Holstee: How Positive Psychology & Mindful Products Can Enrich the Lives of Singles & Couples Everywhere

The Short Version: Whenever you’re feeling lost or alone, Holstee can offer a gentle reminder about what’s important and how to grow through positive thinking and intentional action. Since its launch in 2009, Holstee has evolved into an enlightening force in many people’s lives — with over 60,000 members and counting — and it continues to foster heartfelt reflection and mindful energy with its range of products featuring an inspirational manifesto.

In 2009, two brothers made a bold decision to quit their jobs and start a T-shirt company in the middle of the Great Recession. Dave and Mike Radparvar joined forces with a friend named Fabian Pfortmüller and spent a summer creating an ethical and sustainable business plan.

Holstee can give singles and couples the toolkit for leading a meaningful life.

None of them had any experience in fashion, but they had a lot of passion and wisdom between the three of them. Thus, Holstee was born.

According to the founding story, “More than anything, Dave, Mike, and Fabian were looking to build a company that would allow them to live their dream. They wanted to create a company that aligned with their personal values and allowed them to have a positive impact on the world around them.”

From the beginning, Holstee’s team measured success by something other than financial gain. They set out to use their creativity to make a difference in people’s lives and offer unique products that inspire joy, growth, and self-reflection.

The unique Holstee Manifesto transformed a T-shirt company into a lifestyle brand, complete with a reflection journal app. Today, its personal philosophy continues to resonate with people from all walks of life.

Singles and couples can benefit from the heartfelt guidance, positive reinforcement, and reflective community supported by Holstee. Its life-affirming posters, cards, and app can teach people to cultivate love and happiness every moment of the day.

As a retailer, Holstee focuses on personal growth. Its online store includes a reflection journal, reflection cards, posters featuring the Holstee Manifesto, and  mindful kits full of deep, thoughtful touch stones.

Holstee also offers a 30-day email series for people who want to make instrumental changes within a short period of time. It’s free to subscribe to the newsletter and receive daily inspiration in your email inbox. This newsletter shares impactful stories that spark conversations, ideas, and meaningful connections.

So far, over 60,000 people have joined the Holstee community, and many have taken its lessons to heart.

“I love the emails,” said Monica from South Africa. “They give me a new perspective and things to think about and apply to my life.”

As the Holstee community and online store have grown, so has the team behind the scenes. Today, the Holstee team is much more than three guys with a dream. It includes many creative types — cyclists, illustrators, yogis, writers, and bakers — who come together to cultivate wonder and spark joy.

The Holstee team works remotely, so you can find them in coffee shops and neighborhood parks in Amsterdam, Austin, Santo Domingo, Seattle, and Ventura.

The Holstee team is always looking to grow and take people on a journey of self-reflection. Its reflection journal has proven effective and become one of Holstee’s most popular products, so the team has taken that idea and turned it into an engaging and convenient app.



The Reflection App promises to foster “a better way to journal.” The app is still in beta testing, but many people have already jumped on board.

The Reflection App gives people the chance to write daily blurbs under the categories Highlights, Lowlights, and Free Writes. They can vent about their troubles or boast of their accomplishments — or just write whatever they’re feeling. At the end of the month, the app will compile these posts and offer a way for people to track their ups and downs over the last 30 days.

This process can inspire change by showing people where they thrive and where they’ve stumbled. For instance, singles can reflect on their dating experiences and gain clarity on what’s been working and where they’ve made progress.

Whether you feel stuck in a rut or are gaining momentum in the dating scene, the Reflection App can stay by your side and help you figure things out and keeping you motivated through challenges and disappointments.

One of the first actions Dave, Mike, and Fabian took as owners of Holstee was to sit down and put some thought into why they created the company and what they hoped to accomplish. They asked themselves to define success and, sitting on the steps of Union Square in New York City, came up with the Holstee Manifesto.

The Holstee Manifesto urges people to live their best life.

Dave, Mike, and Fabian wrote the Holstee Manifesto to motivate themselves when times got tough, but its impact went much further than the three of them. The Holstee Manifesto has inspired people around the world. This call to action has been translated into 14 languages, and it remains central to how the Holstee team approaches the world.

The Holstee Manifesto isn’t just about business strategies and careers. It’s about living life with a clear purpose. It’s about turning dreams into realities. The Manifesto encourages people to seize opportunities, follow passions, and take actions that will get them closer to their goals.

These words of wisdom can offer solutions to all sorts of personal and professional challenges. For instance, the Manifesto advises, “If you are looking for the love of your life, stop; they will be waiting for you when you start doing things you love.”

With strongly worded mantras, the Holstee team urges singles to stop overanalyzing things and to start opening their hearts to new people and experiences. This life philosophy can put people in a positive frame of mind and help them prioritize the things that truly matter.

Having a good attitude, core values, and clear objectives can make all the difference in how people connect with each other and find meaning in the world. The Holstee founders came up with a compelling mission statement when they founded their company in 2009, and this transformational lifestyle brand has brought hope, change, and joy ever since.

The Holstee Manifesto is a source of inspiration for many people looking to change their lives and find where they belong. Singles can download the journaling app or hang a motivational quote on the wall to serve as a reminder of who they are and where they want to go.

“This is your life. Do what you love often. If you don’t like something, change it,” the Holstee Manifesto says. “Life is about the people you meet, and the things you create with them, so go out and start creating. Live your dream and share your passion.”