Unity: A Switch and a Call for Change

For Those We Lost, and Those Still Holding On

"What if a mechanical keyboard switch could save lives?"

The Unity Switch started as an idea in the dark. Not just metaphorically. I was drinking more than I should to cope with PTSD I didn't understand and desperately trying to hold together a sense of purpose with intense workouts and dopamine triggers. I worked myself into the ground in a form of self sabotage in my last company and immediately started my own business to distract myself from the pain of losing my mother earlier that year. 

To top if off, I was in the middle of a divorce after 10 years together and my father was in and out of hospital. Eventually I couldn't explain the misery anymore without feeling self indulgent and so I gave up talking about it. I started to feel very, very lonely.

That's the word that kept circling: lonely.

And it wasn’t just me. I started talking to friends—men I respect, men who show up, men who work and parent and build and care. And so many of them were carrying the same weight. Some talked about the fog that wouldn't lift. Some had tried to kill themselves. Some had lost others who did. 

From there we formed the real heartland of our discord server - the wellbeing channel. A place where men can connect with other men - and women are more than welcome too. We all needed that online space from time to time, and I continue to make use of it today.

If the store closed tomorrow, the discord would remain.

Men are dying. And they don't have to be.

We're not broken. We're just tired of pretending we're not in pain. We're tired of being told by each other and ourselves that needing help is weakness. We're tired of being lonely in silence.

We can break out of this patterning. We can regenerate our emotional vulnerability and reclaim connection with each other. We can stop talking about the weather or football and discuss something that really matters. 

"Hey man, I know you said fine, but how are you really doing?"

A Pandemic of Loneliness

Let’s not sugar-coat it. Men are experiencing a pandemic of loneliness. We are chronically disconnected from others and ourselves. We lose touch with our friends. We work because we have convinced ourselves we need to be the hero. We retreat. We struggle to cope and then we drown in shame for needing to cope. And too often, we suffer and die in silence.

This project has no intention to negate the grief of others. It doesn’t take space from women, or from queer communities, or from anyone who struggles. Quite the opposite.

Unity is about bridging.

Because if we want a better world, men need to show up with vulnerability, with kindness, and with honesty. And we need space to be held when we do. We can't do that alone. We need accepting allies, and warm hugs.

This project is for everyone who wants to see men alive, not just surviving.

This is for women who have lost brothers. For trans men who are figuring out where they belong. For sons who never saw their fathers cry. For dads who don’t know how to tell their kids they’re scared. For the men you've lost.

Unity is an invitation: to talk, to care, to interrupt the silence.

The Switch as a Symbol

I wanted to design a switch that covered the three bases I believe in.

1. Top tier quality - zero compromises. A leader in it's peer set

2. Financial commitment to a social cause that creates tangible impact in the world

3. Form and function of the switch that speak to that cause

Something that could carry a message with it, a sense of why. So I built Unity:

• A strong, tactile bump to represent how powerful men can be when we feel, not just perform.
• A rich red stem, echoing the heart: wounded, resilient, alive.
• A semi-transparent top housing, because understanding men often requires looking through the chatter and the broad smile to ask the real questions.

This project will raise £2,500 for Andy's Man Club, a UK charity focused on suicide prevention and peer support for men. But it's not just about the money. It's about the conversations, the check-ins, the honesty. It's about saying:

"I see you, and I want you to stay."

This is the beginning of what we're calling the Impact Series.

The Impact Series: From Product to Purpose

The Impact Series is about switches with meaning as the primary driver of purchase rather than specifications. Products that carry a message, a cause, a story. I believe this is a far better reason to purchase a switch, and I want to keep making these with your support.

Unity is the first in Phase 1. 

There will be others. Switches for mental health. For grief. For joy. For neurodivergence. For those who care, and for those who need caring for. I don’t want to build a business that just ships products. I want to build something that reminds people of who they are and what they care about. That was my mother's mission in this world - make it a little better.

If you type on Unity, I want you to remember someone. Maybe someone you lost. Maybe someone you almost lost. Maybe yourself, on a day you almost didn’t make it. The switches are silent because they invite reflection and remembrance.

You Are Not Alone

If you're reading this and you're struggling—please, don’t go it alone. Talk to a friend. Message someone. Go to Andy’s Man Club. Or just write the message you wish someone had written to you.

One of my closest friends Lucy said to me after mum passed, "this is us, closing rank around you and keeping you safe". I think about that almost every day. So let's close rank together. Let's check in on our men. Let's purchase a pack of these switches, and display the packaging and accompanying stickers and flyer so that we remember to check in with other men.

Every time someone types on Unity, I want them to know they are NOT alone. This switch sold more packs in the first day of pre-order than most switches have sold since I opened up shop a year ago.

That's the power of Unity. There's absolutely loads of us. So many care about you.

And if you're struggling - even if you aren't into keyboards... there is a safe space on our discord for you to melt into if you ever have a really rough day. No advice, just love and support.

 

Transparency at the Thocc Exchange

At The Thocc Exchange, we sometimes run group buys or product drops where a portion—or all—of the proceeds go to support charitable causes. We want to be completely transparent about how that works:

• 100% of the donation received goes directly to the chosen charity. Only the payment processing fee is deducted.

• We do not deduct admin fees or overhead from donated amounts.

• Donations are processed promptly after the campaign ends, with receipts or confirmation shared on our discord.

• Each campaign clearly states:

  • The charity being supported

  • The percentage or amount being donated

  • When donations will be sent

We don't do this for the brand halo. We do this because it's good business to be a good business.