The Irresistible Factor

They were $4.5 million in debt. Revenue had flatlined. And Patrick Sullivan Jr. and his father were seriously considering closing the doors on the supplement company they had built from scratch. That was Jigsaw Health in 2008—just three years after launching with 66 products, a handful of customers, and a vision the market wasn’t ready for.

“We probably would’ve been better off launching with one SKU and 66 email addresses,” Patrick says.

What turned things around wasn’t more innovation—it was restraint. They cut back on products, trimmed their team, and focused on what was working. Jigsaw’s turnaround came not from doing more, but from doing less—and doing it better.

Key decisions that helped them rebound:

• They scaled back SKUs from over 100 to just the few with real traction, like their now best-selling sustained-release magnesium product, MagSRT.
• They stopped chasing ineffective media—at one point, Jigsaw was spending over $100K/month on Facebook ads that weren’t converting. When they cut spending cold turkey, revenue kept rising and profitability soared.
• They invested in brand storytelling, not just product marketing. With “Funny Friday” videos, social skits, and culture-driven campaigns, they turned content into connection and built trust through consistency and fun.
• They leaned into niche tribes like the pickleball community, not just as a sales opportunity, but as authentic fans. That connection sparked new product lines, content formats, and customer evangelists.

Now, Jigsaw Health is producing not just supplements, but documentaries. Their latest project, Breaking Big Food, explores how the American food system went off the rails—and what it will take to fix it. It's a bold step that aligns perfectly with their brand’s mission: to challenge convention, educate through storytelling, and help people feel good—body and mind.

The lesson for other founders? You don’t scale by doing more. You scale by doing the right things—with clarity, consistency, and creativity.

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re spotlighting a founder whose journey is as unexpected as it is inspiring. After years of working in high-stress environments at Vogue, Marie Claire, and Glamour, Suze Yalof Schwartz found peace—not in a pill or a retreat, but in a three-minute meditation that changed her life. That experience became the foundation for Unplug, the world’s first drop-in meditation studio, a top-rated mindfulness app, and a global teacher training program. To help more people experience the benefits of mindfulness, Suze is offering three months free on the Unplug app throughout May.

Suze’s mission was clear: make meditation accessible, modern, and easy to integrate into real life. What started as a single studio in Los Angeles quickly gained a cult following, inspiring the creation of the Unplug app, now used by people in over 100 countries. Today, Suze leads a movement that’s transforming stress into calm for everyone from Google employees to anxious college students.

Why Unplug Works:

• Modern, no-fluff approach: No incense. No chanting. Just quick relief in under 10 minutes.
• Studio-to-screen transformation: From in-person classes to a global app and live-streaming platform.
• Built for the real world: Designed to help with pain, anxiety, sleep, productivity, and overwhelm.
• Founder with media chops: Suze used her fashion and TV background to train teachers and build an experience that feels inspiring, not intimidating.

“Fashion is about outer beauty. Meditation is inner beauty.”
– Suze Yalof Schwartz

In a world that keeps us “plugged in” 24/7, Unplug offers something rare: a place to breathe. A space to reset. A tool you can turn to every day to feel grounded—even in chaos. And this month, Suze is offering three months free on the Unplug app to encourage more people to begin their own journey. Use this code to get your three months free. https://team.unplug.app/sign-up#TRYUNPLUG90

Visit unplug.com to learn more, or stop by the LA studio at 12401 Wilshire Blvd.

You’ve built something truly transformative. It delivers real results. Customers love it. But the market doesn’t get it... That’s the story behind Own It, the high-performance health platform founded by Justin Roethlingshoefer. Designed for executives and entrepreneurs, it’s part functional medicine, part performance coaching, part custom-formulated supplementation—all unified through one integrated team and system.

It’s powerful. It works. Retention is 94%. But early on, scaling was a struggle.

“We had the antidote to what people were suffering from,” Justin says. “But I didn’t know how to package it. Nobody knew what box to put us in.”

That’s the challenge with category-defying innovation: if your audience can’t instantly understand what problem you solve and why you're different, they move on. And no amount of clinical results or founder passion can fix that without a clear story.

Here’s what Own It had—but struggled to articulate:

• A solution built for high-performing founders and execs who’ve deprioritized their health
• A fully virtual coaching team: functional medicine, nutrition, fitness, therapy—all integrated
• Daily communication and real-time adaptation to lifestyle, travel, stress, and goals
• Deep testing at the cellular level—plus custom supplements, not stock vitamins
• An experience designed to feel like a board of directors for your health
• Quarterly in-person labs and community events that build accountability and connection

“People asked, ‘Are you fitness? Biohacking? Concierge care?’ We were none of them—and all of them.” Once Justin clarified the story, Own It began to scale. With his wife (former EVP at Christian Louboutin) as CEO, the company now serves over 1,500 clients with a team of 50+.

The takeaway for founders and investors:

The more innovative your offering, the harder you must work to simplify the story. It’s not about dumbing it down. It’s about meeting your audience where they are—so they can run toward what you’ve built. 

Listen in as Justin unpacks the story behind scaling something the world didn’t know it needed.

Nick Ovenden is proving that fitness can be a powerful vehicle for family connection and community change. By creating spaces where families grow stronger—physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

As the president of GreatLIFE Golf & Fitness, Nick Ovenden is on a mission to help people live healthier, more purposeful lives—starting with his team. In this conversation, Nick shares how a conversation about how to make better use of conference room space at a golf club sparked the development of a vision to get families involved in fitness.  

Some Key Takeaways from Our Conversation:

• Kids Aren’t Sidelined- They’re Included
  Rather than keeping children in a childcare room, GreatLIFE encourages active family zones where kids participate and learn in a dynamic environment.
• Fitness As A Family Value
  GreatLIFE's mission goes beyond memberships and workouts; it's about helping families stay healthy together. From youth sports to multi-generational fitness programs, their goal is to make wellness a family affair.
• Creating Space for Connection
  Whether it's playing a round of golf together or taking a group fitness class, Nick believes shared experiences build stronger bonds. GreatLIFE is intentionally designed to encourage families to unplug, show up, and spend meaningful time together. 
• Wellness that Lasts a Lifetime
  Nick’s leadership training emphasizes tools like DISC assessments, calendar management, and communication techniques to help individuals grow in every aspect of life. 
• Business with Purpose
  Even in tough seasons financially, Nick stands by the belief that investing in his team, not just profit, creates the only kind of success that matters. 

Dr. Neil Correia left his traditional OB-GYN career in search of something medicine is definitely missing: time, connection, and true preventative care. Now as the founder of Nova Longevity Center, he’s leading a fast-growing movement of doctors rethinking what healthcare should look like—less rushed, less reactive, and more rooted in helping people feel like themselves again, and live not only longer, but healthier. So, whether you’re a provider looking to make a change or just curious about a new approach to medicine, Dr. Neil provides both insight and inspiration. 

Some Key Takeaways from Our Conversation:

• From Burnout to Balance: Exhausted by the demands of hospital life and longing for more time with family, Dr. Correia transitioned into functional and longevity medicine.
• A Different Kind of Visit: Patients come in saying, “I’m not feeling like myself.” His focus: identify subtle root causes before they turn into disease.
• Why Insurance Doesn’t Cut It: Most of his patients have insurance but pay out of pocket for deeper, longer visits. “Insurance is for catastrophes. This is about prevention.”
• Smaller, Smarter Clinics: His goal is to build a network of small, high-impact clinics nationwide—personal, local, and rooted in real relationships.
• The Data That Matters: Regular labs, body composition scans, and aggressive screening drive measurable outcomes.
• Supplements & Compounding—Used Wisely: He vets every recommendation for safety, data, and value—no guesswork.
• Advice to Clinicians: Start small. Do it on the side. Grow with intention. “You don’t have to leap—you just have to begin.”

Dr. Correia isn’t just reimagining the doctor-patient relationship—he’s proving that a better model exists. One where prevention is personalized, medicine is human again, and longevity isn’t about living forever—it’s about living well. His transparency around money, mindset, and patient care serves as an empowering reminder: it is possible to build a practice that prioritizes both people and sustainability. 

In a world where the line between medicine, self-care, and aesthetics is rapidly blurring, Dr. Gregory Buford stands at the forefront. A board-certified plastic surgeon with a passion for holistic transformation, Dr. Buford joined The Irresistible Factor to share how plastic surgery—done right—is about far more than looks. It's about wellness, confidence, and living fully.

 A Medical Journey Fueled by Art & Empathy

• Dr. Buford knew he wanted to be a doctor by age four, but it wasn’t until he witnessed surgery firsthand that he fell in love with its precision and possibility.
• Raised around art and creativity, he gravitated toward plastic surgery for its blend of science and self-expression.

 A Wellness-First Approach to Aesthetics

• Dr. Buford rejects the notion that aesthetic procedures are vain. Instead, he sees them as a form of self-restoration—especially for women whose bodies have changed due to pregnancy, weight loss, or aging.
• His signature is natural-looking, confidence-boosting results—built on trust, honesty, and careful patient selection.
• “Plastic surgery is the icing on the cake,” he says. “The patient’s inner fire is what really drives transformation.”

 The Future of Wellness: Weight Loss, Hormones & Regeneration

• His practice integrates GLP-1 medications like semaglutide, hormone optimization, and nutrition—addressing the root causes of body changes and confidence loss.
• Dr. Buford is a strong voice for removing shame from weight struggles: “This isn’t about laziness. These tools help people do what they haven’t been able to on their own.”
• He’s also invested in regenerative medicine, helping develop treatments that use the body’s own cells to heal, repair, and slow aging.

Final Thoughts: Wellness, Community, and Paying It Forward

Dr. Buford’s message is clear: wellness is personal. Whether through surgery, hormone balance, or aesthetic care, the goal is to help people feel whole, capable, and confident again. His advice? Find mentors, diversify your skills, and remember that true success means lifting others as you rise.

“Plastic surgery is more than a procedure—it’s a partnership in personal wellness.”

In an age where healthcare often feels rushed, impersonal, and overly bureaucratic, Dr. Sonya Kim has a powerful alternative. As the Chief Medical Officer at Best MD House Calls, Dr. Kim brings decades of experience in emergency medicine to a new (or old) kind of practice—one that’s deeply rooted in personalized, functional care. On this episode of The Irresistible Factor, she shares her extraordinary journey from opera singer to ER doctor to wellness pioneer, and why she believes the future of medicine lies in listening, not rushing.

Key Takeaways from the Interview:

• From Stage to Stethoscope: Originally a trained opera singer, Dr. Kim shifted toward medicine after losing her voice during a performance—an experience that made her realize the fragility of a career based solely on the body.
• ER to Entrepreneur: After years in emergency medicine, Dr. Kim left the traditional system, disillusioned by how broken it had become for both doctors and patients.
• Functional Medicine & Longevity: She now runs a hybrid concierge practice combining house calls and telemedicine, focusing on gut health, hormone balance, and personalized wellness.
• Medicine That Comes to You: Her house call model gives her access to patients’ real lives—their food, habits, and home environments—allowing for deeper understanding and more holistic care.
•  Listening as Medicine: Dr. Kim’s 90-minute intakes are as much about professional listening as they are diagnostics. Many patients open up in ways they never have before, simply because no one else has given them that space.
•  The Mindset Shift We Need: She believes the biggest challenge in healthcare isn't just systemic—it's psychological. Most people still wait until they’re sick to seek care, rather than investing in proactive health. She aims to change that!
• Scaling a New Model: With an MBA from UC Berkeley and Columbia, Dr. Kim has a roadmap to scale her business, combining AI, health coaching, and physician leadership. What she needs now is the funding to make it available to more people.
• Personal Inspiration: Her resilience and outlook were shaped early by her father, who taught her to always prioritize human connection and treat people well—a philosophy that guides every patient interaction.

When it comes to creativity in medicine, Dr. Phillip Miller has been at the forefront  for over 30 year/  As a pioneer in longevity medicine, he has seen the field evolve, from being a niche area of study to becoming a mainstream pursuit. In our conversation, he shared his insights into how longevity medicine has changed, why ‘healthspan’ is just as important as lifespan, and what he believes is holding back the healthcare field today.
Key Takeaways from Dr. Miller:

• Healthspan vs. Lifespan: It's not just about living longer; it’s about living healthier for as long as possible. The goal is to “square the curve,” maintaining optimal health well into later decades rather than experiencing a long decline.
• Emergency Medicine as a training ground: Many longevity experts, including Dr. Miller, started in emergency medicine. Their ability to rapidly diagnose and solve problems across multiple disciplines makes them uniquely-suited this kind of practice.
• The Rise of Weight Loss Medications: Dr. Miller is a strong proponent of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro, seeing them as a revolutionary step forward in treating obesity, which has become an true epidemic.
• Why People Struggle with Healthcare: Many people expect insurance to cover everything/ He encourages patients to shift their mindset from “What will insurance cover?” to “What am I willing to invest in my long-term health?”
• A Unique Approach to Patient Care: Unlike the standard five-minute doctor visit, Dr. Miller’s unique approach lets him spend an hour with each patient, diving deep into their history, health goals, and even personal preferences—using five simple questions about their favorite book, magazine, place, person, and color to deeply understand their motivations and mindset.
• Advice for Other Practitioners: For doctors frustrated by the constraints of insurance-driven medicine, Dr. Miller offers coaching to help them transition to a more patient-centered, independent model of care.

As the world of medicine continues to evolve, Dr. Miller’s approach remains focused on optimizing health and empowering patients to take control of their well-being.

What do astronauts and longevity seekers have in common? More than you’d think. Dr. Filippo Ongaro went from training astronauts at the European Space Agency to pioneering anti-aging medicine—before shifting gears to health coaching. Now, he’s on a mission to help people build science-backed habits for long-term wellness.

In this episode, Dr. Ongaro shares:
- How space medicine shaped his approach to longevity
- Why he transitioned from doctor to coach
- The neuroscience behind lasting health habits
- The challenges of making proactive health mainstream

From NASA to YouTube, discover how Dr. Ongaro is changing the future of health.

Healthcare is in desperate need of transformation, and Dr. Zaman Shah is leading the charge. As a practicing physician turned entrepreneur, he founded Medway—an AI-driven company designed to streamline healthcare operations, reduce physician burnout, and improve patient care.

In this episode, Dr. Shah shares how AI is tackling some of healthcare’s biggest challenges, from reducing administrative overload to improving patient outcomes. With doctors spending more time on paperwork than with patients, Medway’s AI scribe is changing the game—restoring the human connection in medicine.

We also dive into the future of AI in healthcare, the obstacles Medway is working to solve, and Dr. Shah’s advice for entrepreneurs looking to innovate in this space. AI isn’t here to replace doctors—it’s here to help them do what they do best: care for their patients.  

- How Medway is reducing physician burnout
- The role of AI in preventing misdiagnoses and treatment delays
- Why patient data security and engagement are crucial
- Dr. Shah’s advice for healthcare tech entrepreneurs

Tune in to hear how AI is reshaping the future of medicine and why this is just the beginning!