In this episode of the ReeThink Podcast, Rudi talks with Johan Matton, co‑founder of Pulse Mindfulness, about why the future of wellness is less about tracking and more about training your nervous system in real life. Johan spent 12 years in New York’s high‑pressure film industry making content for brands like Spotify, Nike and Microsoft before leaving it all behind to build the Pulse Ring – an “awareness wearable” that doesn’t track anything, but uses gentle haptic vibrations to snap you out of autopilot and back into the present moment.
We explore how most wellness tech sits on your phone – the same device that is already overloading you with notifications – and why Johan believes life is meant to be lived, not just measured. Instead of more dashboards, Pulse uses subtle, random vibrations throughout the day to remind you to pause, take a few deep breaths, notice your body and reconnect with what you’re actually doing. Over time, these micro‑pauses become a powerful anchor for mindfulness, nervous‑system regulation and habit change, especially for overthinkers and people with fast minds.
Johan shares his own story of growing up with anxiety and a difficult home environment, becoming obsessed with self‑help and meditation, and then discovering that the missing piece wasn’t another 10‑day retreat – it was remembering to practice in the middle of real life. After an eight‑week mindfulness course changed everything, he watched the benefits fade simply because he forgot to pause once the course ended. That insight eventually led to the idea of a ring that vibrates 10 times a day as a physical prompt to breathe, relax your shoulders, unclench your jaw and observe your thoughts instead of reacting from them.
We discuss:
How the wellness industry drifted into biohacking, longevity and endless tracking, and why Johan is betting on a shift back toward well‑being over data.
The difference between reacting to life on autopilot vs acting with intention, and how tiny pauses train your brain to choose your response instead of being dragged by thought loops.
Why breathwork and deep breathing remain one of the simplest, most powerful tools for stress reduction and executive function – if you actually remember to use them 10 times a day.
How Johan thinks about identity, founders’ anxiety and over‑identification with a startup, and why repetition and conditioning are key to rewiring old patterns.
Where he believes mental health and wellness are headed over the next 5–10 years: a likely short‑term decline in mental wellbeing, especially among teens, followed by a wave of solutions that help people disconnect from screens and reconnect with their bodies and communities.
00:00 Introduction to Pulse Mindfulness
06:18 Personal Journey and Motivation Behind Pulse
14:25 Transition from Filmmaking to Mindfulness Tech
18:15 The Challenges of Startup Life
22:04 Explaining Mindfulness to Beginners
27:24 The Future of the Wellness Industry
31:26 Investor Perspectives on Wellness Innovations
Podden och tillhörande omslagsbild på den här sidan tillhör
Rudi Adigbli. Innehållet i podden är skapat av Rudi Adigbli och inte av,
eller tillsammans med, Poddtoppen.
