Not everyone has a sister who happens to be the Co-Founder, CEO of a trend-setting wellness brand that’s leading the way in the world of both beauty and biohacking.

Naturally, she’s the person I always go to for advice on how to be healthier and how to look my best.

However, actually taking that advice is another story. I want the results, obviously, but I’m not usually into signing up for extreme lifestyle changes, complicated routines, or anything that requires too much effort on my part. So when I went to Lauren complaining about my under-eye wrinkles and wondering if it was finally time to get Botox, her advice was to hold off and try facial acupuncture and consistent red light therapy first.

Ten acupuncture sessions sounded worth at least trying, and I trust Lauren. She does her research, has tried basically everything in the name of health and wellness, and is usually right, which is both helpful and annoying, especially because she loves telling you what you should be doing.

This vlog documents the entire journey, from Lauren convincing me to put down the Botox needle, through all 10 acupuncture sessions, my red light ritual, my ongoing skepticism, and the before-and-afters, so you can ultimately decide for yourself whether Lauren should get the satisfaction of being right. You’ll have to watch to find out.

By Kate Palisay

Brand + Product Communications Manager at HigherDOSE

Every day, several times a day, I open my Oura ring app. I check in. Optimal sleep score last night? Nice. Cardiovascular age below my actual age? Awesome, those extra spin classes are paying off. Cumulative stress…oh. Right. Still high.

I do so much to support the overall health and wellbeing of my body, and in turn, of my mind. The things that bring me personal joy happen to be really good for me: walking everywhere, cooking healthy meals with farmers’ market produce, pilates classes four times a week. I laugh with my partner, grab dinner with friends, cuddle my cats. Despite all that balance, I can’t seem to break free from chronic stress.

And I’m certainly not alone. Scroll through any social media feed lately, and you’re bound to see at least a few videos from creators talking about how they overcame their dysregulated nervous system. When I talk to my friends, they feel it too. Call it what you like: the proverbial hamster wheel, that pit in the bottom of your stomach, the sense that your backup generator is kicking on to keep you running even when your body is begging you to slow down.

But let’s back up here for a second. What actually is the nervous system, and why is everyone’s seemingly freaking out right now?

Nervous System 101

If you paid attention in high school biology class (I didn’t), you might remember that the nervous system is the body’s communication center, sending out messages from various parts of your body to your brain, and from your brain back out to the rest of your body, telling it what to do.

Within that, your autonomic nervous system — which includes the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems — controls the unconscious functions your body needs to perform to survive. Fight-or-flight response? That’s your sympathetic nervous system reacting to stressors. On the flip side, the parasympathetic nervous system controls the “rest-and-digest” state, helping your body recover.

Our bodies were designed for survival, but the kinds of stressors most of us face in our daily modern lives don’t mimic the kinds of dangers we’ve adapted to respond to. What seems to be happening is our bodies are reacting to big meetings and crammed schedules as if there were a predator stalking our home, or a violent storm moving toward our shelter.

The Guardian published a great article on the increase of nervous system dysregulation a couple years ago, and I highly recommend giving it a read if you want to dig a little deeper, especially if you’ve been wondering if you’re dysregulated in a “normal” way, or if something more serious might be at play.

So What Do We Do About It?

Working at HigherDOSE, I have a lot of conversations about nervous system regulation. Yes, a big part of that is because we make products designed to support recovery and relaxation. But beyond that, I work with a lot of really smart — and, you guessed it, occasionally really stressed — people who know what it’s like to go-go-go and suddenly find themselves totally overextended.

I want to pause here to point out something crucial: if your stress levels are consistently resulting in physical symptoms that impact your daily health and happiness, no mindfulness practice that I’m about to recommend is going to get to the root of the issue. There are real, psychological and environmental causes that may be better addressed through working with a licensed therapist or other mental health specialist.

But, if you’re like me (AKA you feel pretty good most of the time but are increasingly aware that you’re carrying an unsustainable physiological stress load beneath the surface), there are definitely some things you can do to help your nervous system reset.

A lot of those things are what you already know you should be doing: prioritizing sleep and rest, incorporating gentle and intentional movement every day, hydrating and eating a balanced diet, and making time for social connections. You get the idea.

A few months back, we published a conversation with Dr. Melissa Sonners on the HigherDOSE blog. Dr. Sonners is a wellness advocate and the author of The Connection Code, a guide to reconnecting with yourself and calming the nervous system through simple, achievable changes.

There was one piece of advice that really stood out to me, in which Dr. Sonners explains the concept of neuroplasticity, which is driven by repeated experiences:

“The more often you create a moment of safety and regulation, even for a minute or two, the more your system learns how to access it. So these tools aren’t ‘small’ in impact. They’re powerful because they meet you in real life and work with how your brain is actually wired to change.”

Oh, so you’re saying my one big quarterly nervous system regulation blow out, where I spend a day in the woods, get a massage, hit the sauna and cold plunge, then wind down with a THC cocktail and the Criterion Channel is not actually doing that much? And I should actually be prioritizing those 2 minutes of daily breathwork everyone keeps singing the praises of? Yeah, that does make sense now that I think about it.

How The HigherDOSE Team De-Stresses

Okay, now back to those brilliant, hardworking people I was talking about. In my quest to regulate my own stress, I figured what better place to start than by asking my cool, calm, and collected teammates what they do to come back to themselves when life gets crazy. I have to say, I love how everyone had a truly unique-to-them way to de-stress. Here’s what they shared:

How I’m Getting Regulated

Like I said at the start, I already incorporate a lot of the nervous system “musts” into my daily routines. You’ll never catch me rushing the stretch at the end of a workout class (I’m taking all the big sips of breath I can, and exhaling like I mean it).

But it’s clear to me that I can definitely do a better job of incorporating smaller, more intentional pauses throughout my day to truly decompress and reset my system.

I also think I could be more gentle with myself, especially when it comes to self-inflicted pressure around my hobbies. I don’t need to be number one in class every time, and the meal I prepare out of love for my friends doesn’t need to be worthy of a Michelin Star. I do need to remember that I do these things because I love them, not because anyone (other than myself) is judging my performance.

Oh, and Thila’s advice about cat snuggles? That’s a no brainer for me, and I think my two very affectionate girls, Pepper and Clam, would agree.

I’d love to hear what rituals you follow to unwind and reset during periods of high stress, especially if your nervous system regulation is still a work in progress.

Sometimes we get so caught up in the day-to-day that we forget to do the simple things we’ve always wanted to. Writing them down is a small reminder to actually make them happen.

I’ve lived in North County San Diego for two years, and somehow I’ve never once woken up early to jump in the ocean at sunrise.
This summer, that’s changing.

I actually got this idea from another Substack, and I loved it. It was such a simple reminder to be intentional about making the most of life. So I sent a message to our team on Slack (where we all seem to live these days!) and asked everyone to share 2–3 things on their summer bucket list.

We’re sharing our lists here in case they spark an idea for your own. Maybe you’ll borrow one, maybe it’ll remind you of something you’ve been meaning to do, or maybe it’s just the little push you needed—like it was for me.

Happy Adventuring
xo Anastasia
from The DOSE Team

The DOSE Team’s Travel Must-Haves

By Anastasia Jenkin
Director of Affiliate Marketing + Partnerships, HigherDOSE

One of the things I love most about working at HigherDOSE is that we don’t have an office. Our team works remotely from wherever we are. Whether that's home, a neighborhood café, or somewhere on the other side of the world.

So when the opportunity came up to represent HigherDOSE at HealfX26 in London, there wasn't much convincing needed. Anthony (our Head of Education), Jessica (our VP of Product), and I all jumped at the opportunity.

These trips are one of my favorite parts of the job. We get to meet our customers in person, hear how they’re using our products, answer their questions, and connect with other incredible brands in the wellness space.

But honestly, one of the best parts is getting to spend time together. When your team is spread across different places, you don’t get those everyday coffee chats or lunch breaks together, so we really make the most of these trips (and usually have a lot of fun along the way).

They’re definitely not holidays though. They’re packed with long days, early mornings, late dinners, and plenty of walking. By the time we get home, we’re exhausted—mostly, in the best way.
Over the years, we've all found a handful of travel essentials that help us stay energized, recover faster, and feel our best while we're on the road. Here are the products each of us never travels without.

Here are the things each of us never travels without.

Jessica’s Travel Essentials

1. Compression Socks

Above-the-knee compression socks are an absolute must if I’m flying for more than a few hours. I’ve been traveling to Asia several times a year for work for the past 15 years, and once I started wearing compression socks on flights, I noticed a huge difference in my recovery. I arrive with more energy, a better mood, and my body bounces back much faster.

2. Heart & Soil Grass-Fed Whey Protein + Kepos Powder

After decades of drinking coffee on an empty stomach, I finally made the switch to having 30 grams of protein before my morning coffee—and it completely changed how I feel. My energy is much more stable throughout the day, my mood is better, and I naturally drink far less coffee than I used to. It’s one of those habits I wish I’d started years earlier.

3. Microcurrent Body Sculptor

It’s incredibly easy to pack, and I’m always grateful I bring it. After a long flight, long days on my feet, or running between meetings, it’s my favorite way to reduce puffiness, ease tension, and help my body feel lighter again.

4. Magnesium (MagTech)

Magnesium goes everywhere with me. I travel with MagTech because it supports both sleep and brain health, helping me wind down after long days and wake up feeling recovered and ready to do it all again.

5. Electrolytes

I always pack extra electrolyte packets—not just for myself, but to share. They encourage me to drink more water, help keep my energy up throughout busy travel days, and I’ve found I sleep much better when I stay properly hydrated.

Anthony’s Travel Essentials

The Only Wellness Essentials I Actually Travel With

I’m not someone who subscribes to endless lists of travel “must-haves.”

Dozens of supplements, complicated morning routines, and biohacking protocols can make traveling feel like a full-time job—and that’s never really been my approach.

I love health and wellness, but I’m not interested in chasing every new trend or trying to optimize every second of my day. For me, wellness should make life easier, not more complicated. I simply want to feel good so I can fully enjoy where I am.

Travel is meant to expand us. It’s about exploring new places, connecting with people, trying incredible food, watching sunsets, getting lost in unfamiliar streets, and creating memories. I never want my wellness routine to become so rigid that it takes away from those experiences.

Instead, I pack light and bring only the things I know consistently make a real difference.

6. Creatine, Lysine & Zinc

My daily supplement trio. Creatine supports energy and recovery, lysine has become a staple for immune support, and zinc helps support normal immune function while navigating airports, long flights, and changing environments.

7. Red Light Face Mask + Glow Serum

Travel is surprisingly tough on your skin. Long flights, dry cabin air, changing climates, and disrupted sleep can leave my skin looking tired. Spending ten minutes with my Red Light Face Mask while I unwind in the evening has become one of my favorite rituals. Paired with Glow Serum, it helps my skin feel hydrated, refreshed, and ready for another day. Red light also supports my circadian rhythm, making it easier to adjust to a new time zone.

8. Serotonin Soak

After a long travel day, nothing beats a hot bath. Whether I’ve spent the day walking through a city or sitting on a long-haul flight, Serotonin Soak helps relax tight muscles, calm my nervous system, and make any hotel feel a little more like home.

9. EVA Birkenstocks

This one might not sound like wellness, but comfort matters. They’re lightweight, waterproof, incredibly comfortable, and somehow work everywhere—from airports and hotel rooms to spas, beaches, and even hikes. They’re probably the most-used item in my suitcase.

10. LMNT Electrolytes

Flying and hot weather can dehydrate you faster than you realize. I almost always start my morning—or my workout—with LMNT. It’s one of the simplest things I do, yet one of the biggest differences I notice in my energy, focus, and overall how I feel.

Anastasia’s Travel Essentials

11. Pvolve Booty Band Set

Movement is important every day, but especially while traveling. Getting your blood flowing is one of the best ways to reduce jet lag and shake off those long flight legs. I always pack my Pvolve resistance bands because they’re lightweight, durable, and take up almost no room in my suitcase. Pair them with a few push-ups and you’ve got a full workout anywhere in the world.

12. BodyGuardz Blue Light & Privacy Screen Protector

This is more of a life hack than a travel hack, but I installed a BodyGuardz privacy screen and blue light filter on my phone right before this trip and I’m already obsessed. Between airports, emails, Slack, and maps, I’m staring at my phone constantly while traveling. Knowing I’m reducing blue light exposure throughout the day—and adding a little privacy while working in public—is a small upgrade that makes a big difference.

13. Timeline Mitopure® Urolithin A Gummies

Healthy cells are the foundation of healthy muscles, energy, and longevity. Timeline’s Mitopure gummies support mitochondrial health and cellular renewal, making them one of my favorite daily supplements—especially when I’m traveling and asking a little more of my body.

14. Kleos + Klea IÓ Essential Minerals Mist

Cabin air is incredibly dehydrating, and my skin definitely feels it. This mineral mist never leaves my carry-on. I spray it throughout the flight and anytime my skin needs a little refresh. It’s such a simple ritual that makes a noticeable difference.

15. Bare Bones Bone Broth Packets

These are one of my favorite travel discoveries. They come in convenient single-serve packets—just add hot water and you’ve got a warm, protein-rich drink. I love having one on the plane or first thing in the morning while traveling. It’s an easy way to get extra protein in while supporting gut health after long travel days.

We’d love to hear what some of your go-to travel hacks are!

Leave a comment

Let’s start simple. What is the Light-Activated Scalp Serum?

It’s a lightweight, leave-in scalp serum that pairs copper peptide GHK-Cu with red light–responsive botanicals to support a healthier scalp and fuller, thicker-looking hair over time. Think of it as face-grade actives applied with skincare-level intention, but to your scalp.

You started developing this over three years ago, at the same time as the Red Light Hat. Why did it take so long to launch?

Because we killed the first version. We had an earlier formula that we ran through consumer testing, and on paper it was working. Hair growth was happening. But in practice, in real-life hair routines, it was a problem. It made hair greasy, weighed it down, and disrupted people’s routines in ways that made consistent use feel like a burden.

At HigherDOSE, we’ve always believed transformation comes from rituals you can actually stick to. So we made the call not to launch it. We went back to the formulation table, kept the powerhouse ingredients we believed in most (Copper Peptide GHK-Cu, apple stem cells, bamboo stem cells) and rebuilt the formula to be super lightweight, ultra-hydrating, and easy to use any day: wash days, non-wash days, without weighing hair down or feeling greasy.

Why is scalp health the starting point for hair growth?

We spend so much time caring for the skin on our face while almost completely neglecting the scalp, until something physical (itchy, dry, flaky) or visible (shedding, thinning, a widening part) prompts us to search for answers. But healthy hair begins with the scalp. Think of it like soil in a garden: when the environment is balanced and nourished, everything growing from it thrives.

GHK-Cu is the hero ingredient. What makes the copper peptide in this formula different from others out there?

Many formulas rely on diluted copper peptide blends. We use authentic Copper Tripeptide-1 (GHK-Cu) in its pure raw material form. It’s an exceptionally premium ingredient, with a raw material cost of approximately $39,000 per kilogram.

It’s been a hero ingredient throughout the HigherDOSE line for years because it’s one of our favorite light-responsive actives, helping skin and scalp cells better utilize light energy while supporting repair, renewal, and overall vitality. For the scalp specifically, GHK-Cu is clinically studied for supporting follicle signaling, circulation, and scalp health, which helps create the optimal environment for fuller, thicker-looking hair over time.

What does “light-activated” actually mean? How does the serum work with red light therapy?

This formula was designed to work with red light, not just alongside it. We intentionally selected light-responsive ingredients like GHK-Cu and green tea because they’re known to support many of the same cellular pathways activated by red light therapy. Red light provides the stimulus, and these ingredients help the scalp receive and respond to that signal more efficiently, amplifying the benefits of every session.

That synergy was always the vision: a formula powerful enough to stand on its own, but specifically designed to work in partnership with the Red Light Hat.

This launch also became personal for you. Can you share your hair journey?

Over the past year, I’ve been dealing with anemia (a whole journey in itself). My ferritin dropped to 5, my hemoglobin to 9. My doctor looked at my bloodwork and said, “I’m shocked your hair isn’t falling out in clumps.” But I was losing hair, and feeling real anxiety about it: on my pillow, in the shower, on my brush, all over the floor. My boyfriend joked that he was constantly covered in my hair, which started cute and became alarming.

Anemia means my cells were completely oxygen-deprived from the inside out. My scalp was deprived too, and that resulted in a lot more hair falling out. I participate in all our consumer test groups, but this time I was deeply motivated. I’d always taken my thick hair for granted. Now I had firsthand experience with the anxiety that thinning hair causes, something we’d been hearing from our community since we first started expanding into hair and scalp.

What did your routine look like, and what are you seeing now?

First, I started replenishing my iron through IV therapy, because nothing was going to work until that was addressed. Alongside that, I used the Light-Activated Scalp Serum and the Scalp Derma Stamp consistently with the Accupressure Brush, and continued my daily Red Light Hat sessions.

I’m already seeing changes: baby hairs at my temples, less shedding, fuller-looking growth along my center part. I still have a few more iron IVs to go, but I’m seeing results, and I’m excited to keep going once I’m operating without a deficiency. I genuinely believe that years of consistent red light use buffered some of the hair loss I might have experienced.

Any chance you’ve taken before and after photos of your results?

I did take “before” pictures, and I’m looking forward to sharing my “after” once I’ve been following this routine for a full six months. My body is definitely still catching up from the iron loss I was experiencing. Now that I’m treating that, I’m losing less hair, and the Hat and the Serum are helping me regain what I lost. As anyone who has dealt with hair loss knows, regrowth is a slow process, but I’m seeing tangible results since committing to this ritual.

What do you want people to take away from this launch?

We don’t have to wait for a 911 situation to start taking care of our scalp, but that’s often what motivates us. I wasn’t thinking about my scalp health until I needed to, and now I’ll keep caring for it moving forward. We don’t need a 10-step routine every day, but small changes and a few powerful tools in rotation (the Red Light Hat, the Light-Activated Scalp Serum, derma stamping) can really support hair longevity.

Hair thinning and shedding aren’t just cosmetic concerns. They impact confidence, identity, and emotional well-being in real ways. That’s why we waited until the formula felt exceptional, the ritual felt sustainable, and the experience was luxurious enough that people would genuinely want to show up for it every day. That’s where real transformation lives.

After we moved to Cape Town, something in me settled. David and I decided we were ready to try again. And then, a positive test. We told the kids. We let ourselves get excited.

Near the three-month mark, while we were traveling in Portugal, I had a miscarriage.

This episode covers a lot I’ve never talked about publicly. The feeling I had early on that something wasn’t right. Going through the loss far from home. The weeks after, which were more physical and more drawn out than anyone tells you. And what helped me find my footing again: acupuncture, Chinese herbs, ritual, and letting go of the idea that I could control any of this.

That was the real lesson of this chapter. I spent so long trying to optimize my way to a baby, and my body didn’t need another protocol. It needed rest.

So many women carry this experience silently. That’s why I’m sharing mine.

If the first chapter of this journey was about asking questions, this one was about getting some answers I didn’t love.

My body was waving red flags I kept ignoring. A stress rash. A cough that wouldn’t quit. My blood glucose crashing in the middle of the night. I was running on empty and calling it normal, and at home I’d slipped into full drill sergeant mode without even noticing while treating my marriage like a business meeting. Not exactly the fertile ground I was going for.

Everyone talks about fertility prep like it’s a checklist. Take the supplements, eat the right things, track your numbers. I did change a lot of that, and I get into the specifics in this episode. But the piece I kept underestimating was stress. Actually dealing with it meant acupuncture, hypnotherapy, hard conversations with David about how we were showing up for each other, and eventually a much bigger decision about where and how we wanted to live.

Some of the practitioners I worked with during this chapter genuinely changed things for me, and I’ll be bringing a few of them here to share their wisdom with you directly. More on that soon.

Watch the full episode below. And if your body has been sending you signals you’ve been too busy to hear, consider this your nudge to listen.

A year and a half ago, I started asking questions about my body that, honestly, I should have been asking a decade earlier. I’ve built my whole career in wellness — and I still had blind spots when it came to my own hormones, my stress, my fertility.

This is what happened when I finally slowed down and paid attention. It’s personal. Some of it was hard to film. But every time I’ve talked about this with other women, the response has been the same: no one told me any of this either.

So we’re telling it. All of it.

Today’s video is where it starts — the early days, when I didn’t have answers yet, just questions. From here, we’ll go deeper: more of my story as it unfolds, conversations with the experts who helped me along the way, and the tools and rituals that actually made a difference.

If you’re in this chapter of your life, or you can see it coming, I hope this space meets you where you are

.

Watch the first video below, and tell me in the comments: what do you wish someone had told you sooner?

Watch the first episode of this series here.

If you’ve found your way here, you already know: feeling good isn’t an accident. It’s a practice. HigherDOSE has always been about more than what we make. It’s about what we know, what we’re still figuring out, and telling you the truth about both.

That’s what The Higher Life is for. Wellness is a noisy world, and our job has always been to cut through it. We try things first, ask what actually works, and report back. So think of this as less a newsletter, more a conversation: the science we’re obsessing over, the rituals we’re living by, and the stories from this community that remind us why we do what we do. We’re all searching for balance in an unbalanced world. This is where we look for it together.

To kick things off, our co-founder Lauren is sharing something she’s never shared publicly: her fertility and pregnancy journey. It’s a story about learning to trust your own intuition again, and it’s one a lot of you have lived some version of. That’s why we wanted to start here.

Not everything will be this personal. Some weeks will go deep, some will be lighter. But it felt like the right way to open, because it’s the truest version of what this space is meant to be.

If any of it resonates, we’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Warmly,

The HigherDOSE Team