Send us a text

Alex Wong shares his journey from classical ballet training to viral content creator, revealing how his "negatively positive" personality and immigrant work ethic shaped his remarkable career across multiple entertainment fields.

• Born in Canada and classically trained in ballet, Alex made history as the first Canadian to win the Prix de Lausanne
• Despite a career-threatening Achilles injury, Alex pivoted to explore other talents including singing and acting
• Alex describes his approach to excellence: doing more than what others are willing to do
• His immigrant parents instilled strong work ethic while allowing him to pursue dance professionally
• Growing up as one of few male dancers taught him to forge his own path and find comfort in his body
• Alex's content creation career grew naturally, especially during the pandemic
• He maintains balance through his naturally high threshold for stress and ability to quickly address problems
• His TikTok content (2.7M followers) reflects his naturally happy, comedic personality rather than a strategic plan
• Physical touch and acts of service are his primary love languages that help maintain his work-life balance

More about Alex:

Alex Wong is a Canadian-born dancer, singer, and actor whose career spans ballet, Broadway, television, and music. Beginning tap and jazz training at age seven and later studying ballet with the Goh Ballet Academy, Alex quickly rose to prominence—winning two Junior World Titles in Tap and Showdance, earning the Royal Academy of Dancing Solo Seal, and becoming the first Canadian to win the prestigious Prix de Lausanne in 2004.

He danced with American Ballet Theatre and Miami City Ballet, where he was promoted to principal soloist. Turning down a promotion to pursue So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD), Alex became a fan favorite but faced multiple Achilles injuries that sidelined him twice. His resilience led to a triumphant return to performing, with credits including Smash, Glee, Dancing With the Stars, and Disney’s Tony Award-winning Newsies on Broadway.

Alex has performed on The Ellen Show, The Voice, and in international commercials and music videos, released his own single “Crave,” and been invited as a guest speaker at top universities. Known for his versatility, charisma, and determination, he continues to inspire as a multi-talented performer who overcame potentially career-ending setbacks to thrive across multiple entertainment platforms.

Support the show

Follow Fortify Wellness on our new Tik Tok & Instagram platforms @atfortifywellness. Join our newsletter for weekly FREE content on all things wellness, mental health, and EXCLUSIVE offers.


**This information is not to be misconstrued as medical or psychological advice. Please contact your medical team if you have questions or concerns pertaining to your medical or psychological well-being. All of the linked products are independently selected, and curated by the fab Fortify team. If you love and buy something we link to, we may earn a commission.**

Send us a text

Ava Hoffman, a psychology major at Kenyon College, trained mediator, and social media intern at Fortify Wellness, shares insights about campus wellness resources and what today's college students need for sustainable mental health. 

• Small colleges offer valuable one-on-one interactions with professors and discussion-based learning environments
• Campus mental health services typically have limited hours (8-4, M-F), creating significant access barriers during evenings and weekends
• Trust issues exist between students and on-campus therapists, making many hesitant to use available services
• Sorority life teaches valuable collaboration skills and includes meaningful philanthropy work often overlooked in stereotypes
• Gen Z is actively destigmatizing mental health conversations compared to previous generations
• Simple wellness practices like social interaction, outdoor walks, brief meditations, and organizational planning help maintain balance
• Campus physical accessibility remains a major concern, particularly at historic institutions with older infrastructure
• 24/7 mental health resources that maintain confidentiality would address a significant need for college students
• Technology solutions like telehealth can help bridge accessibility gaps when designed with student input

Support the show

Follow Fortify Wellness on our new Tik Tok & Instagram platforms @atfortifywellness. Join our newsletter for weekly FREE content on all things wellness, mental health, and EXCLUSIVE offers.


**This information is not to be misconstrued as medical or psychological advice. Please contact your medical team if you have questions or concerns pertaining to your medical or psychological well-being. All of the linked products are independently selected, and curated by the fab Fortify team. If you love and buy something we link to, we may earn a commission.**

Send us a text

Andrew shares his journey of self-discovery through asking difficult questions and finding authentic connections in a world full of superficial relationships.

• Explorer and tinkerer at heart who has always loved building and understanding how things work
• Grew up as a middle child among nine siblings and as a pastor's kid with high expectations
• Started building computers at age nine, developing a lifelong passion for technology
• Began asking deeper questions about himself and his purpose around age 25-26
• Emphasizes the importance of separating self-worth from societal metrics and expectations
• Discusses how authentic friendships require mutual growth, support, and meaningful conversations
• Navigated a winding career path from networking to project management to software development
• Believes good developers can succeed in any codebase because they know what questions to ask
• Cautions against AI misconceptions, describing them as "token guessing machines" not truly intelligent systems
• Advocates for ethical AI implementation in healthcare with proper safeguards and limitations
• Values personal connections over technology, supporting Fortify because of belief in the founder's vision

If today's episode inspired you, subscribe, share your thoughts in the comments and come back next week for more insights to elevate your journey.

More about Andrew: Product Manager + Technology Developer

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-moore-037a3573/

Support the show

Follow Fortify Wellness on our new Tik Tok & Instagram platforms @atfortifywellness. Join our newsletter for weekly FREE content on all things wellness, mental health, and EXCLUSIVE offers.


**This information is not to be misconstrued as medical or psychological advice. Please contact your medical team if you have questions or concerns pertaining to your medical or psychological well-being. All of the linked products are independently selected, and curated by the fab Fortify team. If you love and buy something we link to, we may earn a commission.**

Send us a text

Jillian Miranda shares how her personal experience with chronic illness shaped her career as an ecosystem builder and thought leader in digital health, driving her passion for leveraging technology to transform care and champion health equity.

• Living with seizures and how her service dog can predict episodes before they happen
• How chronic illness provides unique problem-solving abilities and critical thinking skills that translate to entrepreneurship
• Digital health resources that help manage chronic conditions, including wearables, telemedicine, and AI
• The broken healthcare system's focus on reactive "sick care" rather than preventative health maintenance
• Female founders taking less capital to build better companies, yet receiving only 2% of venture funding
• Learning from Gen Z's refusal to accept exploitative work cultures and their questioning of broken systems

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and follow us on social media to join our community of wellness warriors focused on mind, body, and soul healing.

More about Jillian:

Jillian is an ecosystem builder, master connector, and thought leader in digital health + women's health/femtech. Her career is defined by a steadfast commitment to health equity and a knack for understanding how to best leverage technology to transform care and spark innovation. Her expertise spans the spectrum of startup operations, from strategic planning and execution to fundraising and investor relations. She excels in developing go-to-market strategies, leveraging strategic partnerships, and building high performing teams. She resolutely believes in the power of female founders to reshape the world, given the right support and resources. 

Support the show

Follow Fortify Wellness on our new Tik Tok & Instagram platforms @atfortifywellness. Join our newsletter for weekly FREE content on all things wellness, mental health, and EXCLUSIVE offers.


**This information is not to be misconstrued as medical or psychological advice. Please contact your medical team if you have questions or concerns pertaining to your medical or psychological well-being. All of the linked products are independently selected, and curated by the fab Fortify team. If you love and buy something we link to, we may earn a commission.**

Send us a text

In this bonus episode, our founder Bettina says what most people won’t: sometimes depression hits like a truck—and all you can do is let it. But then? You get up. You go outside. And somehow, the weight starts to lift. This is a no-filter convo about mental health, shame, and the tiny things that bring us back to life. It doesn’t last forever.

Support the show

Follow Fortify Wellness on our new Tik Tok & Instagram platforms @atfortifywellness. Join our newsletter for weekly FREE content on all things wellness, mental health, and EXCLUSIVE offers.


**This information is not to be misconstrued as medical or psychological advice. Please contact your medical team if you have questions or concerns pertaining to your medical or psychological well-being. All of the linked products are independently selected, and curated by the fab Fortify team. If you love and buy something we link to, we may earn a commission.**

Send us a text

Angela reveals the surprising personal identity behind her professional achievements as an academic, entrepreneur, and investor who has evaluated over 20,000 startups throughout her career. She shares intimate insights about battling imposter syndrome, healing from childhood trauma, and finding balance while building businesses.

• Cooking represents both learning and nurturing for Angela, who almost chose culinary school over business school
• Early experiences with imposter syndrome taught her to lean into discomfort as a sign of growth
• Growing up with trauma led to compartmentalization skills that initially helped but required therapy to overcome
• The biggest myth in entrepreneurship is that success is about the idea rather than years of consistent execution
• Founders should protect non-negotiable personal time while acknowledging that venture-backed businesses require 60-80 hour weeks
• Experiencing failure firsthand as both a founder and manager created deeper empathy for the entrepreneurs she now evaluates
• Learning to let go of guilt and unrealistic planning helped her find more authentic leadership
• Early-career advice: ask for more help without fear of appearing uninformed
• Making protected time for deep work yields the highest ROI for investors and entrepreneurs

Follow Angela's investing insights at 37angels.com

More about Angela: 

Angela Lee is an award-winning professor and former Chief Innovation Officer at Columbia Business School where she teaches venture capital and leadership courses. Angela started her career in product management and then moved to consulting at McKinsey.  She has started 4 startups and is also the founder of 37 Angels, an investing network that has evaluated over 20000 startups, invested in 100, and activates new investors through a startup investment bootcamp.  She also serves as a venture partner at Fresco Capital, an early-stage venture fund that focuses on the future of work, digital health, and sustainability.  

Angela has spoken at the White House and NASA and is an expert in teaching online and making learning scalable.  She is a sought-after expert on CNBC, Bloomberg TV, MSNBC and Fox Business.  She was recognized by Crain’s as a Notable Women in Tech, by Inc. as one of 17 Inspiring Women to Watch, and by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of 6 Innovative Women to Watch.  In 2020 and 2025, she was awarded the Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence at Columbia Business School and she was awarded the Singhvi Prize for Scholarship by the class of 2022.  

*

*

*

Special thank you to Ava Hoffman for editing this episode of the podcast

Support the show

Follow Fortify Wellness on our new Tik Tok & Instagram platforms @atfortifywellness. Join our newsletter for weekly FREE content on all things wellness, mental health, and EXCLUSIVE offers.


**This information is not to be misconstrued as medical or psychological advice. Please contact your medical team if you have questions or concerns pertaining to your medical or psychological well-being. All of the linked products are independently selected, and curated by the fab Fortify team. If you love and buy something we link to, we may earn a commission.**

Send us a text

Maddi Holman, co-founder and general partner at Daring Ventures, shares her unconventional journey from pre-med student to venture capitalist—and how she’s built a career championing overlooked founders and untapped opportunities.

• Entering uncharted territory as the only person with a biology background working on telecom deals
• Embracing “I don’t know” as a sign of strength, not weakness
• Pivoting from pre-med to VC after realizing surgery wasn’t her true path
• Discovering venture capital during a master’s program in London, thanks to a Belgian VC professor
• Navigating countless rejections while trying to break into VC with a non-traditional background
• Co-founding Daring Ventures to back underdog founders who don’t fit the typical Silicon Valley mold
• Seeking out founders with resilience, deep passion, and coachability
• Drawing strength during hard times by reflecting on past challenges and staying grounded in family
• Redefining success as living authentically, embracing failure, and having no regrets
• Choosing kindness as her legacy—because people will always remember how you made them feel

Subscribe, log in, and let's get fortified.

More on Maddi:

Maddi Holman is a Co-Founder and General Partner at Daring Ventures in New York City. She knows something about being an underdog — from becoming a walk-on D1 athlete at Rice University while managing a pre-med courseload to pulling off a last-minute pivot from medicine to finance despite having never worked in the field. While in VC, Maddi worked at Touchdown Ventures supporting multiple corporate partner VC funds spanning healthcare, telecom, software, proptech, and entertainment. At Cigna Ventures, she focused on early to growth stage healthcare companies and led the women's health vertical. Having successfully navigated traditionally male-dominated environments, Maddi uses her resilient background to identify diamonds-in-the-rough and overlooked investment opportunities.

Support the show

Follow Fortify Wellness on our new Tik Tok & Instagram platforms @atfortifywellness. Join our newsletter for weekly FREE content on all things wellness, mental health, and EXCLUSIVE offers.


**This information is not to be misconstrued as medical or psychological advice. Please contact your medical team if you have questions or concerns pertaining to your medical or psychological well-being. All of the linked products are independently selected, and curated by the fab Fortify team. If you love and buy something we link to, we may earn a commission.**

Send us a text

Serial entrepreneur Dmitry Koltunov shares his journey from Soviet refugee to tech founder, exploring how embracing both his technical and creative identities fueled his success building multiple companies and a Broadway musical.

• Coming to America as a refugee at age 9 shaped Dmitry’s unique relationship with risk-taking
• How limiting beliefs about "what a founder looks like" almost kept him from pursuing entrepreneurship
• The powerful revelation that self-doubt persists even for highly accomplished people
• Why creatives often hide their artistic pursuits in corporate settings despite their transferable skills
• Reframing your creative and professional pursuits as "batteries" that charge each other
• Understanding the connection between artistic creation and entrepreneurship — both start with blank pages
• Building an authentic community as an underappreciated advantage in business and personal growth

More on Dmitry:

Dmitry Koltunov is a serial entrepreneur, technologist, and storyteller based in New York City. He’s the founder and CEO of Arbor, an AI-powered platform that helps communications teams quickly turn long videos into compelling content (video clips, social posts, emails, and articles)—without losing the human touch. Previously, he was the co-founder and CTO of ALICE, a hospitality tech company that grew into a global brand and was eventually acquired by Expedia. Dmitry is also a community builder in the startup world, leading the NYC chapter of the Startup Leadership Program and mentoring first-time founders. A lifelong creative, he’s also a musical theater writer currently developing a new show for Broadway. He holds degrees in Computer Science and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and is a CFA charterholder.

Follow : linkedin.com/in/dmitry-koltunov

Support the show

Follow Fortify Wellness on our new Tik Tok & Instagram platforms @atfortifywellness. Join our newsletter for weekly FREE content on all things wellness, mental health, and EXCLUSIVE offers.


**This information is not to be misconstrued as medical or psychological advice. Please contact your medical team if you have questions or concerns pertaining to your medical or psychological well-being. All of the linked products are independently selected, and curated by the fab Fortify team. If you love and buy something we link to, we may earn a commission.**

Send us a text

Alisia Gill, executive coach and creator of "The Era of Enough," shares her journey from corporate leadership to helping Gen X women make career decisions aligned with their authentic selves rather than societal expectations.

• Finding comfort in thinking about her mother, who gave her a sense of possibility by saying, "you can be whoever you want"
• Describing herself as a "smarty pants" who loved reading and was focused on facts rather than opinions
• Learning about the consequences when friendships changed after returning from studying abroad
• Surviving cancer twice and how it changed her relationship with time - "I didn't survive cancer twice to be stressing about what you think about me"
• Realizing the importance of intentional leadership when seeing employees taking notes during her presentations
• Creating "The Era of Enough" after an adversity caused by being placed in a misaligned job role
• Developing the concept of a Personal North Star to help women identify their unique values, aspirations, and preferences
• Challenging women to ask themselves what they truly aspire to be, not just what titles they want
• Advocating for Gen X women to make intentional choices aligned with their authentic selves

More about Alisia:

Alisia Gill is an executive coach and creator of the Era of Enough™, helping Gen X women make powerful career decisions rooted in who they are now — not who they were told to be. A former Chief People Officer, Alisia brings sharp strategy, deep insight, and real talk to every conversation. Through her coaching, content, and keynotes, she helps women lead their next chapter with confidence, fulfillment, wellness and joy. She is a graduate of Columbia and Princeton Universities. 

Support the show

Follow Fortify Wellness on our new Tik Tok & Instagram platforms @atfortifywellness. Join our newsletter for weekly FREE content on all things wellness, mental health, and EXCLUSIVE offers.


**This information is not to be misconstrued as medical or psychological advice. Please contact your medical team if you have questions or concerns pertaining to your medical or psychological well-being. All of the linked products are independently selected, and curated by the fab Fortify team. If you love and buy something we link to, we may earn a commission.**

Send us a text

Magic happens in person. Tori Hanson shares her founder journey from corporate safety at the New York Times to building vibrant communities in NYC through the Knowledge Shop and Meet in 10.

• From staring at pigeons during the pandemic to creating founder communities
• Why entrepreneurship is "incredibly humbling" and requires deep self-awareness
• Creating personal systems and boundaries to avoid burnout as a founder
• The courage to leave corporate comfort for entrepreneurial uncertainty
• Why networking fails when approached as transactional rather than relational
• "Peacocking" - how introverts can attract conversations at networking events
• Successful founders have "grand ideas, loosely held" - vision with adaptability
• Converting childhood challenges into entrepreneurial superpowers
• Building a legacy of togetherness in an increasingly divided world

Remember your wellbeing is your greatest strength. Nurture it, honor it, and watch yourself thrive.

More about Tori:

Magic happens in person' isn't just Tori Hanson's motto—it's her business model. She is the founder of "Meet in 10" event Saas platform, and the Knowledge Shop founder community. In 2024 she organised 30+ events—from startup matchmaking to UK/EU expansion support—while herfoundereventsnyc.com platform showcased 2,500 additional founder gatherings throughout NYC. Previously, Tori spent 15 years in media, most recently managing travel, e-commerce, and education businesses at The New York Times. Originally from the UK, she relocated to NYC in 2013 and now calls Long Island City home.

Support the show

Follow Fortify Wellness on our new Tik Tok & Instagram platforms @atfortifywellness. Join our newsletter for weekly FREE content on all things wellness, mental health, and EXCLUSIVE offers.


**This information is not to be misconstrued as medical or psychological advice. Please contact your medical team if you have questions or concerns pertaining to your medical or psychological well-being. All of the linked products are independently selected, and curated by the fab Fortify team. If you love and buy something we link to, we may earn a commission.**