What happens when a high-performing athlete is sidelined by anxiety—and can’t find a solution that works fast enough?
He builds one.
That’s the story behind VeRelief, a sleek, pocket-sized vagus nerve stimulator developed by Dr. Nick Hool, a former competitive golfer turned biomedical engineer. After watching his dreams of playing college golf unravel due to performance anxiety, Nick ditched the pills and breathwork and went deep into the science. The result? A first-of-its-kind device that delivers real, fast, and lasting relief from stress and anxiety—no pills, no prep, no fluff.
Let’s break down how it works, why it’s different, and what makes it more effective than every breathwork hack, cold plunge, or wellness gadget you’ve ever tried.
Why VeRelief Exists
Nick’s mission is simple: help high-functioning, high-stress people calm down instantly without drugs or downtime.
When panic struck on the golf course, meditation wasn’t an option. Neither was a 30-minute breathwork session. And benzodiazepines? Sure, they worked—but they also killed his focus, dulled his energy, and triggered long-term side effect warnings that no ambitious person wants to mess with.
So, he went to school. Literally. Got a degree in biomedical engineering and spent years testing non-drug technologies that could flip the nervous system from fight-or-flight into calm mode.
That’s when he discovered the vagus nerve.
Why the Vagus Nerve Is the Shortcut to Calm
Nick found the research: stimulating the vagus nerve—especially the auricular branch near the ear—causes heart rate, muscle tension, and even blood pressure to drop in as little as 15 seconds.
But every consumer product at the time had problems: wires, gel pastes, clunky setups, app syncing. No shot you’d ever carry one of those onto a golf course, into a boardroom, or on a flight. They were basically stay-at-home science projects.
So Nick built VeRelief.
What Makes VeRelief Different
1. Instant-On. Instant Relief.
Take the cap off, and it turns on. That’s it. No Bluetooth, no app, no waiting.
2. No Goop, No Wires.
It uses proprietary gel tips that stay inside the device—no messy paste or skin cleanup.
3. Electrical Stimulation That Actually Works
This isn’t a vibration or some woo-woo light therapy. It’s direct neuromodulation via electricity. You feel it light up your vagus nerve in seconds, and within 2–3 minutes, you’re back in control.
4. Always On You
It’s about the size of a car key fob. Fits in your pocket. Use it mid-flight, post-presentation, or between meetings.
More Effective Than Benzos. Easier Than Breathwork. Longer Lasting Than Coffee.
According to Nick, VeRelief has two superpowers:
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Fast relief from acute stress (panic, anxiety, burnout).
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Long-term nervous system strengthening, like working out your stress response muscle.
“Your vagus nerve is a muscle. The more you stimulate it, the more resilient you become. But who wants to cold plunge every day for the rest of their life?”
With VeRelief, you don’t need to meditate for 30 minutes or master slow-breath techniques. You just turn it on and hold it below your ear. In his words: “It does all the work for you.”
Proven in High-Stress Fields
After validating the handheld device in the lab and with early adopters, Nick and his team built a hands-free headphone version. Same stimulation, just integrated into a premium noise-canceling headset—perfect for deep relaxation, meditation, or office use.
They ran a pilot with over 1,300 firefighters and police officers. The results?
🔥 94% said they felt more relaxed after one 10-minute session.
That level of effectiveness beats out meditation, breathwork, or any natural stress relief tool—especially when people are too fried to focus or “try harder to relax.”
Two Tools. Two Use Cases. Same Mission.
| Product | Use Case | What Makes It Great |
|---|---|---|
| VeRelief (Handheld) | On-the-go, panic, performance anxiety | Fits in your pocket, calms you in 3 minutes |
| Hoolest Pro (Headphones) | Deep relaxation, office calm, home use | Stimulates both sides of the vagus nerve, noise-canceling, stackable with music or meditation |
General Wellness Classification = Freedom to Evolve
Hoolest’s VeRelief devices are officially classified as general wellness devices by the FDA. That means no treatment claims—but also no regulatory handcuffs. Unlike medical devices, Hoolest can keep innovating quickly without red tape.
“Medical devices are frozen in time. We’re shipping our third-gen product and working on the fourth.”
The Bigger Picture: Training Your Nervous System for Life
Just like working out builds physical strength, stimulating the vagus nerve builds mental resilience. Use it consistently, and your baseline stress tolerance improves.
But the key is consistency.
“People drop off breathwork and meditation because it takes time and effort. VeRelief makes resilience effortless. That’s the whole point.”
Final Thoughts
VeRelief isn’t a luxury—it’s a tool for people who live with pressure and need something that actually works. Whether you’re a CEO, athlete, first responder, or just someone battling burnout, this device delivers real calm in a real timeframe.
No pills. No prep. Just peace, on demand.
Ready to train your nervous system without slowing down your life?
👉 Check out VeRelief and Hoolest Pro at Hoolest.com
💡 Pre-orders for the Pro headphones are live now. Shipping starts soon.
Effortless calm. Resilient performance.
That’s the Hoolest way.