A little more about NeuJoi.
Why I built NeuJoi, who ilo is, and why it starts in Detroit.
A companion you can keep simple.
ilo is not a person pretending to understand you. It is a plush robot companion inside NeuJoi. Not a therapist, not a coach, not a mascot.
It can guide you through a check-in, breathing, grounding, or a moment when things feel like too much.
You can keep ilo visible, make it quieter, or turn the character off completely. Some days even a face is too much, so the app can drop to a plain orb or a clear space with nothing looking back at you.
The support stays available either way. The companion is there if it helps. If it does not, the space is still yours.
You are not responsible for creating the warmth here. You are just part of what brings it to life.
Its head changes with the setting.
Inside ilo’s clear dome are quiet settings like a lake, a meadow, a forest, or an aurora.
You can choose what feels right in the moment. Nothing flashes. Nothing pushes at you. It is just one more way to make the space feel easier to be in.
The physical ilo I am designing will open too, so you can place your own things inside. A photo. A note. Something small that helps.
Version one is a real beginning.
NeuJoi will not be finished the day it launches. It will be a real first version that people can use, react to, and help shape.
What people come back to matters. What they ignore matters. What feels confusing or off matters too.
If something is clearly not working for people, I want that fixed before adding more.
Why smell and taste are gone.
A lot of grounding advice sounds good until you are actually overwhelmed.
Trying to find something to taste when you already feel off does not help. It can just become one more thing that is not working in the moment.
So NeuJoi focuses on what is easier to reach right away: something you can see, something you can feel, and something you can hear.
Built here. Tested here first.
NeuJoi is being built in Detroit and tested with real people here first.
The first feedback matters. If something feels confusing, overstimulating, or unhelpful, that is information we use to make it better.
Starting local helps NeuJoi stay connected to the people it is meant to serve.
Bringing it to community spaces
I am looking for public libraries and community organizations across the city willing to host NeuJoi in spaces where people already go to be quiet.
Nothing extra to buy. Nothing big to install. Just a chance to try something that may actually help.
In-person sessions
I am sitting down with neurodivergent adults in Detroit and putting NeuJoi in their hands while I watch, listen, and take notes.
The sessions are paid, short, and honest.
What people say shapes what changes
If the same issue keeps coming up, that gets fixed first.
Run a space in Detroit, or know one that should be part of this? Tell us here.
Built by someone who needed it.
NeuJoi was created by Tyesha Lewis, a Detroit-based neurodivergent founder who understands how hard it can be to find support that feels calm, practical, and usable when overwhelm is already high.
Living with ADHD and anxiety, Tyesha has felt how often wellness tools land as cold, clinical, or too complicated in the moments they are needed most. That is what led to NeuJoi: a sensory-kind wellness app built to make support feel more accessible, human, and realistic for everyday life.
NeuJoi helps people pause, notice what may be underneath a feeling, and choose a small next step, without pressure, guilt, or the expectation to regulate perfectly.
Built in Detroit, NeuJoi is being shaped with input from neurodivergent community members and clinicians. It is a wellness app, not therapy, designed to feel easier on the brain and body through calmer visuals, simpler choices, and sensory-aware tools.
We’ll tell you when it’s ready.
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