Hypnotherapy is a passion of Janelli's and she has worked with Academy Award nominees, singers and executives and been featured in outlets like O, The Oprah Magazine, MTV and Cosmopolitan for her work.

Hypnotherapy is "a changed state of awareness and increased relaxation that allows for improved focus and concentration" and "typically makes people more open to suggestions about behavior changes," according to the Mayo Clinic. Like most therapy, the hypnosis variety isn't light on the wallet. Janelli's newest venture, Burble, has a goal of changing that.

"I had always had this vision of an app that would support my practice because I realized not everyone can afford therapy," Janelli, a graduate of the Hypnosis Motivation Institute, the first nationally accredited hypnosis program, said. Her in-person sessions range from $200 to $350. In most cases hypnotherapy is not covered by insurance. Burble would make it more affordable.

The app has been in development for about a year-and-a-half and recently completed a first round of beta testing. About 100 people participated and the concept received positive feedback with nearly 100% of users saying they would continue using it, according to Janelli. Those results pushed her to move forward with a second round of beta testing that is currently open to the general public. Interested users receive a 30-day free trial. Janelli hopes to officially launch on the App Store and Google Play in the fall. From there, Burble will either be buy-as-you-go or subscription based. A subscription would cost anywhere between $14.99 to $19.99 per month,Janelli, who is also a certified life coach, said.

The app looks to mimic what Janelli does in her private hypnotherapy sessions, with the end goal being to change certain behaviors. Those behaviors can range from quitting smoking to losing weight to addressing sleep issues. It can also focus on anxiety and stress. Users choose the behavioral change they are seeking, then receive a guide of custom sessions and recordings from Janelli meant to put people into a state of hypnosis and ultimately change the chosen behavior. Users can also choose how they want to end their session, whether that be falling asleep, relaxing and meditating, or being ready for the day. The second round of beta testing also includes daily activities and tasks that will help to change behavior.

Janelli first had the idea of bringing hypnotherapy to an app about seven years ago, but didn't have the resources to develop it at the time. She moved to Philadelphia just before the pandemic, then had a child and felt like she "never got to matriculate into the Philadelphia scene," she said. In search of a way to immerse herself in local business, she turned to social app NextDoor to find people that could code and develop an app. There she found Daniel Taylor and William Tustin, who are now Burble's chief technology officer and chief financial officer, respectively.

Burble has been self-funded thus far, but to "bring it to the next level," Janelli said she hopes to raise two fundraising rounds, the first of which she would like to close this year. She doesn't yet have a goal for how much she wants to raise.

Nationally, mental health startups and apps have dominated the digital health world, pulling in a record $5.5 billion in 2021, a 139% increase from the $2.3 billion they pulled in during 2020, according to data from CB Insights.

"I think [Burble's] really going to open the gateway for what comes next with hypnosis," Janelli said.