There’s a quiet kind of exhaustion that builds over time—the kind that doesn’t announce itself with alarm bells, but with small withdrawals. Focus blurs. Sleep gets lighter. The rituals meant to energize—coffee in the morning, a drink at night—begin to feel like they’re taking more than they give.

Most people press on, assuming this is just part of life. It’s only when something breaks that the invitation to change becomes loud enough to hear. For Anu, it was thyroid cancer, adrenal burnout, and a mental breakdown that disrupted her fast-paced marketing career and reshaped how she thought about health. That deeply personal reckoning ultimately led her to co-found Nous and Soma, a wellness beverage startup aiming to offer a nourishing alternative to coffee. The brand launched in March 2025 and is still in its earliest stages, with product refinements and go-to-market strategies in active development. But what makes Anu’s story compelling now is her clear-eyed decision to pause, adjust, and question the standard growth path—opting not to scale too quickly, but to get it right.

“We’ve realized we need to lift every screw and really think about what’s working.”

Nous and Soma’s core product is a functional beverage made with prebiotic fibers and herbs like chicory root and dandelion—ingredients chosen for their links to gut health, adrenal recovery, and hormonal regulation. “It was never just about a coffee alternative,” Anu said. “It’s about offering a joyful, easy, ritualistic way to nourish the body from within.” The brand offers two variations: a completely caffeine-free version and a low-caf blend that includes premium coffee, intentionally avoiding the common instant-and-mushroom mix seen elsewhere in the category.

Despite early praise for taste and packaging, Anu and her co-founder quickly encountered a larger challenge: behavior change. “We underestimated how deeply coffee is embedded in people’s lives,” she admitted. While many consumers express interest in health, switching habits proved difficult. The team spent its first three months not just testing product-market fit but also revisiting its assumptions about who the ideal customer is. From ADHD to anxiety to gut issues, several distinct profiles emerged—but reaching them cost-effectively was another matter. “With our budget, we couldn’t go head-to-head with the mushroom coffees and matcha brands on Meta,” she said. “So we had to rethink.”

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Direct-to-consumer isn’t off the table—but it’s not the only path forward.

Rather than over-index on paid ads, Nous and Soma is now testing B2B partnerships: yoga studios, gyms, wellness cafés, and even office buildings. “Offices want to offer healthier choices to staff—many are already stocking matcha or greens powders,” Anu said. These controlled environments could help drive the kind of habitual usage the brand needs to succeed. But pivoting the distribution model also forced a reevaluation of packaging, unit economics, and pricing. The team introduced a low-cost trial pack to ease the initial commitment and is working on adjustments to better suit wholesale buyers.

Though still early, Anu believes their decision to slow down—rather than push forward blindly—will pay off. “We’ve caught ourselves at a crucial point,” she said. “It’s not that the product isn’t working. It’s that we’re refining where it fits best.” She’s also exploring new formats and product extensions, including hydration and nootropic blends, though only if they meet her strict standards for clean ingredients and functional impact.

What stands out now is her ability to detach from ego and marketing muscle memory. “I come from big brands. I’ve seen what happens when you just throw money at growth,” she said. “But if you don’t have that spend, you have to think harder—and often, smarter.” Rather than forcing scale too soon, she’s focused on testing deliberately, adapting quickly, and staying close to the real needs of her evolving customer base.

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