Women In Wellness: Anna Barnacka Of MindMics On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing
An Interview With Wanda Malhotra
Empower and delegate. Cultivate a team capable of bearing responsibilities, driving business development, and lightening your load. This approach not only facilitates your growth as a leader but also allows you to concentrate on strategic areas of choice.
Today, more than ever, wellness is at the forefront of societal discussions. From mental health to physical well-being, women are making significant strides in bringing about change, introducing innovative solutions, and setting new standards. Despite facing unique challenges, they break barriers, inspire communities, and are reshaping the very definition of health and wellness. In this series called women in wellness we are talking to women doctors, nurses, nutritionists, therapists, fitness trainers, researchers, health experts, coaches, and other wellness professionals to share their stories and insights. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Anna Barnacka.
Dr. Anna Barnacka is the CEO and founder of MindMics, the actionable health monitoring company. MindMics has invented a breakthrough in precision monitoring to capture unique human audiome health data through inear headphones. Anna finished her NASA Einstein Fellowship at Harvard in 2018 and has a track of leading diverse and pioneering teams that solve intractable problems by working at the leading edge of signal processing, data analysis, numerical modeling, software development, and infrastructures and instrumentations. Anna has a dozen patents to her name related to in-ear infrasonic hymodynography. In addition to her breakthrough innovations, she has co-authored more than 90 peer-reviewed scientific publications on astroparticle physics, black holes, and, in particular, the phenomena of gravitational lensing. She pioneered techniques for turning gravitational lenses into highresolution telescopes. In her free time, she enjoys martial arts, in particular traditional karate in which she is a black belt, and her role as Chief Scientific Officer of the Multiverse Concert Series, where she acts as Science Director of Black Hole Symphony.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?
For years, I dedicated myself to earning the NASA Einstein Fellowship at Harvard, a pinnacle of recognition in the astrophysics field known for its rigor and prestige. When I was informed in 2015 that I had been awarded the fellowship, my joy was boundless. However, as the initial euphoria faded, I recognized I was grappling with deep-seated fatigue. The fellowship represented an extraordinary chance to engage with some of the most sophisticated research on the planet, yet it dawned on me that pursuing this dream would come at a significant cost to my physical health, given the lack of means to monitor and manage the stress it entailed.
This realization set me on a new path: to invent a technology capable of monitoring health accurately and working like a dashboard to guide me and others toward better health. I set out to discover a new way of monitoring health that would be as easy as listening to music and as accurate as a medical device. By analyzing low-frequency acoustical vibrations detected in the ear canal, I was able to capture subtle sound deviations that together created a precise picture of my health. And, with that discovery, I redirected my professional journey from the cosmos to the intricacies of human health, and from this pivot, MindMics was conceived.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?
In early January 2021, we were on the cusp of utilizing the MindMics device to collect crucial data from a Scripps patient with aortic stenosis. After a year of relentless preparation, involving teams 3,000 miles apart working through a pandemic, we meticulously ensured that everything from device development to staff training was in place. The anticipation was high.
MindMics aimed to prove that our earbuds could gather data as effectively as the traditional, more invasive catheter. However, just two days before our study was to commence with the first patient, we hit a snag: lab equipment had been unexpectedly changed over the weekend, throwing a wrench into our plans. This called for quick, creative thinking. Our team, comprising both scientists and engineers, rapidly regrouped to devise a workaround. Despite the curveball, we managed to equip the patient with MindMics earbuds, conducting data collection in tandem with the catheter inserted in their aorta. Miraculously, MindMics delivered on its promise.
The success was palpable, even from 3,000 miles away, as we watched the patient’s heartbeats flow onto our screens. At that moment, we all realized we had invented a technology capable of transforming health monitoring and one-day saving lives on a significant scale.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about a mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
In the initial stages of my journey to monitor health by listening to low-frequency sounds emanating from the ear, my hypothesis was centered on the brain, owing to its proximity to the ear canal. I was driven by the ambition to optimize brain performance through auditory feedback, dreaming of a life where minimal work hours could lead to groundbreaking discoveries and ample leisure time. However, the reality unfolded differently from my expectations. The first signals we captured were not of the brain’s activity but of the distinct and detailed heartbeat sounds, including the aortic valve’s operations — insights typically reserved for advanced and invasive medical procedures.
This unexpected revelation steered my focus from neuroscience to cardiology, inviting collaboration with leading cardiologists to decode the meanings behind these heartbeats and their implications for heart health. This pivot not only reshaped my project’s direction but also clarified its purpose. Recognizing that cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of mortality worldwide, my goal became to lay the groundwork for technology that could dethrone these ailments from their lethal supremacy.
Although my initial dream of a four-hour workday remains unfulfilled, replaced instead by workdays four times as long, the potential impact of our technology sustains my commitment. The knowledge that we could be building the foundation for a future where cardiovascular disease is no longer the predominant killer is motivation enough to dedicate every waking hour to this cause. This journey has taught me that sometimes our initial hypotheses lead us down unexpected paths, but these detours can reveal opportunities far greater than our original aspirations.
Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?
Picture a world where heart failure no longer reigns as the primary cause of death worldwide, much like the transformative impact glucose monitoring has had on diabetes.
Envision a method to gain insight into the intricate connection between your mind and body, allowing you to enhance your response to daily challenges such as work, stress, sleep, and recreation, ultimately leading to better overall well-being.
Now, imagine achieving this effortlessly by simply putting on everyday earbuds. These innovative devices not only serve as a conduit for music but also meticulously capture and analyze your heartbeats. Through this groundbreaking system, you receive an unparalleled understanding of your well-being, improving performance, and feeling better.
MindMics stands at the forefront of innovation as the premier provider of infrasonic hemodynography (IH) sound-based technology®. This cutting-edge capability seamlessly integrates into earbud design. Embedded within MindMic’s exclusive limited edition earbuds lies a revolutionary heart health monitor. This groundbreaking technology delves into the deepest realms of heart biodata, offering personalized and actionable insights. It empowers users to effectively manage stress, enhance health, and optimize daily performance.
Unlike conventional wearables reliant on PPG light technology, MindMics utilizes clinically proven methods to capture every nuance of data continuously and accurately using sound waves.
With MindMics, what once seemed like mere imagination becomes your tangible reality.
Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better well-being?
MindMics Health Dashboard: Imagine driving without a dashboard; it’s practically navigating blind in a world that demands speed and efficiency, particularly when it comes to health. Our lives, often cluttered with stress and the potential for burnout, lack a clear indicator of how daily interactions and environments impact our well-being. MindMics addresses this gap through a revolutionary approach that harnesses science to offer real-time insights into our body’s “autopilot” system — the autonomic nervous system — by monitoring the heart’s nuanced signals.
Our creation, the MindMics Dashboard, has been instrumental in my personal exploration of tranquility versus tension. The simple act of wearing earbuds has unveiled real-time responses to different stimuli, such as the varying effects of voices, music, and even leisure activities like watching Netflix, on my state of calm or stress. As a scientist, I was skeptical of the mind-body connection, considering it more abstract than empirical. Yet, witnessing firsthand how swiftly a thought could elevate my heart rate by up to 20 BPM was a revelation. This discovery made it evident: the detrimental impact of negative thinking on my physiological state was undeniable and led to a firm resolution against harboring negative thoughts.
Equipped with MindMics Infrasonic Earbuds and our dedicated app, I now possess a powerful tool for making informed decisions about my surroundings and actions, enabling a proactive approach to enhancing my well-being. This technology doesn’t just inform; it empowers users to discern and choose what truly benefits them, transforming the concept of health monitoring into a tangible, everyday practice for optimal living.
Breathwork: We’ve all encountered or experimented with some form of breathwork and meditation at least once. Despite my efforts in practicing meditation and experimenting with various biofeedback devices, I was often left questioning whether I was genuinely meditating or merely dozing off. My understanding of meditation’s impact transformed entirely when I observed how my heart rhythms were influenced by my breathing patterns. Coming from an astrophysics background with minimal health knowledge, I had assumed a healthy heart rhythm would be as consistent as a metronome. You can imagine my alarm when my first analysis of my heart rhythms revealed not the expected uniformity but a sinusoidal pattern. A swift search enlightened me that this mysterious sinusoidal fluctuation in the timing between heartbeats is actually indicative of a healthy heart.
This discovery was eye-opening, illuminating the efficacy of meditation and breathwork in modulating our heart rate through controlled breathing — each inhale, rich in oxygen, accelerates the heart rate, while each exhale, expelling CO2, decelerates it. Witnessing these changes in real time not only deepened my appreciation for these practices but also motivated me to incorporate them more regularly into my routine.
Leveraging this experience and MindMics’ ability to detect subtle variations in heartbeats, we enhanced our app with features that guide users through various breathing exercises. These updates offer immediate feedback on the heart’s response, providing valuable metrics on the journey towards stress mastery and improved well-being. This integration transforms meditation from a nebulous concept into a tangible tool for health, demonstrating in real-time the profound connection between breath, heart, and mind.
Yoga Nidra: My encounter with Yoga Nidra happened right after a red-eye flight from Boston to Europe. With a crucial meeting with a potential partner looming just a few hours away, where I needed to be at my best and showcase our technology, I was pressed to find a way to swiftly recuperate. Inspired by several of Dr. Andrew Huberman’s podcasts discussing the benefits of Yoga Nidra protocols for Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR), I decided to give it a try. Equipped with my MindMics Infrasonic Earbuds and our app’s dashboard activated, I embarked on this guided meditation journey.
To my astonishment, in less than twenty minutes, not only had my heart rate decreased, but my heart rate variability (HRV) — the statistical measure of the variations in intervals between heartbeats, where a higher value signifies better cardiovascular flexibility and resilience — had significantly improved. This quick session ushered me into a profound state of Rest & Digest, deeper than what I usually achieve through sleep. The 30-minute experience left me rejuvenated, helping me stave off jetlag for the duration of my trip. Since then, Yoga Nidra has become my go-to strategy for rapid recovery during my frequent business travels and whenever I need to counteract the body’s fight-or-flight response.
Leveraging the insights from our technology, I’ve learned that Yoga Nidra is my optimal pathway to recovery. This practice, underpinned by the real-time data from MindMics, has taught me the importance of knowing how to swiftly return to a state of equilibrium, proving that understanding and utilizing our body’s responses can significantly enhance our well-being.
Martial Arts: I’ve been a dedicated practitioner of traditional karate for several years, finding it to be a profound method for harmonizing the mind and body — which thanks to our system, I have evidence that is real. Naturally, I’ve incorporated biofeedback into my practice to discern which techniques most effectively calm an accelerated heartbeat after a series of exercises and optimize the body’s energy utilization. Interestingly, though by now unsurprisingly, applying the insights gained from breathwork — specifically, how to moderate my breathing rate and align it with my movements — emerged as the pivotal factor in elevating my performance to a new level. This fusion of martial arts and controlled breathing has unlocked a higher echelon of synchrony and efficiency in my practice, underscoring the intricate connection between breath control and physical prowess.
Sleep: Sleep is undeniably crucial, and while countless remarkable books and articles have been written on the subject, it’s challenging to offer anything novel. However, I’d like to share my own experience. I couldn’t resist the temptation to sleep with the MindMics Infrasonic Earbuds, and the insights gained were indeed enlightening! Observing how heart rate variability oscillated throughout the night was captivating. Notably, I discovered that my most restorative sleep correlated directly with nights when this metric peaked. Yet, this is merely the start of our exploration into the realm of sleep!
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?
I’d launch a “Heart Health Mindfulness” initiative, combining scientifically-supported practices such as breathwork and accurate health monitoring with cardiovascular health approaches to foster resilience, agility, and overall well-being widely.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
Emphasizing physical and mental resilience is crucial — undeniably, founding a company is a formidable challenge. It demands every ounce of your time and energy. The temptation to burn the midnight oil in hopes of accomplishing more can be strong, but it’s essential to remember that there’s always a tomorrow. Starting each day refreshed is key to motivating your team. Fatigue slows you down and impairs your decision-making abilities. As a leader, your team members look to you for inspiration and, in the absence of external validation, for confirmation of the company’s trajectory.
During the pandemic’s onset, to maintain our hardware development while ensuring everyone’s safety, we relocated our team and gear into my single-bedroom apartment. My living room transformed into a soldering and assembly area, while the dining table doubled as our communal office space, complete with a calibration station. Privacy became a luxury I couldn’t afford, especially after investor meetings that often ended in rejection — a common theme as investors tightened their belts, posing significant risks to many startups, MindMics included.
The stress of building a company tests your limits, yet it’s your responsibility to keep the team-spirited and make sound decisions. Ultimately, our success was a testament to years of resilience fostered through martial arts, meditation, and the invaluable insights provided by MindMics, which enhanced my understanding of stress’s physiological impacts and how to effectively manage them.
Carve out time for reflection — As a founder and CEO, it’s imperative to dedicate moments for contemplation, allowing your mind the freedom to explore and envision the transformative impact your solution could bring to the world. This vision fosters a collective drive, inspiring you and your team to approach each day with optimism and a shared commitment to your mission. Equally important is allocating time to strategize, anticipating potential setbacks, and devising comprehensive plans from A to Z. While startups inherently face unexpected challenges, thorough planning can mitigate the sting of obstacles, making them more manageable.
Embracing the possibility of what could go wrong not only dispels fear but, as highlighted in the research by Dr. Huberman on “The Science of Setting & Achieving Goals,” it serves as a potent motivational tool. This concept echoes the mindset of samurais who, outside of training, would contemplate various scenarios of their demise. Such reflections weren’t morbid but a means to conquer the fear of death, sharpening their focus and preventing fatal errors in battle. Similarly, facing our fears through thoughtful planning can liberate us from apprehension, enhancing our decision-making and resilience in the entrepreneurial journey.
READ, read, and read. Devote time to reading — extensively. “The Hard Thing About Hard Things” by Ben Horowitz stands out as an essential read. After establishing a successful career in astrophysics, I sought insights into the most formidable challenges one could tackle. Surprisingly, the consensus wasn’t about becoming an astronaut — though that remains a contemplation. Instead, the recurrent advice was to embark on the entrepreneurial journey. This piqued my curiosity to the extent of searching “How to become an entrepreneur” online, leading me to discover a course precisely on this topic at the Harvard Innovation Lab. Conveniently, while working at the Harvard Observatory, all it took was a thirty-minute walk across the Charles River to embark on what was touted as the ultimate challenge — becoming an entrepreneur.
The course proved invaluable, bridging my understanding of value creation in academia versus entrepreneurship. In the entrepreneurial world, an idea’s success is contingent upon its timely and strategic value proposition, contrasting with academia’s sometimes ahead-of-its-time innovations that garner recognition posthumously. This insight led me to adopt “Create Value” as MindMics’ founding principle. Yet, this was merely the prelude.
As a scientist inclined towards thorough research, I delved into every relevant book on company building, fundraising, pitching, and finance. While these resources were informative, particularly in understanding the lexicon of business, they barely scratched the surface of the forthcoming tumult — nights fraught with funding anxieties and the challenges of managing underperforming team members. It was in Horowitz’s candid account that I found a breath of fresh air, a book that vividly paints the struggles and exhilarations of the entrepreneurial ride.
Hire. Secure a solid administrative foundation promptly by bringing on an assistant and an HR leader. Handling everything solo is a common pitfall; instead, focus on creating a network of trust across your team, advisors, and board members. Prioritize hiring individuals with start-up experience to navigate the complexities of a burgeoning business effectively. This isn’t about forming a casual group — it’s about establishing a robust organization poised for growth.
Empower and delegate. Cultivate a team capable of bearing responsibilities, driving business development, and lightening your load. This approach not only facilitates your growth as a leader but also allows you to concentrate on strategic areas of choice.
Sustainability, veganism, mental health, and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
Among the significant causes you’ve mentioned — sustainability, veganism, mental health, and environmental changes — mental health is the one that I hold closest to my heart.
The importance of mental health cannot be overstated, given its profound effect on individuals, families, and communities across the globe. This issue is often shrouded in stigma and misunderstanding, impacting every facet of life, from personal well-being to the broader societal fabric.
I am deeply committed to elevating mental health as a priority, believing it to be fundamental to fostering a healthier, more empathetic world. By enhancing awareness, increasing understanding, and dismantling the stigmas surrounding mental health issues, we can cultivate a supportive environment where people are encouraged and empowered to seek the assistance they need.
Tackling mental health challenges can set off a cascade of positive outcomes, enriching other areas such as workplace productivity, personal relationships, and overall life satisfaction. It intersects with myriad dimensions of human life, including healthcare, education, social justice, and organizational culture.
Through concerted efforts in education, advocacy, and community engagement, we aspire to create a future where access to mental health resources and support is universally available, allowing everyone the opportunity to flourish mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
What is the best way for our readers to further follow your work online?
They can follow the MindMics website: https://www.mindmics.com/, my LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-anna-barnacka-ba35a877/ and MindMics’ one: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mindmics/
Thank you for these fantastic insights! We wish you continued success and good health.
About the Interviewer: Wanda Malhotra is a wellness entrepreneur, lifestyle journalist, and the CEO of Crunchy Mama Box, a mission-driven platform promoting conscious living. CMB empowers individuals with educational resources and vetted products to help them make informed choices. Passionate about social causes like environmental preservation and animal welfare, Wanda writes about clean beauty, wellness, nutrition, social impact and sustainability, simplifying wellness with curated resources. Join Wanda and the Crunchy Mama Box community in embracing a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle at CrunchyMamaBox.com .
