How HASSL Is Using Mighty Pro to Tackle Public Harassment

“We had 1,600 people join in just three months. ”

Amy Watson

Founder

Amy Watson was tired of sending “text me when you get home safe” messages to her friends. Done with feeling helpless, she decided to start a women’s safety brand that would address the root causes of public harassment, rather than the aftermath. The idea excited her so much that she pulled out her laptop while she was supposed to be relaxing on vacation in Ibiza and started HASSL. After launching in October 2024, it became more popular than Amy ever imagined and faster than she had planned.

“Growing up, I was always really interested in social issues, but I always felt like charities were very much designed for older people,” she says. “I wanted to make a younger brand that was actually doing something good.”

Amy devised a five-step plan to bring HASSL fully to fruition. To complete the first step of bringing awareness to her organization and recruiting people to join the mission, she needed a place for interested people to gather and connect. At first, she started a WhatsApp group chat, but with so much initial interest, she quickly needed a place that could handle the overwhelming response. Amy knew she wanted a platform that wouldn’t take too much time or effort to learn that also had capabilities for live events and discussions. When she found Mighty Networks, she knew she had the solution. Just three months after she started, 1,600 members signed up to be HASSL ambassadors.

Amy picked Mighty Networks to power HASSL in large part because it felt like a supercharged version of traditional social media plus real privacy and security. With so many of her members being digital natives, she knew they wouldn’t have any lag time adjusting to their new space. But even her 60-year-old mom, who is currently running their customer service, has no trouble using Mighty’s features.

“It's almost just like having a private social media for HASSL in a way,” Amy says. “People don't really have to learn what a feed is because they already use it in another way in other places.”

Because her younger members feel so comfortable with HASSL’s space on Mighty, they also feel like they finally have an outlet to make a difference. Together, they’re collaborating on training programs for schools, nonprofits, and other organizations that will help others learn how to prevent harassment before it begins. Members also share pictures of themselves sporting HASSL’s understated, hip sweatshirts and hats that help fund their efforts to keep their resources accessible and free to the public. Amy can see that people magic translating into real-world action.

“We have some people who use the space religiously, and they've been really good about answering people who come in and say, ‘Oh, where do I go for this?’" Amy says. “People help each other all the time. We've got professionals in there who will say, ‘I can't give you advice in a legal capacity, but I can point you in this direction.’"

In her long-term plan, Amy saw building a platform for HASSL as Step 3, but with so much enthusiasm and eager new members, she needed to create an organized, easy-to-use space quicker than she anticipated. With Mighty Networks’ malleable interface and powerful features, she designed spaces for different members, like students, men, and political leaders, and gave them all content creation capabilities so they can submit videos or articles to share beyond the community. Amy also loves that she can name HASSL hosts, so members get to know the official team better — especially helpful for when they host live Q&A events.

“Mighty, by far, offered the most customizable options,” she says. “I'm a very process-oriented person — you have to be when you're trying to do something like this. I feel like Mighty is very fluid. I haven’t come across something yet where I really want to do something and there's no way to do it.”

With HASSL’s online home on Mighty Networks, Amy can clearly see how so many other people are just as determined to build a better future, and now they have a place to work together to make it happen.

“Hopefully, we’re creating a blueprint for how we can bring a social issue to a younger audience that's hungry for change,” she says. “It makes you feel better about the world and how many people actually care. You don’t have to do this on your own.”