devious Semikoli

We started Aro for our own families and we want to help yours.

It’s no secret that screen time is one of the biggest issues facing families today. And we’re not just talking about the kids! Joey and I both struggle with this amazing, captivating, infinitely-powerful tool that we call a smartphone.

We knew something had to change. We wanted to be better for our families and we wanted our families to be better.

So we created Aro. Aro leverages the science of habit formation and motivational design to ensure parents and kids don’t miss out on what’s most important by helping reclaim time spent on their phones.

We've seen the benefits in our own families, and now we want you to experience Aro in yours.

Sincerely,
Heath Wilson & Joey Odom

Aro Ambassador

Ally Baxter

Wife | Mom of 4

Frisco, TX

Ally Baxter
About
Ally

Hey there! Ally Baxter here!! My husband, Connor, and I have the privilege of joyfully raising four kiddos while we’re out making family memories! We have been married for 8 years and lead with Onward Community Church here in Frisco, TX. Our favorite things are camping, biking, and adventuring on a mountain trail together. By the way, Go Pokes!!

Q&A with
Ally

Do you have a moment when you realized your phone was getting in the way of what’s important to you?

The moment this set in was when I had an out-of-body experience, seeing myself carry my phone with me the whole day (unintentionally and for whatever reason that specific day held). I was and still am up and down with 4 littles, ages 6, 4, 2, and 1 - yes, we are in the trenches and love it. I realized I didn’t have enough hands, and at that second, I looked down and saw one less hand available because of this device that was controlling me. My heart dropped, and I thought about what my kids might have picked up on from their perspective. I knew an immediate change needed to happen. They are more important than my phone - but are they? Our family culture needed a change.

How would you explain Aro to someone who doesn’t know it?

Aro is an intentional way to look up. Besides serving as an aesthetically pleasing charging station for your phone, it comes with an app that aligns with your goals to enhance your family culture. The Aro box sits out in the open where you can easily see it and creates a realistic way to put down your phone and be fully present in your everyday. For me, that means during alone time, when taking my kids on a bike ride, while folding laundry, and during cooking, to name a few activities. I also love that the Aro app allows you to compete with friends or family members who have also chosen to live off of their phones.

What is the greatest piece of advice you have ever received?

Allow your kids to enter your life. Take them with you because they've entered your world—so show them your world. I love this so much because it invites them in, and more is caught than taught. Our kids join us in as much as we can involve them. We love adventuring as a family, and they have grown to love being a family unit and doing things together.

What is your favorite game to play with your family?

The classic throwback game - Marbles!!!

You have four young kiddos. What has been your favorite part about motherhood so far? 

Watching them become the best of friends, seeing them grow to understand the gift of siblings because they really are built-in best friends! We have cultivated this bond and seen the fruits of it. Grateful for these four blonde, blue-eyed babes!

A woman wakes up in bed. The Aro is in the foregound on a low table.A medium shot of a woman reading in bed. The Aro is on a night stand beside her.

Give yourself some
digital space.

Find better phone-use rhythms so you can focus on a world outside of your phone.