocolate.

PJ: I am obsessed with temperature change, because you need to change the temperature in order for your body to fall asleep — so I always make sure my bedroom is freezing. And that's really easy at this time of year, because you just open the window for five minutes and the room is frozen. A warm shower into a cold bedroom is excellent.

I then try to avoid crime thriller shows, or anything that's going to make me feel like some axe murderer is going to come and get me at night.

I admire the people who can watch murder shows before bed. I would get nightmares.

PJ: Yes, I try to opt for any sort of content that doesn't spike my adrenaline too much. We need to treat ourselves like babies. You wouldn't just throw your kid down and be like, sleep! That's why having a [sleep] drink every night to remind yourself that you’re going to go to sleep in an hour is helpful when winding down.

What about any beauty rituals that help you feel calm?

PJ: Suki is the queen of skin care, so I feel like my skin has dramatically improved whenever I stay with her and I get to use her products.

SW: I really love Biologique [Recherche]. The lady told me the other day that I need to cleanse for a minute every day — that's actually been a bit of a game-changer. I love iS Clinical Pro Heal Vitamin C; it’s a longtime hero product. And then I think I want to try a salmon sperm facial.

What are some things you’ve recently shared on your gratitude lists?

PJ: A dinner I had last night, my little decompression nighttime chat with my boyfriend, my morning walk this morning, dance class I did last night. Line bikes, which I’m obsessed with. I go everywhere on them, even in 7-inch heels. And friendships.

SW: I had a great girl's dinner last night at a new restaurant and I enjoyed being around everyone and had such a laugh. I wrote a cool song in the studio yesterday — I was grateful for that. I’m grateful for earlier this morning when I took my baby for breakfast, for my partner, being happy, friends thriving. I’m grateful for my sister being here — she's staying with me at the moment. I'm grateful to be in New York, and grateful for the ability to travel.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.