Get Well With Matt Hassett

‍Meet The Founder

What are your daily wellness non-negotiables?

• Stick to a routine -  In the morning I wake up to a gentle alarm on the Loftie Clock that’s also connected to a gradual sunrise on my Loftie lamp. It really helps me ease into the morning. In the evenings, I turn on the red light mode on my lamp to help my body and mind wind down.  
• Walk my dog - Walking my dog helps me clear my mind and get the blood flowing. In New York, walking your dog is also social fitness. No one knows my name, but everyone knows Emma’s. 
• Do breathwork or meditation on my walk to work. I listen to my friend Kathleen Kulikowski who creates a lot of Loftie’s breathwork content. She’s also my all time favorite Soulcycle instructor, though she now lives in Tunisia so I have to go to other instructors these days. If it’s a Taylor Swift theme ride, you’ll probably find me there.  

As the founder of Loftie, how do you prioritize work-life balance, and what practices do you personally incorporate for a healthy and restful lifestyle?

I focus on creating morning and evening routines and sticking to them. Just a few years ago I ended up in the hospital due to lack of sleep, too much caffeine, and constantly being glued to my phone (ironic, I know). After that experience, I am newly closer to one of the company’s core values of using technology as a tool, not a destination. That means removing my phone from the bedroom at night and snoozing my Slack notifications at least two hours before bed. I’ve also started to use the red light feature on our Loftie Lamp to wind down in the evenings.. 

‍Loftie emphasizes creating a healthy bedtime routine. Can you share your personal bedtime routine and how Loftie fits into it?

My evening routine starts with removing my phone from the bedroom at least two hours prior to going to bed. I use the “Bed Signal” alarm on my Loftie Clock and Lamps, which is set about an hour before I plan on going to sleep. It’s a reminder to get in bed, read, and call it a night. You can find more sleep routine tips on our blog here.

‍Where did your journey in the wellness space begin? How did you know you wanted to focus on sleep? 

It was 2017 and I was an Entrepreneur in Residence at the design firm IDEO.  

We were brainstorming ways for people to earn “quiet coin” for changing their habits: turning off their phone’s Wifi for a period of time, as one example. It eventually morphed into improving people’s sleep habits - the foundation of health - and to do that by first removing the phone from the bedroom. 

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Loftie and The Wellness Industry

Loftie is positioned as a device to help people disconnect. In our hyper-connected world, how did you come up with the idea of creating a product that promotes better sleep and a healthier relationship with technology? 

I noticed the smartphone addiction that was happening and I wanted to create a product that helped people change their relationship with technology. I founded Loftie with the mission of helping people rest, relax and recharge by using technology as a tool, not a destination. 

The sleep-tech industry is evolving rapidly. How does Loftie stand out from other products, and what unique features do you believe set it apart?

We’re known for our sleek and minimalist design, but we also have more free content - bedtime stories, meditations, sound baths, affirmations and more - than any other competing brand. We also built a membership product called Loftie+ that allows you to create personalized content - primarily stories - using details such as your kids’ names or your favorite vacation spots. We use AI to create the stories and they’re delivered to your clock and app within minutes. It’s truly magic to see someone’s face light up when they hear themselves as the hero of their own bedtime story. 

How do you see Loftie evolving in the future? Are there any exciting developments or new features on the horizon? 

We have some very exciting launches happening later this year as well as several new features. We just rolled out new alarm tones which we created in partnership with Tommy Davidson, the guitarist from the band the Beach Fossils. We also launched a Red Mode on the clock for Loftie+ subscribers so it’s more “night friendly.” 

What’s the most gratifying feedback someone has given you about Loftie?

When we launched Loftie+, we weren’t sure how it would be received. We thought the technology was pretty amazing, but weren’t sure what customers would think. I received multiple emails and reviews from customers saying that they created custom stories for their kids and their kids’ faces lit up in pure awe. That was pretty gratifying.   

How do you envision Loftie contributing to the broader conversation around wellness, mindfulness, and mental health, especially in a tech-dominated era?

The digital health and wellness space will only continue to grow. People are looking for better ways to manage their relationship to technology in order to improve their health and wellness. At Loftie, we strongly believe that sleep is the foundation of all health and if you learn how to optimize your sleep routine, you’re setting yourself up for success. 

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