“What would you pay to reduce your suffering?” - by Julie Whisenhunt

We are so grateful to Julie for sharing her Soul Seat journey in this guest blog post! Her story is one we have heard from many customers like her, specifically from other writers. After spending years dealing with chronic pain and searching for solutions, she decided that it was worth the investment in her health to give the Soul Seat a try. Read Julie’s story below about how she adjusted to this new way of sitting and ultimately came to be the proud owner of two Soul Seats.

“What would you pay to reduce your suffering?” Put another way, “What is your quality of life worth?” These are questions I asked myself several times before purchasing my first Soul Seat. I have struggled with chronic back and neck pain for twenty years, following a minor car accident and inadequate treatment of my injuries. Cervical fusion in 2019 helped immensely, but I still have two herniated discs that are probably implicated in my ongoing battle against pain. Over the years, I have learned strategies and found products to help me stave away the pain. But, if I’m being honest, those things only go so far when my greatest enemy is that old, clunky, hard torture device that appears in almost every office worldwide—the traditional office chair. 

As a modern Professor, I spend the majority of my time on the computer—grading, meeting with students and colleagues, writing reports, responding to email, conducting evaluations, engaging in scholarship, and so forth. Truly, the vast majority of my work day is spent behind the dull blue glow of my laptop screen. There are probably multiple issues associated with long-term computer use; my optometrist likely has something to say about that. But the most pressing issue for me is the intense, daily pain in my mid-back when I sit for too long. Prior to purchasing my Soul Seat, my solution was to use a desk riser to allow me to stand while I work on my computer. But, due to the prolonged standing, my lower back started to give me issues. Apparently, standing all day is not a great solution either. It was a real conundrum: stand for too long and hurt or sit for too long and hurt. Either way, I ended each day in pain, which ultimately affected my quality of life in rather drastic ways. 

Julie’s first Soul Seat in Arugula Ultraleather Pro at her home office

During a particularly challenging and painful period, a colleague told me about the Ikaria Soul Seat. Desperate for a solution and trusting her testimony, I immediately Googled the Soul Seat. There were various knock-offs that were far more affordable, but I was apprehensive to waste even a few hundred dollars on something that might not work for me. I mean, let’s be honest, the Soul Seat is an unusual type of chair. So, I started asking myself those aforementioned questions, over and over. I decided that my quality of life is worth well more than the cost of a Soul Seat and, if it helps to reduce my mid-back pain, it is money well spent. Knowing that Ikaria offers a money-back guarantee on their new items, I purchased my first Soul Seat in the Arugula Ultraleather Pro upholstery. 

When my Soul Seat arrived, I was excited and, if I am being transparent, a little pessimistic. Pain was my daily companion and I wasn’t sure if any chair could make that much of a difference. But, I loved the color and the quality obviously surpassed that of the big box store brand chairs I had always owned. Plus, my Soul Seat was made in the U.S., which was a definite selling point for me. So, I decided to give it an earnest try. The first few weeks were…um…odd. It took some time for me to acclimate to the chair and the new way of sitting. I had to purposefully work on my posture and pay attention to what my body was telling me about my seated positions. With some time, though, I started to notice that I was not ending the work day with the same mid-back ache. As someone who has struggled with pain since early childhood (that’s a different story), I am fairly stubborn and tend to work through the pain. Nonetheless, I think it is fair to say that my productivity and quality of work are better when I am not hurting. Don’t get me wrong, I still have back and neck issues, but I no longer experience the daily mid-back ache and pain that previously caused me so much distress. But my story doesn’t end there. 

Julie’s second Revived Soul Seat in Blueprint Primera

Having the Soul Seat in my home office has made a world of difference for me, but guess what is lurking in my office at my place of work? You guessed correctly—the aforementioned torture device. Although I do not work on campus daily, those days when I was in the work office became more and more unbearable. So, I decided to engage in some personal advocacy. I spoke with my supervisor about the Soul Seat and, well let’s face it, I did some proper begging. My supervisor was well aware of my medical and pain issues, and we discussed the need for a therapeutic chair in terms of a medical accommodation. When some funds finally came available, he ordered a chair for my office. I was so excited until I realized it was not an actual Soul Seat. He really tried to help me, which I truly appreciate, but we did not have the funds for an authentic Soul Seat. Nonetheless, I assumed this knock-off Soul Seat would be a game changer for me. I was wrong. My legs fell asleep after just a few minutes, the seat was hard and uncomfortable, and it simply did not fit my body. In fact, I think it made my mid-back pain worse. I was so uncomfortable that I found myself standing for hours on end until, you guessed it, my lower back would start hurting. Something had to give. Re-enter Ikaria. I decided to use the same rationale that I previously used in purchasing the Soul Seat for my home office. I told myself that reducing my pain is worth the expense of another Soul Seat. So, I signed up for alerts on the refurbished Soul Seats. A Blueprint Primera became available and I snagged it. Hannah told me it was “like new,” and she was absolutely correct. The refurbished Soul Seat arrived with barely any signs of use. It is now located in my work office, where it draws a lot of attention and some envy. 

That’s the story of how I came to own two Soul Seats. Do I regret either of them? Not even a tiny bit. I still have my struggles; herniated discs don’t make life easy. But I successfully removed one environmental factor that markedly exacerbated my condition and caused me daily suffering. And, in the process, I supported a small American business. That sounds like a win-win to me.