Lewes hypnotherapist to hawk her therapy dough on ‘Shark Tank’ Friday

 

Nancy Rothner is usually all about relieving stress.

Recently, though, she took on a huge amount herself in order to help more people alleviate theirs.

Rothner, the creator of Pinch Me Therapy Dough, is scheduled to appear on ABC’s Shark Tank this Friday to pitch her product and hopefully pinch off a piece of the Shark Tank magic for her company. 

In preview videos, Rothner is seen standing before the sharks asking for $300,000 in exchange for 7% of her company. 

“With the current pandemic situation, stress has reached an all-time high,” said Rothner to the Sharks. “I’ve come up with a solution to stress and it’s so simple you’ll be saying, ‘Pinch me.’”

Error, group does not exist! Check your syntax! (ID: 11)

 

The preview ends with Rothner asking, “Who wants to pinch me and make some dough?” to groans from members of the panel of investors, Lori Greiner, Daymond John, Robert Herjavec, Mark Cuban, Kevin O’Leary and Barbara Corcoran.

Pinch Me Therapy Dough is a squishable compound designed to channel relief through the senses, naturally. It sells for $15 a can on her website.

As a clinical hypnotherapist for 20 years, specializing in stress reduction, Rothner saw  first-hand the toll that tension took on the body and mind of her clients. In her quest to create a simple, holistic, stress reduction technique she invented Pinch Me Therapy Dough.

It’s a squishy putty that a person massages between their fingers at the first sign of stress. It was developed using color and scent therapy and sells in a portable tin. 

“Science has shown us that our minds recall scents, and those recollections evoke emotion. When a pleasant scent speaks to you, it triggers positive feelings. Your blood pressure and heart rate slow. You’re more relaxed. Each of the scents utilized in Pinch Me have been carefully chosen for their pleasantly pacifying properties,” said Rothner.

 

The Pinch Me website describes it as “a handy little mood-shifter.” Its comes in packages such as purple spa dough, green melon dough and blue ocean dough. 

“It’s something I very much believe in,” said Rothner.

She was marketing it at trade shows to retail stores and direct to consumers when COVID-19 hit and everything stopped.

“In a blink of an eye, everything was gone,” she said. “Shark Tank seemed like a wonderful opportunity.”

The application process was rigorous, she said, but in September she flew out to Las Vegas to tape an episode. 

“It was surreal. It was a once in a lifetime experience,” she said. She left and didn’t hear anything until three weeks ago when she received word that her episode would air. “That brought it all back.”

Error, group does not exist! Check your syntax! (ID: 11)

 

“This is just the beginning of an amazing journey,” said Katey Evans of Frozen Farmer in Bridgeville.

Evans appeared on Shark Tank in March 2020 and in an update show in December.

She had some advice for Rothner: “Regardless of the outcome, gear up.”

Evans said her life has been a whirlwind since her appearance on the show. 

“Get ready to work like you’ve never worked before,” said Evans. “Welcome to the Shark Tank family. I can’t wait to see what amazing things happen to your business.”

Error, group does not exist! Check your syntax! (ID: 11)

 

After appearances on Shark Tank people’s websites have been known to crash from worldwide attention. 

Rothner said she’s done everything she can think of to prepare, streamlined her website and informed her website host of what might happen. 

“Knock on wood, we’ll be able to stay up,” she said.

If not, well, she knows where to find some stress reliever products.

If you watch: The show airs on ABC on Friday, March 5 at 8 p.m. on “Shark Tank.”