St. Pete startup introduces ‘digital wellness’ supplements

Studies show that the average American spends over eight hours per day using digital devices, and that screen time can lead to mental and physical issues.

Two local entrepreneurs believe they have created the world’s only digital wellness supplement company – Lightbody. Kylen Ribeiro and Michelle Klein utilize the latest electromagnetic field (EMF) and blue light research to create unique formulas that increase cellular resiliency and support positive health outcomes.

As top-level executives with DefenderShield, the two are no strangers to creating innovative products that protect against EMF radiation. It is also a St. Petersburg-based company and offers radiation shielding technology for electronic devices.

“We knew that while we could protect people from the outside, we wanted to create a solution to protect people from the inside out,” said Ribeiro. “To help people become more resilient in this modern digital lifestyle that we live.”

Research varies as to whether repeated exposure to low levels of EMF radiation can increase the likelihood of cancer or tumors. The National Cancer Institute believes usage is generally safe to that extent.

However, studies show that too much screen time can cause insomnia, poor sleep, eyestrain, headaches, addictive behaviors, reduced activity levels and changes in cognition. Lightbody offers a cellular resiliency multivitamin, a blue light support supplement, a total stress support supplement and two other products specifically formulated to help mitigate those adverse effects.

The co-founders came up with the idea for Lightbody in January 2022 when Ribeiro was pregnant and sought to avoid all toxins – electronic or otherwise. She said they identified and then decided to fill a gap in the supplement market.

Klein noted the initial learning curve was steep. The two knew how to run a successful business focused on EMF protection but found the world of dietary supplements quite different.

After consulting with experts, studying research, formulating products from scratch and launching a revamped website in November, Klein said the St. Pete startup is now trying to raise awareness for its “next generation” offerings.

“Digital wellness is our real mission,” she added. “And there’s nothing else out there that goes after cellular pathways to help propel the healing cycle in our bodies.”

Ribeiro believes that helping cells recover at the mitochondrial level is the future of all healthcare and said Lightbody is at the forefront of “something very unique and different.”

She relayed the company’s three focus areas: mental well-being, blue light and digital signals. Social media usage can lead to depression and anxiety, said Ribeiro, and the added stress and blue light affect healthy sleep patterns.

While the co-founders formulated Lightbody’s products with those three pillars in mind, Klein said that EMF and digital outputs are just two sources in a long list of environmental toxins that people encounter daily.

“The world we live in today just has so many weird signals, toxins and ingredients that our bodies have no idea what they are,” she said. “It recognizes that as a foreign substance. We’re just trying to put the cell’s resiliency in the best place possible to really thrive in our current world.”

Kylen Ribeiro (left) is also the COO of DefenderShield. Michelle Klein is its corporate vice president.

They believe that people now take the adverse effects of living in an increasingly digital age more seriously. Klein noted blue light-blocking glasses are increasingly popular, and the two hope to continue raising awareness on a subject they feel “is getting pushed under the rug by a lot of big organizations and government bodies.”

Nutrishop St. Petersburg carries Lightbody’s products, and Klein said they hope to expand their local retail and medical spa presence in 2023. Customers can also buy the supplements through Amazon and the startup’s revamped website.

Ribeiro is also the COO of DefenderShield, while Klein serves as its corporate vice president. Ribeiro relayed that the company is “the world leader” in EMF radiation protection products and helped start a new industry.

Conversely, she said Lightbody is an innovative solution in an established industry, which created an “interesting” and “exciting” learning curve. The two are bootstrapping their burgeoning company and are not actively looking for investors, although they remain open to a partner with industry experience.

“This past year was a lot of learning, figuring things out and putting the correct building blocks in place to grow,” said Klein. “And hopefully, have a really good year for 2023.”