WellBuilt

On this episode of WellBuilt, Jon sat down with Anousheh Ansari—entrepreneur, engineer, and first Iranian in space.

Anousheh shares her remarkable journey: growing up in Iran during the revolution and war, finding escape in the night skies, moving to the U.S., and eventually achieving her childhood dream of going to space.

She opens up about the transformative experience of seeing Earth from orbit and how it reshaped her life mission as CEO of XPRIZE. Today she's channeling that perspective into solving humanity's biggest challenges. XPRIZE is known for running multi-million-dollar competitions that have sparked breakthroughs in areas like climate, clean water, and human longevity.

The conversation covers:

🚀 How a childhood dream, entrepreneurship, and perseverance led her to space.

🌍 What it felt like to see Earth from space, how that moment inspired her to focus on global impact.

💡 Why piecemeal solutions fail and how XPRIZE catalyzes bold, scalable innovation. The unique power of prize-based innovation to unlock solutions where traditional R&D falls short.

🧬 XPRIZE's new healthspan focus, and how breakthroughs in cognition, muscle, and immune health will reshape human life.

💧 Clean water, carbon capture, and other moonshot ideas she believes can accelerate environmental progress.

👩🏽‍🚀 Lessons in leadership, resilience, and balancing high performance with wellbeing, and leading with humility.

🌳 Her love of nature, favorite national parks, and the role of stress management and mindset in her own health journey.

❤️ How JOON fits into XPRIZE's approach to company culture and employee wellbeing.

From sleeping under the stars in Iran to catalyzing billions in global innovation, Anousheh's story is an inspiring one.

Enjoy!

On this episode of WellBuilt, Jon sits down with Tero Isokauppila, founder of Four Sigmatic and co-founder of Hiro, for a conversation spanning functional mushrooms, mycelium-based diapers, and rethinking how we raise healthier, happier kids.

Tero shares how his childhood on a Finnish family farm and his background in food science sparked a lifelong mission to bring functional mushrooms into mainstream culture. Four Sigmatic's mushroom coffee and adaptogen blends have reached millions, helping redefine daily rituals for better focus, energy, and wellbeing.

We also dig into Hiro, the world's first diaper made with mycelium, designed to drastically reduce the environmental footprint of traditional diapers. Tero explains the science, the sustainability potential, and what it's like to enter a completely different consumer category.

The conversation covers: 🍄 The early days of Four Sigmatic and the challenge of introducing functional mushrooms to a global audience. 🍼 How Hiro's mycelium technology could transform one of the most waste-heavy industries on the planet. 🌱 The parallels between growing a CPG food brand and a sustainable/environmental technology company. 👶 Tero's personal approach to healthy parenting, including nutrition, nature immersion, and setting the right environment for curiosity and resilience. 🌍 How Tero thinks about balancing global scale with local authenticity, and why certain ingredients should only be sourced from their native ecosystems. 🥗 The role of nutrient density in both adult and child diets, and why "food as information" should be a guiding principle. 🛠 Lessons from bootstrapping and self-funding early Four Sigmatic growth before bringing in outside capital.

Tero and Four Sigmatic have been at the forefront of the functional mushroom movement. Tune in for an inside look at the health benefits, business lessons, and untapped potential of the fungi kingdom!

On this episode of WellBuilt, Jon sits down with Kal Vepuri, serial entrepreneur, prolific angel investor, and founder of Hero, for a wide-ranging conversation on investing and building human-first companies and redefining modern healthcare.

Kal shares stories from his early years as a curious, nonconforming kid, and how a life-altering accident during a visit to India forced him to confront questions of identity, resilience, healing, and care systems.

He made Sweetgreen his first angel investment, eventually backing over 100 startups—more than a dozen of which became unicorns, including Gusto, Coinbase, Oscar, Seatgeek, DuckDuckGo, Astranis, Warby Parker, Dataminr, Reformation, and Arcadia. He later founded Hero, a smart pill dispenser and care platform transforming how families manage medications.

The conversation covers:

💊 The origin of Hero: watching his mom juggle dozens of pills, and turning that struggle into an elegant tech solution for families and caregivers.

🧠 The psychology of adherence: why taking your meds is harder than it seems, and how trust, design, and routine shape behavior.

📈 Lessons from angel investing: what Kal looks for in founders, how he spots category-defining products, and why simplicity wins.

🪩 Psychedelic therapy, science-backed wellness, and the shift toward evidence-based modalities that treat the root cause.

🧘🏾‍♂️ Kal's personal rituals for resilience, including solitude, coaching, and a more grounded approach to leadership.

🌍 How personal loss and cultural complexity shaped his worldview—and his drive to build systems that help people live better, longer lives.

📣 His thoughts on digital health, the GLP-1 craze, longevity hype, and what truly matters in the next wave of care innovation.

Enjoy!

In honor of the upcoming Fourth of July, Jon spoke to Jason McCarthy, former Green Beret and founder of GORUCK. What started as a handmade go-bag for his wife while she was deployed with the CIA has evolved into a fitness movement that's rooted in Special Forces principles. Today, GORUCK is more than just a gear company. With live events, best-in-class backpacks, performance apparel, sandbags, footwear, they've built one of the most trusted brands in community-led fitness. We cover: 🎒 From Special Forces to startup: how rucking became a gateway for connection, leadership, resilience, and growth. 📦 Why GORUCK sacks feel so much lighter and the design principles that set them apart from other "high-end" products. 🤝 The scrappy early years: how Jason funded product development by running live events in cities across the country. 💥 Why GORUCK refused to raise outside capital and how that shaped their growth and product strategy. 🧠 American manufacturing and building a long-lasting culture that puts people first. 🏋️‍♂️ How sandbags, shoes, and performance apparel became natural extensions of the GORUCK philosophy... If you've ever been curious why people (myself included) are strapping on 45-pound ruck and walking their babies and dogs, this one's for you!

On this episode of WellBuilt, Jon spoke with Jack Savage, the founder of Everyday Dose, a functional coffee brand that blends organic coffee with nootropics, adaptogens, and collagen to create a daily ritual that supports focus, calm energy, and gut health.

Jack opens up about his 20-year journey on ADHD medications and how getting off Adderall sparked a mission to build a better coffee, one that could replace multiple supplements in a single scoop.

What started in his dad's garage during the pandemic has grown into a thriving brand with massive retention and cult-like customer love!

We cover:

• Why the "anti-coffee" movement paved the way for functional alternatives and how Everyday Dose chose to embrace coffee and make it better.
• The science and sourcing behind ingredients like Lion's Mane, L-Theanine, Chaga, and collagen, and why extraction and product integrity matter.
• How Everyday Dose scaled lean, profitable, and founder-led with zero paid ads in early days and relentless focus on taste and efficacy.
• The benefits of staying focused and why Jack ignored advice to expand the product line and instead built one of the most retained functional beverages on the market.
• Why "retention is the new growth," and how Jack approaches product feedback, brand building, and consumer trust.
• From couch-surfing and running Airbnbs to launching from a garage in Topanga, Jack shares how his untraditional background became an asset in founder life.
• Everyday Dose's people-first culture: generous employee wellness stipends (via JOON), in-house ESL tutors, and how the brand empowers A+ players to thrive.

Enjoy!

On this episode of WellBuilt, Jon sits down with Luke Saunders, founder and CEO of Farmer's Fridge, a company revolutionizing how people access fresh, nutritious meals through smart fridges stocked daily with chef-curated salads, bowls, and more.

What started as Luke's personal frustration as a traveling salesman struggling to find healthy food on the road has grown into a company delivering tens of thousands of meals daily to over 2,000 locations—including hospitals, universities, Targets, and airports—all powered by a centralized, 100,000 sq. ft. refrigerated facility in Chicago.

The conversation covers:

🥗 The origin story—from chopping lettuce in a shared kitchen to launching an automated, vertically integrated food system.

🚛 Why their centralized production + proprietary distribution model helps keep costs low, food quality high, and operations scalable. And why Luke views Farmer's Fridge as a tech company as much as a food company.

📊 How customer-level feedback reshaped their entire menu strategy and sparked a data-driven approach to healthy food.

🧠 Why the vending machine is the marketing. How they scaled without paid ads for over a decade by placing fridges in high-traffic, high-visibility locations.

👨‍⚕️ Why hospitals and healthcare systems have become a major growth channel—and what it means for food access, trust, and nutrition.

🍗 Thoughts on consumer trends like high-protein, GLP-1s, clean label foods—and how Farmer's Fridge is meeting the moment without chasing hype.

🔧 Lessons in fundraising, operations, and the often unseen costs of scaling a mission-driven food company. Luke also reflects on how he manages personal energy as a founder, what he's learned leading a 500-person team, and what it takes to build for the long haul.

On this episode of WellBuilt, Jon sits down with Jim Huether, CEO of Hyperice, to talk about how the brand went from a single ice compression sleeve to a $200M+ global leader in recovery and wearable tech—and how their new Nike partnership is setting the stage for a new era in performance and recovery.

They dive into the launch of the Hyperboot, a first-of-its-kind wearable that combines Normatec air compression, Venom heat, and biosensor technology, all wrapped into a shoe developed in collaboration with Nike.

The conversation covers: 🛠️ How Hyperice evolved from a single recovery tool inspired by Kobe Bryant to a multi-category platform for recovery, performance, and mental wellness 🚀 The rise of data-driven recovery devices and why the Hyperboot could be the next big thing in wearable tech 🏃‍♂️ Two years of R&D with Nike to bring the Hyperboot to life and why it's a game-changer for both elite athletes and everyday movers 🏢 How Hyperice is expanding into corporate environments, integrating its products into gyms, hotels, and offices to make recovery accessible to everyday users 🌱 The evolution of Hyperice's culture and how Jim is building a high-performance team that reflects the brand's values—from resilience to passion and drive 💪 Jim's personal approach to health, sleep, and managing stress while leading a high-growth brand in a competitive space—and why he believes wearable tech is just getting started

On this episode of WellBuilt, Jon sits down with David Bronner, Cosmic Engagement Officer (CEO) of Dr. Bronner's, to explore how one of the most iconic soap companies in the world became a radical blueprint for "conscious capitalism".

David shares the multigenerational story behind Dr. Bronner's—from his grandfather's escape from Nazi Germany to the company's transformation into a $200M+ activist brand built around a spiritual mission and commitment to social justice.

What started as soap sold on the side of peace lectures is now a global force for regenerative agriculture—without ever losing its countercultural roots.

The conversation covers: 🧼 The spiritual and activist origins of the "All-One" philosophy that still appears on every label 🧠 David's own psychedelic journey, and how it helped him reconnect with his grandfather's mission and lead with clarity and love 🌿 Why Dr. Bronner's built the world's first Regenerative Organic Certification—and what it takes to create truly sustainable, ethical supply chains 🇮🇱 How they source olive oil from both Israeli farmers (who happen to be their distant cousins) as well as Palestinian farmers in the West Bank as a model for reconciliation through commerce 👥 The company's unique employee ownership and governance model, including a 5:1 pay ratio and democratic board structure that protects the mission long-term 💡 Why Dr. Bronner's caps executive pay, reinvests the majority of profits into mission-driven work, and believes "doing good" should be baked into the business model 🍄 Their trailblazing support for psychedelic-assisted therapy—including full coverage for employees and their families—and why mental health care should be a right, not a perk 🔥 How they've become a true "activist soap company," engaging in political advocacy around issues from drug reform to regenerative agriculture to fair trade 🌀 The importance of ritual, integration, and accountability in psychedelic work—and how David sees this spiritual practice as foundational for healing and leadership

This is one of the most unique episodes to date—blending business, mental health, plant medicine, spirituality, and activism.

Tune in to hear how a soap company became a global model for conscious capitalism!

On this episode of WellBuilt, Jon sits down with Ryan Duey, co-founder of Plunge, to explore how cold exposure and contrast therapy have become one of the fastest-growing health and wellness movements—and how Plunge helped lead the charge.

Ryan shares how a background in float centers, a pandemic-era garage prototype, and a grassroots push to sell just 20 units to friends turned into a breakout wellness brand now used by tens of thousands of people and generating over $100M in annual revenue.

The conversation covers:

• What cold plunging is and why it's gaining mainstream traction
• Why people are willing to invest in premium tools like Plunge—high-qualty products that remove friction and turn difficult habits into daily rituals.
• How Plunge evolved from viral Instagram moments to community-led marketing and creating cold plunge culture.
• Their universal chiller kit, DIY adoption, and how plunge became a home for users transitioning from lower-quality competitors.
• The science behind cold exposure—dopamine boost, nervous system regulation, stress management, and how cold plunging rewires your response to discomfort.

We also dig into Ryan's personal journey—from a near-death motorcycle accident to founding float centers, and ultimately launching Plunge.

In this episode of WellBuilt, Jon sits down with Dr. Layne Norton (@biolayne), a PhD of nutritional sciences, world champion powerlifter, and founder of Carbon, the app transforming how people approach nutrition and macro tracking.

This conversation was particularly meaningful for Jon, as Layne's work has directly influenced his own relationship with food, shifting his mindset from restrictive, trend-driven dieting to a data-driven, flexible approach.

Layne shares his journey from overcoming bullying to becoming a leading voice in debunking nutrition myths, simplifying science, and helping people develop a healthier, more sustainable mindset around food.

The episode dives into: ✅ Why energy balance matters—and how we've lost sight of basic nutrition science ✅ Protein's role in body composition, metabolism, and satiety ✅ How tracking food intake can be as eye-opening as tracking finances ✅ Why people struggle with restrictive diets—and how to break free from extreme food rules ✅ The myths around artificial sweeteners, seed oils, and the fear-driven food narratives ✅ How Carbon helps people take the guesswork out of hitting their nutrition goals

Layne also explains why calories in vs. calories out is non-negotiable, why focusing on protein can be a game-changer, and how behavior—not just biology—drives most nutrition struggles.

Whether you're looking to optimize performance, lose weight, or just improve your overall relationship with food, this episode is packed with science-backed, practical takeaways you can start applying today.