Explore the revolution in alcohol care, combining daily behavior changes, habit loops, and medication to quiet alcohol cravings before dependence spirals.

We discussed:

◼ Why waiting for rock bottom makes alcohol dependence harder to reverse

◼ How Naltrexone dampens alcohol pleasure to break the habit loop

◼ The reason 10% of adults need alcohol care but rarely get it

◼ How GLP1s like Ozempic could redefine modern alcohol addiction treatment

◼ Why daily habits and non-judgmental tracking outperform forced complete sobriety

🎙️ Host: Steve Sood LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-sood-729559394/

Wizlo: https://www.wizlo.com/

🎤 Guest: Nick Allen LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicknella/

Sunnyside: https://www.sunnyside.co/

🎧 Find us

YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZzvzioJo0ik

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/compound-wisdom-podcast/id1860341852

Telehealth, proactive healthcare, hormone replacement therapy, and the future of online medicine through personalized treatments, integrated lab testing, and AI-driven care protocols.

We discussed:

◼ Why birth control is wrecking female hormone populations nationwide

◼ How a single hormone protocol can reverse visible signs of aging

◼ Why 90% of telehealth brands outsource their medical care

◼ How integrated blood labs accelerate targeted patient treatment goals

️Host: Steve Sood

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-sood-729559394/

Wizlo Health: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wizlohealth/

🎤 Guest: Leif Wombwell

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leif-wombwell/

Excel Medical: https://excelmedical.com/

🎧 Find us

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CompoundWisdomPodcast

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/compound-wisdom-podcast/id1860341852

Unpack the future of weight loss, metabolic medicine, AI diagnostics, peptide therapies, and how to optimize health before midlife hormone shifts sabotage your results.

We discussed:

◼ How GLP-1 peptides reverse metabolic damage without starvation diets.

◼ Why standard annual blood tests miss critical early warning trends.

◼ How AI wearable data is transforming personalized preventive health care.

◼ The truth about gray market research peptides and safety risks.

🎙️ Host: Steve LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-sood-729559394/

Compound wisdom: wizlo.com

🎤 Guest: Dr. Angela Tran LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drtrangela/

Med-Fit Medical Weight Loss: https://medfitmedicalweightloss.com/

🎧 Find us YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CompoundWisdomPodcast

Spotify: coming soon

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/compound-wisdom-podcast/id1860341852

A trader who flipped $3.1 million in a single week takes you inside the broken economics of American healthcare, prescription pricing, and how one bad pharmacy bill sparked a mission to fix it.

We discussed:

◼ How a $500,000 soybean trade taught him more than any business school

◼ Why medications change hands up to 11 times before reaching you

◼ The real reason big companies deliver worse benefits than small ones

◼ How he turned a $360 million turnaround into a bankruptcy lesson

◼ Why insulin costs $25 instead of $200 under his new model

🎧 Find us:

Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/compound-wisdom-podcast/id1860341852

YoutTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CompoundWisdomPodcast

About Guest:

LinkedIn: Lee Moorer

Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-moorer-a422938/

About Host:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-sood-729559394/

Website: wizlo.com

👉 Subscribe wherever you listen

👉 If this conversation landed, share it with one peer who'd benefit.

Want to be our next guest? Email steve@wizlo.com with your information.

And of course, click "follow" to stay up-to-date on new episodes and leave an honest

review/rating letting us know what you thought!

A high-stakes trading blowup that flipped $3.1 million, three open-heart surgeries, and an

eleven-day coma reveal how a Detroit street kid rebuilt healthcare pricing from scratch — exposing why staffing employees, insulin users, and even the "big companies" are all getting fleeced by the same broken system.

We discussed:

◼ How a $3.1 million trading swing nearly ended a career in days

◼ Why staffing turnover hits 412% and kills affordable healthcare access

◼ The $407 pharmacy bill that exposed a totally broken pricing model

◼ How medications change hands up to 11 times before reaching you

◼ Why "HR apathy" quietly costs employees the benefits they're owed

🎧 Find us:

Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/compound-wisdom-podcast/id1860341852

YoutTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CompoundWisdomPodcast

About Guest:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-stecker-3580118/

Website: freerx.com

About Host:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-sood-729559394/

Website: wizlo.com

👉 Subscribe wherever you listen

👉 If this conversation landed, share it with one peer who'd benefit.

Want to be our next guest? Email steve@wizlo.com with your information.

And of course, click "follow" to stay up-to-date on new episodes and leave an honest

review/rating letting us know what you thought!

In this week's episode, Steve sits down with Sarah Gibson and Abbey Walsh, co-founders of Vitality Health Matrix, for his first-ever two-person podcast — and for good reason. Sarah brings a medical lens as a physician associate with a background in trauma and critical care, while Abbey brings a nutrition, fitness, and lifestyle lens built from years of coaching and a master's in nutrition. Together they unpack why "eat less, exercise more" fails so many women, and how hormones, labs, and DNA actually hold the answers traditional medicine keeps missing.

Sarah and Abbey share their own health struggles — from unexplained weight gain and night-shift burnout to miscarriages and undiagnosed thyroid disease — and how those experiences led them to build a company around the "matrix method," a system that blends blood labs, DNA testing, and personalized protocols to treat the root cause instead of chasing symptoms. They also get into the practical side of the business: their 90-day concierge program, why they refuse to let clients pick and choose pieces of their plan, the return of medical peptides after FDA restrictions, and the new book "Empowered Weight Loss" written to make this information accessible to patients and clinicians alike. The episode closes with their shared belief: hormone changes aren't a discipline problem, they're biology — and women deserve a healthcare team built around that truth.

Takeaways

1. "Eat less, exercise more" often fails because it ignores the hormonal shifts happening underneath.
2. Hormone changes start as early as 35 — fifteen years before menopause even begins.
3. Normal lab ranges and optimal lab ranges are not the same thing.
4. Vitamin D is a hormone regulator, not just a vitamin — and most women over 40 are critically low.
5. DNA testing reveals how your body responds to specific medications, peptides, and even caffeine.
6. Healing the root cause requires combining medical, nutrition, and lifestyle expertise — not picking just one.
7. A 90-day, all-in program outperforms a la carte care because partial solutions get partial results.
8. Peptides like BPC-157 can help preserve muscle while losing fat, not just weight on the scale.
9. Curiosity and self-advocacy are essential when a provider says your labs are "fine" but you don't feel fine.
10. Investing in your health now prevents relying on traditional medicine to manage chronic illness later.

Chapters

00:00 Intro: Two founders, one mission for women's health

01:27 Why this is a two-person podcast — and why it works

02:22 Sarah's story: from critical care PA to 60 pounds heavier

03:53 What traditional medicine got wrong about Sarah's labs

05:20 Abbey's path: from Zumba instructor to nutrition expert

07:19 The miscarriages and thyroid disease that changed everything

08:20 How Sarah and Abbey's businesses merged into one

10:25 Building the toolbox: supplements, DNA testing, and protocols

11:13 Who they treat — and how men entered the picture

12:01 Inside the 90-day concierge program

14:04 Why DNA testing changes the long-term game

15:20 The five hormone imbalances and the Matrix Method

16:11 What your DNA reveals about caffeine, alcohol, and GLP-1s

18:53 One team, one philosophy — even with multiple providers

21:04 The FDA, peptides, and what's coming back this year

23:12 Leveling up clients from healing to optimization

26:21 Inside the book: Empowered Weight Loss

28:06 Breaking down the book's three parts

30:09 Why clinicians need this information too

31:13 Normal vs. optimal: the vitamin D example

34:36 Final advice: stay curious, and it's not your fault

In this week's episode, the host of Compound Wisdom sits down with the co-founder of Viome — PhD chemist, Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist turned entrepreneur — to explore one of the most ambitious missions in modern healthcare: predicting and preventing chronic disease and cancer before symptoms ever appear. He shares how he walked away from one of the cushiest jobs in science to spend six years building technology the world didn't yet believe was possible, and how a Shark Tank-style pitch to investor Naveen Jain turned that research into a company generating revenue in just five months.

The guest explains why your body is really 100,000 moving pieces — half human, half microbial — and why measuring RNA instead of DNA is the difference between knowing a yeast exists and knowing whether it's actually making beer. He breaks down why 95% of biotech companies fail, how concierge clinics are already integrating Viome into their standard offerings, and why the single biggest question you should ask any AI health company is: what was your training set? The episode closes with his core belief: start with the problem you want to solve, not the tools available to you today — and then spend whatever it takes to get there.

Takeaways

1. Preventive medicine for the human body works the same way preventive maintenance transformed the airline industry — fix the failures before the plane takes off.
2. Chronic diseases and cancers begin decades before symptoms appear; the goal is to detect and reverse imbalances years in advance.
3. Half of your health is controlled by your own genes, and half is controlled by your microbiome — neglect either at your peril.
4. RNA sequencing tells you what your biology is actually doing right now, not just what organisms are present.
5. 95% of biotech companies fail because they keep doing R&D instead of building toward revenue.
6. A great investor pitch isn't about scientific complexity — it's about the problem, the solution, and the road to revenue.
7. When it comes to AI in healthcare, always ask: is the training data large, homogeneous, and relevant? Without all three, the AI is useless.
8. Viome can currently interpret only 40% of the biological data it generates — the remaining 60% of the human body is still dark matter.
9. Generative AI and foundation models are the next frontier for truly understanding human biology.
10. Start with the problem you want to solve — not the tools that exist today — and then build whatever it takes to get there.

Chapters

00:53 Intro: Bringing preventive maintenance from airplanes to the human body

01:14 Why chronic disease and cancer are not bad luck — they're biochemistry we don't yet understand

02:40 The science fiction that became science: what changed between 2004 and 2010

04:20 The proof of concept: people in their 80s and 90s living fully healthy lives without drugs or interventions

05:18 Six years at Los Alamos National Lab — building the foundational technology behind Viome

06:19 Why leaving a cushy government job took relentless belief, not just ambition

07:17 The pitch that made scientists think he was crazy — and why he pushed forward anyway

08:26 Finding co-founder Naveen Jain and the Shark Tank moment that started the company

10:44 Why the best pitch isn't the smartest one — it's the clearest one

11:53 Revenue in five months: how preparation made the difference

12:18 The single biggest reason 95% of biotech companies die

13:14 Explaining Viome like you're five: the jet airliner analogy

15:13 The human body is 100,000 moving pieces — 50,000 human, 50,000 microbial

16:43 DNA sequencing vs. RNA sequencing — and why it matters for your health

18:31 Butyrate, breast milk, and why the microbiome starts at birth

20:11 The business model: direct to consumer, concierge clinics, and the road to healthcare providers

20:58 The long-term vision: Viome for every person on earth, from birth to death, for free

22:57 Why healthcare resists nutrition — and how that's starting to change

24:31 How 80% of concierge clinics are already integrating Viome into their standard offerings

26:22 The truth about AI in healthcare: hype vs. real data

27:13 How Viome's co-founder Guru, former Chief Science Officer of IBM Watson, built AI into the platform from day one

28:22 The three things every AI health company must have: large, homogeneous, and relevant data

29:31 The 60% problem: most of human biology is still dark matter — and generative AI is the key to unlocking it

31:29 The next big move: building a foundation model of human biology

31:50 One piece of advice for anyone entering preventive healthcare: start with the problem, not the tools

– Jonathan Glassman

In this week's episode of Compound Wisdom, host Steve Sood sits down with Jonathan Glassman — CEO of Oar Health — to dig into one of the most personal and purpose-driven startup stories in modern telehealth: how a healthcare strategy consultant turned his own decade-long struggle with alcohol use disorder into a platform that has now helped over 75,000 people drink less or quit entirely.

Jonathan shares how he went from binge drinking to blackout to finding naltrexone through a single empathetic primary care physician — and how that turning point became the seed for Oar Health. He explains why only 3% of people with alcohol use disorder ever get prescribed medication, how telehealth is uniquely positioned to close that gap, and why privacy isn't just a feature for their members — it's often the deciding factor in whether someone seeks help at all.

They also get into the harder side of building in healthcare — what happened when naltrexone went into national shortage during one of Oar's fastest growth periods, how the team made painful decisions to protect existing members even at the cost of new growth, and why Jonathan sees AI as a tool for empowering patients rather than replacing providers. The episode closes with Jonathan's direct message to anyone struggling with their drinking: you don't have to wait for rock bottom, and it is never too late to start.

Takeaways

Naltrexone works by blocking the reward and pleasure signals that make alcohol feel good — it doesn't require sobriety as a goal.

Only 3% of people with alcohol use disorder are ever prescribed medication — telehealth exists to close that gap.

Privacy is often the deciding factor — no waiting rooms, no pharmacy lines, and discreet delivery changes who seeks help.

Recovery looks different for everyone — Oar Health doesn't prescribe a single program; they build around the individual.

When a crisis hits, set one clear, non-negotiable principle and fold every operation around it.

A drug shortage can be a crash course — Ōr came out of their naltrexone shortage with deeper pharma supply chain relationships than they ever expected to need.

AI belongs in operations, not in direct patient care — at least until patients say otherwise.

The best use of AI in healthcare may be helping patients walk into appointments better prepared, not replacing the appointment.

Cutting back on drinking is rarely just about drinking — it tends to become a catalyst for broader life change.

You don't have to wait for rock bottom. Recovery is possible, and it's never too late to begin.

Chapters

00:01 — Intro: How a healthcare insider's personal struggle became a 75,000-member platform

01:27 — What Oar Health does and why it exists

02:22 — From binge drinking to blackout — Jonathan's personal story

05:20 — Finding the right physician: empathy, moderation, and naltrexone

07:50 — How naltrexone actually works in the brain

10:31 — Spotting the market gap: telehealth for ED and hair loss, but not for AUD?

13:02 — Why only 3% of people with alcohol use disorder ever get prescribed medication

15:06 — What telehealth has gotten right — and where it still falls short

17:40 — The fragmented healthcare system problem and where Oar fits in

18:12 — Privacy as a product feature: why it matters more in stigmatized conditions

19:21 — What Oar is building next: coaching, peer support, and smoother care transitions

22:08 — Beyond sobriety: the liver, brain, and gut supplement Oar is launching

24:52 — GLP-1s, peptides, and what the evidence says about addiction

28:46 — The naltrexone shortage: two years of crisis management and what it cost

32:35 — The bright line rule that saved existing members — and froze new growth

35:10 — Compounded naltrexone and the Sinclair Method community

38:22 — Daily vs. targeted use: how flexible is the medication really?

41:05 — AI at Oar: where they lean in and where they draw the line

44:49 — The future of AI in healthcare: better prep, more empathy, not less

47:01 — Advice for anyone struggling: recovery is possible, and options are wider than you think

Shea shares how she joined Game Day six years ago as one of the brand's earliest employees, helped open their second location in Southern California during the height of COVID, and built the operational infrastructure that made hypergrowth possible — all before franchising was even on the table.

Shea explains why TRT clinics weren't mainstream when she started, how COVID unexpectedly accelerated demand for men's health services, and how a simple whiteboard session revealed they'd sold 600 franchise locations in a single year — a number that shocked even the most seasoned franchise experts they knew.

They also get into the harder side of scaling — what it's really like managing medical compliance across multiple states, why running healthcare franchises is nothing like running restaurant franchises, and how Game Day built a medical advisory board and provider network that keeps clinical standards tight at scale.

The episode closes with Shea's vision for Her Way — the women's health companion brand she helped build — and her personal journey of reclaiming her own identity and health after six years of being, as founder Evan Miller puts it, "the heartbeat of Game Day."

Takeaways

1. The best opportunities often don't look like opportunities — Game Day grew fastest during COVID when everyone expected it to slow down.
2. You don't need to know everything about franchising to start — Game Day's first franchise buyer was a patient who simply believed in the brand.
3. Speed matters in healthcare franchising — the ability to make fast, decisive decisions separates operators from administrators.
4. Medical compliance isn't optional at scale — different states have different regulations, and ignoring that will break your model.
5. Your first franchise owners set the culture — Game Day's earliest franchisees came from their own patient base, which built instant brand loyalty.
6. Corporate locations are your guinea pigs — test everything there before rolling it out to franchisees.
7. A strong medical advisory board is non-negotiable — clinical credibility protects both patients and the brand at scale.
8. Expanding into women's health isn't just a business decision — it's a natural extension of a proven clinical model.
9. Your identity and your company are not the same thing — the healthiest leaders know where one ends and the other begins.
10. When you're the heartbeat of something bigger than yourself, personal growth becomes part of the mission.

00:00 — Intro: 998 US franchises, 46 in Canada — and why they stopped selling

01:27 — Shea's origin story: From healthcare admin to Game Day's earliest employee

02:13 — What Southern California looked like when TRT clinics weren't a thing

03:34 — Joining during COVID: Why they expected red lights and got green ones instead

04:46 — How COVID accelerated demand for men's health and membership-based care

05:12 — From corporate clinics to franchising: How the idea was born

06:57 — The first franchise sale: A patient who just wanted to be part of the brand

07:52 — The whiteboard moment: "Holy crap, we just sold 600 franchise locations"

08:21 — Why outside franchise experts couldn't believe what Game Day was doing

09:18 — Scaling from 600 to 998+ locations — and the decision to stop selling

11:24 — Why medical franchises are exponentially harder than restaurant franchises

16:17 — Multi-state compliance: How Game Day manages regulations across 50 states

17:41 — Building the provider network and medical advisory board that holds it together

18:42 — Stem cells, peptides, and what Game Day won't touch until regulations catch up

21:05 — Her Way: Building the women's health companion brand from the ground up

23:01 — Handing over Her Way and shifting back to Game Day corporate operations

24:49 — Being the "heartbeat of Game Day" — what that title really costs

26:21 — Personal transformation: Health, identity, and rebuilding a personal brand

28:12 — Final thoughts: What's next for Game Day, Her Way, and Shea personally

Anthony shares how he and his brother, Taylor, bootstrapped a family-run telehealth company from the ground up, pivoted into the GLP-1 wave at exactly the right moment, and built a high-touch care model by keeping providers in-house when everyone else was outsourcing.

Anthony explains why they started with peptides after his mom's Crohn's remission on BPC-157, how a single TikTok video took them from 15 patients to 150 in a month, and why they turned down external provider networks to maintain full control over patient experience.

They also get into the messier side of scaling — what it's really like visiting compounding pharmacies in person, why female HRT is more symptom-based than people think, and how AI is already changing what providers can handle at scale.

The episode closes with Anthony's belief that the telehealth space is about to see consolidation — and that the companies obsessed with patient outcomes, not exits, are the ones that will survive it.

Takeaways

1. Start by understanding the patient problem deeply — Ivím Health was born from a personal health story, not a market opportunity.

2. Don't chase trends blindly — they almost passed on GLP-1s before understanding the cardio-metabolic benefits.

3. Keeping providers in-house costs more upfront but gives you full control over patient experience and clinical quality.

4. Organic growth beats paid ads early on — Ivím Health didn't spend a dollar on marketing for the first year.

5. Visit your compounding pharmacies in person — if you're putting it in a patient's body, you should know where it comes from.

6. Labs aren't always necessary for female HRT — symptom-based care can be more effective, but patient comfort matters too.

7. Build tech that personalizes the journey, not just the prescription — engagement is what drives outcomes.

8. Use AI to empower providers first, not replace them — the best healthcare will always be a hybrid model.

9. If one compounder is doing something no one else is, that's a red flag, not a competitive advantage.

10. When the mission is bigger than the business opportunity, patient trust becomes your moat.

Chapters

00:00 — Intro: Telehealth consolidation is coming — and why Ivím Health isn't worried

01:27 — The origin story: From Crohn's remission to building a peptide platform

03:29 — How a family of four bootstrapped a telehealth company with zero investors

03:51 — The GLP-1 pivot: Why they almost said no, and what changed their mind

04:53 — From 15 patients to 150 in 30 days: The TikTok moment that changed everything

05:42 — Building for patient experience, not just growth metrics

07:22 — Why Ivím Health keeps all providers in-house — and what that costs

08:31 — The medications they offer now — and why peptides are coming back

09:18 — Female HRT beta learnings: Labs, symptom-based care, and insurance dynamics

11:24 — The peptide landscape in 2024 — what's coming back and when

16:17 — Compounding pharmacy diligence: Why visiting in person matters

17:41 — The seven-pharmacy algorithm — routing prescriptions for speed and quality

18:42 — AI for providers, not patients (yet): How Ivím Health is using automation to scale care

21:05 — Why healthcare will be the last industry to go fully AI — empathy still matters

23:01 — Doubling provider efficiency with AI — from 1:1000 to 1:2000 patient ratios

24:49 — Where telehealth is going: Consolidation, exits, and who stays standing

26:21 — Why Ivím Health isn't looking to cash out — and what kind of partners they'd actually take

28:12 — Final thoughts: Patient outcomes over everything

In this week’s episode, Steve sits down with Dr. Myra Ahmad (Founder & CEO of Mochi Health) to break down how telehealth is evolving—and why most healthcare systems still fail patients.

Dr. Myra explains how Mochi Health is building a marketplace model that connects providers, pharmacies, and patients into one seamless system—focused on long-term care, not just prescriptions. She shares why continuity with the same doctor matters, how transparent pricing is reshaping patient behavior, and why traditional healthcare often prioritizes systems over people.

The conversation dives into the GLP-1 explosion, the rise of peptides, and what’s actually coming next in weight loss and preventative medicine. They also unpack the role of AI in healthcare, where it works best (operations, workflows, efficiency) and where it still falls short (patient trust and real care). The episode closes with a grounded look at the “wild west” of online medications, how to think about safety and regulation, and what the next 3–5 years of telemedicine will really look like.

Takeaways

• Most healthcare systems are built around operations—not patient experience.
• Continuity of care (seeing the same provider long-term) leads to better outcomes.
• GLP-1 drugs triggered massive demand—but they’re just the first wave.
• Future treatments will expand into more conditions beyond weight loss.
• Transparency in pricing is a major reason patients are shifting to telehealth.
• AI is powerful for backend tasks—but not ready to replace doctors.
• Patients still want human trust when it comes to medical decisions.
• The peptide market is growing fast—but lacks consistent oversight.
• Many online medications operate in a regulatory “gray zone.”
• Telehealth’s growth will be driven by convenience, cost clarity, and access.

Chapters

00:00 Intro: Why healthcare systems fail patients

00:49 What Mochi Health actually does

02:10 Dr. Myra’s background & why she built Mochi

03:30 The gap in care delivery most people don’t see

05:10 Marketplace vs. traditional telehealth models

07:20 Why continuity with one doctor matters

09:15 GLP-1 drugs: from skepticism to global demand

12:40 What’s next in weight loss & new medications

15:30 Oral vs injectable treatments: what actually works

18:20 Peptides: hype, risks, and future potential

21:10 The “wild west” of online medications

24:00 AI in healthcare: where it works vs. where it fails

27:30 How Mochi uses AI to improve provider workflows

30:10 Pharmacy partnerships & quality control

33:40 Women’s health, HRT, and telehealth expansion

36:20 Pricing transparency vs traditional healthcare

39:10 The future of telemedicine (next 3–5 years)

42:00 What’s next for Mochi Health

In this episode of Compound Wisdom, Steve Sood sits down with Myra A., founder of Mochi Health, to break down where modern healthcare actually breaks — and why most solutions are solving the wrong layer of the problem.

Myra’s entry into healthcare was driven by a single question: where do patients fall out of care? That question led her to build Mochi Health — not as another telehealth brand pushing prescriptions, but as a marketplace connecting providers and pharmacies under one system.

Mochi’s model challenges the dominant telehealth approach. Instead of vertical integration and branding, it focuses on infrastructure — giving providers tools to operate, and patients the ability to choose, compare, and stay with the same doctor over time. Continuity, not transactions, becomes the core product.

The conversation then moves into the GLP-1 surge. Myra explains how initial skepticism around injectables quickly flipped into one of the largest demand waves in healthcare. What started as a niche treatment has now triggered a broader shift toward proactive care — with more drugs and categories already in development.

But with demand comes fragmentation. The discussion explores the rise of peptides and the “wild west” layer of the market — where consumers are increasingly ordering unregulated substances online. Myra highlights the gap between demand and oversight, and why testing infrastructure is still catching up.

On AI, the stance is clear. Most companies are applying AI at the wrong interface. Mochi uses it to remove operational burden — documentation, scheduling, billing — while keeping the doctor-patient relationship fully human. Efficiency is the goal, not replacement.

The episode closes with a broader view of where telehealth is heading — toward transparency, provider-led care, and systems that reduce friction rather than add layers. The next wave won’t be about more tools. It will be about better structure.

This is a grounded conversation on healthcare infrastructure, emerging drug markets, and the role of AI in rebuilding trust at scale.

Takeaways

Mochi Health is built as a marketplace, not a prescription-first platform

Continuity of care is a core differentiator in their model

Patients can choose and stay with providers long term

GLP-1 demand reshaped consumer expectations in healthcare

Future drug pipelines extend beyond weight loss into broader conditions

Oral alternatives currently lack strong efficacy compared to injectables

Peptides represent a growing but fragmented market

Unregulated demand is rising due to lack of access and transparency

Testing and compliance infrastructure is still developing

AI is most effective in back-office workflows

Documentation, billing, and scheduling are key AI use cases

Patient-facing AI still lacks trust and reliability

Provider efficiency directly improves patient outcomes

Telehealth growth is driven by pricing transparency gaps

Insurance systems often lack clarity for patients

Mochi integrates providers, pharmacies, and workflows into one system

Pharmacy onboarding includes testing and compliance validation

Women’s health and HRT demand is increasing on platforms

Future growth includes partnerships and device integrations

Healthcare is shifting toward system-level redesign, not surface fixes

Chapters

00:00 – Building provider and pharmacy infrastructure

02:00 – Why Mochi Health was created

05:30 – Marketplace vs traditional telehealth models

10:00 – Continuity of care and provider relationships

15:30 – The GLP-1 demand shift

21:00 – Future of weight loss and drug pipelines

26:00 – Oral vs injectable treatment limitations

30:30 – Peptides and emerging categories

35:30 – Risks of unregulated drug markets

40:00 – AI in healthcare systems

45:00 – Back-office automation vs patient interaction

50:00 – Provider tools and workflow optimization

55:00 – Pharmacy vetting and compliance

01:00:00 – Women’s health and HRT expansion

01:05:00 – Telehealth vs traditional care models

01:10:00 – Insurance and pricing transparency

01:15:00 – Future roadmap for Mochi Health

01:20:00 – Closing insights

Tags

#CompoundWisdom #MyraAhmed #MochiHealth #Telehealth #GLP1 #Peptides #HealthcareInnovation #DigitalHealth #AIinHealthcare #HealthcareSystems #PharmaTrends #ProviderLedCare #PatientExperience #HealthTech #FutureOfHealthcare

In this episode of Compound Wisdom, Steve Sood sits down with Jason Jacobson, emergency-trained nurse practitioner and founder of Slim Wellness, to break down what most telehealth companies get wrong about weight loss, hormones, and long-term metabolic care.

Jason’s path into medicine wasn’t linear. A high school dropout who rebuilt his life through tech, sales, and eventually emergency medicine, he now splits his time between the ER, academia, and a brick-and-mortar clinic designed to counter the “prescription-first” telehealth model

.

Slim Wellness was sparked by a personal catalyst. After watching his bonus daughter gain significant weight following birth control and struggle to find real answers, Jason saw firsthand how mainstream clinics default to surface-level solutions — especially once GLP-1s entered the spotlight

. His response was to build a provider-led, high-touch platform centered on root-cause analysis rather than transactional prescribing.

The conversation moves beyond generic weight loss talk and into structural care gaps: why “eat less, move more” is often clinical laziness, how PCOS is frequently mishandled, and why hormones sit at the center of metabolic dysfunction

.

Jason outlines the four pillars he prioritizes in PCOS treatment — inflammation, hormones, nutrition, and movement — and explains why most women are cycled through algorithms without meaningful personalization

. His model begins with full metabolic labs, narrative-driven intake conversations, and expectation setting that emphasizes time horizon over 30-day transformations.

They also unpack peptides. Jason clarifies what peptides actually are — short amino acid chains that signal native biological processes — and why misunderstanding their mechanism fuels regulatory tension

. The discussion touches on insulin as the earliest peptide example, evolving FDA positions, compounding scrutiny, Ryan Haight Act implications, and the uncertain reclassification environment.

The episode closes with a sober look at telehealth’s future: political volatility, DEA oversight, testosterone regulation, concierge-style differentiation, and the risk of large marketing-driven platforms commoditizing care.

This is a grounded conversation about metabolic medicine, regulatory reality, and what it takes to scale care without sacrificing clinical integrity.

Takeaways

1. Jason transitioned from tech and sales into emergency medicine before launching Slim Wellness
2. Slim Wellness was inspired by a personal PCOS and weight-loss journey
3. Most telehealth platforms prioritize medication over metabolic strategy
4. PCOS treatment requires addressing inflammation, hormones, nutrition, and movement
5. “Eat less, move more” without guidance is not a treatment plan
6. Peptides are signaling molecules, not synthetic tricks
7. Insulin was one of the earliest peptide therapies
8. Regulatory shifts around peptides and testosterone could reshape telehealth
9. Concierge-style access may become a competitive moat
10. Provider-led continuity of care differentiates from marketing-driven telemedicine

Chapters

00:00 – From high school dropout to emergency medicine

03:00 – Why Slim Wellness was built differently

06:30 – PCOS, hormones, and metabolic root causes

11:00 – The four pillars of PCOS treatment

15:00 – Peptides explained simply

19:00 – Regulatory scrutiny and telehealth uncertainty

23:00 – Concierge care vs scale-first models

27:00 – Hims vs Ro and competitive positioning

29:30 – Blind question and closing

Tags

#CompoundWisdom #JasonJacobson #SlimWellness #PCOS #Telehealth #Peptides #HormoneOptimization #GLP1 #MetabolicHealth #ConciergeMedicine #HealthcareRegulation #Longevity #ProviderLedCare #WeightLossMedicine

In this episode of Compound Wisdom, Steve Sood sits down with Dr. Jonathan Kaplan, board-certified plastic surgeon and founder of Dr. Well, to break down the collision between telehealth, GLP-1s, peptides, AI, and the future of provider-owned healthcare platforms.

Jonathan walks through his path from scrubbing into surgeries at age 11 in Louisiana to launching a price-transparency tool for cosmetic procedures, which eventually evolved into a national provider-to-consumer telehealth infrastructure serving 200+ practices. What started as solving a simple pricing problem turned into subscriptions, weight management programs, and ultimately a scalable compounding-backed medication platform.

The conversation moves beyond surface-level GLP hype and into structural realities: continuity of care vs independent contractor telehealth models, 503A pharmacy strategy, regulatory risk around research-use peptides, and why most operators misunderstand compounding economics. Jonathan explains the development of GLP-1 Squared (a semaglutide + tirzepatide combination), why differentiation matters in a tightening regulatory environment, and how serious players are preparing for FDA scrutiny rather than avoiding it.

They also go deep on AI — not just as a buzzword, but as infrastructure. From asynchronous smart consults to autonomous surgical robotics, Jonathan argues that AI will penetrate every layer of medicine faster than most expect. The real question isn’t whether it happens — it’s who adapts responsibly.

The episode closes with insights on longevity demand, peptide reclassification, Big Pharma acquisition behavior, and how social media — when done strategically — can drive real patient acquisition instead of vanity metrics.

This is a grounded conversation about operator leverage, regulatory positioning, and building healthcare models that can survive the next 24 months.

Takeaways

1. Dr. Kaplan began observing surgeries at age 11 and chose plastic surgery at 16.
2. Early frustration with cosmetic price opacity led him to build a pricing automation tool.
3. That tool evolved into BuildMyHealth and later Dr. Well.
4. Dr. Well operates as a provider-to-consumer (PTC) platform, not DTC.
5. Continuity of care is the structural weakness in many telehealth models.
6. GLP-1 subscriptions created infrastructure for scaling compounded meds.
7. GLP-1 Squared combines semaglutide + tirzepatide in a differentiated formulation.
8. Patent filings and IND pathways signal long-term positioning, not short-term arbitrage.
9. Research-use-only peptides carry legal and liability exposure.
10. 503A pharmacies will likely replace gray-market labs over time.
11. AI is being used internally for platform acceleration, not autonomous prescribing (yet).
12. Autonomous robotic surgery is likely closer than most assume.
13. Longevity demand is expanding the total addressable market, not shrinking it.
14. Big Pharma will likely acquire longevity-focused startups rather than build internally.
15. Social media growth requires algorithm fluency and constant adaptation.
16. MiniChat-style automation improves patient conversion workflows.
17. Head-banging persistence preceded viral growth.
18. GLP-1 adoption acts as a gateway into broader longevity experimentation.
19. Compliance-first models will outlast Shopify-style gray sellers.
20. Infrastructure ownership > trend chasing.

Chapters

00:00 – Early exposure to surgery and choosing plastic surgery

02:30 – Cosmetic pricing frustration and tech origins

04:20 – From price estimator to telehealth infrastructure

06:00 – Provider-to-consumer vs direct-to-consumer models

08:40 – GLP-1 growth and subscription mechanics

10:30 – Building GLP-1 Squared and regulatory differentiation

13:00 – Compounding, 503A strategy, and risk tolerance

15:20 – AI in platform development

17:00 – Autonomous surgery and timeline predictions

19:30 – Peptides, Category 2 status, and reclassification outlook

22:00 – Longevity demand and market expansion

24:10 – Big Pharma acquisition behavior

26:00 – Personal stack: GLP-1 Squared + NAD

28:30 – Social media growth strategy and viral moments

31:00 – Automation, MiniChat, and conversion systems

33:30 – Blind question and closing thoughts

Tags

#CompoundWisdom #DrJonathanKaplan #DrWell #GLP1 #Longevity #Telehealth #Peptides #CompoundingPharmacy #AIinHealthcare #PlasticSurgery #HealthcareInnovation #ProviderEconomics #WeightLossMedicine #HealthTech #MedicalEntrepreneurship

In this episode of Compound Wisdom, Steve Sood sits down with Heath Wolfson, founder of FrontCare, to break down what it actually takes to build and scale businesses in regulated, fast-moving categories like GLP-1 clinics, compounding, and creator-led health platforms. Heath walks through his path from nightlife and event marketing to defense contracting after 9/11, scaling a safety retrofit company into a nine-figure exit, then building one of Facebook’s largest publishing engines before shifting into longevity and metabolic health operations.

The conversation focuses on operator reality vs sales hype: how to vet opportunities, spot compliance risks, avoid conflicted vendor ecosystems, and design clinic models that are capital-efficient and fast to launch. Heath explains why many GLP-1 and peptide ventures are structured wrong, how consulting should transfer real operational leverage (not dependency), and how FrontCare gives creators and small businesses a compliant path into telehealth-style wellness monetization. The episode closes with tactical advice on hiring, scaling teams, and why a few high-impact players outperform large mediocre teams.

Takeaways

1. Heath Wolfson built a $100M+ safety retrofit business within 18 months post-9/11.
2. His background is operator-led, not theory-led or purely financial.
3. He later scaled a Facebook publishing network to ~25M monthly users.
4. Many GLP-1 clinic offers are sales-driven, not compliance-driven.
5. Vendor kickbacks often distort physician, pharmacy, and insurance referrals.
6. Due diligence must go beyond spreadsheets into real operations.
7. Consulting should deliver execution frameworks, not just strategy decks.
8. “Hire the consultant, not the pitch” is his core rule.
9. Franchise-style models often lock owners into conflicted distribution.
10. His clinic model targets low build-out cost and fast launch timelines.
11. Simpler clinic formats can open in ~4–6 weeks with limited capital.
12. Transparency in vendors prevents operator lock-in.
13. FrontCare enables creators to monetize wellness compliantly.
14. Creators can use white-label telehealth-style storefronts.
15. Influencer wellness monetization is shifting from apparel to health.
16. GLP-1 adoption accelerated interest in broader longevity tools.
17. Research-only peptide markets are likely to face tighter regulation.
18. Compliance structure will outlast gray-market Shopify sellers.
19. Scaling teams too fast reduces efficiency and profitability.
20. A few key operators outperform many average hires.

Chapters

00:00 – Welcome and Heath’s background setup

00:29 – College, nightlife, and early career direction

01:30 – Defense contracting and post-9/11 retrofit opportunity

03:10 – Building and exiting a nine-figure safety business

04:05 – Tattoo industry roll-up attempt and 2008 disruption

05:00 – Taking over a publishing group as CEO

06:10 – Early Facebook monetization and ad stack testing

07:30 – Scaling to massive Facebook distribution

08:40 – Exit from media and move to Florida

09:15 – First exposure to GLP-1 and compounding reality

10:30 – Spotting fraud signals in clinic pitches

11:40 – Learning the clinic model by doing

13:10 – Rebuilding the GLP-1 clinic model correctly

14:20 – What real consulting should provide

16:00 – Vendor neutrality and operator advantage

17:05 – Why most med-spa assumptions are wrong

18:30 – Designing low-cost, fast-launch clinics

20:10 – Consulting economics and break-even timelines

22:00 – From consulting to platform: FrontCare

23:40 – Creator monetization and white-label health

25:10 – Influencer commerce vs wellness commerce

27:00 – GLP-1 as gateway to longevity demand

28:20 – Peptides, regulation, and risk

30:10 – Compliance vs gray-market sellers

31:00 – Scaling teams: key players vs many hires

33:00 – Efficiency lessons from downsizing

34:10 – Blind question: building teams that scale

35:40 – Closing thoughts and next-guest question

Tags

#CompoundWisdom #HeathWolfson #FrontCare #GLP1 #LongevityBusiness #Telehealth #ClinicOperations #HealthStartups #CreatorEconomy #WellnessCommerce #Peptides #Compounding #Consulting #OperatorMindset #TeamScaling

In this episode of Compound Wisdom, Steve Suen sits down with Dr. Ian Ellis — former ER physician, fitness specialist, and founder of a multi-state telehealth clinic — to break down what most people misunderstand about GLP-1 medications and why standard dosing protocols often lead to unnecessary side effects, muscle loss, and early drop-off. Instead of fixed weekly dose ladders, Dr. Ellis argues for a pharmacokinetic, level-based model that targets the exact drug concentration where a patient feels and functions best.

Dr. Ellis shares his personal journey from obsessive fitness and disordered eating patterns through emergency medicine burnout and significant weight gain, to discovering GLP-1 therapy firsthand. His early experience with semaglutide produced dramatic appetite control — but also severe side effects and unexpected muscle loss under standard dosing. That failure pushed him to study the drug’s half-life and accumulation curves, leading to a key insight: each weekly dose stacks on top of what’s already in the body, meaning patients are often escalating into overdose territory without realizing it.

From there, the conversation turns practical and technical. Dr. Ellis explains his “My Level” dosing approach — a calculator-driven system that models drug levels in the body and adjusts each dose to return patients to their personal sweet spot instead of blindly increasing amounts. He describes how this method helps patients use significantly less medication, experience fewer side effects, retain more muscle mass, and stay on therapy longer — while still matching or exceeding expected weight-loss outcomes.

They also cover real-world scenarios most protocols don’t handle well: travel timing, missed doses, running out of medication, and plateau phases. Dr. Ellis explains why standard instructions fail in these cases and how level-targeted dosing provides precise catch-up and adjustment strategies. The broader theme is that GLP-1 drugs are powerful but narrow-window tools — and without precision, the industry risks creating a thinner but weaker, less functional population instead of a healthier one.

The throughline of the episode is straightforward: GLP-1s are potentially transformative, but only if dosing becomes individualized, data-driven, and physiology-aware rather than schedule-based.

Takeaways

1. Dr. Ian Ellis is a former ER physician who left emergency medicine to focus on metabolic and longevity care.
2. He founded a telehealth clinic focused on GLP-1s, peptides, and regenerative health.
3. His interest in weight and fitness began in his teens and evolved into extreme dieting patterns.
4. He describes a long period of obsessive training, restriction, and rebound weight gain.
5. Medical school, residency, and family pressures led to major weight gain and burnout.
6. He first used semaglutide under a standard dosing ladder without tight supervision.
7. Early GLP-1 use reduced appetite dramatically but triggered escalating side effects.
8. Weekly GLP-1 dosing stacks because half the drug is still present at the next dose.
9. Patients reach higher drug levels each week even if the dose number is unchanged.
10. Sequence 01
11. Standard dose escalation can push patients into intolerance and GI distress.
12. He recorded severe nausea, GI symptoms, and functional impairment at higher levels.
13. A body composition scan showed large muscle loss during rapid GLP-1 weight loss.
14. He argues muscle loss + frailty risk is under-discussed in GLP-1 protocols.
15. He studied GLP-1 pharmacokinetics and built spreadsheet models of blood levels.
16. This led to his “My Level” concept — target the best-feeling drug level, not a fixed dose.
17. The method asks: how much do I take today to get back to my target level?
18. Sequence 01
19. He built a dosing engine and app to automate these calculations at scale.
20. Sequence 01
21. Patients identify their “sweet spot” based on hunger, energy, and side-effect profile.
22. Doses are then adjusted dynamically to maintain that level.
23. Micro-adjustments are preferred over large dose jumps.
24. Small level increases often restart weight loss after plateaus.
25. Many patients never need to reach manufacturer max doses.
26. Clinic patients often use roughly ¼–½ of labeled max dosing.
27. Sequence 01
28. Reported outcomes match or exceed expected weight-loss averages.
29. Lower dosing reduces cost burden and dropout risk.
30. Industry attrition rates approach ~50% in the first year.
31. He attributes most dropouts to side effects and expense.
32. Sequence 01
33. Level-based dosing aims to reduce both drivers.
34. The system also handles travel timing and missed doses precisely.
35. Catch-up dosing is calculated instead of guessed.
36. Sequence 01
37. He believes GLP-1s can be population-level game changers if dosed correctly.
38. Poor dosing could instead produce a thinner but weaker population.
39. His stated mission is expanding access to precision GLP-1 dosing.

Chapters

00:00 – Opening hook: the idea of a “best level” of medicine

00:58 – Guest intro: ER physician, fitness background, telehealth founder

02:00 – Early life, sports, and fear of science

04:10 – Injury, rehab, and path into medicine

07:30 – Emergency medicine reality vs prevention

10:30 – Frustration with chronic disease management model

12:00 – Extreme fitness and dieting behaviors

15:00 – Binge–restrict cycles and metabolic fallout

18:00 – Weight gain during medical training and burnout

21:40 – Discovering semaglutide

23:00 – First GLP-1 appetite suppression experience

27:00 – Side effects begin under fixed dosing

29:30 – Severe reaction after dose escalation

30:30 – Body comp scan shows major muscle loss

32:30 – Pharmacokinetics deep dive

34:00 – Drug accumulation and steady state explained

36:00 – The “sweet spot” level insight

37:30 – From fixed dose to target level model

38:15 – Building the My Level calculator

40:45 – Travel, missed doses, and catch-up logic

42:30 – Plateaus and micro-level increases

44:00 – Why lower long-term doses win

45:20 – Clinic outcomes vs manufacturer dosing

48:00 – App development and scaling the model

49:00 – Dropout rates and adherence problem

50:00 – Vision for the future of GLP-1 dosing

Closing – Precision over protocol

In this episode of Compound Wisdom, Steve Sood sits down with Giuseppe Calloni of RegenLab USA to break down what platelet-rich plasma (PRP) really is, how it’s made, and why Giuseppe believes the future of regenerative medicine is prevention—not just treatment.

Giuseppe shares a non-linear career path that starts in Milan, moves through a PhD in atomic physics in the UK, and spans oil & gas, chemical R&D, and biotech before he ultimately lands in regenerative medicine and becomes CEO. That “career without a plan” theme becomes a key thread: curiosity, learning, and global experience across France, Switzerland, China, and the U.S. shaped how he thinks about science, products, and patients.

From there, the conversation gets practical. Giuseppe explains RegenLab’s gel separation technology in simple terms: blood is drawn into a tube containing a specialized gel, spun in a centrifuge for about five minutes, and separated by density into layers—allowing clinicians to create platelet-rich plasma. He also highlights that PRP has existed for decades, expanding from early uses into sports medicine, injuries, hair restoration, aesthetics, gynecology, and orthopedics.

The episode then shifts into what makes RegenLab different in Giuseppe’s view: a data-first approach (patents, clinical data, publications) and a long-term strategy to navigate global regulation. Giuseppe describes the reality of waiting years for approvals—including a 10-year FDA timeline that eventually led to a PRP-based kit for diabetic chronic wounds being released with nationwide reimbursement. He argues the delays are frustrating but necessary if the goal is safety, efficacy, and real patient outcomes.

Finally, Steve and Giuseppe go wider: exosomes, stem cells, and the “hype cycle” in longevity. Giuseppe is candid about how exosomes became popular as a concept, but questions whether many products in the market are truly data-driven. He also explains why RegenLab stays focused on PRP and its next evolution—PRP plus tissue engineering approaches like hyaluronic acid scaffolds, and new minimally invasive implant ideas using electrospinning and 3D printing to help patients recover faster and avoid major surgeries. The throughline is clear: keep people moving, keep quality of life high, and prevent the decline before it becomes irreversible.

Takeaways

Giuseppe’s career path started in Milan and led to a PhD in atomic physics in the UK.

Curiosity drove him across oil & gas, chemical R&D, and then biotech.

He worked across Italy, France, Switzerland, China, and the U.S. before settling in America.

He became CEO at RegenLab after a collaboration that began when RegenLab was a client.

RegenLab is positioned as a science-based medical device company (patents, publications, clinical data).

PRP is created by separating blood components by density using a specialized gel + centrifuge process.

The gel transitions state under spinning, allowing clean layer separation in about five minutes.

After separation, the platelet concentration can be increased by inverting the tube multiple times.

PRP has been used in the market since the 1970s and expanded into many clinical applications.

Use cases discussed include sports injuries, pain relief, hair loss, aesthetics, gynecology, and knee osteoarthritis.

Giuseppe claims PRP can regenerate at the cellular level via growth factors in platelets.

He says PRP is the only truly effective hair regeneration treatment currently.

RegenLab’s PRP platform includes “PRP plus” approaches and tissue engineering directions.

Combining PRP with hyaluronic acid can act as a scaffold and prolong time between treatments.

Giuseppe emphasizes prevention as the core direction of regenerative medicine.

RegenLab expanded manufacturing across Switzerland, France, and the U.S. to manage global regulation and supply chains.

He says the company has treated roughly 2–3 million patients over 20+ years.

A PRP-based kit for diabetic chronic wounds took about 10 years to clear the FDA, then launched with reimbursement.

Regulatory pathways vary widely: US, China, and Europe have different standards and timelines.

Giuseppe is skeptical of exosome trends that are more marketing-led than data-led.

He sees stem cells as a different category with sourcing and ethical questions.

He believes minimally invasive repair (electrospinning + 3D printing implants) is the next leap.

He links public health challenges (aging population, diabetes, lifestyle) to the urgency of prevention-first solutions.

His “make it stick” answer: stay curious, resilient, and future-focused.

Chapters

00:00 – Welcome and Giuseppe’s background in Milan

00:15 – PhD in the UK, curiosity, and early career shifts

01:40 – Global travel and working across countries and cultures

02:44 – RegenLab’s origin story and science-first positioning

03:09 – Gel separation technology explained (blood → centrifuge → layers)

04:20 – What PRP is and how platelet-rich plasma is formed

05:13 – PRP’s long history and expanding use cases

06:16 – Patents, publications, and clinical data focus

06:48 – Why PRP is “blowing up” and where it’s used

07:01 – PRP’s role in healing, regeneration, and growth factors

08:59 – PRP + hyaluronic acid and the tissue engineering evolution

10:50 – Global reach: manufacturing strategy and distribution footprint

11:45 – Patient scale: 2–3 million treated over 20+ years

12:41 – 10-year FDA timeline for diabetic chronic wounds + reimbursement

14:24 – Differences between FDA, Europe, and China regulation

16:26 – PRP vs exosomes vs stem cells (ELI5 framing)

17:29 – Exosomes: sourcing, viability, and the marketing vs data debate

19:00 – Stem cells: source questions and why RegenLab stays PRP-focused

20:49 – RegenLab’s 3–5 year plan: PRP-plus pipeline and knee OA focus

22:39 – Tissue engineering + minimally invasive implants (electrospinning, 3D printing)

23:25 – Where regenerative medicine is going: prevention and quality of life

24:55 – Diabetes, lifestyle, and why the prevention conversation matters

26:44 – PRP in wound care and why it’s impactful in chronic wounds

27:44 – Wound care market size and faster healing vs alternatives

29:42 – Blind question: “How do you make it stick?”

30:45 – Giuseppe’s question for the next guest: globalization outlook

31:49 – Closing and thanks

In this episode of Compound Wisdom, Steve Sood sits down with Dr. Sajad Zalzala of Root Causes Medical to unpack what longevity medicine actually looks like when you move beyond “wait until you’re sick, then treat.”

Dr. Zalzala shares how he started in computer science, nearly left medical school, and ultimately moved toward functional, holistic, and integrative medicine after realizing traditional care often defaults to “cut it out” or “block it.” From there, a migraine patient became his telehealth “lightbulb moment,” leading him into the early telehealth world (2016–2017), where doctors were often building the protocols and infrastructure as they went.

The conversation then goes deep on today’s longevity landscape: why peptides are misunderstood, why women’s HRT is being re-evaluated after years of fear-driven headlines, why TRT injections can become a long-term commitment for men, and why stem cells still feel like a gray-zone “Wild West” without consistent outcomes data. Dr. Zalzala also introduces his Optional Aging Academy and the “seven drivers of aging” framework—built to make aging science more actionable for real people.

Takeaways

1. Dr. Zalzala started in computer science before switching to medicine.
2. 
   
3. He nearly dropped out of medical school early on.
4. 
   
5. Traditional care can become “cut it out or block it” too often.
6. 
   
7. Functional medicine focuses more on prevention and root causes.
8. 
   
9. A migraine case triggered his telehealth lightbulb moment.
10. 
    
11. Early telehealth had very little infrastructure in 2016–2017.
12. 
    
13. Doctors helped build protocols, documentation, and EMR workflows.
14. 
    
15. Telehealth isn’t for every case, but it can deliver focused, consistent care.
16. 
    
17. Peptides are often misunderstood and not the same as “peptides” people mean online.
18. 
    
19. The Women’s Health Initiative headlines shaped years of fear around HRT.
20. 
    
21. HRT for women is gaining traction again, with emphasis on proper dosing.
22. 
    
23. TRT injections can be hard to stop once started, especially for younger men.
24. 
    
25. Stem cells show promise but need better standards and outcomes reporting.
26. 
    
27. He believes telehealth’s next leap is shared data + outcomes registries.
28. 
    
29. The long-term question: How do you make health changes stick?
30. 
    

Chapters

00:00 – Recording setup and welcome

00:29 – From computer science to medicine (the overseas “awakening”)

01:35 – Almost leaving medical school + early struggles

02:03 – Why “cut or block” medicine felt incomplete

03:01 – Ray Kurzweil influence + the path toward longevity thinking

03:44 – Finding doctors who practiced prevention and root-cause care

04:13 – Where allopathic medicine shines (and where it doesn’t)

04:56 – Migraines: the telehealth “lightbulb moment”

06:25 – Early telehealth: learning the space (2016–2017)

06:53 – Doctors building protocols, documentation, and systems

07:32 – The stepping-stone years and learning regulations

08:10 – Launching AgelessRx in 2019 (longevity accessibility)

09:26 – Telehealth vs in-person: what it can’t replace

10:53 – Telehealth as focused care (“super specialist” effect)

12:52 – Longevity products overview: peptides, HRT, TRT, stem cells

13:18 – Peptides: what they are and why they’re misunderstood

15:13 – Peptides vs HGH and the “guardrails” idea

16:37 – Women’s HRT: WHI fallout and what’s changing

18:56 – HRT dosing: why “back to 30-year-old levels” can be risky

22:24 – TRT for men: time/place, and why injections can trap patients

27:10 – “Superman” phase, why it fades, and the hard part of stopping

28:17 – Stem cells: types, gray zones, and missing standards

31:16 – Hallmarks of aging vs “seven drivers” framework

34:36 – Optional Aging Academy: assess, intervene, reassess

36:58 – One change for telehealth: shared outcomes + best practices

38:30 – Closing question: how do you make it stick?

39:25 – Wrap-up and thanks

Tags

#CompoundWisdom #Telehealth #Longevity #FunctionalMedicine #IntegrativeMedicine #PreventiveHealth #Peptides #HRT #TRT #StemCells #DigitalHealth #PatientOutcomes

In this episode of Compound Wisdom, Steve Sood sits down with Matthew Stern, founder of MyStart Health, to break down what’s actually changing inside telehealth—and why GLP-1s are only the beginning.

Matthew shares how he spent 20 years building businesses through digital marketing and full-funnel “customer journey” systems, then applied that same growth discipline to healthcare. He explains how MyStart scaled to 13,000 patients, why the business unexpectedly became 85% women (mostly 50+), and what he learned once he got deeper into the realities of doctors, pharmacies, and personalized medication protocols.

The conversation turns personal as Matthew describes his mom’s menopause experience, his wife’s postpartum hormone journey, and the recurring pattern many patients face: “your labs look great” while they still don’t feel right. From HRT and women’s hormone care to microdosing GLP-1s, blood work-driven longevity, and the “Wild West” of research peptides, this episode maps where modern healthcare is failing—and where telehealth is quietly heading next.

Takeaways

Access and affordability are the real bottlenecks in healthcare

MyStart scaled to 13,000 patients after launching last August

GLP-1s are expanding beyond weight loss into broader health use cases

Most of MyStart’s patients are women over 50 (about 85%)

Hormone health demand is rising, but many doctors aren’t trained for it

“Your bloodwork is fine” doesn’t always match how patients feel

High-cost concierge protocols create a massive gap in access

Microdosing GLP-1s is growing and isn’t only about losing weight

Blood work is the entry point to personalized longevity care

Some telehealth is “set it and forget it”—but follow-up changes outcomes

Research peptide sites can be risky compared to compliant pharmacy partners

Telehealth adoption is early—and Matthew sees 10–20x growth ahead

Chapters

00:01 Matthew’s 20-Year Growth Background (Digital Marketing + Customer Journey)

01:09 First Entry Into Telehealth (2015) and the “Lightbulb Moment”

02:20 Why He Went All-In and Acquired a Telehealth Platform

03:05 The GLP-1 Wave and Why the Industry Hasn’t “Evolved” Much

03:23 MyStart Growth: 13,000 Patients + What It Took to Get There

03:42 Early Startup Reality: Getting “Kicked” Until the Model Clicked

04:31 Why MyStart Became a Women-First Audience (85% Women, Mostly 50+)

05:56 HRT + Women’s Health: The Generational Impact of Past Medical Guidance

07:34 “Sorry, There’s Nothing We Can Do” — Mom’s Menopause Experience

08:04 Postpartum Reality: “Do I Get My Brain Back?” and the System Gap

09:24 The $6K–$8K Protocol Problem and Why Access Is Limited

10:34 Access + Affordability: $1,000–$1,400 vs $200–$300 per Month

12:10 GLP-1s Beyond BMI: Mental Health, Prevention, and Emerging Benefits

13:09 Microdosing GLP-1s: What People Miss (and Matthew’s Experience)

14:44 Blood Work + Longevity: Personalization as the Next Layer

16:30 Doctors Who “Check the Box” vs Doctors Who Actually Personalize Care

19:12 The Wild West: Research Peptides, Compliance, and Pharmacy Standards

22:19 Where Telehealth Is Heading in 2–5 Years (Cost Curves + New Meds)

25:12 Learning From Competitors: Pricing Models + Personalization Systems

26:35 The Question for the Next Guest: What Would You Change in Telehealth?

In this episode of Compound Wisdom, Steve Sood sits down with Seth Berge, founder of Regenerative Revival, to unpack what’s really holding back regenerative medicine—and why the problem isn’t the science, but the system delivering it.

Seth shares his unconventional path from high-ticket direct-to-consumer sales into the stem cell space, revealing how real demand and promising outcomes were being undermined by friction, poor communication, and broken follow-up models. Together, they explore how education-first selling, concierge care, and compliant systems can dramatically improve patient outcomes while still allowing the business to scale.

The conversation dives deep into stem cell myths, why leaving the U.S. for treatment is often unnecessary, and how regulation—when done right—can actually become a competitive advantage. Seth also explains the growing role of IV stem cells and exosomes in wellness, longevity, and inflammation support, along with where the regenerative health industry is heading next.

Takeaways

1. Friction in healthcare kills trust, outcomes, and conversion
2. 
   
3. Great medicine often fails because of broken delivery systems
4. 
   
5. Education-first models outperform traditional clinic selling
6. 
   
7. Stem cells can be explained without medical jargon
8. 
   
9. You don’t need to leave the U.S. for legitimate stem cell access
10. 
    
11. FDA “non-approval” does not mean illegal or ineffective
12. 
    
13. Cultured and expanded cells overseas carry unknown risks
14. 
    
15. IV stem cells and exosomes are emerging wellness tools
16. 
    
17. Concierge, mobile care improves patient experience and scale
18. 
    
19. Regulation can eliminate bad actors and reward compliant operators
20. 
    

Chapters

00:01 Friction Kills Conversion

02:07 Seth’s Entry Into Stem Cells Through Sales

04:13 Full Rooms, Zero Conversions

05:42 Removing Friction From the Model

06:22 Why Dinner Seminars Still Work

09:12 Stem Cells Explained Simply

11:14 The Overseas Stem Cell Myth

13:47 Cultured Cells vs Non-Manipulated Tissue

15:42 Marketing Limits in the U.S.

17:01 IV Stem Cells and Exosomes

19:31 How Often to Use Stem Cells for Optimization

20:24 Pricing, Access, and Market Maturity

22:30 Helping Med Spas Enter the Space

25:16 Addressing Skepticism and Credibility

28:07 Concierge, At-Home Treatment

30:10 Regulation and the Future of Regenerative Medicine

34:19 Biggest Risks in Telehealth

35:59 Learning From Competitors

Can AI really replace doctors, or is it simply changing how medicine is delivered?

In this episode of Compound Wisdom, Dr. Sean Arora shares a blunt, experience-driven perspective on AI in healthcare, why he left traditional hospital medicine after COVID, and how physician-led telehealth and preventative care are shaping the future of modern medicine.

Guest

Dr. Sean Arora — Physician licensed in all 50 U.S. states, Founder of Arora Health Group, specializing in telehealth, preventative medicine, HRT, peptides, and regenerative health.

Key Topics Covered

• Can AI replace doctors, or only assist them?
• Why traditional healthcare fails at prevention
• Leaving hospital medicine after COVID
• Telehealth done right vs. dangerous shortcuts
• HRT for men vs. women and why customization matters
• Peptides, GLP-1s, and Ozempic: hype vs. reality
• The risks of social-media medical advice
• Why lab work is the foundation of longevity care
• Ethical and regulatory risks in modern telehealth

Resources Mentioned

• Telehealth & preventative medicine platforms
• Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
• Peptides & regenerative therapies
• GLP-1 medications (Ozempic, Mounjaro)
• Wearable health data (Oura, Whoop)

Disclaimer

This episode is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before starting or changing any medical treatment.

In this episode of Compound Wisdom, we sit down with Dr. James Lavelle, a clinical pharmacist, board-certified clinical nutritionist, bestselling author of Cracking the Metabolic Code, and a leading authority on peptides and metabolic health.

We explore why the traditional medical system often misses root causes, how peptides and GLP-1 therapies should be used responsibly, and why bloodwork, lifestyle, and hormone balance are essential for longevity and performance.

In This Episode, We Cover

• Why aging doesn’t have to mean physical decline
• How peptides actually work and why sourcing matters
• The difference between research-only peptides and human-use peptides
• The right way to approach GLP-1s for weight loss and metabolic health
• What causes “Ozempic face” and how to avoid it
• How The Metabolic Code identifies your biggest metabolic roadblocks
• When bloodwork, HRT, and TRT make sense for men and women

About the Guest

Dr. James Lavelle is a clinical pharmacist, board-certified clinical nutritionist, bestselling author, and founder of The Metabolic Code. With over 40 years in healthcare, he is widely recognized as a pioneer in integrative, regenerative, and peptide-based medicine.

Resources Mentioned

• Cracking the Metabolic Code — Dr. James Lavelle
• The Metabolic Code framework
• Peptides discussed: BPC-157, Sermorelin, KPV, GHK-Cu
• GLP-1 medications: Ozempic, Mounjaro

Disclaimer

This episode is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before starting peptides, GLP-1 medications, hormone therapy, or any medical treatment.