Day Job, Night Dream: Why I’m Going Back to Work to Build Sōl

A few weeks ago, my story went further than I ever imagined. Almost 700,000 people watched me talk about my horse Kia, the long road back after my injury, and the bracelet I’m building because of it.

I’ll be honest with you. Part of me thought everything would change overnight.

It didn’t.

Tomorrow, I start a new job.

What It Really Means to Be a Self-Funded Founder.

When you see a founder online, it’s easy to assume an investor is behind the scenes, or that there's a cushion of savings, or a team. For me, there isn’t. Sōl is self-funded. Every engineering milestone, every design file, every step toward a working prototype comes out of my own paycheck.

So I’m going back to work. Days at work, nights on the dream.

I thought that might feel like a step backward. It doesn’t. It feels like the most honest thing I can do. A steady paycheck means I can keep paying my engineers, keep moving forward, and keep life steady for my kids while I build. That isn’t giving up on the dream. It’s protecting it.

Where Sōl Actually Is Right Now

I promised you real updates, the wins and the setbacks, so here’s the truth:

• Serene by Sōl is patent pending. My provisional patent application is filed.

• I’m working with two engineers. One is focused on the mechanical design: the shape, the housing, and how the scent cartridge fits. The other is focused on the electronics: the circuit board, the sensors, and the software that ties them together.

• We’re designing it to fit a real wrist from the very first prototype. As a self-funded founder, I can’t afford to build several oversized versions, so we’re taking the time to get the size right.

  
  

The hardest part right now is getting the scent from your wrist to you, softly and just for you, without turning it into a room diffuser. It’s a real engineering puzzle, and we’re working through it. When we solve it, you’ll hear about it here first.

There’s no working prototype yet. I’d rather tell you that than pretend otherwise. When the first one exists, I’ll show it to you, flaws and all.

What Going Viral Taught Me

Attention isn’t the same as progress. Views can come overnight. A product can’t.

The real progress happens in the quiet moments nobody sees: late-night emails with engineers, design decisions, and a long list of questions I didn’t even know to ask a few months ago. It’s slower than I’d like. But it’s real, and it’s moving.

And every one of you who watched, commented, or joined the waitlist is part of why I keep going.

If You’re Working One Job to Fund Another Dream

You’re not behind, and you’re not failing. You’re building, just on a timeline that doesn’t fit in a 30-second video.

I’d love to hear your story. Send me a message at kristin@solmovement.co. I read every one myself.

Follow Along

If you want to watch Sōl come to life, one honest step at a time, join the waitlist at solmovement.co. You’ll get real updates from the build and first access when we launch.

Thank you for believing in this with me.

With love from Missoula,

Kristin