This is a terrible take. Competition in the app space is competition for distribution/attention. Subscriptions are just how apps convert that attention to dollars. Consumers almost never price shop apps.
With the right set and setting you don’t need absolutely need therapy in order to get good results. Writing down some intentions/questions can be enough. Eye shades + music, such as the Johns Hopkins playlist is HIGHLY recommended.
Successful solo entrepreneur here - I agree 100%. Owning a niche is based on experience. I could restart at 0 in my market and be back to profitable in a year.
“ So, my hypothesis is that, as long as the free users are using my app, there will always be an opportunity to monetize from them, one day.”
Yeah, but each day those users are churning out and you will have missed the opportunity to monetize them forever - that lost revenue will never come back.
You just need to learn how to play the game. Expect you’ll be rejected and politely let the reviewers know that you’ll fix it immediately. It’s just the steps you need to take to become a professional app developer.