From Burnout to Wellness: Journey Behind Scent Expresso – A Daring Well Story with Dan Hartshorn

Rita Mercer Author

From burnout to balance — discover how Dan Hartshorn transformed exhaustion into wellness with the creation of Scent Expresso.

What happens when burnout sparks innovation?

For Dan Hartshorn, co-founder of Flow Greens and Scent Expresso, the answer lies at the intersection of technology, wellness, and human connection. In this insightful conversation on The Daring Well Podcast, Dan shares how the “messy middle” of entrepreneurship—complete with stress, sleepless nights, and burnout—led him to create a wellness product designed to help others find calm in the chaos.

The Birth of Flow Greens and Scent Expresso

Flow Greens was born from a simple yet powerful mission: to combine scent and technology in ways that promote wellness and emotional balance. Their flagship product, Scent Expresso, brings the ancient art of aromatherapy into the modern age—transforming the shower into a space for relaxation, reflection, and restoration.

Dan’s background in startups and innovation gave him a front-row seat to both the thrill and exhaustion of entrepreneurship. After years working in technology-driven companies, including helping launch a wireless smart thermometer that grew from crowdfunding to a $100 million business, Dan realized his next venture needed to serve a deeper purpose—wellness.

“I wasn’t just flirting with burnout,” Dan shared. “Me and burnout were best buddies.”

That admission became the seed for Flow Greens. Out of exhaustion came awareness—and out of awareness came creation.

The Messy Middle: Lessons from a 15-Year Journey

Dan calls the most unpredictable phase of entrepreneurship “the messy middle”—the place between a dream and a breakthrough. It’s where vision meets resistance, and passion meets pressure. And, as he points out, it’s not a one-time experience—it evolves with every chapter of life.

Key takeaways from the messy middle:

• Every stage of business brings a new version of chaos and growth.
• What once felt hard eventually becomes the foundation for the next level.
• Burnout isn’t the end; it can become the beginning of something transformative.

“We tend to celebrate the start and the success, but the middle is where all the learning and resilience truly happen,” Dan said.

The messy middle, for him, stretched across 15 years—spanning the creation of startups, company acquisitions, new family life, and personal wellness rediscovery.

When Burnout Becomes the Catalyst for Change

For Dan, burnout wasn’t an overnight crash. It was a slow erosion during the acquisition process of a previous company—long hours, constant communication, and endless demands. The modern “always-on” culture of Slack, emails, and notifications compounded the stress.

After two years of this unrelenting pace, Dan and his co-founders realized something had to change. Their shared exhaustion became the inspiration to create something that would help people disconnect, recharge, and reset—anytime, anywhere.

That’s where the idea for Scent Expresso was born.
The concept began with a simple, relatable scenario: one of Dan’s co-founders relied on aromatherapy baths to unwind but found herself in a hotel room without a tub. That small frustration sparked a big question: “How can we create that same level of relaxation, even without a bath?”

The team wanted to take the sensory calm of aromatherapy and make it accessible and portable—an instant moment of self-care you could take with you, even in the shower.

The Science and Soul of Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy isn’t new—it’s been around for thousands of years. But Dan’s team wanted to modernize it, making it part of daily life rather than a luxury spa ritual.

Scent Expresso uses pure essential oils to deliver therapeutic benefits directly through steam diffusion. Each scent blend is crafted to promote a specific state of wellbeing—from calm and clarity to focus and energy.

The Benefits of Aromatherapy

• Stress Reduction: Scents like lavender and chamomile have been scientifically linked to lowering cortisol, the body’s stress hormone.
• Respiratory Support: Eucalyptus opens airways and soothes congestion.
• Emotional Regulation: Citrus and tangerine uplift mood and enhance focus.
• Mind-Body Connection: Scents trigger memory and emotional grounding through the olfactory system.

“Smell is memory,” Dan explained. “It can transport you—back to a moment of joy, calm, or freedom. We wanted to harness that power and bring it into the present.”

Aromatherapy, as Dan describes, is both art and science—a bridge between emotional healing and physiological wellness.

Engineering Wellness: Innovation Meets Intention

Creating Scent Expresso wasn’t as simple as combining scent and steam. The engineering process required more than 18 months of design, testing, and refinement. What makes it truly groundbreaking is the blend of mindfulness and modular technology.

Innovative Design Highlights

• Easy Essential Oil Exchange: The device uses a patented universal adapter for quick scent changes—no mess, no waste.
• Modular Components: Each part is dishwasher-safe and replaceable, minimizing waste and extending lifespan.
• Guided Breathing Light: A built-in light guides users through mindful breathing, activating the parasympathetic nervous system for deeper relaxation.
• Adjustable Intensity: Users can control aroma strength in real time, personalizing each experience.
• Portable Mounting System: The diffuser easily attaches to shower walls and can be removed for travel.

Scent Expresso isn’t just a diffuser—it’s a daily wellness ritual. It invites users to pause, breathe, and reconnect with themselves, even for a few mindful minutes each day.

Mindset and Mission: Staying Well While Building Wellness

Ironically, building a wellness product can jeopardize the founder’s own wellbeing. Dan spoke candidly about balancing fatherhood, entrepreneurship, and self-care.

“I can’t preach wellness if I’m working insane hours and neglecting my own health,” he admitted.

He and his co-founders made a pact early on: their pursuit of success would never come at the cost of personal wellness. They practiced what they preached—testing their own product, setting boundaries, and remembering that presence is more powerful than productivity.

Mindset Lessons from the Journey

• Balance ambition with presence. The work will always be there—your peace won’t be if you don’t protect it.
• Build with purpose, not just profit. True innovation serves people first.
• Stay humble and curious. Every setback is a teacher in disguise.

Dan also emphasized the importance of community—surrounding yourself with people who believe in your mission as much as you do.

Finding Strength Through Support

Behind every daring idea is a team that believes in it. For Dan, that team includes his co-founders, family, and friends who encouraged him to keep going despite challenges and naysayers.

“We support each other, we galvanize each other. When one of us falls, the others help us back up,” he shared.

The Power of a Supportive Network

• Your inner circle can make or break your mindset.
• Collaboration breeds creativity; isolation breeds burnout.
• Shared belief multiplies resilience.

Whether through his co-founders or his family, Dan’s message is clear: wellness isn’t a solo act. It thrives in connection, compassion, and collective belief.

From Kickstarter to Global Impact

Bringing Scent Expresso to market meant more than creating a product—it meant rallying a community around a shared mission of mindful living. The team launched a Kickstarter campaign that reached full funding in just 22 minutes.

Their success wasn’t just about clever marketing—it was about authenticity. People resonated with their story, their transparency, and their intention to make wellness accessible.

Even now, Dan acknowledges that the hardest part of crowdfunding isn’t the platform—it’s capturing people’s attention in a distracted world.

“Our challenge is to communicate something deeply meaningful in a few seconds. Attention spans are short, but our message is big,” he reflected.

Through storytelling and innovation, Flow Greens continues to grow its community of wellness seekers who want to bring peace and purpose into everyday life.

Wisdom for Wellness Entrepreneurs

As the conversation drew to a close, Dan shared two powerful pieces of advice for anyone pursuing their purpose—whether in business, leadership, or personal growth:

1. “Do what you think is purposeful—and do it with people you love, respect, and care about.”
   Purpose-driven work is sustainable work. When you create from passion, you give meaning to the grind.
2. “Say what you mean, even if your voice shakes.”
   Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes it’s found in small, trembling acts of truth-telling and self-expression.

His message aligns beautifully with The Daring Well philosophy—living authentically, courageously, and compassionately while creating space for growth and wellness.

The Future of Wellness Tech

As Flow Greens continues to innovate, the team envisions expanding beyond the shower—bringing scent-based mindfulness to offices, hotels, and travel spaces. Their mission remains clear: to make wellness intuitive, inclusive, and integrated into everyday life.

In a fast-paced, overstimulated world, Scent Expresso offers a rare invitation: slow down, breathe deeply, and restore balance.

It’s not just about aromatherapy. It’s about remembering that wellness isn’t somewhere you go—it’s something you create within yourself.

Highlights from the Episode

• The Messy Middle: Why resilience grows in the hardest seasons of entrepreneurship.
• From Burnout to Breakthrough: How exhaustion inspired a product that heals.
•  Aromatherapy Reimagined: Bridging ancient healing with modern tech.
• Innovating with Intention: The 18-month journey to design a modular, sustainable diffuser.
• Purpose and Partnership: The importance of community, balance, and shared belief in business.

Connect with Scent Expresso

You can learn more about Scent Expresso https://scentxpresso.com/ or secure your product through their Kickstarter campaign https://www.kickstarter.com/pr.... Follow the brand across social media platforms at @ScentExpresso and join the movement toward stress-free, scent-infused living.

Together, we can transform wellness from a fleeting idea into a daily practice—one mindful breath at a time.

Keywords

Scent Expresso, Flow Greens, aromatherapy diffuser, shower wellness, burnout recovery, mindfulness technology, wellness innovation, essential oils stress relief, entrepreneur wellness, Daring Well Podcast

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Shop for wellness products for your home and everyday life:

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