Skin care and brain chemistry do not usually share a stage. But both fields have converged on the same villain: oxidative stress, the cellular wear and tear caused by free radicals that our bodies cannot always neutralize on their own. Stemtox has spent years studying how botanical stem cells help skin recover from that damage. Dan Freed, founder of Thesis and creator of Stasis, has spent nearly a decade studying the same mechanism from the inside, specifically in people who rely on prescription stimulants every day.

We sat down with Dan to talk about why cellular protection matters well beyond the skin, what stimulants actually do to the body at a chemical level, and why he built Stasis, the first supplement system designed for people who take stimulants.

Q: Stemtox built its reputation on helping skin recover at the cellular level. Why does that idea, protecting cells rather than just masking symptoms, matter to you as a formulator?

Dan: It is the right way to think about almost any system in the body, skin included. Oxidative stress is not some abstract concept. Picture rust forming on metal, or an apple turning brown once you cut it open. That is oxidation, and it happens inside our cells too, driven by free radicals that build up faster than our bodies can clear them. Stemtox is addressing that at the surface. I got interested in the same mechanism because it shows up in a population nobody was formulating for: people on daily stimulants.

Q: You have talked openly about your own ADHD diagnosis. How did that lead you to found Thesis, and eventually Stasis?

Dan: I was diagnosed with ADHD at six years old. I got kicked out of preschool. I dropped out of high school at sixteen. None of that lined up with what happened later: a 99th percentile GMAT score, a Yale degree, an MBA from INSEAD. The lesson I took from that gap was simple. Intelligence was never the issue. Brain chemistry was. That belief is what built Thesis. Today, Thesis is recognized as a pioneer in personalized brain supplements, built on deep scientific research and a data-driven approach to formulation, and it is the umbrella under which I eventually built Stasis, because I kept hearing from people who took stimulants every day and felt like something was still missing.

Q: What is actually happening in the body of someone who takes a stimulant every day, and why did that push you toward the oxidative stress angle specifically?

Dan: Stimulants work by increasing dopamine and norepinephrine activity, which is exactly what makes them effective for ADHD. But that same process increases the metabolic load on brain cells, which can raise oxidative stress over time. Research on heavy stimulant use has shown elevated markers of that oxidative load, and while the picture at a normal prescribed dose is more moderate, it is a real dial, not a switch you can ignore. That is why Stasis was built around three pathways: dopamine support, cortisol regulation, and oxidative stress defense. The oxidative stress piece uses ingredients like astaxanthin and CoQ10, which help the body do what it is already trying to do, mop up free radicals before they cause lasting wear.

Q: A lot of supplement brands lean on vague language, wellness, optimization, and so on. How do you avoid that with Stasis?

Dan: I built it for myself first, and I am still the person taking it every day. That keeps me honest. I do not want Stasis to be a black box. Every ingredient in the formula has a specific job. Ashwagandha is there for cortisol regulation. Astaxanthin and a CoQ10 phytosome are there for oxidative stress defense. Curcumin supports a healthy inflammation response. A pill on its own will not fix you. What it can do is give your body better raw material to work with while you handle the rest.

Q: Stemtox is often used alongside professional treatments through cosmetic surgeons. Stasis is something people build into a daily routine alongside their prescription. What do you think connects those two approaches to self-investment?

Dan: Both are about playing the long game with your own body instead of waiting for a problem to become unmanageable. Stemtox customers are thinking about their skin’s cellular health years down the line, not just this week. That is the same mindset I want people to bring to their brain chemistry. Stimulants can be genuinely useful tools, but tools work better when you support the system underneath them. Whether that is your skin or your brain, the underlying idea is the same: protect the cells doing the actual work, and everything built on top of them holds up better over time.

Learn more about Stasis, the first supplement system designed for people who take stimulants, at takestasis.com. Dan Freed is the founder of Thesis, recognized as a pioneer in personalized brain supplements.