During our conversation with Ink, we expected to spend most of our time talking about LYEONS Heart.
Instead, we found ourselves discussing philosophy, neuroscience, mental wellbeing, human behaviour, and what it means to stay grounded in a world that rarely slows down.
Ink currently works as an Investment Manager at a health technology venture capital fund, helping identify and support companies developing the next generation of healthcare innovation. Before moving into venture capital, she spent over ten years in the United Kingdom, studying Cognitive Science at the University of Edinburgh before completing a master’s degree at the University of Manchester, followed by a PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge
Although her career has taken her from research laboratories into investment, one thing has remained remarkably consistent throughout her journey. She has always been fascinated by people.
“I’ve always been interested in mental health, wellbeing and philosophy,” she told us. “I wanted to understand why different people experience the world differently. Is it because of our upbringing? Is it our nature? Is it our experiences?”
Growing up across different countries exposed Ink to many different ways of thinking about life. Rather than seeing one “correct” way to understand the world, she became fascinated by how culture, experience and perspective shape the way each of us responds to the same situation.
That curiosity eventually led her towards neuroscience, but philosophy never really left.
During our conversation, she shared one principle that has stayed with her for years.
Imagine someone doesn’t reply to your message. The initial disappointment is natural.
What often causes much more distress, however, is everything that follows afterwards. We begin creating explanations, questioning ourselves, imagining different scenarios, or replaying the situation over and over again. The original event may have lasted only a few seconds, but our interpretation can continue for hours or even days.
“Sometimes our interpretation matters much more than the event itself,” Ink explained.
“I’ve found that sometimes I completely misinterpret situations. If I give myself a little more time, logic starts to kick in and I realise it probably wasn’t a big deal after all.”
That awareness has gradually become something she consciously practises.
Rather than trying to eliminate stress from life entirely, she has become interested in understanding how we respond to it.
“I think everyone is trying to live peacefully,” she said. “We all have different defaults. We all see the world differently, and we’re shaped by our experiences. I think if we understand that a little better, we can avoid creating unnecessary suffering for ourselves.”
As we spoke, it became clear that her interest in neuroscience has never simply been about understanding the brain.
It has always been about understanding people.
Ink’s career has taken her from neuroscience research into health technology investment.
Looking After Our Mental Wellbeing in Everyday Life
Like many people with an interest in wellbeing, Ink has explored different ways of looking after her mental health over the years. Meditation, reading, learning about psychology and developing greater self-awareness have all played a role, but she pointed out that these practices are often easiest when life is relatively calm.
“The difficult part isn’t when you’re sitting quietly at home,” she explained. “It’s when you’re already in the middle of a stressful meeting, travelling somewhere, or something unexpected happens during the day.”
Working in venture capital means moving quickly between conversations, meetings and presentations, often with very little time to pause before the next discussion begins. One meeting may finish only moments before another starts, leaving little opportunity to reset or collect your thoughts.
“There are so many situations where you can’t simply leave the room to go for a walk or meditate,” she said.
That was one of the reasons LYEONS Heart first caught her attention. She had come across technologies that measured stress or encouraged people to take a break, but she found herself wondering whether there might be something that could fit more naturally into everyday life without requiring people to step away from what they were doing.
“When I came across LYEONS Heart and learned that it was using tactile rhythm to support nervous system regulation, I thought it was really interesting.”
What appealed to her wasn’t the idea of eliminating stress altogether. She recognises that stressful situations are a normal part of life, particularly in demanding roles. Instead, she became interested in whether a device like LYEONS Heart could help people feel a little more grounded while continuing with whatever they were doing, whether that was preparing for a presentation, travelling to a meeting or simply moving from one demanding conversation to the next.
Curious Before Becoming a User
One of the things that surprised us most was that Ink didn’t begin by ordering a LYEONS Heart for herself. Instead, she bought one for someone she cared about.
She knew her friend had a genuine interest in mental wellbeing and would be open to exploring new approaches, but she was also thoughtful about how she introduced it.
“I didn’t want it to feel like I was saying, ‘I know you’re anxious, so here’s this device,’” she said with a smile. “That wasn’t the point.”
For Ink, it was simply about sharing something she had found interesting with someone she cared about.
“I just wanted to say, ‘I care about you, and I thought you might like to try something new.’”
Over the following weeks, her friend began experimenting with LYEONS Heart in different situations. She found herself reaching for it before stressful meetings, during meditation, and at times when she wanted a little extra support throughout the day.
Rather than telling her how to use it, Ink encouraged her to explore different rhythms and settings to see what felt most natural.
“I think it gives people agency,” she explained. “They can explore it themselves and discover what works for them.”
Ink taking a moment outdoors.
Wanting to Understand Her Own Nervous System
Watching her friend use the device made Ink increasingly curious to explore it for herself. Rather than waiting until she felt particularly stressed, she began thinking about the moments in an ordinary working day when a brief pause might be most useful.
During our conversation, she spoke about using it after a demanding meeting before walking into another, while travelling between appointments, or simply taking a few minutes at her desk to pause and recentre before continuing with work. For her, the appeal wasn’t about removing stress from everyday life, but about creating small opportunities to regulate and refocus while still getting on with her day.
She was also fascinated by how different people might respond to different rhythms. After exploring the app, she noticed how much flexibility there was in adjusting the settings and began wondering whether people naturally gravitate towards different patterns depending on their own physiology, preferences and circumstances. Rather than assuming there would be one setting that worked for everyone, she was excited to explore what worked best for her and to better understand how rhythm could fit into different parts of everyday life.
Ink during a painting session.
When One Conversation Became a Family Story
After sharing her experience with a close friend, the conversation about LYEONS Heart naturally continued with other people Ink cared about.
She found herself talking about the device with family members, sharing why she had become interested in it and how her friend had started incorporating it into everyday life. Those conversations sparked curiosity, and before long other members of her family wanted to learn more for themselves.
Rather than simply ordering devices for them, Ink encouraged each person to explore LYEONS Heart first and decide whether it was something they genuinely wanted to try.
“I wanted to make sure they were interested,” she explained. “I didn’t want to send it unless they felt it was something they would actually use.”
As those conversations continued, what had started as one thoughtful gift gradually became something shared between several people who all cared about one another.
At the same time, Ink laughed that there was another reason for placing another order.
“I didn’t want to feel left out. Everyone else had one, so I thought I should probably have one too.”
Today, LYEONS Heart has become something she and her family are exploring together. While her friend continues to use it before stressful meetings and during meditation, Ink is looking forward to discovering how it fits into her own working day, whether that is between meetings, while travelling, or simply taking a few minutes to reset before moving on to the next part of her day.
Listening to Ink’s story reminded us that many of the conversations around LYEONS Heart don’t begin with technology. They begin with people caring about one another. Someone discovers something they find interesting, shares it with a friend or family member, and that conversation naturally grows from there. We feel incredibly grateful that Ink chose to share those conversations with us, and we look forward to continuing to learn alongside her and the wider LYEONS community.
Thank you, Ink, for being part of the LYEONS journey. 🧡
LYEONS Heart is a non-medical wellbeing device designed to support general everyday wellbeing and nervous system awareness. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any medical condition, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment. Individual experiences may vary.
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