Giorgos Tsetis, the cofounder of billion-dollar hair-growth company Nutrafol, thought selling to Unilever would finally let him relax. It definitely didn’t happen. The former CEO who stepped down earlier this year told Business Insider he still struggles to manage stress despite the acquisition—and his solution involves couples therapy, optimizing sleep, and daily exercise.
The Billionaire Who Can’t Stop Stressing
Tsetis launched Nutrafol in 2014 after experiencing his own stress-related hair loss as a former model and engineer. The company now boasts 2 million subscribers to its supplement designed to fight a combination of hair-loss factors including stress and hormones. But even after selling the billion-dollar business, stress remains top of mind for the chairman who’s now parenting two children and launching an investment platform called Great Things.
His day-to-day looks different but comes with its own challenges. Tsetis is no stranger to pressure; the lead-up to the 2022 acquisition was the most intense period of his life, juggling merger and acquisition meetings with companies like Johnson & Johnson and L’Oréal while preparing for the birth of his child.
Therapy Changed Everything for His Household
Tsetis once asked a psychologist how he could optimize thriving and become a sharper version of himself. The advice was simple: figure out your household first. That decision led Tsetis and his wife to couples therapy; a proactive and preventive move he says transformed their relationship.
“Family is a priority for him and helps keep him grounded,” he shared, even if having young kids sometimes comes with less sleep and higher stress. He does everything in his power to make sure his household and relationship with his wife and children is as peaceful as possible. Prioritizing his home life became the foundation for managing stress in other areas.
Sleep Disruption Triggers a Downward Spiral
Physical health plays a central role in Tsetis’s anti-stress playbook, and sleep sits at the center of it all. When sleep is disrupted, he said, it can trigger a “downward spiral” that makes everything an uphill battle. “You can bio-hack your body, you can eat healthy, you can do whatever you want,” Tsetis told reporters, “but if you’re not getting good sleep, it all becomes impossible.”
To counteract the cycle of stress and poor sleep, Tsetis exercises daily. He used to run often, which was great for his mind, but after recently turning 40, he now prioritizes strength training. He added that he makes time to “embrace nature” several times a month, whether walking through the woods or spending time outdoors.
Why Massages Aren’t a Luxury Anymore
Tsetis also gets acupuncture and massages, which some might consider a “luxury.” For him, it’s an “absolute necessity” to decompress. Managing his personal life and health through these practices isn’t optional—it’s required for his continuing involvement with Nutrafol as chairman and his work connecting with others through his new ventures.
He recounted one particularly brutal moment: showing up in a meeting the day after his son was born with just no sleep, ready to present to J&J. Adding ironically, he probably “lost a lot of hair during that time.” He described his son’s birth as “the most beautiful moment” of his life, but balancing both milestones at once was no small feat.
What Post-Acquisition Life Taught Him
Now, faced with different stressors post-acquisition, Tsetis focuses on prioritizing his health and personal life above all else. “If that’s not in order, then you can’t necessarily optimize evolution, growth, impact, connecting with others,” Tsetis said. The personal experience of nearly burning out while building and selling Nutrafol taught him that professional success means nothing without a peaceful household and optimizing your physical health.
His approach to address stress has evolved—therapy, good sleep, and daily exercise aren’t just wellness trends for Tsetis. They’re the power tools that keep him thriving as he navigates parenting, new business ventures, and continuing his mission to help others through his investment platform. The man who built a company fighting hair loss learned his biggest lesson: you can’t fight stress without first getting your personal life in order.