Startup Provides Confidence Solutions Once Accessible Only To Insiders

Kick Health has launched an online prescription service for Propranolol, a prescription beta-blocker known for blocking shaky hands, racing heart, and other nervous symptoms that tend to plague even the most experienced public speakers. 

Though beta-blockers may be unfamiliar to most, they’re anything but new. They’ve been an insider’s trick for fighting stage fright for some very notable names for quite some time. 

Grammy-winning singer Katy Perry has said beta-blockers keep her from “letting herself down” during performances. More recently, singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes opened up to a live audience to let them know he had been using beta-blockers to help him stay calm on stage. 

But today’s pop stars aren’t the first to discover this secret. Beta-blockers have been used as a performance-anxiety aid by classical musicians for more than 30 years. 

In 2015, a study revealed three-quarters of surveyed professional musicians had used beta-blockers to manage stage fright. And of that group, 92% said they were effective. 

Musicians aren’t the only group to turn to Propranolol to manage nerves. 

Emmy-nominated comedian Whitney Cummings has been vocal about how helpful beta-blockers have been in keeping her composed in auditions and live performances, saying: “If I have anything where I know I’m going to be nervous, I just take one preemptively, so that I’m not blasting my brain with adrenaline”.

Propranolol has even made its way from the stage to the boardroom, with top executives revealing the medication has helped them minimize jitters before board meetings and large presentations. 

Richard Branson mentions beta-blockers as a confident public speaking tool in his book The Virgin Way. And former Match.com CEO Jim Safka has partly credited his career success to the fact that he always carries a few tablets in his briefcase - just in case. 

And now, Kick Health is paving the way to make this once little-known secret into an easy, accessible option for those facing pivotal moments like big presentations, job interviews, important meetings, networking events, and exams. 

Those who are nervous about an upcoming presentation or important interview complete a quick 20-minute visit questionnaire, which is then reviewed by a doctor licensed in their state. 

Customers receive their Propranolol prescription in a matchbox container that easily fits in a pocket or work bag. Alternatively, they have the option to pick up their prescription from a nearby pharmacy. 

Looking ahead, the company has plans to continue helping customers increase their emotional energy by tackling sleep.