What do angel investing, cosmonaut training, and funding a 10-year health community project have in common? Esther Dyson. Obviously.

In our latest episode #164 of #TheShot of #DigitalHealth Therapy, Jim Joyce and I had the pleasure to catchup with Esther.

We covered:

💸 Why she funded Wellville to rebuild social fabric in underserved communities (and what she really learned)

🧬 What 23andMe got right — and what it didn’t...

📕 Her next chapter: writing "Term Limits", a book about being human in the age of infinite AI

🧠 And why “making new mistakes” is a better life motto than “move fast and break things”

Esther’s wisdom is as timeless as her curiosity — and we’re just glad she finally made it on #TheShot. 😅

Fun mentions as always: Matthew Holt Unity Stoakes Marina Borukhovich Rick Brush Peter H. Diamandis Linda Avey Stepan Pachikov Anne Wojcicki

🧭 Section Breakdown (Topics + Timestamps):

Intro & Background Setup

Esther joins & shares how this podcast started as a pandemic experiment.

⏱️ 00:00 – 04:00

Esther’s Life Journey in 3 Speeds

From Oppenheimer roots to Forbes to cosmonaut training.

⏱️ 04:00 – 08:00

Cosmonaut Training & Health Discovery

How a space detour saved her life.

⏱️ 08:00 – 12:00

Wellness Habits & Biohacking Wisdom

Swimming, eating early, and NOT eating at cocktail parties.

⏱️ 12:00 – 14:00

Becoming an Angel Investor

How a million-dollar challenge turned her into an investor.

⏱️ 14:00 – 17:00

Why She Started Wellville

From judging the Healthcare XPrize to 10 years of social fabric repair.

⏱️ 18:00 – 25:00

Hard Truths About Systems & Poverty

Trust, grants-as-drugs, and funding that's actually fair.

⏱️ 25:00 – 27:00

On Government, Prevention & Food Systems

Sugar taxes, vaccines, and the real trends that matter.

⏱️ 27:00 – 29:00

23andMe’s Rise, Fall, and Lessons

She got the education, not the return.

⏱️ 29:00 – 33:00

Term Limits & Being Fully Human

Why we need constraints, not infinity — and why Pam the hygienist is the real hero.

⏱️ 35:00 – 44:00