I don't think my story is much different than most people. I had a problem that I couldn't easily solve. Over time, I got frustrated. Finally, I found something that helped, but it had its deficiencies. What makes the story different is that I thought the solution was so compelling that I became obsessed with transforming the current technology into something that would have mass appeal.
But before I get to Somulis' creation, it might help to know some of my background. Growing up, I was an athlete, a nationally ranked junior and collegiate tennis player. While achieving some success, I suffered from nerves when I played. Was I good? Yes. Could I have been better if I could have controlled my nerves and increased my focus? You bet! My coaches used to say some pretty heady stuff to combat nerves and lack of focus. "Relax! Calm down! Concentrate!" Awesome, right? If they were sophisticated, they would teach you to control your breathing and have you self-visualize for success. I still use the latter techniques; both are valuable. So, coping with stress was something I dealt with from an early age.
After college, I had a job at a commodity trading firm. Nothing cures the lack of competition like pure adrenaline. My career choice was both a blessing and a curse. It produced both financial success and a generous helping of anxiety. I began to suffer from panic attacks and insomnia. Luckily, I remained disciplined and continued to exercise six days a week. Also, I took the time most days to practice deep breathing and positive thinking. It helped, but it wasn't enough. I got frustrated, and frankly, I was slightly embarrassed for even having these issues. I needed something more but didn't want to resort to drugs like Xanax. Finally, after suffering from these symptoms for almost a year, my mother introduced me to something new—transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS). She had successfully used the technology for several years and suggested I try it. It made and continues to make a huge difference in my life.
However, although highly effective for stress, sleep, and focus, the original device was large, complex, expensive, and inconvenient. Even my mother's evolutionary machine was too large, complicated, and costly. I needed and wanted a product that could be what my mother's device did but also be affordable, easy to use, and convenient. At the end of her life, I had the essential 'lightbulb' moment—a wearable! I didn't know whether my idea was even possible since a device like Somulis had never been invented, and I didn't know if the market was large enough to take on a project of this magnitude.
So, after multiple discussions with different engineers, I knew creating the device was possible. I WAS STARTLED when I looked into the impact of stress in our country and beyond. It doesn't matter what age you are, what gender, whether you have money or not; stress doesn't care. It will take a foothold if you don't care for yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Check out some of these articles here and here and here and here that will give you some perspective. In short, approximately 75% of the people in the US suffer from stress-induced problems. This problem that bothered me for my adult life was like a pandemic. In fact, the WHO (World Health Organization) has called stress "The plague of the 21st century."
Armed with the fact that I had a powerful technology that was getting a revolutionary facelift, and most people were suffering just like me, young people in particular (I have a soft spot for helping kids), I felt compelled to take action. We either recognize that we have a global problem that is getting worse and make a stand or succumb.
Somulis is a line in the sand and the fruit of a twenty-year journey, culminating in the first Digital SupplementTM to help everyone decrease stress, increase focus, and sleep better. Unlike other solutions, we've crafted Somulis to be useable by ANYONE, ANYWHERE, AND ANYTIME. So, if you suffer from stress (you probably do), have problems sleeping, or want to experience better focus, then try Somulis. I think it will make a difference in your life like it has in mine.
Michael Colavito (Founder/CEO-Somulis)
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