Perfect Practice

Holly is a functional medicine nutritionist and lifestyle transformation specialist who is passionate about educating, guiding, coaching and assisting clients in finding balance in their life. Most recently, she had the unique opportunity of working for several years with Dr. Mark Hyman and his medical team at the UltraWellness center in Lenox, Massachusetts. Working with hundreds of diverse patients at this premier functional medicine center offered me a wealth of experience and knowledge. She is happy to be able to share this as an integral part her collective knowledge with her clients. Holly's approach looks at the full spectrum of your life. All the varied aspects of your life combine to create the health or lack of health in your body. This concept is the essence of functional medicine- getting to the root causes of imbalances, Every client is unique and to that end, Holly creates specific individualized plans that combine research based medicine with user-friendly sustainable lifestyle changes. Holly looks forward to working with you! Specialties: Functional Medicine Nutritional Consultations-in person and remote, Corporate Wellness Programming and Initiatives, Stress Management Sessions and Programming, Meditation, Yoga and Yoga Therapy. Website: www.hollyniles.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/wholehealthgenie Facebook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61568167412035

In this episode, Sachin interviews Joshua B. Lee on all things about developing your connections on LinkedIn and why LinkedIn delivers the audience you want better than any other social media platform. Josh opens with vulnerability and builds on his strengths as he teaches principles for human connection online. Listen to learn more about H2H relationships on LinkedIn and how you can grow your authority there. Key Takeaways: [1:00] Sachin introduces today's guest, Joshua B. Lee, the Dopamine Dealer on LinkedIn. He's one of the most positive, caring, compassionate human beings. He will talk to us about making our interactions and marketing more human. Sachin welcomes Josh to Perfect Practice. [2:20] Sachin met Josh at a variety of masterminds, including Archangel with Giovanni Marsico, Amber Spear's Mimosa mastermind, and Genius Network with Joe Polish. [2:43] Josh and Sachin were introduced by Kevin Thompson. Josh talks about Sachin taking time to show up for so many. We change the world for the better through enriching, transparent conversations about what's going on. [4:00] Josh is the Dopamine Dealer on LinkedIn. His approach online is to treat other humans how his mother taught him to treat them. That allows him to start conversations that turn into relationships that open massive opportunities. [5:24] Josh says when he acknowledges someone for something they take for granted, compliments them, or asks about them, they get a little dopamine hit. This puts them into a flow state, allowing them to have a conversation. It's like going from the door to sitting on the couch. [5:48] With the dopamine bond, it's two friends having a conversation. It's not about sales, it's about coming together to create opportunity, allowing the byproduct to be whatever it might be. [6:34] Josh and Sachin were part of the mastermind and Kevin Thompson brought them together. In recent years, Josh has built many ventures; now he focuses on LinkedIn. [7:11] LinkedIn has been going for 20 years, longer than any other social media platform! It made a shift when Microsoft bought it. People are on it to add value and get value. [8:21] It's a platform to add value to other educated individuals who are business decision-makers, who generate a revenue scale that's a lot higher than that on any other social media platform. On LinkedIn, you can create a massive change. [8:39] Josh adds that he's not competing against half-naked influencers selling sunglasses. He calls the people he works with thought leaders with influence. They put information out there. [9:01] Josh gets massive reach on LinkedIn. There are a billion people on LinkedIn. Four million of them are active. Those four million get access to 10 billion content impressions weekly. [9:17] Josh says there's no other platform he can win on with the right people who are ready to take action with people that he wants to be able to talk to. [9:29] Josh sees OpenAI as the future of business and search in the next year or two. [10:13] Josh designed one of the first MySpace ads that a lot of social media ads are based on today. There's a conditioning on social media to like, comment, share, post, and be caught up in a pattern we don't even think about. [10:57] We take these things for granted. There's so much in this world that we take for granted and don't pay attention to. How do we connect humanly on a platform like LinkedIn? [11:43] Use messages like, "Hey Sachin, I saw you looked at my profile. I just want to reach out and say thank you. Too often we don't appreciate that. I'd love to find out what pushed you to look me up." [11:55] Or, "I saw you liked my recent post. I just want to reach out and say thank you. Too often we don't appreciate that. I'd love to find out what pushed you to engage with my content." You're trying to start a conversation by thanking them for something they take for granted. [12:07] It's a stop-gap in the pattern. It allows them to be able to hear you now and be able to have that true conversation. Josh hates cold calling and cold emailing, but these people looked at his profile or his content. It's an opportunity, let's explore. [12:26] People like Sachin post amazing content on LinkedIn. If you like a post, comment on it, thank the poster for it, and compliment it. Start with "Thank you." Don't make it about you. [13:28] Josh points out how it feels when there's a warm reaction to something you post on LinkedIn. It opens up the opportunity to engage. [14:09] Josh's advice for a practitioner to be in service on LinkedIn: Start with your profile. Build the right profile, fully fleshed out, not just with your resume but with your career journey. Most people don't look past your banner and title. [14:36] Titles don't attract. Use a headline with an XYZ statement: "I help (support) X to do Y so they can have (achieve) Z." X is your ideal client or tribe. It starts there. Use your profile to tell people where you've been, where you are, and where you're going. It's a storyboard of your life. [16:01] The more you talk about where you've been, the gap between you and your audience gets smaller. "You worked at Chili's? Me too!" Now you have commonality and connection. [16:50] The next step is to share content that backs up that you're the authority in your space. Better to be an authority than an expert. In the world of AI, everyone's an expert. Be the authority that people go to every day. [17:40] Use the 10-20-70 rule of content. Ten percent personal, showing you're human. Twenty percent, stories of what your company has done for people. Seventy percent, educate and aggregate value for your audience. Become a destination site as the authority in your field. [19:10] If you say, "Hey, here's 50 pages, and here are the 10 lines of it you need to pay attention to now," that's how you need to show up on LinkedIn every day. Educate them enough that if they have a problem or issue, they're going to come to you for the solution. [19:45] After profile and content, what next? You have to be active about drawing in your audience. Josh uses LinkedIn's CRM system, Sales Navigator to identify his audience better than any other social media platform. [20:18] It costs $100 U.S. per month. With the relationship you can build with one person, it should give you, if not 10X, at least $100 in value every month. You can only reach out and connect with 400 people a month. Monday through Friday, that's 20 people per day. [20:47] Use Sales Navigator to identify your exact audience, click on the button, "Active on LinkedIn the last 30 days," to get a pretty tight audience. Engage on their content, reach out, connect with them, and draw your ideal audience in to look at your profile and content. [21:09] When you're having that conversation with them in the DMs, you create that opportunity and make that relationship deeper. [21:24] It takes Josh's clients 30 to 45 days to get in the human algorithm, rebuild their LinkedIn profile, get content going, and have that in place, to start messaging. Josh helped a client have a relationship conversation within seven days of engaging with someone's content. [22:20] Most people fail here by talking about themselves. Josh's Mom taught him when you meet someone new, compliment them. It's nice to be nice. Do that on LinkedIn. Give endorsements. You'll get thanks. Get their mindset, to know them better. [24:01] Ask if they consider themselves an entrepreneur, or a business owner with an entrepreneurial mindset. Entrepreneurs are early in their careers. Being an entrepreneur is exhausting. Business owners are more established with a team and a growth mindset. [24:40] They might answer they work for someone else. However they answer, it allows you to provide value. If the answer isn't what you're looking for, you can still leave them with value. [24:59] Josh shares an example. He helped Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy relaunch the book, Who Not How with a free plus shipping book offer, even though they weren't aligned. [25:14] Josh has done it in seven days, but it can take longer, depending on a person's LinkedIn profile and content. As you continue to have 400 conversations a month, it keeps growing, creating more opportunities. [25:59] Sachin's updating his LinkedIn profile during this call. Josh says Giovanni Marsico did, too. Josh was also on Evan Carmichael's podcast and Evan did it, too. Make your profile human. There are people who do things similar to you but they're not you. [27:34] Josh points out that he is sharing his knowledge with Sachin and influencing him to take action. It's essential to be a thought leader with influence. The power is yours. You can do it straight from LinkedIn better than from any other platform out there. [28:12] Josh has a book, Balance is Bullsh*t. He was very successful but he didn't feel it. He was miserable, and money was his driver when it should have been a byproduct. He reset his life at age 36 and wrote about it. He was going to be a life coach! [30:40] Josh realized quickly that he wasn't a life coach. Instead, he realized he had to humanize the way he was online and be able to shift and change his marketing. He paired his marketing background with where he was trying to go. [31:16] He didn't write the book for anyone else but himself, to see where he had messed up. He changed his life for himself and his family and kids. He hopes it will inspire someone else. [31:35] Josh is the Dopamine Dealer of LinkedIn because he took the time to share his story and change for the better. [32:21] On average, Josh posts on LinkedIn three times a week. He doesn't have to create tons of overwhelming content. Each post is 200 to 400 words. Each post is from him. No matter how many companies he has, the commonality is him, so they are all one profile. [33:10] Start with that humanity and make a human connection, not a B2B or B2C connection, because a human being runs every company, so it's all H2H. Josh's content is about entrepreneurship, LinkedIn, and how to use AI as a tool to empower us, not as a replacement. [34:00] In Josh's content, he'll do one picture with some content, with the picture being real and raw, not overproduced, a PDF as a carousel, each page being a cell, and a 30-to-60-second video. LinkedIn is diving deeper into video to draw people in. Write for fifth graders. [36:44] Josh summarizes: Be you, using 10;20;70, think about the three pillars of content that make up you, and create content that is relevant today, that someone can take in and process. [37:17] Another tip: Watch the LinkedIn news feed. Josh looks for the top news. If you can add value to a news story, use the story to create new content, and do it every week. You'll get more visibility and be highlighted by the LinkedIn editorial team, which will get you more opportunities. [38:58] Everyone's human. They're not all talking about business and they all have health concerns. Josh talks about his health issues. He dealt with a panic issue this weekend and Sachin offered him support. A health practitioner needs to post about health issues. [39:28] Josh recently posted about men's mental health and male suicide. Men and women need support. Share what you wish someone would have shared with you. Talk to people like human beings. LinkedIn looks for people who add value and give actionable steps on LinkedIn. [40:20] Josh states that as a practitioner, you have more power on LinkedIn than most people. You're not just another person selling them something but you're there to educate them on what might be going on in their life that they're scared to talk about. [41:16] Is there shadow-banning on LinkedIn? Josh hasn't seen it yet. He shares an example of an actress friend who posts on the subject of child trafficking on Instagram and gets 200 views, but if she posts herself half-naked she gets views. LinkedIn wants value, not half-naked videos. [42:01] Josh had the same conversation with a recovering alcoholic. Post for the family members of someone with an alcohol problem. People are scared of being vulnerable. Understand what audience you are talking to, the direct audience or the people around them. [42:56] You may need to shift how you write your content and whom you're writing it to, to reach the audience you want to reach. They will DM you. [44:09] Likes and comments are just vanity metrics. They don't mean anything. People ask Josh how he attracts his KPIs. In the conversations. If a post with few likes spurs one or two conversations, you've won. Another post can be viral but spark few conversations. [44:44] Change your perspective. Are you being polarizing enough to push someone to love you or be pushed to engage with you? Indifferent content not only wastes your time but also the readers' time. [45:35] Sachin saw on his LinkedIn profile that his wife had posted. She had attended Josh's training last week in the community and she was inspired to work with LinkedIn as a new channel for her to a new audience. Sachin thanks Josh for that. [46:21] Josh shares what he can to add value to the world and not just monetize it. He tried to change the world on his own and nearly killed himself. The only way that we can change this world and make it a better place is for all of us to rise together and share that knowledge. [46:59] Sachin'swife's posts are getting indexed highly on Google as the MOZ SEO score for LinkedIn on Google is 100/100. OpenAI and Microsoft index LinkedIn for the next level of search. People who leverage content from profiles to newsletters to articles, show in all three. [47:38] That's an opportunity coming to you rather than you spending energy to go find it. Spamming a lot of people is a waste of energy. Engagement gives you energy. [48:01] Sachin thanks Josh and asks for links. Find JoshuaBLee on LinkedIn but don't send that blank connection request! To connect with Josh tell him why you listen to Sachin, and why you love him, his wife, and the community. That gives Josh a better relationship with Sachin! [48:34] You can check out Josh's website at StandOutAuthority.com but he'd rather have that conversation with you that builds that relationship and creates an opportunity for both of you. [48:42] Sachin thanks Joshua B. Lee for sharing knowledge so openly and willingly. He's looking forward to connecting with Josh again. Mentioned in this episode Perfect Practice Live Joshua B. Lee Archangel Academy with Giovanni MarsicoAmber Spears's Mimosa Mastermind Genius Network with Joe Polish Kevin Thompson Dan Sullivan Balance is Bullsh*t: How to Successfully Integrate Work & Life, by Joshua B. Lee More about your host Sachin Patel How to speak with Sachin Go one step further and Become The Living Proof Perfect Practice Live sachin@becomeproof.com To set up a practice clarity call and opportunity audit Books by Sachin Patel: Perfect Practice: How to Build a Successful Functional Medical Business, Attract Your Ideal Patients, Serve Your Community, and Get Paid What You're Worth The Motivation Molecule: The Biological Secrets To Eliminate Procrastination, Skyrocket Productivity, and Get Sh!t Done Tweetables: "That's the only way we're truly going to be able to change this world for the better, is to be able to have enriching conversations that are 100% transparent." — Joshua B. Lee "There are a billion people on LinkedIn right now. Only about four million of them are active on a regular basis but those four million are getting access to 10 billion content impressions weekly." — Joshua B. Lee "One thing I realized, especially post-COVID, was there's much in this world that we do take for granted, that we don't pay attention to." — Joshua B. Lee "Likes and comments are just vanity metrics. They don't mean anything. … How do you attract your KPIs? On the conversations." — Joshua B. Lee "The only way that we can truly change this world and make it a better place is for all of us to rise together and share that knowledge." — Joshua B. Lee Joshua B. Lee on LinkedIn StandOutAuthority.com

In this episode, Sachin interviews Cynthia Thurlow on her early career as a nurse practitioner, and why she took a leap of faith into beginning a holistic healthcare practice focusing on the health of perimenopausal and menopausal women. She speaks of her two TEDx talks, how the second one became viral, and led to her writing her first book. She speaks of intermittent fasting and what it did for her health and her practice. Listen to learn more about how Cynthia helps women in the second half of life live in their best health. Key Takeaways: [1:00] Sachin introduces today's guest, Cynthia Thurlow. Cynthia has done two TEDx talks and created a revolution around intermittent fasting. Today, we're going to go through the chapters of Cynthia's journey to inform you about the perseverance it takes to succeed. [2:28] Sachin thanks Cynthia for hosting him on a past episode of her podcast. Sachin and Cynthia met through Mindshare. Sachin is grateful for the collaboration in that community. [3:29] A great deal of why Cynthia does what she does is wanting to help women understand that navigating the second half of their lives does not have to be fraught with poor quality sleep, weight loss resistance, and gaslighting by well-meaning healthcare providers. [3:54] Cynthia started her journey in ER medicine and then cardiology as a nurse practitioner. She got to a point where she was no longer inspired to write prescriptions. She felt that so much of what she was seeing were lifestyle-mediated issues. [4:18] Cynthia says that so much of what we do in traditional allopathic medicine is focused on urgencies and emergencies and there's clearly a place for it but where we fall short is in prevention and chronic disease management. [4:33] Cynthia no longer felt aligned with writing prescriptions for lifestyle-related issues, so in April 2016, she took a massive leap of faith and left traditional clinical medicine. She assured her husband it would work. She felt there was a need to provide support in different ways. [5:27] Women started coming to her who felt they were misunderstood by providers who had 10 to 15 minutes to talk to them about multiple concerns, women who were being put on anti-depressants instead of checking hormones to see whether they needed oral progesterone. [5:51] Cynthia started creating programs in 2016 in response to consistent symptoms and concerns that women had, which led to one-on-one work. Nurse practitioners in her state were not autonomous. She knew she needed to be in lifestyle medicine. [6:16] Cynthia's colleagues didn't have time to talk to patients about sleep, nutrition, or exercise, so they referred those patients to Cynthia. That was how it evolved initially, and it was gratifying, but Cynthia still felt something was lacking. [6:56] In 2018, Cynthia wanted another challenge. She wanted to do a TEDx talk about the issues and changes women go through in perimenopause and menopause. [7:14] Cynthia did a second TEDx talk that went viral. It validated to Cynthia's family that her work was needed and that she had a genuine business. Cynthia speaks of the stress of going from being an employee to being an entrepreneur but says that great risks have great rewards. [8:22] Cynthia says she was meant to be married to her husband and have her boys. Occupationally, the work she is doing now impacts more people than being in an office or the hospital where she was seeing 16 or 20 patients a day. Now her message is amplified. [8:44] Her message also serves as a reminder that you are capable of so much more than you realize. Some of what you do is a leap of faith and some of it is understanding you have a message that is worth amplifying. Aligning with that concept allows you to propel forward. [9:47] As an entrepreneur, understand that things take time; they don't happen overnight. What you see on social media are highlights. They don't show you the tough part. They don't show you the 80 hours a week you may be working as an entrepreneur. It's so easy to doubt yourself. [10:12] Put your blinders on and focus on your vision and impact and the people you know you can reach and inspire. Sachin adds, some days you step in grass, and some days you step in mud but you just keep moving forward. As you go, you learn and develop skills. [12:07] Cynthia tells what it was like to resign from the hospital. Cynthia says in Human Design, she is a Manifesting Generator. She leans into what feels intrinsically right, viscerally. She loved her patients but she was not happy with writing prescriptions. She was mentally tired. [13:41] Cynthia's body was telling her she had to make a decision. One day, her feet hit the floor and she said, "Today is the day." Her husband didn't understand. She was fearful to tell her employer but once she did, it was like a weight was lifted off her shoulders. [14:16] Cynthia spent six weeks mourning the decision because she loved the people she worked with. She loved her patients, but not the environment. She was no longer growing intellectually. She was not aligned with the model of treating symptoms with prescriptions. [14:58] Cynthia felt that there was more that she could do by focusing on lifestyle and helping people understand that poor sleep, inactivity, poor eating, poor relationships, and poor spiritual practices do not lead to good health. [15:40] Colleagues and her parents told her she was having a midlife crisis but she disagreed. She had put much thought into it and had a clear vision of where she saw her business going. She couldn't do it in the context of continuing to work in that environment. [16:19] Looking back eight years, Cynthia sees she is now exactly where she is meant to be. There's a reason things happened on the trajectory that they did. She had to take that leap of faith. Now Advanced Practice Nurses reach out to her and ask how they can do as she does. [17:35] Cynthia says all of us listening to this podcast need to realize our work is so needed and valuable. We have to have faith in ourselves. We need to build an army to help support people's health and wellness needs. Cynthia says the current system is broken. [17:55] Sachin quotes Dan Sullivan who said that every system does exactly what it is designed to do. Sachin's take on that is that the system is fixed to be rigged against the patient and the practitioner so a small percentage of people benefits from everything that's happening. [18:28] Sachin is thankful that the system is great in emergency situations but eventually, it grinds down practitioners, patients, insurance companies, and governments. He can't see how it will play out over the course of 50 or 100 years. [19:12] Sachin addresses the mid-life crisis issue. For a lot of people, going into a holistic style of practice happens around mid-life. But it's not a mid-life crisis, it's an opportunity to be reborn. Reframing that in people's minds can be helpful. It's a new world, embrace you. [20:36] Cynthia is the first entrepreneur in her family. Her parents instilled in her a strong sense of self-confidence. She comes from a family of people who are in service to others, both in medicine and teaching. She speaks of how she and her husband balance each other. [22:17] Cynthia has a child she suspects will be an entrepreneur. He's constantly figuring out strategies and solutions. He wants to go to business school and work on Wall Street with complex computational models. [22:50] Cynthia invested early in her mindset and her business. She got a business coach early and she credits every coach she hired with helping her drive her business further. You cannot do it all on your own. Hire people who know more than you do to help you expedite your growth. [23:24] Cynthia joined Mindshare in 2019, After her talk went viral, she had felt the universe telling her it was time to leap again. After joining the mastermind, she felt like a little fish in a big pond, amazed at the quality of people she was around, people she could learn from. [23:51] Cynthia is a proponent of being a lifelong learner. There's no greater joy for her than learning. She is very coachable. Give her a suggestion and she gets it done. Her business is not a hobby. She wants to make an impact and as a result, generate an income. [26:33] The American Heart Association produced a document on time-restricted feeding at an epidemiological conference. It looked at two days' worth of data, wasn't a research study, and wasn't peer-reviewed. It linked time-restricted feeding to heart disease and morbidity. [27:45] Intermittent fasting may deserve to have more research done, particularly within women, Cynthia says you can't draw a conclusion from two days' worth of information that is self-reported at an epidemiologic conference. It goes back to clickbait. [29:01] Cynthia did a video on Instagram a couple of days after the article came out. She told her audience it does not impact her decision to continue talking about intermittent fasting. For most of us, it is not going to change utilizing that as a strategy for ourselves or our clients. [30:25] Cynthia says many organizations are designed to protect consumers but are so influenced by the pharmaceutical industry and the processed food industry that there is a lack of objectivity. Their advice is very subjective. A lot of clinicians teach that advice. [31:05] Cynthia disagrees with a registered dietician working for the ADA telling everyone to have lots of heart-healthy grains and processed carbohydrates. Cynthia says that's exactly the advice to keep you sick and misinformed. [31:55] Sachin used to be a speaker for the American Diabetes Association, but he quit after a few talks because it became clear to him that their objectives were not aligned. Sachin was teaching how to reverse diabetes, and they told him he couldn't say that. [32:42] Sachin was sharing what was working clinically for people who want to get off of these medications or reduce the medications. It's not just food that raises blood sugar. Poor sleep, lack of sunlight, our microbiome, and stress will cause blood sugar dysregulation. [33:14] Sachin says the ADA was focused only on food and medicine. The asteroid that's about to hit this country is metabolic dysfunction, which spills into many chronic health challenges. Intermittent fasting is a powerful tool to help people address metabolic dysfunction. [33:57] Cynthia had never had a weight problem but found that in perimenopause she could not shed 10 pounds. Her trainer at the time suggested intermittent fasting. She thought that would be starving but she started reading about it and found Jason Fung's book. [34:41] Dr. Jason Fung uses intermittent fasting protocols with his patients. Cynthia came to intermittent fasting with the desire to change body composition but she stayed for all the other benefits. She didn't initially lose weight but she felt so much better and was so cognitively clear. [35:05] Doing intermittent fasting, Cynthia had so much more energy and less bloating. Over time, she did lose weight. She talked to her patients about it and they thought she wanted to starve them. She talked about it to any who would listen. Then she left clinical medicine. [35:37] When she decided to do the TEDx talk, she was offered two around the same time. They had to be on different topics, so the first talk was on perimenopause and the second talk was about intermittent fasting. That topic became one of the most Googled topics of 2019. [36:23] Cynthia's talk was recorded in March 2019. The talk was released in May and that changed everything. She came to intermittent fasting out of a curiosity for herself, but she had so much success, that she talked to anyone willing to listen to her. [37:38] Intermittent fasting is a strategy that almost everyone can use in some capacity to improve their metabolic health. Her teenagers do not fast, but they can even go 12 hours without eating. [38:55] Cynthia does intuitive eating. On days when she lifts in the gym she may go 12 or 13 hours without eating. If she's hungry, she eats. She is metabolically healthy and insulin-sensitive, so she tries to be observant of how she feels. She consumes enough protein. [39:55] Some women whittle themselves down to one meal a day and chronically underfuel their bodies. It will break down their muscle and metabolic flexibility. Cynthia tells them their feeding window needs to be large enough to accommodate enough protein, whether animal or plant. [40:43] Cynthia is a proponent of at least two to three meals per day. You can get to a point where you know if you are hungry or bored or stressed. Food is not the answer to being stressed. [42:17] Cynthia talks about a toxic diet culture that inhibits you from having a healthy relationship with food. Nourish your body. There are extremes on either side that can be unhealthy. [43:38] Cynthia sides with the camp of consuming enough protein, strength training, maintaining muscle mass, and not becoming a weakened version of yourself at risk for frailty. [45:24] Cynthia finds that a lot of men and women eat too little protein and too many carbs. [46:11] The first meal of the day sets up blood sugar regulation, reducing the likelihood of hyperphagia, and the desire to continue eating. Get a good amount of protein in that first meal and that will set you up for the rest of the day. [46:40] Cynthia has written a book on intermittent fasting. In 2020, her book concept for Intermittent Fasting went to auction. She thinks writing a book proposal is worse than writing a book. It was super stressful for her. Multiple publishers were interested in publishing it. [47:16] Cynthia's favorite of the seven publishers was the one who ended up publishing her book. She had three months to get her first manuscript in. Revisions were done at month five and it was published the following year. Then there's the publicity and press she did. [48:05] Cynthia's book continues to sell hundreds of copies every month. She's still out talking about it. It's the first book written by a woman for women about fasting. It gives a unique perspective. [48:59] Cynthia just signed her second book deal. It will not be about fasting. Writing a book is probably one of the most professionally gratifying things Cynthia has done. Having a concept and having it come to fruition and having it impact lives is exciting. [49:38] Cynthia hosts the Everyday Wellness podcast. She started it with a psychologist friend in 2019. At the end of the year, the friend didn't feel she was helping her business, so she quit. Cynthia stayed with it, and she says podcasting is her favorite thing she does in her business. [50:37] The podcast was like the little engine that could. It grew and grew. It's a wonderful revenue stream. Cynthia also thinks podcasting is the best way to network with other people doing great work. It helped her to learn there was a gap her book would fill. [51:36] Cynthia says there are not too many podcasts. If you want to do a podcast do it, the way you want to do it. Cynthia learns so much from her guests. She reads their books before hosting them, to get their essence. It becomes an incredible exchange you share with your community. [53:22] Sachin thanks Cynthia for the amazing conversation today and the work she is doing. Mentioned in this episode Perfect Practice Live Cynthia Thurlow The Intermittent Fasting Transformation: The 45-Day Program for Women to Lose Stubborn Weight, Improve Hormonal Health, and Slow Aging, by Cynthia Thurlow Everyday Wellness podcast Jason Fung David Sinclair More about your host Sachin Patel How to speak with Sachin Go one step further and Become The Living Proof Perfect Practice Live sachin@becomeproof.com To set up a practice clarity call and opportunity audit Books by Sachin Patel: Perfect Practice: How to Build a Successful Functional Medical Business, Attract Your Ideal Patients, Serve Your Community, and Get Paid What You're Worth The Motivation Molecule: The Biological Secrets To Eliminate Procrastination, Skyrocket Productivity, and Get Sh!t Done Tweetables: "A great deal of why I do what I do is wanting to help women understand that navigating the second half of their lives does not have to be fraught with poor quality sleep, weight loss resistance, and gaslighting by well-meaning healthcare providers." — Cynthia Thurlow "So much of what we do in traditional allopathic medicine is focused on urgencies and emergencies and there's clearly a place for it but where I think we fall short is in prevention, and frankly, chronic disease management." — Cynthia Thurlow "It is stressful to leave an environment where you are an employee, in many instances, where you have a guaranteed income, to going to having the complete opposite. My prevailing philosophy is that through great risk comes great reward." — Cynthia Thurlow All of us, everyone listening to this podcast, your work is so needed and valuable, and yet we just have to have faith in ourselves to understand that the voices are needed. We need to build an army to help support people's health and wellness needs." — Cynthia Thurlow "I'm really a proponent of at least two to three meals a day." — Cynthia Thurlow "Are you really hungry? Because if you are, please go eat. Or are you bored. Are you stressed?" — Cynthia Thurlow "Podcasting is the best way to network … with other people doing great work." — Cynthia Thurlow Cynthia Thurlow @CynthiaThurlow on YouTube @CynthiaThurlow on LinkedIn

In this episode, Sachin interviews Dr. Elena Villanueva on her journey from chiropractic to holistic health practitioner. She shares some of her origin and the health crisis that cost her three sports medicine centers and her home before she recovered. Listen to learn more about the Holistic Health practices of Dr. Elena Villanueva. Key Takeaways: [1:01] Sachin introduces today's guest, Dr. Elena Villanueva. Dr. Elena runs an amazing practice that brings the best of ancient wisdom and modern science together to help people have their deepest healing and feel amazing even when all other things have failed. [1:42] ModernHolisticHealth.com is where you can learn more about her work. [1:49] Sachin will ask Dr. Elena to unpack her recipe for growth, persistence, and success, and share with us how we can build a practice that we love, that gets amazing outcomes, and that has an awesome impact in the community, and build an amazing team that does great work. [2:33] Sachin welcomes Dr. Elena to Perfect Practice. [3:04] Dr. Elena's biggest challenge has keeping her personal life and lifestyle as her "number one." She starts working and she can just go, go, go, like a racecar. Before you know it, the wheels are coming off the car because she put herself on the back burner. [3:51] Her biggest rewards have been when she sat down and took time to get right with herself, reprioritize her values, and get a deeper understanding of how she can have longevity in this type of work. [4:24] Dr. Elena aspired to be in the health field from the time she was six or seven years old. Her stepfather was a surgeon. Her uncle is a surgeon. All her uncles are in the medical field. She wanted to be like them, helping people, and making a difference. [4:49] In her pre-teens, Elena started going to the clinic with her dad, getting patients ready to be seen. As a teenager, she was with him in his plane, flying to border towns to do charity cataract surgeries for the farmers. She helped him in the surgery room. [5:39] Elena developed a love for helping people. That led her to go to chiropractic school to learn to do things in a more natural way. At the time, she didn't know about naturopathic school or she might have gone in that direction. That's the essence of the work she does today. [6:03] After chiropractic school Dr. Elena had three successful sports medicine practices in the Austin, Texas area but she ended up getting very sick. Her father had just passed on and she had no advocate to help her. She was ashamed to tell anyone she was suffering. [6:41] Dr. Elena was so sick she almost died. She lost her three practices and her home. She lived in her car but didn't share with anyone what had happened to her because she carried a lot of shame. [7:03] Dr. Elena survived. She experienced a lot of miracles along the way and says miracles are always there if you're looking for them. She had a big shift that led her to where she is today. She went back into practice with opportunities to cover for other doctors on maternity leave. [7:33] Dr. Elena rediscovered her love for being in the health and wellness field, this time, doing more holistic and functional-type care rather than strictly the biomechanics of the back and neck. She discovered her purpose for what she is supposed to do, and that's why she is here. [8:03] It has been a beautiful ride, but it's not always easy. It presents itself with challenges. If we can become conscious of the common challenges, we can overcome them and we can complete our mission or whatever it is we believe that we're here to do. [8:23] Sachin points out the many similarities between Dr. Elena's journey and his own, including the unwellness he experienced and thought was normal before discovering functional medicine. Informed decisions bring better outcomes. [9:57] Dr. Elena found out that there was a combination of factors that had led to her becoming ill and unable to heal. That is what she teaches today in her five-part series. She had had a combination of toxins in her body, including mold. She wasn't eating the right foods. [10:40] She was burning the candle at both ends so she had a lot of physical and mental stress running three clinics as a single mother. She worked super hard to build security. Her choices, combined with toxins in her environment, and unresolved trauma, led to massive dysbiosis. [12:11] Dr. Elena also suffered fatigue, brain fog, and back pain, She went down quickly with some severe symptoms and conditions. Doctors didn't know what to do for her. She had severe bleeding for about two years. The doctors wanted to cut out her reproductive organs. [12:55] Looking back, she sees it was a lot of grief being processed. She lost her memory gradually. She developed complete aphasia and severe gut issues. She had to take things to help her sleep and to help her massive panic attacks that she thought were heart attacks. [13:47] She experienced massive headaches, emotional breakdowns, massive depression, and rashes all over her body. It felt like everything that could go wrong was going wrong. [15:10] Dr. Elena talks about how her experiences help her as she reaches out to others through an educational five-part series, starting with the Beyond the Pill Masterclass, and the Mental Health Masterclass, exploring the root causes of problems and offering solutions that work. [16:24] Dr. Elena's experiences also show up in her practice. Everyone who works for Dr. Elena first came to her because they saw her teaching when she shared a part of her story when she found that our mess is really our message. Her story can inspire audiences and practitioners. [17:53] Dr. Elena's approach incorporates a multi-faceted system addressing the conscious and the unconscious mind, the belief systems, the mindset and the stories that we create, and the unprocessed emotions and trauma, as well as the physical facets of who we are. [18:21] The physical aspects are explored through bloodwork and labs, to help guide the bio-individual needs of their foods, lifestyle choices, and manner of exercise, supplements, and protocols to work on for the different organ systems of their body. [19:34] Modern Holistic Health has a six-pillar system: Personal, Business, Marketing, Sales, Lifestyle, and Integration. Personal comes at the top, as she learned from her very successful mentors. She applies the Personal to her team, helping them to develop themselves. [20:27] Dr. Elena believes that the degree of success that you can see in your business is directly correlated to your personal development and growth. Success to us doesn't just mean money. What happens if you're healthy in the money section, but not in the relationship section? [21:12] A lot of people have a bad relationship with money. They generate money but later they have nothing to show for it. They don't know how to invest their money, build their portfolio, or be better stewards of the money they make. This is under the Personal pillar. [21:45] Personal is the first of the six pillars and Dr. Elena teaches a lot of personal development. Dr. Elena sees that as a gap in a lot of practitioner certification courses and masterminds. Dr. Elena has a lot of breakthroughs with her practitioners on that. [22:11] The second pillar is Business. What are the foundations and the values upon which we are building our business? Why are we doing the business? It's important that what we are doing with our business is in alignment with our value systems. Know basic business strategies. [23:01] Building a solid foundation is important so you can get to that million-dollar mark and beyond it. What worked for you to get to $500,000 isn't necessarily the same structure that will get you from $500,000 to $1,000,000, from a million to two million, and so on. [23:47] One of the biggest mistakes practitioners make is that they try to grow wide quickly rather than focusing on growing deep roots first. Be involved in and understand every bit of your processes, in the beginning. Know that Version One is not going to be the final process. [24:42] You need to be on top of your processes. When you scale to the next level, if your processes are not solid, and you're not deep-rooted in your processes, that's where things will go sideways really quickly and you could end up losing money without even knowing it. [25:03] Dr. Elena teaches her practitioners to develop a mindset of curiosity and excitement around the processes. If you dread working on your processes, you are saying to the universe, "I don't want this anymore," and something will happen to mess up what you're trying to build. [25:38] The other four pillars are Marketing, Sales, Lifestyle, and Integration. Building the right team around you that has the same values is part of integration. Integration is key. That is where you get the real growth. Integrate all the parts for long-term business success. [30:12] Modern Holistic Health has an organizational chart showing who is on each team. Dr. Elena tracks metrics and KPIs of the top things each member of each team is responsible for doing. She has them fill out a questionnaire to assess their values every year. [31:20] Annual assessments help Dr. Elena to know if employees are still a good fit in the practice, should be promoted, moved, or go somewhere else. This is vital to the success of the business. Implement a process like this from the beginning, with a chart, to be able to scale. [35:48] Dr. Elena believes it is important to invest in your team members' professional development. It's expensive; structure it so that if they leave your organization shortly after your investment in them, they owe you back the money you paid for their training. [42:16] Dr. Elena has experienced stress when someone wasn't meeting their metrics and she found it hard to fire them. Now she sees that if someone is not doing well, they know it and they're not happy in their job, so it's easy to fire them. Help them find a job where they fit. [43:31] Dr. Elena speaks of having kept people in the practice for too long. It was bad for the business. After firing them, the business rebounded like a rubber band. Don't keep people that hold your business back. They're not happy, either. Let them go sooner rather than later. [46:09] Dr. Elena has been super blessed to attract amazing mentors who have also been amazing friends to her. She has burned through a lot of money hiring mentors and joining masterminds. She feels a lot of gaps with practitioners in the personal development area. [47:38] About two-and-a-half years ago, Modern Holistic Health hired their most recent business coach. After spending about $85,000 on him, they realized he wasn't delivering what he promised, which was to help them set up a C-Suite and investors. Dr. Elena says this is rampant. [49:41] Dr. Elena has probably spent $250,000 hiring people who didn't help them. Ask for referrals from people who are where you want to be. Don't get your referrals from somebody promoting themselves on stage but from people who have hired the best themselves. [50:42] Dr. Elena speaks of some practitioners paying to go to an event and leaving feeling overwhelmed, having gotten little pearls of advice but not enough to connect the dots and implement in their practice, leaving a gap. [51:08] Dr. Elena says the program she has put together is something that fills those gaps for practitioners. She also comments on the success of Sachin's Metabolic Program. Besides the program she offers, she helps practitioners with their personal development. [52:05] A big reason why people are not breaking the $250K or the $500K mark is their own limiting belief system. It's not all just about the mechanics of building out the right SOPs and hiring the right people. It's about what's going on with your money mindset. [52:30] Modern Holistic Health, is filling in the gap with a lot of personal development tools and breakthrough tools. She speaks of just finishing a week-long Level 1 Breakthrough event that took people through amazing blocks and limiting belief breakthroughs. [53:15] One of Dr. Elena's clients at the Breakthrough last week just sold one of her clients a $12K Breakthrough on the same tools she had learned in the Breakthrough. [53:47] Certain practitioners have money mindset issues and limiting beliefs. Dr. Elena helps them to break through those blocks and limits. She sits with them, looks at where their process is breaking, puts together a process for them, and asks them to follow up in eight weeks. [55:37] Dr. Elena has been diving into esoteric studies and is excited to explore spiritual experiences with mature women, traveling to ancient, megalithic sites and gathering in a community with like-minded women to live their lives in head-heart coherence. [57:24] Practitioners and mentors can learn about Dr. Elena's work by visiting ModernHolisticHealth.com and @ModernHolisticHealth on YouTube with case studies and teachings on things from bioenergetics to hormones to epigenetics. [58:33] Sachin thanks Dr. Elena for the conversation today. Here's to an amazing year ahead helping people in the capacity that brings you the absolute most joy. Dr. Elena sends the same wishes to Sachin and everyone listening to this episode of Perfect Practice. Mentioned in this episode Perfect Practice Live Dr. Elena Villanueva More about your host Sachin Patel How to speak with Sachin Go one step further and Become The Living Proof Perfect Practice Live sachin@becomeproof.com To set up a practice clarity call and opportunity audit Books by Sachin Patel: Perfect Practice: How to Build a Successful Functional Medical Business, Attract Your Ideal Patients, Serve Your Community, and Get Paid What You're Worth The Motivation Molecule: The Biological Secrets To Eliminate Procrastination, Skyrocket Productivity, and Get Sh!t Done Tweetables: "If we can become conscious of the common challenges, we can overcome them and we can complete our mission or whatever it is that we believe we're here to do." — Dr. Elena Villanueva "The degree of success that you can see in your business is directly correlated to your personal development and your personal growth." — Dr. Elena Villanueva "Know that Version One is not going to be the final process. You may go through 10 versions of how you want your front office, whether it's virtual or a physical office, to operate each day and the checklist of what you want them to do first." — Dr. Elena Villanueva "Integration is not optional, it's key. That is where you get the real growth. We need to integrate all of the parts, all the things that I just talked about." — Dr. Elena Villanueva "A players only want to work with A players and B players only want to work with C players" — Sachin paraphrasing Steve Jobs "We have experienced keeping the wrong people for too long, for whatever excuses we came up with. … But when we let go of them it was like the business rebounded and did way better as soon as we cut the branches." — Dr. Elena Villanueva "Oftentimes, a big reason why people are not breaking the $250K or the $500K mark is their own limiting belief system. So, it's not all just about the mechanics of building out the right SOPs and hiring the right people." — Dr. Elena Villanueva Dr. Elena Villanueva ModernHolisticHealth.com @ModernHolisticHealth on YouTube

In this episode, Sachin interviews Dr. Penney Stringer on her journey from working as a family practice physician to achieving her purpose of bringing healing to groups of people through a mindful functional medicine practice. Listen for insight on following your heart in the flow of abundance as you help clients heal. Key Takeaways: [1:01] Sachin introduces Dr. Penney Stringer, a trailblazer and mother of two children. Sachin welcomes Penney to Perfect Practice. [2:22] Dr. Penney Stringer started as a medical doctor and moved into functional medicine. After her residency, she worked in a community healthcare center outside Seattle, Washington, working with people on the margins. The clinic also had an acupuncturist and naturopaths. [2:54] Dr. Stringer was a family medicine doctor. She referred everyone to the people she knew could help them: a nutritionist, a naturopath, an acupuncturist, and a counselor. There was also a dispensary. At the same time, she did hospital work associated with the clinic. [3:36] All she had to do was write prescriptions. One day, she felt sick writing a prescription for a medicine she knew was harmful. A young patient with ankylosing spondylitis and bad back pain had been to a naturopath and had been given antibiotics and fish oil for a gut infection. [4:08] The patient came back to Dr. Stringer and was all better. He didn't need the prescription for pain medication. After being treated for his gut infection, his autoimmune disease got better. Dr. Stringer questioned how that happened. [4:26] About that time, she was invited by a naturopathic student to a Jeffrey Bland lecture in 2000, in Seattle. Jeffrey Bland is the "grandfather" of functional medicine. She started going to the free lectures Jeffrey Bland was giving. [4:57] The first lecture was all about the microbiome and the biochemical pathways. It was what Dr. Stringer had thought she would learn in medical school. She went to her first training not too long after that. She says the rest is history. [5:28] Dr. Stringer moved to a new town in the early 2000s. A doctor was practicing functional medicine there with a patient waitlist of five years. A nearby hospital funded the functional medicine wellness clinic and Dr. Stringer's salary at the clinic. [6:43] Right out of her Institute for Functional Medicine AFMCP course in Boston, Dr. Stringer had a mentor, all the testing, all the supplements, all the patients lined up to see her, and a salary that she didn't have to worry about. She felt like it was what she was supposed to do. [8:21] Dr. Stringer says it was a blessed situation in every way. It was all insurance-based so patients could get the best care with two dedicated physicians. The doctors were free to do what they believed in. It was not regular Western medicine. It was functional medicine from the start. [8:47] The town is a nuclear toxic cleanup site. A lot of the jobs are in the cleanup. She helps with people's detox and hormone renewal analysis. Her first patient was full of heavy metals, just as she had learned in class. She feels like things are put in our path to see if we're awake. [10:45] Dr. Stringer thinks that the key is paying attention. If you want to learn about something, request it from whoever is listening and see how long it takes to show up at your doorstep. [11:52] Dr. Stringer talks about her sense of presence. She says her dad was a keen observer of nature. He was a biologist and environmental scientist with a doctorate in parasitology from Johns Hopkins. He viewed the world with a beginner's mind and asked profound questions. [12:25] Dr. Stringer tells how her father researched the chrysalis of the monarch butterfly, and presented papers on it around the world, all because he wanted to know what happened in the chrysalis. He asked the question and got a grant to find out. He's now in a documentary. [13:35] One of Dr. Stringer's earliest memories with her dad is going in the woods. He would stoop down and turn over a rock and show his children the universe under the rock. He instilled in Penney some of that sense of presence. [14:01] Dr Stringer spent her junior college year in Spain, studying Spanish literature and she saw daily siestas. When she came back, she learned transcendental meditation. After meditating, when she went outside, she could see every shade of green she had never seen. [15:05] Dr. Stringer teams up with a master cranial sacral therapist to do a double hands-on with patients. They sit in silence with a patient for an hour. [15:50] That has given Dr. Stringer so much insight and awareness about the process of healing and being present with another human being and holding the space for transformation, being there with their joy, pain, or release. It's not always comfortable. [16:18] Dr. Stringer has to do cranial sacral herself to release what she observes in others. There's a lot of pain and suffering. Some of us are very in tune with that pain and suffering. It's important to do your own work to release what you observe so it doesn't get stuck in your body. [17:28] If you are not dissipating the energy that's building up, you feel burned out or don't care as much. You feel tired. Dr. Stringer notices that her nervous system gets shaky. You could get headaches, upset stomach, or not sleep well, or more, from holding onto other people's energy. [20:13] Dr. Stringer worked at the functional medicine office for about five years and then they went their separate ways. She had children. She went back and worked at the community health center so she didn't have to run a business when her babies were little. [20:30] Then Dr. Stringer started her own practice. For 18-and-a-half years, she had done functional medicine in the insurance system. With Sachin's mentorship, she took the leap and jumped out of the insurance system, partially spurred by how the recent pandemic was handled. [22:00] Sachin has been Dr. Stringer's only business growth mentor. She has done everything by her heart. She doesn't do or choose anything based on finances. Dr. Stringer thinks that when you have the right intention, things work out for you and abundance flows. [22:46] Dr. Stringer says that Sachin has been a very helpful mentor for her, for thinking heart-centered but business savvy. Beyond finances, for Dr. Stringer, the bigger part of abundance is being in nature every day as part of her ability to do her work. [23:32] Dr. Stringer had another important mentor in medical school at Georgetown, Dr. Jim Gordon, who runs the Center for Mind Body Medicine. He's a Harvard-trained psychiatrist and an acupuncturist. Dr. Gordon informed me so much about the way Dr. Stringer thinks about healing. [24:09] Dr. Stringer's purpose is healing in community. The reason she joined the mentorship was to solidify doing groups and making the community the hallmark of her dynamic and system. Dr. Gordon's training in mind-body medicine is the basis of all of Dr. Stringer's groups. [24:45] Dr. Stringer says Sachin is a great mentor. She feels that learning business and healing are not that different and that they can all be together. [25:12] Dr. Stringer recommends learning to facilitate mind-body skills groups as an eloquent and beautiful model for being a facilitator but also a participant in the group. It's mindfulness-based training. [25:35] Dr. Stringer had another pivotal shift when she went to ECO Conference. It helped her reframe the way she thinks about barriers to healing and how to address toxins and stealth bugs. [26:17] Dr. Stringer speaks of a book that was pivotal to her, The Nature Fix, by Florence Williams which documents a positive biochemical effect in the brain that PTSD sufferers receive from being in nature for three days. Sachin relates it to the wellness modality of forest bathing. [29:02] Nature is a powerful teacher and powerful medicine for our sanity. Sachin suggests prescribing forest bathing to your patients and clients. It could be a missing link for a lot of people's healing journeys. [29:23] Dr. Stringer notes a recent NYTimes article on the recommendations of nature for health benefits. They recommend spending 20 minutes in nature, three days a week, plus five hours a month of longer hiking, plus going off-grid for three days a year. [30:19] Sachin is going on a three-day snowshoeing hike with his brother and a guide in Algonquin Park where the lake freezes over. They'll have a sauna tent and bathe in a hole in the ice in the water. He's super stoked about it. [30:55] Being in nature is such an important thing we should all be doing. He hopes what you learn from this conversation is to spend some more time in nature. [31:41] Dr. Stringer brings up the benefits of fasting. She is on the second day of a three-day ProLon mimicking fast and she feels an amazing shift. It's amazing to get into a fasting state. It's phenomenal. Sachin notes that It's an easy modality to integrate into your practice. [33:44] Dr. Stringer recommends bodywork; worrying with the subtle energy of the body, as another modality. She sticks to the elemental, basic things. [39:43] Dr. Stringer thinks medical physicians and professionals pairing up with health coaches is a no-brainer. [40:12] If you are interested in setting up a group-based program, Dr. Stringer says to follow what interests you and lights you up in terms of the kinds of patients you want to work with, and the setting. She believes that word of mouth is always the best way to grow a practice. [40:35] If you want to do groups, start doing them. Don't wait for the perfect system; no one really has the perfect system. Just start doing groups of five, six, or 10 people. It's an efficient way to teach and to be compensated. Sometimes you have to start with individual people. [41:23] Dr. Stringer doesn't have a referral system. That will be the next phase of what she does to reach more people. So far, it's 90% word of mouth. [41:36] Offerings of teachings and master classes are a good way for people to know that you know what you're talking about, that you care, and that your heart's in it. Dr. Stringer has done master classes for the past three years and it has been great. [41:58] Now she is doing more in-person things, which are the most fulfilling for her. Getting in front of people and being generous with your offerings to share your knowledge will come back to benefit you. Generosity is reciprocal. [43:04] Dr. Penney Stringer says this is her year for saying, "yes" to everything. For the next four weekends, she is traveling to visit friends and family and to a breathwork conference with James Nestor. [44:34] Dr. Penney Stringer learned of the James Nestor breathwork conference from Sachin, who says going to that event was one of the highlights of his life. [44:45] Dr. Penney Stringer is also planning to go with a functional medicine friend to a nature-based three-day retreat for women in menopause. [45:09] Sachin thanks Dr. Stringer for spending time with him and his audience today and sharing her wisdom. There are great takeaways of things we can do in nature, with self-care, keeping things simple in our practice, and following our hearts, with the highest integrity. [46:02] To learn more about Dr. Stringer's practice, go to PenneyStringerMD.com. [46:32] Penny's last words: "Follow your heart and trust that you are in the abundance flow." Mentioned in this episode Perfect Practice Live Dr. Penney Stringer Jeffrey Bland The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative, by Florence Williams ProLon More about your host Sachin Patel How to speak with Sachin Go one step further and Become The Living Proof Perfect Practice Live sachin@becomeproof.com To set up a practice clarity call and opportunity audit Books by Sachin Patel: Perfect Practice: How to Build a Successful Functional Medical Business, Attract Your Ideal Patients, Serve Your Community, and Get Paid What You're Worth The Motivation Molecule: The Biological Secrets To Eliminate Procrastination, Skyrocket Productivity, and Get Sh!t Done Tweetables: "I feel like things are put in our path to see if we're awake and see if we're paying attention and I think that can happen with your patients and with your process as a healer and as a business owner." — Dr. Penney Stringer "If you want to learn about something, request it from whoever is listening and see how long it takes to show up at your doorstep." — Dr. Penney Stringer "I did all this training so I can teach people how to eat and breathe, and touch nature? How is that possible? … That's what gets people better!" — Dr. Penney Stringer "I would say if you want to do groups, start doing them. Don't wait for the perfect system; no one has the perfect system. Just start doing groups of five, six, or 10 people." — Dr. Penney Stringer "Generosity is reciprocal." — Dr. Penney Stringer Dr. Penney StringerIFM

In this episode, Sachin interviews James White, CEO of KBMO Diagnostics about the Food Inflammation Test or FIT, what it does for patients and practitioners, and how it works. James shares his career history and how KBMO Diagnostics came to be a key tool for determining the trigger foods for patients with inflammation. They also discuss the Gut Barrier Panel and the Cardiovascular Inflammation Test and how they could help your patients. Listen in for the details of how you can use KBMO Diagnostics to improve your health and in your practice to improve the health of your clients. Key Takeaways: [1:01] Sachin introduces James White, the founder of KBMO Labs. This lab has been instrumental in Sachin's healing journey with a better understanding of what foods he should and should not be eating. One person's food could be poison for somebody else. [1:38] Today we will discuss what functional food testing looks like to get a better understanding of how our body responds to foods that are favorable to it and foods that are not. This can give insight into what might lead to chronic inflammation or pain, despite a healthy and nutritious diet. [2:04] James ran Sachin's labs on-site at Mindshare. Sachin made some unexpected discoveries. There could be hidden triggers to people's underlying issues or even issues they do not know. Sachin loves the convenience and the amazing service provided by the team. [2:56] Sachin gives a shoutout to Dr. Robert Silverman, who introduced James to Sachin. [3:05] Sachin welcomes James White to Perfect Practice. [3:35] James has a background in running diagnostics companies from blood gas analysis to molecular diagnostics. Then he got involved in specialized cardiovascular testing. The mantra of cardiologists at the time was "eat less and exercise more," without individualized care. [4:59] James was looking for a better way to address heart issues when he came across Brent Dorval, Ph.D., who had invented the first rapid HIV diagnostic. Dr. Dorval had a new test that he had three providers using. James called each provider and they were unanimous in their praise. [6:28] That led to James leaving a larger public company and joining Dr. Dorval in the diagnostic lab. They started with two people. Now the lab works with over 10,000 practitioners. [8:00] KBMO Diagnostics offers the FIT or Food Inflammation Test. It is different from the C3d test. It doesn't just look at what you are exposed to but also at which foods are causing inflammation. [9:35] James did a Dry January where he exercised every day and did the KBMO Cardiovascular test and the FIT. Twelve years ago, James did the FIT and it indicated five or six foods. This time, the text indicated five foods. The test is highly accurate and reproducible. [11:05] James educates the population about what they are exposed to and which foods cause them inflammation. James took an Everlywell IgG test that indicated over 25 foods, versus the FIT, that indicated five foods. Twenty of the foods identified by the IgG test are false positives. [12:38] Dr. Dorval's FIT uses a double screen to measure the whole immune system rather than just the front end of it, giving a more accurate result. The accuracy means fewer foods for the patient to eliminate. [14:21] Sachin tested for 176 foods and for a leaky gut. The leaky gut test came back all clear. Certain foods showed up for Sachin. The two highest were cow's milk and eggs. Then there were cauliflower and other foods he doesn't often eat. [15:21] Because it looks at the inflammatory response, the FIT is helpful for migraines, weight loss, joint pain, and skin-related issues. One patient with back acne learned to eliminate spinach to clear up the acne. You never know which food is going to be the trigger. [17:21] The FIT also measures colorings and additives that are increasingly found in foods, supplements, and personal hygiene products. One 10-year-old boy was lethargic until benzoic acid was removed from any product he used. After eight weeks, his turnaround was remarkable. [18:54] KBMO did a study on IBS patients and saw dramatic improvements. Migraines are another issue that shows remarkable improvements for patients who have suffered for years by eliminating a handful of trigger foods. It's a game-changer. [20:08] KBMO suggests for their providers to do a symptom checklist. What symptoms are patients living with, that they can eliminate by reducing their inflammatory burden via diet? [21:00] The test is made simple to help the busy provider and their busy patients understand it and move forward on their journey from a healthcare perspective. [21:36] Sachin looks at his FIT results as a way to know the foods to eliminate to reduce low-grade chronic inflammation and potentially feel overall better. Food doesn't only affect the digestion or how you feel immediately. It can add to the load of inflammation in many systems. [22:34] The two times James took the FIT over 12 years, the list of five foods to eliminate was very similar. Eggs, dairy, and wheat were the big three and then either clam or lobster were the top foods to eliminate. He says he's a bundle of laughs at breakfast time. [23:12] When James first bought the company, his triglycerides were nearly 500. After eliminating gluten, eggs, and dairy, within six months his triglycerides were 100 by taking out those three foods. He also dropped 15 pounds in six months. He was also exercising more. [25:04] One of the things patients and providers like about the FIT is there's no judgment attached. It's not telling you your triglycerides, but what your trigger foods are. It gives patients the ability to take control of their health and do meaningful, understandable things. [26:17] Sachin points out that knowing what to do instead of just knowing what's wrong is a powerful position to be in. When the doctor tells the average patient "These numbers are off," it doesn't mean much to the patient. Sachin thinks everyone should have the FIT done. [27:23] Sachin especially recommends the FIT for diabetics, autoimmune patients, cognitive decline patients, and IBS and digestive issue patients. James says mainstream evidence links leaky gut to "leaky brain." Leaky gut may come from food inflammation. [30:21] James believes 95% of patients most providers see have inflammation. The FIT is a great way to get to what might be causing some of that underlying inflammation burden to try to make the patients feel a bit more normal by taking control of their health. [31:31] KBMO just did a study in Chengdu, China, on 75 patients with a variety of symptoms. They did a three-month elimination diet. Eighty-two percent of those patients saw an improvement from running the test. All KBMO did was provide the test plates. It's a robust test. [35:10] How can a practitioner get the FIT? To sign up, go to Info@KBMODiagnostics.com. Mention Sachin's name and that you heard about it on Perfect Practice. They will send you a one-page new account form. Fill it out. [35:52] The FIT kits are free. They can be sent to your office or drop-shipped to your patients. Your patients can go to the KBMO website and order the kits but they have to have a C-dash number that is linked to you, the provider. Everything is provider-centric. [36:25] Whether given in the office or the patient's home, the kit is a finger stick. The patient kit includes two finger sticks. You or the patient mail it in. The patient kit has a stamped, self-addressed envelope back to KBMO. [36:46] In seven to 10 business days, KBMO puts the results online for you, the provider, to see. You will have 14 days to go over the results with your client. Fourteen days after KBMO sends the results to the provider, the client gets an app to see the results on their phone. [37:34] The app includes an individualized meal plan for your patient. If you need the 14-day consulting period to be longer, KBMO can adjust it for you so the app comes to the patient later. Having the results on their phone helps the patient to comply with the meal plan. [38:05] With the app on their phone, patients love to share the results with their friends, talk about their amazing results following the meal plan, and encourage them to go to you to be tested. The app is great for marketing your practice to your patients' family and friends. [39:16] If anything's elevated on the Gut Barrier Panel, there are a number of protocols KBMO has set up with a number of leading supplement companies and has also partnered with Fullscript. The Gut Barrier report will recommend going on a good gut-healing protocol. [40:35] KBMO can either bill you, the provider, or bill the patient directly, as you choose. KBMO makes the process easy and transparent, and they walk you and the patient through it in a manageable way. [40:55] Sachin tells how easy it was for him to take the test and get his results. He has his results on the app on his phone, which makes it easy to shop for his meal plan. Sachin notes that you can show the app to your server if you have questions about a menu. [41:20] Sachin says it's been a positive experience and KBMO's customer service is exceptional. [41:28] James adds that as a provider, when you run your first FIT on yourself or a patient, there is a doctor working with KBMO who can review your results with you. She has been running the test for 12 years in her practice. [42:24] Sachin thanks James for being on Perfect Practice and he appreciates everything James is doing to make our lives as clinicians better. Clinicians can register for the FIT at info@KBMODiagnostics.com or on the website at KBMODiagnostics.com. [43:25] "Here's to avoiding eggs, for both of us, and here's to amazing health and wholeness to everyone listening! Thank you so much!" [43:33] James thanks Sachin. The time is much appreciated! Mentioned in this episode Perfect Practice Live Mindshare Fullscript More about your host Sachin Patel How to speak with Sachin Go one step further and Become The Living Proof Perfect Practice Live sachin@becomeproof.com To set up a practice clarity call and opportunity audit Books by Sachin Patel: Perfect Practice: How to Build a Successful Functional Medical Business, Attract Your Ideal Patients, Serve Your Community, and Get Paid What You're Worth The Motivation Molecule: The Biological Secrets To Eliminate Procrastination, Skyrocket Productivity, and Get Sh!t Done Tweetables: "When I first did the test many years ago, it was five or six foods, and today, it remains five or six foods. It's interesting, the stability and the reproducibility of the testing over a 12-year period, in my case." — James White "We take this unique science and then re-educate the population about it, saying there's a real advantage in knowing what you're exposed to but if you take it to the next level, you're going to find out which foods are causing you inflammation." — James White "We measure colorings and additives. Regardless of how clean a lot of us try and live these days, you're going to get exposed to these colorings and additives. … They're increasingly in supplements and personal hygiene products." — James White "Your patients can go to the KBMO website and order the kits but they have to have a C-dash number that is linked to you, the provider. Everything is provider-centric." — James White James White, CEO of KBMO DiagnosticsEmail: Info@KBMODiagnostics.com

In this episode, Sachin interviews chef James Barry about his career as a personal chef to celebrities, how James became interested in organ meats, what inspired him to formulate an organ meat supplement called Pluck, and his passion for eating the whole animal as our ancestors did. James shares some research on the nutritional density of organ meats. Sachin tells how he broke his meat fast to try Pluck so he would be able to endorse it with integrity. Listen in for ancestral knowledge about eating for your biological needs. Key Takeaways: [1:02] Sachin introduces James Barry, a chef, and the Founder of Pluck, a company that makes organ meat-based seasoning. James had talked about Pluck on the stage at Mindshare where he pitched the idea to Joe Polish in a mock Shark Tank. [2:15] James has found a way to make the delivery of organ meats simple and tasty for anyone. Sachin had lunch with James at Genius Network and they had a fascinating conversation they wish they had recorded! They will try to replicate and extend that conversation in this episode. [2:40] Sachin welcomes James Barry to Perfect Practice. [2:51] James Barry has been a celebrity personal chef for over 20 years. He names some of his clients. [4:25] There was no blueprint for how to be a celebrity chef when James started. When he began, he found a private chef who mentored him. James has mentored many chefs since. [5:22] Most who hire a private chef do so because they value their appearance and their time. Many of us don't value our precious time. Outsource things that are not your specialty. [6:17] A lot of celebrities are just following the trend. They talk about the most popular book. When James first got out of culinary school the trend was the fat flush diet. [6:38] James learned he had to understand the trending diet, not only by reading but also by working on the recipes to be very good at them. If a celebrity has a nutritionist, you need to execute that nutritionist's instructions or already know that diet to work with them. [7:11] James had also studied nutrition. When he cooked for celebrities, they only wanted to eat what he cooked for them. Everything was from scratch. He used Whole Foods. He didn't use anything that was ultra-processed. He focused on clean eating and fairly low-carb. [8:37] James describes celebrities as human beings with extraordinary attention focused on them, more money and resources, but just normal human beings. James treated them like regular people. He didn't try to become their best friend. He focused on fulfilling his role, honoring their environment and privacy. [9:50] James thinks that sometimes a celebrity's "why" is a lot clearer. They know why they want to be healthy and mindful of what they put in their mouths. If you have a $300 million movie you are performing in and want to perform at your top, that's a lot of pressure. [11:17] James has always strived to support people where they are. He learned the culinary arts to help people. Humans are inconsistent and gravitate toward comfort foods. He wanted to improve the foods people were eating. [12:01] James has researched organ meats and calls them the most nutritionally dense foods on the planet. He wondered how to get over the hurdles that people had, eating them. They struggle with the taste, sourcing, how to cook them, and what to do with them. [12:22] On a trip, James' two young girls got Shiga toxin from E. coli and couldn't hold anything in. James was warned not to give them antibiotics as it would release the toxin faster and overwhelm them. The two-year-old got to almost skin and bones and recovered slowly. [14:01] When she recovered, all she would eat was toast. James wanted something he could sprinkle on the toast to make it healthier. He realized we have freeze-dried organ meats but it's in capsules because it doesn't taste good. James wanted to make organ meats taste better. [15:13] Deconstructing paté, James found the ingredients he needed to add to make it taste better. James recreated the taste of paté with dry ingredients. The result is Pluck. It contains five organ meats, which are the liver, heart, kidney, spleen, and pancreas from 100% grass-fed cows. [15:44] It removes the barriers. You can sprinkle it on anything. It tastes delicious. Most people don't even realize they're eating organ meat. James gets amazing feedback from parents who sprinkle it on everything. [16:33] When Sachin and James were at lunch, James was giving people samples of Pluck. Sachin, though a vegetarian, decided to try it so he would know if he could endorse it to listeners with an honest opinion. [17:26] Sachin tried it and it tasted quite good. He sprinkled it on his salad and enjoyed it immensely. Sachin's honest truth is the product tastes amazing. It tastes good, it's healthy, and it upgrades the things family members are consuming without them realizing it. [19:00] James has learned that for healthy food to become a lifestyle, it has to be easy because humans will do hard things for a while, not that long, and it has to be delicious because we will eat something that tastes bad for a bit, but then we default to what stimulates our dopamine. [19:42] James knew he had to make a product that was easy and tasted good. James also wanted eating the whole animal, not just the muscle meat, to be as easy as possible. [20:16] Ancestrally, archeologist Dr. Bill Schindler, author of Eat Like a Human, said humans are the only species in the world that look to someone else to tell us what to eat. We have lost our way around our food. James speaks about ancient tribes eating the whole animal. [22:59] James tries to get to what is simple, easy, and delicious, so you'll eat it, feel better in your body, and treat others better. Once we feel better, we treat others better. [24:06] The organ meats are raw frozen, processed to be a uniform size, freeze-dried, and powdered. There's no flow agent added to it. It's very pure. No one had combined them with spices before. The USDA and FDA didn't know what to do with it. [26:22] When it was called food, a USDA-approved food processor had to do the packing. James tried for eight months to find a processor who could handle the powder without contamination by air but no one could. James had to repurpose it as a dietary supplement. [27:29] A lot of people don't realize it's a dietary supplement. The box on the back of the package says Dietary Supplement, not Nutritional Facts. So it's an FDA product. James sources from New Zealand. [29:47] New Zealand has very high standards. They have green grass year-round and cattle is one of New Zealand's major exports. The whole animal is accessible. You can get brains in New Zealand, but not in the U.S. James is trying to source through the U.S. but it's not possible yet. [31:54] James launched Pluck during COVID-19. People didn't know what it tasted like and he had no means of getting samples to people. He got on as many podcasts as he could and sent the product ahead of time to the podcast host for an honest assessment. That was the launch. [32:50] The biggest questions James gets are "How much am I really getting?" and "How do I know it's really working?" Our bodies know what they need. How do you get back to that intuitive knowledge? You won't get it by swallowing capsules and bypassing biological communication. [33:54] James says digestion starts with your eyes. You see something that looks good. When you get closer, you smell a good aroma. That triggers something in your brain. You take a bite and you taste it. Your saliva starts breaking it down. Your body decides if you want more. [34:57] If you eat slowly, your body will tell you when to stop. Too many of our foods have more flavor than nutrition, and that confuses the body. Swallowing a capsule bypasses biological communication. Eating a salt tablet instead of tasting salt bypasses communication. [36:18] James emphasizes to people that when you eat, your body will tell you how much you need or don't need. Beef liver is huge and hard to eat in one sitting. If you eat a lot, it starts to taste different. If you keep eating when it doesn't taste good, you're not listening to your body. [37:10] We're already seasoning our food. Instead of an all-purpose seasoning, Seasonings have anti-caking agents and stabilizers, that are not good for us. Most blends will be high in salt. That's the cheapest ingredient. Pluck gives you nutrients you do not get from seasonings. [40:06] Organ meats are natural multivitamins. You don't have to worry about eating it with food; it is food. Like supports like. The liver can support your liver. Orcas are known for attacking a shark and eating only one part of the shark, the liver. Animals in the wild go right for the organs. [44:03] James cautions us about getting too "heady" about things. Our bodies have responses we can learn from as we listen. Our body knows. You can't escape the truth your body will reveal. Follow it where it goes vs. your head leading you. James lauds Sachin for trying Pluck. [46:45] Sachin agrees that the body never lies. Let's put our dogma aside and give our body more of what it needs so that we can be around longer and be of service to others longer, as well. [47:10] To get Pluck, go to EatPluck.com or get it on Amazon under Pluck seasoning or organ seasoning. Also on the website, there are some clinics listed where Pluck is sold. There are some places in Canada where it is sold. There are also recipes on the website. [47:48] If you have any questions about organ meats and how to cook them, James's mission is to help people learn how to eat that whole animal. They have resources about how to ease organ meats into your diet, besides Pluck. [48:10] Sachin thanks James Barry for taking time out of his schedule to guest on Perfect Practice, spend time with Sachin, and share his passion with the audience. Here's to an amazing epic year for James and the team at Pluck! [48:32] Here's to our listeners' health, wellness, and happiness! Get your products at EatPluck.com, check your grocer; if you're a practitioner, see if you can try out the products yourself first, and perhaps even encourage and endorse them to your patients, as well. [48:55] James wishes everyone a fabulous year and please know to reach out. Pluck has affiliate programs and wholesale. "We're always happy to answer any questions and to support the eating of the whole animal, so please ask." [49:15] Sachin thanks James and wishes him a wonderful rest of the day. Mentioned in this episode Perfect Practice Live Mindshare Genius Network Eat Like a Human: Nourishing Foods and Ancient Ways of Cooking to Revolutionize Your Health, by Dr. Bill Schindler More about your host Sachin Patel How to speak with Sachin Go one step further and Become The Living Proof Perfect Practice Live sachin@becomeproof.com To set up a practice clarity call and opportunity audit Books by Sachin Patel: Perfect Practice: How to Build a Successful Functional Medical Business, Attract Your Ideal Patients, Serve Your Community, and Get Paid What You're Worth The Motivation Molecule: The Biological Secrets To Eliminate Procrastination, Skyrocket Productivity, and Get Sh!t Done Tweetables: "Many of us don't value our time. As I get older, I'm realizing that time is much more precious than I've ever valued it." — James Barry "If it tastes good and it's good for you, and it's easy to apply, why wouldn't you use it? I'm not just talking about Pluck, I'm talking about anything!" — James Barry "For health food to become a lifestyle, it has to hit two things. It has to be easy, … but then it also has to be delicious." — James Barry "Once we feel better, we treat others better." — James Barry "You can get too little of something, you can also get too much of something." — James Barry Chef James Barry: FB: Eat Pluck Website: Eat Pluck Bio: James Barry James Barry's 20 years in the culinary field started as a private chef cooking for celebrities such as Tom Cruise, Mariska Hargitay, George Clooney, Gerard Butler, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Barbra Streisand, and John Cusack. Most recently, James launched his first functional food product, Pluck, an organ-based seasoning. It's the first of its kind and an amazingly easy and delicious way for people to get organ meats into their diet. James is also a published cookbook author having co-authored the recipes in Margaret Floyd's book Eat Naked and co-authored the follow-up cookbook The Naked Foods Cookbook. He most recently co-authored the recipes in Dr. Alejandro Junger's book, Clean 7.

In this episode, Sachin interviews Dr. Betty Murray Key Takeaways: [1:02] Sachin introduces Dr. Betty Murray, the CEO and Founder of Living Well Dallas, a functional medicine center. Betty is a nutritionist and researcher who has helped hundreds of people to feel their absolute best, so she has had great success and prosperity. [2:08] Sachin and Betty will focus on Betty's methods for success and prosperity to help you succeed and prosper in your practice and life. Sachin welcomes Betty to Perfect Practice. [2:52] Betty started her practice 20 years ago. In 2004, she did not find many clients for functional medicine. She bootstrapped her business with her part-time job. She didn't have enough runway to make a lot of mistakes. She had to be more resourceful with her resources. [4:58] In Betty's clinic today, there are internal medicine, psychiatry, hormone replacement, clinical nutritionists, life coaches, counselors, and diagnostics. At first, her clinic was fee-for-service, and nobody was using coaching because they didn't know its value. [6:40] Betty had to let go of her belief that if she educated someone, they would find value in her program, and instead, create the value proposition and give it to them so they would find value. If the market is not buying your strategy, your strategy is wrong and you need to rearrange it. [8:44] Always add value for your client first. When you give value to your customers, patients, and clients, you get rewarded. When you're driving toward a value, and you're giving people what they need and helping them understand what they need, people will value that. [9:47] When you're starting, the narrower you get with what you're doing, whom you're serving, and what problem you're solving, the easier it is to stand out in that market. Don't go bigger, faster, better and think it's going to be more money. It's complex. Betty has to spend more on marketing than others because she has more avatars. She has to spend more time on staff. [13:45] Sachin says to keep it simple. Betty adds that if you have this burning desire to have a multi-disciplinary team, recognize that you'd better be a good business person or hire a good business person, which requires a runway of cash flow. It's not a low-paying job. [14:57] Most of us in healthcare never had business training. Betty had a business degree before she came into healthcare. It's still a concept until you get it into action. Being a 30,000-hour expert comes from experience, not from a book or an education. [17:09] The Mosaic of Autoimmunity, by Dr. Yehuda Schoenfeld, is a textbook Betty has been studying. It's probably the best textbook to explain the underpinnings of autoimmunity. Regardless of who our avatar is, all of us are going to be in the immune system. [18:07] 10X is Easier than 2X: How World-Class Entrepreneurs Achieve More by Doing Less, by Dan Sullivan is the business-building book Betty recommends. It is easier and more effective to leapfrog from where you are to where you want to go than it is to make small changes. [18:52] Betty recommends two personal/financial development books: Disruptor: How to Challenge the Status Quo and Unlock Innovation, by Alex Gonzalez, about innovation. The second book is Die with Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life, by Bill Perkins. It's about not amassing money but using it to do good as you go. [24:11] Betty tells how she grew her money mindset. As a child, she was determined to work and she falsified her birth certificate to get a job underage. She sees the world as abundant and if she lives in that abundance and does the right things, she will be rewarded for it. She doesn't hesitate to spend money. He husband is cautious so she asked him to handle the finances. [25:55] Sachin also has a story about going after what he wanted at a young age. He learned to cut hair by watching a barber and then opened a barber shop in his garage. Bety's and Sachin's experiences helped mold them into who they are as adults. [28:57] Walter Isaacson wrote about Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, and others who have changed the world. None of them had an easy life. Those things that are more difficult for us make us tenacious. Opening a practice outside the traditional medical establishment is also an adversity. Don't keep a Plan B that's easy to go back to. Keep marching forward, iterating, and changing. [31:33] Whenever Betty is told she can't do something or the world will beat her, that is when it's "game on" for her. That guarantees she would act. Recognize that your challenges are also helpful. [32:34] Justin notes that success is in doing things differently. Sally Hogshead said that different is better than better. Betty built a large, busy center. At first, she didn't want to be the brand but learned that your brand is you. You have to be part of the brand. One year, Betty spoke 220 times. She showed up everywhere as the owner so people would know about the center. [34:17] When people leave a practice it's not from what happened but how it was handled. Every part of the customer experience must be planned and managed to make it extraordinary. If there's a problem, own it, fix it, and apologize. Betty's team out-executes everybody. [35:37] When you want to stand out, look at the non-clinical stuff and double down on it all, from the emails to how the phone is answered. Those things will make up for a world of pain and will make you look better. Most practices shirk that, and people get mad about it. [36:42] Betty tells about her hiring process. She starts with a matrix of requirements. Betty has a team member do the initial interviews to figure out if the applicant is a culture fit. Betty doesn't want "yes people" but they have to be on board for her strategy. Betty has a "Volkswagen test." [38:34] If they pass the culture fit and the skill set, they come in to interview 12 to 14 of the practitioners. Finally, Betty interviews them. If she likes them, they come in for a working day. They get paid for the day and do a final interview with Betty. Betty is slow to hire; and quick to fire. Because of the extensive interview process, Betty doesn't often have to fire. [39:31] Betty tells about her first hire. It was an administrative assistant. Betty's role was to bring people through the door. She didn't want to spend billable hours doing unbillable work. [42:09] Betty's last piece of advice: If you're a practitioner, you do not need any more certifications or training to do what you do. You need to do what you are trained to do. [44:04] Sachin warns against continual certifications. It's a form of procrastination and it leads to imposter syndrome. The way you build the muscles is by doing the reps. If you get into a situation where you don't know the answer, you have the resources to find it quickly. [45:17] Betty got her Ph.D. not because she needed it for her business but because she wanted to dig into the research and get better at that, to prove this type of medicine works. [46:12] Sachin thanks Dr. Betty Murray for everything that she shared today. Betty mentions her practice Livingwelldallas.com, her website, Bettymurray.com, and her podcast Menopause Mastery. Sachin thanks her for sharing her wisdom. Mentioned in this episode Perfect Practice Live More about your host Sachin Patel How to speak with Sachin Go one step further and Become The Living Proof Perfect Practice Live sachin@becomeproof.com To set up a practice clarity call and opportunity audit Books by Sachin Patel: Perfect Practice: How to Build a Successful Functional Medical Business, Attract Your Ideal Patients, Serve Your Community, and Get Paid What You're Worth The Motivation Molecule: The Biological Secrets To Eliminate Procrastination, Skyrocket Productivity, and Get Sh!t Done

In this episode, Sachin interviews Jay Abraham, the Founder and CEO of The Abraham Group, Inc. in Los Angeles, California. Jay attests to the power that practitioners have with the knowledge to remarkably improve the lives of people around them, clients, potential clients, and people who may never become clients. Jay speaks of investing in people first and how that pattern helped him in his career as an entrepreneur, business leader, and consultant. Jay offers ideas that can bring you success in your practice by caring more about the people around you than about your finances. Listen in for an inspiring message from Jay Abraham to improve your life and practice. Key Takeaways: [1:02] Sachin introduces and welcomes Jay Abraham to the Perfect Practice podcast. Jay has helped thousands of companies and entrepreneurs around the world generate revenue. Jay invites Yuri to ask him questions that might give clarity and actionable strategy to the audience. [3:31] Jay thinks that we all have an enormously greater capacity to contribute to transforming people's lives. We must understand that most people don't know what we already know. Believe in your ability to contribute your knowledge and in your moral obligation to contribute. Be a positive catalyst in somebody's life. It's all about them. [6:13] Jay's advice for people starting in the health and wellness space is to know that you have the knowledge and the ability to change someone's life. You have to get it into their mind in a way that they embrace it, believe it, and want it from you. How will you do that? [7:40] Depending on the size of your market, local or national, find the lowest common denominator of influencers and offer to reciprocate a trade of services. Jay offers a script to use to give them your services for permanent wellness and healing and to ask them to introduce you to their clientele throughout their life, for a presentation of your services. [11:00:] Jay tells how this worked for him when he started taking off in his services for entrepreneurs. [12:25] You could become the recommended provider. Jay offers a way to do this ethically through exchanges of services. First, be the one to invest in others. [13:07] Jay recommends his program on pre-eminence for Sachin's listeners. Jay always wants to invest first in others. If you invest in someone and it has a positive payoff, everyone may not turn into a future compensated client, but the numbers will work for you if you make a profound difference and if you choose wisely in terms of their values and respect your methodology. [16:10] Everyone is not going to do as much with the profound knowledge, the methodologies, techniques, regimens, and protocols you are going to share. Choose people who have the highest probability of doing something with it and seeing the most wonderful outcome. Ask them to nominate people who are struggling. Try it in general and for specific applications. [20:26] Sachin points out this is a long game. We can't add value to the lives of people who don't share the values we do. You can add value to the world with every hour, or you can miss the opportunity to add value to the world with every hour. When you add value, the referrals are much more genuine. [21:06] Jay says half the people don't know what greatness is supposed to look like in health. They've never had it or it was so long ago, it's become hazy. They don't know what it's like to sleep through the night and have energy and focus with dramatically reduced stress levels, to have their bodies feel and look better. Give them an impact analysis tied to future pacing. [24:30] Help someone consider what it would be like not to be tired but to have energy and focus galore. [25:42] Jay shares a profound exercise to do with people. Ask "Who do you know in your life of your age that you would like to have the energy of?" That becomes the reference model for them to go after. If they have no model, ask them about an active celebrity of their age. [27:39] Jay has been very successful in getting a lot of his clients to help them understand a holistic view of all the things going on in their lives. If you can help them in something that may even be outside the area of your skillset, you have a value-added advantage over your competitors. [28:30] When you allow people to come to decisions and conclusions, themselves, it's a different kind of education, a way to validate what is being said, so they can come to the conclusion themselves. [29:21] Jay tells how he built a half-a-billion-dollar-a-year company in the gold, silver, and rare coin market, by giving people a tripe case for why the research was worth understanding and letting them decide for themselves if it factored into their wealth creation. There's much more power in a decision when they make it themselves, based on gained knowledge you provide. [31:17] Jay explains the power of having influential endorsers and champions who advocate for you to build trust with their audience. It's the safest short way to build a clientele. You don't build trust through advertising. [32:20] You want to have ideas and perspectives nobody else does and do what nobody else does to differentiate yourself. [32:55] Jay once helped a Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeon by getting him to write a book that he deposited in the waiting room and stations at every hair salon, dental office, and related non-competitive location. It was successful through implied endorsement of the establishments where patrons saw the book. What can you do to educate people in an inspiring way? [35:34] Jay has written 15 books over his career. Some of them have not been published but are available as digital files for free to his potential clients. He recommends practitioners who have published to provide their books for free without shipping and handling to the right potential clients. It is to let your potential clients know that their situation is not hopeless. [39:10] Jay separates his investment in people from the financial reward that may or may not follow. He tells how he developed that perspective. He was never obsessed with making money. He gravitated toward entrepreneurs who were on missions to fill voids that nobody was filling or to add value to a segment of the market that was underserviced. [40:09] Jay found himself worried more about the outcome for the end consumer than for himself. He saw how he could enhance, improve, and re-invigorate somebody's career or life. He was all about making a big difference for people, first and foremost. [42:52] Jay says the greatest acknowledgment or reward you can give him, is if you are capable of transforming and catalyzing positively a multitude of people's lives over the next, 10, 20, 30 years, then do it! Do something meaningful with what he has shared. [44:46] If you ask yourself how many people's lives can you transform each and every day by what Jay said or by what Sachin is teaching, that's compensation enough for the time Sachin and Jay have shared today. [45:08] Sachin thanks Jay for his contribution to this episode of Perfect Practice. Mentioned in this episode Perfect Practice Live More about your host Sachin Patel How to speak with Sachin Go one step further and Become The Living Proof Perfect Practice Live sachin@becomeproof.com To set up a practice clarity call and opportunity audit Books by Sachin Patel: Perfect Practice: How to Build a Successful Functional Medical Business, Attract Your Ideal Patients, Serve Your Community, and Get Paid What You're Worth The Motivation Molecule: The Biological Secrets To Eliminate Procrastination, Skyrocket Productivity, and Get Sh!t Done

In this episode, Sachin interviews Dr. Bryan Walsh. Sachin bumped into Dr. Walsh at ECO, the CellCore Conference. After talking, Sachin invited Bryan to be a guest on Perfect Practice. Bryan is extremely passionate about functional medicine. He brings over 25 years of experience in helping us become better clinicians, looking at our patients through a slightly different lens and upgrading our paradigm so we can be of better value to the people we want to serve the most. Key Takeaways: [2:12] Sachin welcomes Dr. Bryan Walsh and thanks him for joining the podcast today. Sachin speaks of producing evidence-based treatment driven by awareness. There are more tests coming onto the market and more supplements and more research being done every year. [3:10] Bryan started as a fitness specialist. He read much about nutrition. Before going to naturopathic school, Bryan went to a functional medicine weekend seminar produced by a lab. He was amazed by all the available tests. That hooked him on functional medicine. [4:06] Bryan then went to naturopathic school where he met his wife. He learned about many tests and did them all: organic acid test, salivary cortisol test, urinary hormone test, stool test, hair tissue mineral analysis test, you name the test, he did it. But he started hearing gurus say things he knew not to be true and he started questioning the supplements. [6:14] Bryan asked himself why he was running expensive tests if he didn't know their scientific validity. The scientific literature is not friendly to these biomarkers and tests. He compares it to testing your home for radon with a bad test. Bryan is trying to raise the bar in the industry for better practitioners and healthier patients for less money, and being more evidence-based. [8:10] Bryan and his wife run their business while trying to raise the bar in the industry as much as they can. Sachin loves that they are holding the entire industry to a higher standard. You have to feel solid on the tests you order for people. The foundation of our business is the outcomes we produce. [9:24] Sachin asks, "How do I create a program that is independent of the labs, that produces results every single time that has tons of evidence and ancient wisdom wrapped up into it, and common sense wrapped up into it, and develop a lifestyle-design program that isn't dependent on lab testing?" Sachin includes Oura rings for his patients so they can measure their progress. [10:18] Bryan's view is that a lab test should not give you any new insights into the person, it should just confirm what you already believe to be true. That means going back to your clinical skills, history-taking, symptom questionnaire, and physical exam. Bryan's not opposed to any test that he knows of, but a test is not a fishing expedition, it's confirmation of a suspected issue. [11:28] For example, if a patient has hypoglycemic symptoms, there's probably something going on. Testing blood glucose and A1C gathers hard data and allows for interventions and tracking progress. If someone has hypothyroid symptoms, run a complete thyroid panel and see where the defect is. [12:35] Blood chemistry is one of Bryan's passions. Standard blood chemistry is one of the most studied labs around the world. It's been scientifically validated over and over. It's inexpensive for what you get, if you know what you're doing, have good reference markers, and are up to date on the modern literature on these markers. [14:02] When you look at the literature on Albumin, old markers have new reasons they might be high or low that have implications for us as practitioners. If you take old tests and combine them with updated research on the markers, they can tell you as a clinician far more than you were using them for in the past. [14:47] Bryan cites recent research linking high HDL with leaky gut. A high HDL may indicate testing for intestinal permeability of lipopolysaccharides to confirm. There is updated research on many old markers. Some inoculations are indicated from existing markers. There are new calculations for fatty liver. Some markers are useless and don't need to be run. [17:55] Bryan notes that with too much data, it's hard for practitioners to know what to work on first. Go back to the fundamentals and the basics that you have evidence that they improve people. People are suffering and practitioners are suffering with inaccurate tests. Patients are spending on tests unnecessarily. Some tests just give patients something new to worry about. [21:50] Bryan does not see people being plain honest about the industry. Practitioners do the best they can and show confidence about it but they don't know if the second test will show improvement over the first test. [23:46] Bryan tells more about HDL. If triglycerides are low, HDL tends to be high, lymphocytes tend to be high and neutrophils in women tend to decrease. Potassium tends to high normal and sodium tends to low normal, because of low cortisol and aldosterone. Females with this pattern have autoimmunity and get dizzy when they stand up. Bryan looks hard at HDL. [24:51] Bryan found one paper years ago that included in the data tape but did not report, data that people that had a higher HDL also had a higher incidence of cancer. There is an HDL immunological component. Bryan has been seeing HDL higher than LDL in the past five years more than ever before. [24:45] Bryan talks about optimal functional ranges and shares a story. If you don't have a reference, don't speak of an optimal range. Bryan has stacks of references of ranges for various markers and he has the papers about them and how he came up with the ranges. [28:06] The literature on GGT very clearly says high normal levels, in the upper 20s or 30s, are more accurate as a pathophysiology marker than CRP, some metrics like blood pressure, or A1C. GGT is a robust marker of pathology, xenobiotic exposure, and hepatic glutathione deficiency. It's a marker to justify your use of n-acetylcysteine. [29:51] Pyroglutamic acid is lower in autoimmune patients than in healthy patients. Low bilirubin is a marker of fat-soluble oxidative stress. Papers that Bryan read recently show a highly increased risk of mortality for bilirubin levels below .4. This points to fat-soluble oxidative stress and may call for support from fat-soluble anti-oxidants, Co-Q 10 and Vitamin E and/or GGT. [31:28] Bryan refers to water-soluble glutathione. N-acetylcysteine can lower High-normal GGT. These are old markers. Bryn mentions there are also loads of novel and new markers. [32:13] What about mold? Bryan waits for the bandwagon to turn around and come back before hopping on. He doesn't want to give the newest supplement only to find it causes cancer. Mold is insidious. People are hyper-stressed about mold. A few years ago, people were stressed about candida and then heavy metals. Bryan doesn't run a blood chemistry for mold. [35:41] High albumin is a dehydration marker. Low albumin is an inflammation marker. A1C and C-peptide are insulin markers. If fasting glucose is normal with high A1C, give a C-peptide test. Globulin is a marker of all globulins. IGG antibodies are the greatest contributor to serum globulin. To make globulin, tryptophan is required. High globulin is an autoimmunity marker. [38:32] If a woman is taking exogenous estrogen (birth control, hormone replacement) that will drive up sex hormone-binding globulin. These women may have mild depression because of a relative tryptophan deficiency. Try tryptophan. Bryan discusses protein electrophoresis, CBC, and other tests. [40:02] Iron fluctuates by within-person variability. Bryan talks about homocysteine. It is suggested to have a within-person variance of about 8% of 10 Mol/L. About 95% of people will have within +/- 2 standard deviations of that 8% variance. The results of a year's worth of monthly homocysteine tests might be as high as 11.2 mol/L and as low as 8.4. [41:50] Iron has a 32% within-person variance. If iron is all over the place, so will serum iron. Don't consider iron overload protocol unless a reading is high again in 30 days. A standard iron test would be, iron, ferritin, and TIBC. Some use transferrin instead of TIBC. Ferritin has a variance of around 20%. Iron has a variance of upwards of 32%. TIBC has a low variance. [43:19] When TIBC goes up, the body is looking for more iron. This may be because of a bacterial infection. TIBC is an important marker. The soluble transferrin receptor is a receptor for iron on transferrin. If there are no iron receptors on transferrin, the body is low on iron but doesn't want any, because it's fighting off a bacterial infection that thrives on iron. Clear it up. [48:47] Bryan believes the bacteria appear first in a leaky gut situation. He describes how they wake up without proliferating into sepsis. That's where the HDL test comes in. Bryan doesn't differentiate between a gut protocol and a non-gut immune protocol. Any botanical gets absorbed in the gut. Fibers and most minerals don't get absorbed. [53:46] Bryan lists classifications of tests he recommends not using, and he explains why: Organic acid tests, salivary cortisol tests (unless you run it serially a few times in a week for patterns), hair tissue mineral analysis tests, and stool tests (unless you suspect a raging infection). Bryan cites incorrect medical treatments of past decades. [1:04:45] Bryan started his career with more liberal and aggressive protocols. He is conservative now. He works with blood chemistry, evidence-based supplements, and the mental-emotional components and how they affect physiology. Not running all these labs and not going crazy about the best diet has been a huge stress reliever for Bryan. [1:05:58] About CGM. Sometimes more data can cause anxiety, especially when used by people without diabetes. Bryan is interested in what the counterregulatory hormones are doing. If someone has hyperglycemia, is it because they have no insulin, or too much insulin and it's not working? [1:07:56] Why do you have high glucose? Is it because you're not making enough insulin, insulin's late to the party, or do you have hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance? That's two different patients and protocols. [1:08:23] There is also hyper insulin sensitivity. Bryan believes that is caused by too much GLP-1. These patients have totally normal glucose but they're having a hyper insulin response with insulin receptors that are more sensitive. That is not normal physiology. The only thing CGMs focus on is the easy one, glucose. Bryan has never recommended one to a client. [1:08:38] Sleep trackers were part of a study. They put two groups of sleepers in a room with a clock showing the wrong time. Some people had a great night's sleep but they thought they had a restricted sleep. They were asked to do math problems and they did poorly. They thought they were exhausted after eight hours of sleep. [1:10:12] The other sleep group was interrupted after four hours of sleep but the clock showed they had slept eight hours and they believed it. They reported feeling wonderful. They did well on the math problems. The problem with gadgets is that a little information is good but we can sometimes get taken too far. Use tools as they are defined and don't take them too far. [1:11:39] Sachin commits to give up personal tech devices for a week and see the results. Bryan says one of the biggest issues we have right now is that we are hyper-focused on ourselves and no longer focused on life and our community. In the past, who you were was who you were to the community. It was your purpose in the community. [1:12:43] Now we look so much within ourselves, we don't look out anymore. Nobody's focused on anybody else anymore. Bryan thinks that one of the biggest health issues we have is people running around lacking purpose, lacking knowing who they are and lacking connections to other people. Bryan thinks it's showing up in neurotransmitters and hormone issues. [1:13:54] Sachin is a student for life, like Bryan, willing to learn and adapt and experiment. He will let Bryan know in a week how the tech fast goes. The Oura ring will sit on his desk for a week. [1:14:37] What is Bryan's take on AI in blood chemistry? He thinks it has fantastic potential. His fear is that people don't like to think. Thinking is hormetic but we just want a protocol. The literature about AI in interpreting blood chemistry is good. It does what we are trying to do mentally and manually with the numbers. Bryan's concern is we will forget how to observe. [1:16:05] Bryan has experience with AI and labs. He looks at the lab first and draws his conclusions without bias before looking at the AI interpretation. Sachin agrees. No one can do your pushups for you. [1:17:09] Bryan and his wife have their business at MetabolicFitnessPro.com. They are trying to raise the bar. They are Christian. In a world of dishonesty, they run with humility and integrity and they hope that everything they do emanates from there. They have a number of courses people can get to improve what they do in their practice, be successful, and feel good about it. [1:18:47] Bryan says he doesn't think of himself as smart; when you're dumb, you keep trying to be smart. He's always trying to impress his wife, who doesn't impress easily. They are working on creating a lab with some pretty cool markers that aren't on standard labs but the evidence suggests they should be. They teach a course in blood chemistry analysis. [1:20:04] Sachin thanks Dr. Bryan Walsh for this enlightening conversation. Sachin invites Bryan to return for further discussions, to speak at Sachin's events, and to offer mentorships. Mentioned in this episode Perfect Practice Live ECO CellCore Conference More about your host Sachin Patel How to speak with Sachin Go one step further and Become The Living Proof Perfect Practice Live sachin@becomeproof.com To set up a practice clarity call and opportunity audit Books by Sachin Patel: Perfect Practice: How to Build a Successful Functional Medical Business, Attract Your Ideal Patients, Serve Your Community, and Get Paid What You're Worth The Motivation Molecule: The Biological Secrets To Eliminate Procrastination, Skyrocket Productivity, and Get Sh!t Done

In this episode, Sachin interviews Dave Asprey, a speaker, best-selling author, and biohacking entrepreneur, by video from Costa Rica. Dave shares some of his experiences, including the health challenges that enabled him to invent biohacking to improve his health. Dave discusses states of consciousness, tools for biohacking, tech entrepreneurship, the importance of mentors, how he deals with personal attacks from trolls, and how he has achieved greater equanimity in the face of stress and triggering events. Dave shares hacks he learned that he wrote into his books. Listen in for many more hacks you can use for better health. Key Takeaways: [1:03] Sachin welcomes everyone and introduces the guest, Dave Asprey, who speaks on being an entrepreneur. Dave is a long-time entrepreneur and a best-selling author. His newest book is Smarter Not Harder. Sachin recommends you read it. Dave will talk about his experiences and how he can help your functional medicine or holistic health coaching practice. [1:59] Dave joins the podcast from Costa Rica. Sachin thanks him for joining us. Dave is passionate about helping people feel and do their best. Dave is known as the Father of Biohacking. His definition of biohacking is the art and science of changing the environment around and inside you for full control of your biology. [2:55] The definition is still basically the same but the domains of the environment around you that you can change are constantly expanding. Some of the biohacks that have the broadest impact are at the cellular level. When your cells start to work better, your capacity for consciousness starts to improve. You have more bandwidth to access hidden parts of reality. [4:02] Dave speaks of the hidden parts of reality and non-ordinary states of consciousness reached through neurofeedback and breathwork and having science-based and consciousness-based techniques that allow us to access altered states of high performance, including healing, relationships, and feeling inner peace and compassion. [4:54] The set of tools for biohacking is ever-expanding. [5:40] Writing didn't come naturally to Dave. He is a computer coder by training so he knows how to group things logically. He held Google's first servers when Google was two guys with two computers. He co-founded the Professional Services Group there. He was part of building Salesforce's architecture when Salesforce had eight employees. [6:09] Early-stage work requires structured thinking and the ability to teach new knowledge. For five years, Dave ran a program at the University of California starting each day in a tech startup and then teaching working engineers in Silicon Valley for two and a half hours how to build the internet and cloud computing. After dinner, he studied trade journals and wrote his next class. [6:44] It was stressful, but Dave learned to assimilate information rapidly, translate it, and make it teachable. That made him one of the most powerful people in his company. Teaching is the best way to learn something. If you're not going to teach, write a book as if you were teaching. When Dave writes, he asks how he would teach it. That forces him to structure his thoughts. [7:35] Dave is good at building the skeleton of a book and at putting the outer skin on it. The part of writing he doesn't enjoy is putting the muscles on the skeleton, so he works with a writing partner to flesh it out before putting on the finishing skin. [8:37] Dave's first book, The Bulletproof Diet, had managed to break onto The New York Times list. He talks about the tech he used to achieve altered states of consciousness so he could write. The tech and coffee got him into a flow state quickly. [10:04] Sachin advises opening Smarter Not Harder and finding something to quote on social media, giving Dave credit. Teaching knowledge is the best way to learn it. Dave's goal as an author is to say something that hasn't been said. He writes books to be launching points for things you haven't seen somewhere. Quote something from the book and add your nuance to it. [11:48] Sachin adds, nuance it to your audience. [12:34] Dave mentions WIFY, What's In it For You (your client)? Create content not for yourself but for your audience. Put yourself in your audience's mindset. What is the goal of your audience? How do you make what you have to share relevant and useful for them? Dave credits Joe Polish for WIFY. [14:21] In Dave's early 20s, he was running a portion of the IT for a hospital. It was taking him a lot of time to manage their eight servers that did most of the work. He considered how to automate his job to free up time to learn more about tech. That was the thinking that led to the early days of cloud computing. [15:00] Dave says with confidence that the first shipping modern cloud computing was his product. It shipped one day before Marc Andreessen shipped Loudcloud. There were probably 1,000 people in Silicon Valley all working on the same concept. It was driven by laziness. We all have a deep shame for being lazy. Dave explains how laziness is biologically built into us. [17:27] Dave wants to have his cake and eat it, too, and says that's normal and healthy; just find a way to do it. That will motivate you more than the hope of being efficient. Dave wants "epic," not efficient. He tells how to motivate yourself to exercise for eight minutes. [20:21] Dave has set up the world's first biohacking facility, Upgrade Labs, in Santa Monica, California. Thousands of people have come through it. Dave is franchising it across the country with dozens of labs opening soon. You can go to ownanupgradelabs.com to get a franchise of a business that is profitable and makes a huge difference to the people who go there. [21:06] Dave could write his book because after thousands of people have come through his biohacking facility, he had enough data on five big domains people are asking about. [22:04] Dave is on 25 or 30 advisory boards and he has a portfolio of biohacking companies he has invested in. He does a lot of advising work for equity so he often has the conversation on where entrepreneurs waste their time. Many entrepreneurs are looking to prove they are good enough. There's a great deal of shame-based behavior. Many were bullied in school. [23:12] Instead of running away from their past, what if entrepreneurs figured out what they are moving toward that's worthy? That is so much more motivating than running away. That's working smarter, not harder. Work hard when you need to, but there's no correlation between working hard and success. You're not here to be a better worker. [25:10] When you read Smarter not Harder, figure out what you want. What matters to you? What problem are you going to solve? How do you want to be? This requires freedom of energy and freedom of time. If you're working hard, you have neither one. This book says, let's give you five to ten hours a week back, and let's double your energy and let's see what's possible. [26:52] Dave's advice for people under 35: spend time with old people, your elders. These are people who've already had to solve all the problems you're trying to solve. You could try to do it all by yourself, but you could get help from others. Dave talks of the many health challenges he experienced in his early 20s that enabled him to create the biohacking movement. [28:17] Dave ate salads and exercised 90 minutes a day, six days a week, but didn't lose weight. He still weighed 297 pounds. He realized it wasn't working even though he did everything he was supposed to do. Smarter Not Harder is his revenge for those lost 702 hours. He then listened to orthomolecular physicians, now known as functional medicine practitioners. [31:26] Dave started working with the Silicon Valley Health Institute and became chairman and president of it when he was 30 and was the only guy under 50 in the room. He applied a strategy of finding mentors in business and following leaders who lived by different rules. In a tech company, a VP of Strategy taught Dave how to navigate the halls of power. [33:16] Go to the elders and ask them how they dealt with marriage. Ask them what they learned. They all know and they want to tell you. He tells of mentoring he received from Ken Crittendon, who had in turn been mentored by Jack Welch. Joe Polish was another mentor. They want to help you and they're not transactional about it. Dave lists more mentors. [35:22] When you are mentored, let the mentor know that you followed their advice and it helped you. They will be more inclined to continue to mentor you. As an advisor, Dave wants equity in the company as skin in the game. It gives the advice more weight when the company has paid something for it. Free advice, even when it's great, is not often followed. [36:12] Sachin says, if you pay, you pay attention. Sachin gets excited when he gets feedback from someone who applied his advice successfully. [38:00] Dave tells of a "wantrepreneur" who made a knock-off of the oil for Bulletproof Coffee that didn't work because it was the wrong formula. He says some narcissists and sociopaths want to steal your idea, make it cheaply, and claim credit for the original. Dave calls it the race to cheat instead of the race for results. [41:08] Sachin wants you to know that Dave is the real deal and his recommendations are for things that he has done. Dave also endorses Sachin as one of the genuine helpers. There are helpful souls in the entrepreneurial health community. Dave cites Daniel Amen and David Perlmutter as people always willing to help. Some people will try to take advantage of helpers. [42:48] David tells how good people help each other to win. People pretending to be good don't do good for others. They want you to lose if it benefits them. You need discernment to see when someone wants to take advantage of you to their benefit and your harm. The more successful you are, the more those people are attracted to you. Your discernment is visceral. [46:57] Dave tells about appearing on the Joe Rogan show three times. At first, Joe Rogan was very complimentary and grateful for Dave's product that changed his life but when his friend was trying to steal the name Bulletproof, Rogan and his "death squad" became accusatory and defamatory in an 18-month-long online attack. It was very hard on Dave. [48:45] Dave wondered why that was a trigger for him. On self-reflection, Dave saw that his trigger was around injustice. Most children experience it. Dave cleared the rage of injustice using the reset process in his book. He also saw that every time Joe Rogan attacked him, his coffee sales went up. When Joe Rogan moved to Spotify, he deleted the episodes with Dave. [50:28] Dave thanks Joe because the concentrated attacks Dave endured on his media highlighted some important things. It takes a bully a minute or two to come up with an attack on you. It takes you half a second to click "delete." You have a moral obligation to keep your environment clean for the people you serve. People who attack are kicked off. Dialog is fine. [52:08] Dave and his clients are united in the goal to be healthy, have a better planet, and reduce animal cruelty. People who attack are blocked. Narcissists looking for attention and conflict are blocked. Sometimes Dave will use humor to defuse tyranny. He shares examples. [56:21] Dave's newest coffee brand is called Danger Coffee. He explains how he is dangerous to trolls, but they pose no danger to him. They drive up his metrics. [58:08] Dave got pulled over a while ago. He showed so much grounded love to the police officer that the officer asked if they could shake hands. Treat people as individuals trying to do their best. [59:14] Dave reveals how he reacts to aggressive drivers without resorting to road rage. He tells that the other driver has a bowel emergency and has to get home. Don't be programmable by another person's behavior. What you are going to do is what you choose to do. When we have our full power, what we will choose to do is to support other humans and the planet. [1:01:10] Rapid-fire round of questions from attendees: If you could choose one biohack to incorporate for the next 30 days, what would it be? Read Smarter Not Harder, because to answer that question you need to know your goal. Dave lists the Five Big Goals people want. Prioritize them. Dave and Sachin share supplement notes for health. Einstein said that the future of medicine is frequencies. What do you think about vibrational frequencies as modalities for healing? Don't look to Einstein for health advice. Dave recommends Nikola Tesla and Royal Rife. They were using frequencies for healing almost 100 years ago. Go to 40yearsof zen.com for Dave's brain upgrade program. Your body talks in frequencies of sound, light, and electromagnetics. More about light frequencies What is Brain Tap? BrainTap is a Biohacking Conference sponsor. It uses lights and sounds to lead a person quickly into a meditative state. Have you heard of Medbed? It is one of 30 or 40 brands of light beds that expose the body to light frequencies for healing. Dave talks about using lasers for healing. AI is helping to accelerate the world of biohacking. There is still much to study about light frequencies. What are the top free longevity hacks? What are the top longevity hacks to invest in? Read Superhuman, Dave's book on anti-aging. He goes through dozens of things shown in studies to extend the lifespan of mammals. The top thing is to learn how to get better (not more) sleep. Go to Sleepwithdave.com for a free sleep hack. Skip breakfast and don't eat after the sun goes down. Eat some animal protein. [1:15:06] Dave has had many stem-cell treatments. That's a very expensive thing you can do. Use TrueDark sleep glasses. Wearing them puts your brain in a meditative state. Using them for an hour before bed, Dave does not get jet lag anywhere on the planet. He gets better sleep. [1:16:13] Sachin thanks Dave for appearing from Costa Rica. Sachin recommends Dave's book Smarter Not Harder. [1:17:15] Dave thanks Sachin as one of the people working for the betterment of the world and he genuinely appreciates that. People genuinely want to help you succeed. If you ask for help, you'll get it. Dave talks about his tech contemporary, Marc Andreessen, who sought a mentor's help and is a multi-billionaire. Dave wanted to do it himself and is not a multi-billionaire. Mentioned in this episode Perfect Practice Live Dave Asprey Smarter Not Harder: The Biohacker's Guide to Getting the Body and Mind You Want The Bulletproof Diet: Lose Up to a Pound a Day, Reclaim Energy and Focus, Upgrade Your Life Upgrade Labs Ownanupgradelabs.com 40 Years of Zen Joe Polish Loudcloud (Now part of HP)Silicon Valley Health Institute The 48 Laws of Power, by Robert Greene The Laws of Human Nature, by Robert Greene Genius Network Daniel Amen David Perlmutter Joe Rogan Danger Coffee VitaminDAKE.com Nikola Tesla Royal Rife BiohackingConference.com BrainTap Super Human: The Bulletproof Plan to Age Backward and Maybe Even Live Forever, by Dave Asprey Sleepwithdave.com TrueDark sleep glasses More about your host Sachin Patel How to speak with Sachin Go one step further and Become The Living Proof Perfect Practice Live sachin@becomeproof.com To set up a practice clarity call and opportunity audit Books by Sachin Patel: Perfect Practice: How to Build a Successful Functional Medical Business, Attract Your Ideal Patients, Serve Your Community, and Get Paid What You're Worth The Motivation Molecule: The Biological Secrets To Eliminate Procrastination, Skyrocket Productivity, and Get Sh!t Done

In this episode, Sachin and Dr. Eniko Loud talk about Dr. Loud's training, background, and interest in applying functional medicine practices to holistic dental care. Dr. Loud explains there is more to dental care than treating cavities and broken teeth. Sometimes teeth break when there is uneven pressure in the bite. Dr. Loud explains how this happens. She covers what kinds of problems mouth-breathing can cause, why there is so much dental crowding and a functional problem with braces. Listen in for information on holistic and myofunctional dental therapy. Key Takeaways: [1:02] Sachin introduces the topic for today: oral health and beyond and introduces his guest Dr. Eniko Loud, a pioneer in the treatment of orofacial conditions. Dr. Loud provides dental care in a very holistic way using functional medicine. She focuses on the whole patient. Sachin shares more about Dr. Loud and how Joe Polish of Genius Network introduced them. [3:33] Sachin welcomes Dr. Loud to the podcast. [3:56] Dr. Loud was trained in medicine and dentistry in Europe. She had a passion for seeing the whole person. When she discovered functional medicine, it was a paradigm shift. She decided to get certified in functional medicine. She started making an impact on her patient's health, with documents and dietary plans. She was excited about showing up for work. [6:30] Dr. Loud tells how diseases of the body can show up on the tongue seven to 10 years before they show up in the body. She says bad breath is one of the biggest indicators of disease. [8:11] Dr. Loud explains the patient's experience. The first appointment can take up to two hours. Based on functional medicine, there is a lot of listening and gathering of information. Before the appointment, Dr. Loud reviews records, diet, toxin exposure, and sleep habits. She connects all parts of the patient's history with their oral health. Patients are amazed. [9:38] Dr. Loud says this should be the standard of care in dentistry. Dr. Loud is a guide to her patients on their journey. She offers two ways, down the path of disease or the path of health. Most patients choose health. The patient is in the driver's seat and makes all the decisions. Patients receive a report card after their hygienist appointment showing markers of health. [12:15] The standard in Dr. Loud's practice is for patients to have zero bleeding. That is how the patients can measure their success and progress. [13:03] Bleeding gums might signal malnutrition. A lot of times, it indicates a lack of proper care. Mouth-breathing could be an issue or bacterial overgrowth even if they brush and floss properly. Toothbrush heads or mouth appliances may not be properly sterilized, spreading bacteria. Toothbrushes should be changed after two months. Dr. Loud likes electric toothbrushes. [15:15] Dr. Loud likes Oral B iO series brushes. Dr. Loud says it rotates and oscillates so it is very effective at removing plaque. [16:25] To tell if you have a tongue-tie, open your mouth wide and touch the roof of your mouth with your tongue. If you cannot, it is likely you have a tongue-tie. Dr. Loud explains some of the problems a tongue-tie can cause, and how the posture may be affected. Swallowing problems, sleep apnea, and snoring also may result from a tongue-tie. [19:33] Dr. Loud describes a 3-D scan that can show abnormalities from a tongue tie. An oral surgeon can perform a frenectomy to relieve a tongue-tie. [20:35] Dr. Loud recommends myofunctional therapy before and after a frenectomy to prepare the muscle for what it will have to do when the release is done. [22:15] Two different things impact teeth; bacteria and forces. Most patients don't know they have an overload of forces on their teeth. Dr. Loud explains what can happen when a crown is a few microns too high. This may change the joint position. If the forces are not distributed evenly, some teeth may be overloaded, crack, need a crown, have a root canal, and finally, extraction. [26:11] Joint position problems may cause more extractions than tooth decay. There are different schools of thought on bite forces and the joints. It would require the dentist to start asking better questions like, "Why is this happening to my patients?" Wanting to learn to fix it may be the biggest problem. [26:51] Dr. Loud works within a group called OBI Bioesthetic Dentistry and their focus is helping discover the root causes of dental diseases. Once they restore the natural anatomy of the teeth, the face immediately becomes rejuvenated. The focus is function. When you restore jaw joint function, muscles relax and don't clench. There is no more joint pain and muscle tension. [28:33] Orthodontics can aggravate the joint problem if the dentist doesn't know what a stable bite should be or doesn't have the knowledge to see the patterns of tooth wear. Dr. Loud explains the correct bite. [31:13] After Invisalign, if the bite is still not mechanically correct, there are options available to correct the joint position. Dr. Loud explains the process she uses to keep the musculoskeletal system in balance. If there is tooth wear, they add back the enamel that's missing with dental materials to restore the natural form of the tooth structure and stabilize the bite. [33:01] Dr. Loud discusses research that reveals why dental crowding is happening in children. It may be due to diet and mouth-breathing. Dr. Loud recommends working with a myofunctional therapist and a pediatrician to remove dairy and sugar from the diet to reduce inflammation, mouth-breathing, and apnea. [36:11] It wasn't until after Breath, by James Nestor came out that Sachin learned the connection between mouth-breathing and dental problems. Breath is a diagnostic tool. [38:13] About jaw size and wisdom teeth. Sachin's relatives in India chewed on sticks to make toothbrushes. They had perfect teeth, no extractions, no braces, without having access to dentists. Soft foods and processed foods have weakened American teeth. Myofunctional therapists prescribe biting appliances to strengthen the joints and the bite. [42:13] Dr. Loud explores functional medicine and has started a study of ayurvedic medicine. She is preparing to merge it into the functional medicine practice to address the emotional and spiritual parts of a patient, also. [43:41] Dr. Loud shares her thoughts on the Ayurvedic principle of oil pulling. She believes it works by the effects of the herbs and the surface tension of the oil trapping the bacteria. She recommends it for people who have dry mouths. She tells the types she uses. [45:12] Sachin thinks he should make an appointment with Dr. Loud on his next trip to Phoenix! He thanks Dr. Loud for the work that she does. [45:52] Dr. Loud shares her contact information. See the links below. [47:10] Dr. Loud talks about the associate she hired last year and is training her to help take care of patients. There has been a huge need since the podcast. Mentioned in this episode Perfect Practice Live Joe Polish Genius Network Ben Greenfield Life Podcast Oral B iO toothbrushes Frenectomy OBI Bioesthetic Dentistry Invisalign Breath, by James Nestor Ayurvedic medicine Dr. Eniko Loud:Dr. Eniko Loud is a pioneer in the treatment of orofacial conditions. She is reinventing the world of dental care with an in-depth holistic approach applying her extensive training in Functional Medicine. She is focused on treating the whole patient, not just the health of their teeth and gums, by examining biochemical, genetic, and lifestyle factors and how these impact the oral microbiome. She is a sought-after speaker in the world of cutting-edge holistic dental care and has appeared on podcasts such as Ben Greenfield Life and Treat The Source." Dr. Loud believes that providing excellent dental care is so much more than just treating the mouth, it requires treating the whole person. She acknowledges that one-size-fits-all dentistry is outdated and uses her training in functional medicine to identify disease patterns that caused oral health issues in the first place. She is considered a "physician of the mouth" — getting to the root cause of dental hygiene issues, unique to each patient, that require disease resolution. Rather than just filling cavities, she examines the lifestyle factors, genetic, and biochemical imbalances that create disease in the mouth and guides patients to heal the underlying root cause. Her goal is to guide patients on their wellness journey toward optimal dental health. Dr. Loud has had extensive training in all forms of dentistry as well as in functional and conventional medicine. She attended the School of Medicine and Dental Medicine in Romania, Oradea graduating with an MD and DDS degrees in 2000. In 2006 she obtained her doctorate from Case Western Reserve University and completed an AEGD residency, obtaining extensive experience in full-mouth rehabilitation and complex implant dentistry. She went on to complete a one-year Mastership in Implant Dentistry from American Dental Implant Association through Loma Linda University in 2009, then became the Dental Director for Bright Now Dental, overseeing the clinical development of 13 dental offices. In 2013, she completed a Laser Associate Fellowship certification from the World Clinical Laser Institute, and in 2017 she completed a one-year Mastership in Implant Dentistry from the Global Institute for Dental Education. Finally, in 2019 she became a certified functional medicine provider by the Institute of Functional Medicine, one of only 3 certified dentists globally at the time. She received advanced training for applying for functional medicine in clinical practice, bioenergetics, cardio-metabolic diseases, environmental health and detoxification, gastrointestinal diseases, and hormone and immune-related conditions. Following the completion of the IFM certification she attended the Kalish institute 12-month mentorship program for advanced lab interpretation, using lifestyle medicine and lab-based metabolic interpretations as part of a personalized medicine-based practice. She is a member of the American Dental Association, the American Academy for Oral Systemic Health, the Institute of Functional Medicine, and the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology. She is also an OBI Academy Member. Connect with Eniko: Website: Wholehealthdentistryaz.com IG: @wholehealthdentistryaz FB: Facebook.com/wholehealthdentistryaz Phone: (480) 563-4141 More about your host Sachin Patel How to speak with Sachin Go one step further and Become The Living Proof Perfect Practice Live sachin@becomeproof.com To set up a practice clarity call and opportunity audit Books by Sachin Patel: Perfect Practice: How to Build a Successful Functional Medical Business, Attract Your Ideal Patients, Serve Your Community, and Get Paid What You're Worth The Motivation Molecule: The Biological Secrets To Eliminate Procrastination, Skyrocket Productivity, and Get Sh!t Done

Today, Sachin presents a solo episode focusing on your practice marketing success. Take one, two, or three of these ideas, to share your message and expand your reach in 2023. Key Takeaways: [1:03] Sachin introduces the theme: 23 things you can do to uplevel your practice, reach more people, have a bigger impact, and make the world healthy, happy, and whole through the outstanding work that you do. Sachin assumes you do meaningful work and you're passionate about helping people but you struggle to help more people learn about the work you do. [1:29] No matter how many people you help, you're always going to feel that way. You're always reaching for the carrot dangling in front of you. If you're looking for more ways to help people and looking to make this year more impactful, and you want to make the world, healthy, happy, and whole, then this episode may be helpful for you. [1:51] Sachin will unpack 23 things, but he wants you to know that these things can be unpacked even further and there is a lot more to each of them. Sachin hopes you will find and take action on one to three of these things that excite you and help you to feel you are getting things done. [2:27] Find something in your "zone of genius" that allows you to feel like you're making a difference in people's lives. Marketing is storytelling; it starts with the story that we tell ourselves before we start telling our story to others. If you struggle with that, Sachin invites you to listen to "Mindset Mastery," Episode 42 of Perfect Practice, about breaking down limiting beliefs. [3:10] Of Sachin's 23 topics, the one that is most important for you to focus on is the one that resonates with you. [3:25] 1. Have a website that is easy to navigate, that explains what you do, who you are for, how you solve the problem that the client wants to be solved and that you help people in a different way than what they've tried before. It should be easy on the eyes and mobile-friendly, and easy to schedule from. It should speak for you. It should have a pixel. Google it. [5:16] 2. Use social media to share information about your practice, including updates to your services, new programs you launch, testimonials, case studies, educational content, and the life you live as functional medicine practitioners and health coaches. Introduce people to the way you look at the world. [5:55] 3. Write articles or blog posts about what you do. Blog posts can be great for backlinks, education, and positioning you as an authority. You never know what can come from a great blog post or article you've written and who might see it, and what opportunities may open up for you, If you like writing, blogs can be a great way to express yourself. They can go viral, as well. [6:31] 4. Offer educational workshops, in person or online, about what you do and what problem you solve, and whom you solve it for. You'll want a punchy title that hooks people in and helps them understand the problem that you solve and how you solve it. Webinars and workshops are great ways to educate people and build trust, share case studies, and offer a discovery call. [7:12] 5. Partner with other healthcare practitioners such as chiropractors, naturopaths, medical doctors, massage therapists, and personal trainers; there could be plenty of people that you could connect with in your region that can be great referral partners. Do a Google search for the best chiropractor in your town. Email them an offer to meet for coffee and discuss referrals. [9:52] 6. Attend local health fairs and events to meet potential patients and promote your practice. Having a booth or table at these events gives you exposure to a local audience. You can have a raffle to give away some great prizes. Sachin has had great success at health fairs with a five-pound challenge. You can also sponsor these events to get a lot of exposure. [11:16] 7. Run targeted ads on social media in your area. You can target people who have a certain demographic or meet certain criteria in your local region. Your ad can say "Local functional medicine practitioner…" or "Functional medicine practitioner in ____ City…" That could be a great way to hook people in. [12:02] 8. Use email marketing to stay in touch with people. The fortune is in the follow-up. About 90% of people buy after 90 days. If you don't have a retargeting or nurturing email strategy, most people are going to forget you or go to someone else whom they might perceive as caring more than you do. [12:49] 9. Connect with other businesses you can collaborate with such as fitness studios, yoga studios, and health food stores. If someone's seeing a personal trainer, chances are they're interested in personal wellness. You should be known at your local health food store. Be their number one referrer and buy products there. Offer to do a workshop there. [15:04] 10. Offer discounts or promotions, such as a free discovery call, to attract new patients. [16:03] 11. Use online directories and review sites to promote your practice and encourage patients to leave reviews on online directories and review sites, such as Yelp! Tell happy clients how helpful reviews are in helping others learn about your practice. [16:57] 12. Create a referral program to encourage current patients to refer their friends and family to your practice. As always, follow the rules and laws of your state for your scope of practice. [17:19] 13. Attend local networking events. Sachin attended BNI for many years and joined the local Chamber of Commerce. It's a great way to meet other professionals, build networking skills, and have a "givers gain" attitude. People attending these meetings have reached some level of success in their business and they're willing to support up-and-coming businesses. [18:13] 14. Use online marketing tools such as SEO to improve your website's visibility in search results. If you're not using SEO, Sachin encourages you to evaluate that. It could be a hidden opportunity awaiting you, [18:35] 15. Create promotional materials, such as brochures and flyers. These can be digital flyers, as well. Promotional materials can help people understand what you do. Using, an infographic is an excellent way to be able to depict the services you offer and how you offer those services, and how they are better and different from what else is out there. [19:00] 16. Host a "Meet the Practitioner" event. You can host an "Ask Me Anything" event. You can have an open house event to introduce yourself and your practice to your community, where people get to learn a little bit more about you and what you offer people, and how you are a positive influence on your community's health and wellness. [19:28] 17. Offer free health assessments or consultations to potential patients. Sachin does free or low-cost discovery calls all the time. It helps in getting new patients onboarded. [19:53] 18. Use patient testimonials and success stories on your website and on social media to demonstrate the effectiveness of your programs. Use social media as a powerful agent to communicate case studies, success stories, and testimonials from patients in your practice. [20:13] 19. People value telemedicine services as a great way to save time, energy, money, gas, transportation, time off work, etc. Make sure people know that you work with people remotely. [20:59] 20. Partner with local gyms or wellness centers to offer functional medicine services. They7 may not offer the services that you do. Do a workshop there. [21:33] 21. Use paid advertising. Print ads, online ads, banners, and billboards, can be great for promoting your practice. Never discount the impact that direct print marketing can have, even sending cards in the mail. It makes you more real to people when they see you in multiple locations and formats. [22:07] 22. Create a loyalty program to reward and retain your current patients. How can you gamify the results that your clients are getting? Give them points for milestones achieved. Points add up to free products or services that you offer them, creating a gamification process. Clients love to be celebrated and they may not be receiving enough celebration in their lives. [22:59] 23. Speak at local events or conferences to raise awareness about function medicine. Look on Eventbrite for local events. Join your Chamber of Commerce and see what events are happening. There are lots of opportunities in your local community and most cities for you to be able to speak and share what you do. We have a unique perspective on health and wellness. [23:49] There's a lot to unpack in each one of these. Find one that works for you. Start where you are and then keep growing, keep evolving, and keep spreading your message. Sachin hopes this helps you attain that next level of growth that you're looking for. Here's to an amazing 2023! Mentioned in this episode Perfect Practice Live "Mindset Mastery" Episode 42 of Perfect Practice More about your host Sachin Patel How to speak with Sachin Go one step further and Become The Living Proof Perfect Practice Live sachin@becomeproof.com To set up a practice clarity call and opportunity audit Books by Sachin Patel: Perfect Practice: How to Build a Successful Functional Medical Business, Attract Your Ideal Patients, Serve Your Community, and Get Paid What You're Worth The Motivation Molecule: The Biological Secrets To Eliminate Procrastination, Skyrocket Productivity, and Get Sh!t Done