Dr. Bill and Braden Rawls - CELLULAR WELLNESS: The Missing Piece in Modern Medicine

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Dr. Bill and Braden Rawls - CELLULAR WELLNESS: The Missing Piece in Modern Medicine"

Released on April 15, 2025

In this insightful episode of "How I Built My Small Business," host Anne McGinty engages in a profound conversation with Dr. Bill Rawls, a seasoned physician with over three decades of medical experience, and his daughter Braden Rawls, CEO and co-founder of Vital Plan, a leading holistic health company. Together, they delve into the intricacies of cellular wellness and its pivotal role in combating modern chronic illnesses.

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1. Introducing Dr. Bill Rawls and Braden Rawls

Anne McGinty opens the discussion by highlighting the impressive backgrounds of her guests:

• Dr. Bill Rawls is a licensed physician who transitioned from obstetrics and gynecology to holistic medicine after a severe personal health crisis in his early 40s. His resilience led him to author the best-selling book, "The Cellular Wellness Solution," and co-found Vital Plan, a certified B corporation focused on cellular health.

• Braden Rawls serves as the CEO and other co-founder of Vital Plan. With a keen interest in herbal supplements, she has spearheaded the development of high-quality, meticulously crafted supplement blends aimed at empowering individuals to take control of their health.

Anne McGinty shares her personal connection to the Rawls, explaining how Dr. Rawls' book inspired her own healing journey from autoimmune diseases, emphasizing the effectiveness of diet, lifestyle changes, and herbal supplements over conventional medical interventions.

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2. Dr. Rawls’ Transition from Conventional Medicine to Cellular Health

Dr. Rawls recounts his unplanned shift from traditional obstetrics and gynecology to cellular wellness:

[04:08] Dr. Bill Rawls: "It wasn't planned. It was by accident as much anything."

He describes the high-stress environment of his early medical career, which led to severe health deterioration by age 50. This personal health crisis propelled him to explore herbal and alternative medicine, yielding "extraordinary results" in his recovery ([05:14] Braden Rawls).

Braden adds that these experiences fueled over two decades of dedicated study into chronic illness and the limitations of conventional medical approaches, ultimately leading to the creation of Vital Plan ([05:25] Dr. Rawls).

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3. Understanding Cellular Wellness

The Rawls duo delves into the fundamental concept of cellular wellness, breaking it down to its most basic level:

[09:02] Braden Rawls: "Absolutely everything."

[09:23] Dr. Bill Rawls: "It's really as simple as that."

They emphasize that every function in the body starts at the cellular level and that cellular dysfunction is the root of all sickness. Chronic symptoms arise when cells are stressed and unable to perform their roles effectively.

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4. Causes of Chronic Illnesses: Cellular Stress and Dormant Microbes

Dr. Rawls and Braden explore the multifaceted causes of chronic illnesses, highlighting:

• Nutrient Deficiency: Cells require adequate nutrients to function optimally. A poor diet lacking essential nutrients leads to cellular suffering ([09:45] Braden Rawls).

• Toxic Exposure: Modern lifestyles expose individuals to various toxins, from environmental pollutants to toxic substances in food, which impede cellular functions ([10:05] Braden Rawls).

• Insufficient Rest: The average American sleeps only six and a half hours nightly, preventing cells from fully recovering and recovering from daily stress ([11:03] Dr. Rawls).

• Microbial Invasion: Dormant microbes, often acquired through minor exposures like tick bites or scratches, can lie within cells undetected. When the body is stressed, these microbes can become active, causing cellular damage and potentially triggering autoimmune responses ([13:06] Dr. Rawls).

Notable Quote:

[34:00] Braden Rawls: "Healing is the ability of cells to recover from stress."

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5. The Power of Herbs in Cellular Health

A significant portion of the conversation centers on the role of herbal supplements in promoting cellular wellness:

• Herbs vs. Conventional Medicine: Unlike pharmaceuticals that often suppress symptoms, herbs address the root causes by enhancing cellular functions and mitigating stress ([16:05] Braden Rawls).

• Phytochemical Properties: Herbs are rich in phytochemicals, which offer protective benefits to cells without the adverse effects of antibiotics that can disrupt gut flora ([17:22] Dr. Rawls).

• Adaptogens: Certain herbs, known as adaptogens, help reduce stress hormones, further supporting cellular recovery and overall health ([17:39] Dr. Rawls).

Notable Quote:

[16:00] Dr. Bill Rawls: "It's apples and oranges. They're nothing alike."

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6. Founding and Building Vital Plan

Anne invites Braden to discuss the entrepreneurial journey behind Vital Plan:

• Early Days: Initially launched with a dedicated patient base, Vital Plan began by manufacturing small batches of high-quality herbal supplements tailored to patient needs ([20:09] Braden Rawls).

• Formulation Development: The Rawls meticulously developed their formulas by studying traditional medicine systems and focusing on the phytochemistry of herbs to ensure potency and purity ([22:30] Braden Rawls).

• Scaling the Business: Starting with minimal investment and leveraging reinvested profits, Vital Plan gradually expanded their product line and built a trustworthy brand ([25:04] Braden Rawls).

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7. Overcoming Challenges in the Supplement Industry

Navigating the crowded and trust-dependent supplement market posed several challenges:

• Building Trust: Vital Plan relied on Dr. Rawls' established credibility and extensive customer success stories to gain trust, rather than relying on traditional digital advertising ([26:38] Anne McGinty).

• Regulatory Hurdles: Marketing herbal supplements requires careful navigation of regulations distinguishing between food and drug claims. Vital Plan had to refine their marketing strategies to comply while effectively communicating their benefits ([27:53] Braden Rawls).

• Education-Centric Marketing: Emphasizing content marketing and education about cellular wellness and the benefits of herbs proved more effective than generic advertising ([28:32] Anne McGinty).

Notable Quote:

[29:23] Dr. Bill Rawls: "That's what counts the very most, is how many lives can we truly impact."

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8. Future Directions for Vital Plan

Looking ahead, Vital Plan plans to:

• Enhance Digital Platforms: Launching the Vital Plan Network app to provide comprehensive resources and foster a community among users ([35:20] Anne McGinty).

• Expand Practitioner Partnerships: Building relationships with holistic practitioners to broaden their reach beyond direct-to-consumer sales ([30:48] Braden Rawls).

• Leverage AI and Technology: Utilizing artificial intelligence to accelerate research and optimize product formulations ([43:00] Dr. Rawls).

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9. Entrepreneurial Advice from Braden Rawls

Braden shares valuable insights for aspiring entrepreneurs:

• Start Lean: Focus on developing a minimum viable product (MVP) to test and iterate based on real feedback ([43:56] Braden Rawls).

• Build Trust: In industries like wellness, establishing credibility through education and authentic customer testimonials is crucial ([28:32] Braden Rawls).

• Patient Growth: Embrace steady, sustainable growth rather than seeking rapid expansion from the outset ([45:15] Dr. Rawls).

Notable Quote:

[43:56] Braden Rawls: "You don't need perfection to begin. You need clarity, feedback, and patience."

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10. Final Reflections and Key Takeaways

The episode concludes with profound reflections on the balance between traditional medicine and holistic approaches:

• Impact Over Profit: Both Dr. Rawls and Braden emphasize that their primary goal is to make a meaningful difference in individuals' lives rather than chasing financial success.

• Returning to Basics: They advocate for a preventative approach to health, focusing on cellular wellness through proper nutrition, adequate rest, toxin minimization, and herbal supplementation.

• Personal Growth Through Adversity: Dr. Rawls reflects on how his personal health struggles were instrumental in shaping his mission and business, highlighting the role of resilience and purpose in entrepreneurship.

Final Key Takeaways:

1. Listen to Your Body: Recognize and respond to cellular stress signs such as fatigue and brain fog before seeking external fixes.
2. Holistic Approach: Addressing chronic illness effectively requires looking beyond symptoms to tackle underlying cellular dysfunction.
3. Quality Over Quantity: In supplement businesses, prioritizing product quality and customer trust is essential in a saturated market.
4. Sustainable Growth: Entrepreneurs should focus on building a strong foundation through iterative development and genuine customer engagement.
5. Empowerment Through Education: Educating consumers about cellular health and the benefits of herbs fosters a loyal and informed customer base.

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Conclusion

This episode offers a compelling blend of personal narrative, scientific exploration, and entrepreneurial wisdom. Dr. Bill Rawls and Braden Rawls present a transformative vision of health rooted in cellular wellness, challenging conventional medical paradigms and providing actionable insights for both health enthusiasts and aspiring entrepreneurs.

For more information, visit Anne McGinty's Website or follow her on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Transcript

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

So what?

[Braden Rawls]

Healing is the ability of cells to recover from stress.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

That's what healing is. A lot of people just, they don't understand that simple thing. So if you have a symptom, your.

[Braden Rawls]

Cells are talking to you, it doesn't.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Matter where that symptom is.

[Braden Rawls]

So sometimes a symptom is specific.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Like if you blocked an artery in.

[Braden Rawls]

Your heart, you're going to get chest pain, those cells are going to be talking to you. But if you feel fatigued and you.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Just are feeling run down, it means all the cells in your body are.

[Braden Rawls]

Stress should be paying attention. Am I getting enough sleep? Am I eating a decent diet? Am I being exposed to toxic substances? Is there mold growing in my bathroom? Or have I picked up some new.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Microbe that's affecting my cells, that's wreaking.

[Braden Rawls]

Havoc inside my body? What's going on? And people don't ask those really simple questions. But those questions, listening to your body, listening to what your cells are telling you, are more valuable than any lab you can get.

[Ann McGinty]

Foreign.

Welcome to How I Built my Small business. I'm Ann McGinty, your host and today's conversation with Dr. Bill Rawls and Braden Rawls is about understanding health at a cellular level. Dr. Bill Rawls is a licensed physician with over 30 years of experience in medicine. After facing a personal health crisis in his early 40s, he turned to herbal and alternative medicine, restoring his health and becoming a leading voice in holistic wellness. He is the best selling author of the Cellular Wellness Solution and serves as the medical director and co founder of Vital Plan, a holistic health company and certified B corporation. Braden Rawls is the CEO and other co founder of Vital Plan, a company she established with her father Dr. Bill Rawls in 2008. Under her leadership, Vital Plan has developed meticulously crafted supplement blends using the highest quality ingredients, aiming to empower individuals to take control of their health. The reason I reached out to them is that the information in Dr. Rall's book the Cellular Wellness Solution had me buzzing from all that I learned because it made so much sense and provided a missing puzzle piece in my healing journey. I've been battling a couple autoimmune diseases for about 15 years and in that time I've seen at least a dozen different endocrinologists and each and every one of them told me that healing my own autoimmune condition was impossible. All solutions they offered ultimately led to surgically removing my thyroid or killing it, a major vital organ. And I was unwilling to accept this route as a real solution for me. And so I spent years reading books to learn as much as I could about thyroid health. Fast forward to today and without medication, all of my thyroid levels are back in the normal range because of what I've learned about healing through diet, lifestyle and herbal supplements. This is not medical advice. The information and opinions presented in this podcast are for general information purposes only and do not constitute medical advice. Always seek the advice of your own physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Reliance on any information provided in this podcast is solely at your risk. Let's get started. Dr. Rawls, Brayden, it is such a.

Pleasure to have you on the show. Thanks for coming on today.

Thanks for having me.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Thank you. Pleasure.

[Ann McGinty]

So, Dr. Rawls, it's my understanding that you were an obstetrician for many years and then you pivoted into cellular health.

Can you tell us the background on.

Why that transition happened?

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Yeah, it wasn't planned. It was by accident as much anything, you know, I went into obstetrics and gynecology because it's dealing with healthy people.

[Braden Rawls]

Wellness, bringing life into the world.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

But 30 years ago, when I started out with that, I was doing call in the hospital, 24 hour call for.

[Braden Rawls]

A labor and delivery in the emergency.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Room every second to third day. And I was one of those people.

[Braden Rawls]

That if somebody was in labor or.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

They were in the hospital with a problem, I didn't sleep.

[Braden Rawls]

So I went like 20 years sleep.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Deprived and just was pushing that stress button all around that, and my body.

[Braden Rawls]

Started falling apart in my late 40s.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

And that caused me to really take a serious look at where I was going personally and my health in general. I was in pretty bad shape by the time I was 50 and I changed my health habits. But more than that, I started using herbal therapy pretty intensely with the idea.

[Braden Rawls]

That I was carrying the microbes associated.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

With Lyme disease and just had extraordinary results. Absolutely extraordinary.

[Braden Rawls]

So I spent the past 20 years.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Really studying that, what happened, why the herbs work, what was going on in.

[Braden Rawls]

My life, and building out different models for how we should be addressing chronic illness than what I learned in medical school. And it's really been very fulfilling.

[Ann McGinty]

Can we go back a little bit more? When you say that your body was falling apart, what do you mean? And why did you decide to start exploring herbs?

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Yeah, that again, was by accident too. I started developing symptoms in every part of my body. You know, I had been sleep deprived.

[Braden Rawls]

But even when I gave up obstetric.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Call and things didn't get better, I really lost the ability to sleep normally.

[Braden Rawls]

Brain fog, neurological symptoms.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

I was worried that I might be developing ms, but at the same time, I had irregular heartbeats.

[Braden Rawls]

My heart was jumping beats every second to third beat.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

I had chronic chest pain.

[Braden Rawls]

My gut was a wreck. My joints were falling apart.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

I mean, pretty much my whole body was in distress. But at the same time, going to conventional physicians, getting labs, it's like, well, you know, we did a cardiac cath.

[Braden Rawls]

Your vessels are clear. Here's a drug to help with those irregular beats. Great.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

And, well, you don't have quite enough.

[Braden Rawls]

You're not progressed enough to be called Ms. Here's some more drugs you can take to help the symptoms. Great.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

And nothing to really put me on.

[Braden Rawls]

A trajectory to take me back to wellness.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

So it was several years of asking that question, why? What's going on? Why am I not getting better and.

[Braden Rawls]

Coming back to the possibility of Lyme disease? Because I had a lot of tick.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Bites in my life, but I never.

[Braden Rawls]

Remembered getting sick around the time of a tick bite.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Right. But finally found I was carrying some of those microbes, thought, antibiotics, that's the solution. So I took antibiotics. I got worse. It wrecked my gut, and I was really in a pretty hopeless state about that time. This is around 2005.

[Braden Rawls]

I read a book about using herbal therapy. Pretty intense herbal protocol. Had some good science behind it. It made sense. So I started using the herbs, and I started crawling out of the hole and getting better.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

And that has been my life ever since of really looking at that issue.

[Braden Rawls]

I've been taking herbs now for 20 years. I've enjoyed some of the best health that I've had in my entire life over the past decade.

[Ann McGinty]

So it sounds like you exhausted all of the options that were available to you in the conventional medical world.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Correct.

[Ann McGinty]

And in your book, the Cellular Wellness Solution, I mean, you really take this down to the cellular level. That's about as small as you can get.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

That's it.

[Ann McGinty]

So what did the research tell you?

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Yeah, I think that one of our problems in our conventional system is we don't take it to that level. You know, if you want to solve.

[Braden Rawls]

A problem, break it down to its smallest functional unit.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

And we're looking at the heart like.

[Braden Rawls]

It was a unit, or our nervous.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

System like it was a unit.

[Braden Rawls]

And those things are all made up of these individual units called cells. So when you look at the body, we are a collection of cells. Every living thing is living cells. So living cells are independently functioning units. You can think about them as little biological machines that have a job that do work.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

You know, it's like our heart cells.

[Braden Rawls]

Are working together to make our heart work.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Our thyroid cells are making thyroid hormone. Everything that happens in your body is done by cells.

[Braden Rawls]

Absolutely everything.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

So if your cells aren't working well, that's what sickness is.

[Braden Rawls]

Sick cells are what happens when we get sick.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

And so if all your cells are functioning well and they're all coordinated and everything is working, all your cells are working properly.

[Braden Rawls]

That's what wellness is.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

It's really as simple as that.

[Ann McGinty]

Why would you say that? So many people, and I don't know if this is worldwide or just in America, but are developing chronic illnesses at some point in their life. What is going on?

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

So you have these cells, right? So let's pick a cell in your body. Heart cell, muscle cell, doesn't really matter.

[Braden Rawls]

Every cell has five basic requirements for staying healthy. Every cell in your body.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

All right, so number one, your cells have to have the right nutrients.

[Braden Rawls]

You have to eat a diet that supplies all the different body the nutrients they need.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

If they don't get that, they suffer.

[Braden Rawls]

Cells need a clean operating environment. So when we are exposed to unnatural toxic substances, these things get embedded in our cells and block cellular functions.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

So it's basically like throwing sand in.

[Braden Rawls]

The machinery of your cell. Your cell can work, but it has to work a lot harder, and it's not going to work as well. Cells need downtime to recover from working.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

All day, and they get that at.

[Braden Rawls]

Nighttime when we're asleep. Cells need good blood flow, chiefly from.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Moving to flush away toxic metabolic waste.

[Braden Rawls]

And other toxic substances and congestion that builds up in our tissues. And cells need protection from microbes. That's our cell's arch enemy.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

So you look at our world today, look at the food that people are.

[Braden Rawls]

Eating, it's really bad for ourselves. It's not a diet that is designed for cellular health. Look at all the toxic substances we're exposed to.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Just go outside and walk down a.

[Braden Rawls]

Highway for five minutes and think about how much you're breathing in. Or even inside your home with all the toxic chemicals that get caught inside. And then there's our food, all the toxic chemicals that come in our food.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Cells are taking a big hit. Average American sleep, six and a half hours a night. That's average. So if you're sleeping only six and.

[Braden Rawls]

A half hours, it means that every day, the next morning when you get up, you start with a deficit that your cells haven't recovered from the day before.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Modern humans are very sedentary we have.

[Braden Rawls]

Machines that do all the work. We don't move. We spend a lot of time doing what we're doing, sitting in front of a computer screen, which is a little.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Bit toxic in itself. And then think about the fact that.

[Braden Rawls]

We'Ve got 8 billion people on this.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Earth and all of them are moving.

[Braden Rawls]

Around like never before. And they're passing more microbes than we've ever been exposed to before.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

And a lot of these things are.

[Braden Rawls]

Low grade things that get in our system that we don't even know they're.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

There, but they're affecting ourselves.

[Braden Rawls]

So you put all those together. Is there any surprise that people are getting sicker than they used to be?

[Ann McGinty]

And what is so wrong with these microbes being in our bodies? I mean, isn't our body designed to get rid of these?

[Braden Rawls]

Yeah, the microbes are an interesting variable that we're exposed to microbes through our.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Entire lifetime, continually, that really don't make us very sick.

[Braden Rawls]

And a good example is the tick borne microbes. I didn't remember getting sick when I.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Was bitten by ticks, so we make the assumption. Well, we didn't pick up anything wrong.

[Braden Rawls]

Every time you get bitten by a tick or a flea, or get scratched.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Or bitten by a cat or whatever.

[Braden Rawls]

Microbes enter your bloodstream and enter your system. And the things that we're exposed to, the very most don't have a high potential to make us sick acutely. But what they do do is they're very stealthy and they can travel through the immune system. They have sophisticated ways of getting past.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

The immune system they bury into our cells. And they do this throughout our body.

[Braden Rawls]

Through our brain, our joints, all of our tissues. Scientists are starting to call it the dormant blood and tissue microbiome, because they can bury into our cells. And if our cells are healthy, then they can grow dormant or slow their growth, so the cells keep right on working.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

So imagine all the things you were.

[Braden Rawls]

Exposed to as a child, and tick.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Bites that you might have had, and.

[Braden Rawls]

Times you were bitten by a hamster or a cat or scratched. And the times that all the things that you've connected, all those things may still have a small presence in your body.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

And so they're there, they're opportunist, they're.

[Braden Rawls]

Waiting until they get an opportunity. So you spend years eating bad food, exposed to toxic substances, not getting enough sleep, pushing that stress button continually, not.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Getting exercise, they start to erupt and.

[Braden Rawls]

They start to break down your tissues, they start to break down your cells.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Well, that's what chronic Lyme is, but it's also what all other chronic illnesses are. The connections go to multiple sclerosis, dementia.

[Braden Rawls]

Everywhere you want to go, you can.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Find aspects of this.

[Braden Rawls]

And I've been studying it for 20.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Years, and what I'm finding is using.

[Braden Rawls]

AI, I'm accelerating that research to find there's a lot of very good evidence.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

That this is very, very real. So, yeah, it's a big deal.

[Ann McGinty]

Well, and when I was reading your.

Book, this part of it was really.

Alarming to me as just potential data and information because I suffer from autoimmune conditions and have always wondered, why would my body attack itself? That doesn't seem like a normal way to operate. So if you're saying these microbes can live intracellularly, then it's. It brings up the potential that maybe this is the cause of autoimmune. Maybe, maybe.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Maybe.

[Ann McGinty]

At least it's worth exploring.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Yeah, maybe these things start erupting for.

[Braden Rawls]

Your cells, and your immune system says.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Oh, we can't have that, and starts attacking the cells where those microbes are erupting from.

[Braden Rawls]

I don't think you can explain autoimmunity without considering that possibility. Yeah, you're right.

[Ann McGinty]

Oh, and I love that you've taken it down to the cellular level. And so, Brayden, I want to get you in on this conversation, and maybe, Bill, you might have a little bit more to say. But as we transition into the vital plan business that you've started to help support everything that you've learned, can you tell us first what you have learned about the power of herbs? Like, why herbs over other supplements or over conventional medicine?

What is it that's so wonderful about herbs?

[Braden Rawls]

That was a big awakening for me.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Because I had always discounted herbs as.

[Braden Rawls]

Kind of being weak versions of drugs.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

And now I realize it's apples and oranges. They're nothing alike. So what drugs are doing is blocking.

[Braden Rawls]

Processes in the body to reduce symptoms in some way.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

So it's very artificial, and it's not.

[Braden Rawls]

Addressing those root causes.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

So it really doesn't do anything to improve cellular stress.

[Braden Rawls]

So the symptom doesn't really go away. So what we're doing with an herb is basically borrowing the plant's entire defense and regulatory system.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

So plants are always producing lots of chemicals to protect the plant's cells from.

[Braden Rawls]

Free radicals, from toxic substances, from microbes of every variety.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

But at the same time, it's in.

[Braden Rawls]

A system with a certain amount of.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Intelligence to it that it's not like an antibiotic. That's one random chemical here. We're talking about a system that affects.

[Braden Rawls]

Pathogens, but it doesn't affect our normal flora. So when you're taking an herb, unlike an antibiotic, where you kill off your.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Gut flora, you actually spare your gut flor. In fact, herbs actually help balance the.

[Braden Rawls]

Gut flora because they suppress pathogens without hitting our normal flora. And it's not just for bacteria or just for protozoa. It's covering all the different kinds of microbes.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

So when you take an herb, you're.

[Braden Rawls]

Getting this really wonderful system that's counteracting.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

All of those stress factors that I.

[Braden Rawls]

Just talked about, including the microbes, without having any significant toxicity in the body. That is pretty remarkable. And then there's some herbs called adaptogens.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

That we actually have the effect of.

[Braden Rawls]

Reducing our stress hormones.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

You put that all together, and it's just.

[Braden Rawls]

You can't find a better solution to.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

The problem I just outlined.

[Ann McGinty]

So, Braden, when did you decide to join your dad in this mission? How did that all take place?

Well, I will share. I now am fully a believer in the power of herbal therapy, and we're on this mission together to expand herbs to a wider audience. But, you know, really, it was Dr. Rawls's personal journey. I have to call him Dr. Rawls, not dad. Dr. Rawls. So it was Dr. Rawls's recovery that first brought me in. And then fast forward. These tens of thousands of customer stories have firmly made me a leader in this mission. But my. My role in this story really started with Dr. Rawls recovery. So when he was at the height of struggling with illness, that was 2005, I was in college studying business and entrepreneurship, and Dr. Rawls was able to largely shield me during the height of his struggle. So then I graduated from college, got a job, and I can remember he visited one weekend and was just moving so slowly, and I finally got impatient, called him out, dad, you feel like you're in a fog here, and you're walking so slowly. What's going on? He said, let's go on a walk, a slow walk in the woods, and let me. Let me share something with you. And so during that walk, he really brought me in on how he had had this disruption in his career as an OB gyn, where I left off with him to this debilitating struggle with chronic illness. And that was really heartbreaking and very difficult for me to hear. So at the end of hearing this story, I said, well, what can I do to. What can I do to help? Because we have a tendency to Want to come in and fix things for people when our loved ones are suffering. And he said, you can help me by helping me to help other people. I'm taking this herbal regimen. I'm improving my health. I believe in it. There's a lot more to learn. But I really. I think that this can help a lot of people, help me to use this struggle that I've had to bring this solution to a wider audience. And so that's really the start of our journey together.

And once he mentioned the idea of working together to reach a broader audience. What did you do? I mean, you were still in college.

Yeah, well, actually, I had just graduated from college, had a job. And so this was for the first four years of working together. It was nights and weekends, really, for Dr. Rawls and myself. We spent a lot of time on nights and weekends discussing how we could create this program right out of his experience and share it with patients. And then he'd see patients throughout the day and then come in the evenings and say, well, here's what I learned. I printed out these papers and I gave it to someone and they came back and they had written notes all over this and they gave me this feedback. And so it was these learnings. And then we had this patient based that gave us the volumes out of the gate to start manufacturing products to specifications and getting feedback there to really launch this product line.

What was it like starting an herbal supplement business?

Well, so we had this patient base out of the gate, and I think that that was key for us because you have to manufacture in quantities of. Back then, it was maybe a thousand bottles at a time. I think that's even low now. So you have these minimum order quantities. But we had this built in population who was already interested in herbal supplements, buying them from the local GNC. They preferred to buy them from Dr. Rawls. So we were able to source a higher quality of ingredient and then start bringing them to his patient base. And they loved the products and had better results from these products than even the list that he was giving them to go and buy on the Internet or from local stores. So that's how it really got started. But certainly a learning curve. Learning the regulatory environment. Yeah, the manufacturing standards bring in some consulting help as we went.

How did you develop your formulas?

So we really look at those potency and purity. So you want ingredients that work, and that's really been determined by Dr. Rawls. And what are the active constituents of that particular herb that you want to look for to ensure the potency? What are the different parts of the herbs that might have synergy and work together. That's all been Dr. Rawls and our R&D department. But then on the purity side, that's about testing, finding suppliers that are trusted, sourcing ingredients correctly, and then having the layers of testing so that we can then have that.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

It was having to learn supply chain and learn sourcing of ingredients and, you know, and connecting with manufacturers. So she and I had to learn.

[Braden Rawls]

The business from the very bottom up.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

And that was worthwhile. You know, a lot of businesses I know just call up a supplement company or a manufacturer and say, hey, make this for us. And we weren't doing that. You know, we were having things made to very specific specifications, buying and sourcing our own ingredients. And she. And. She and I did all of that in the beginning.

[Ann McGinty]

And then what about sourcing?

Like, how can you ensure that the.

Ingredients that you're sourcing, that they meet the standards or requirements or hopes that you want for formulating the best option for your patients?

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

That was a little bit of intuition and a little bit of science and just putting it all together. My whole approach was going beyond traditional medicine.

[Braden Rawls]

So I studied all the different forms of traditional medicine. European, Ayurvedic, Chinese, all the rest of them.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

But my brain was still based in Western science, and I was formulating these ideas about cellular health and that sort of thing. So what I was interested in is how the chemistry of the plant was affecting us at the cellular level, or.

[Braden Rawls]

How it was affecting microbes, et cetera.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

So plants have different characteristics. So it's all about problem solving. So the plant is protecting itself from.

[Braden Rawls]

Any stress factors that might be in.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

That natural environment, and that determines the.

[Braden Rawls]

Phytochemistry, the chemistry of the plant that you're going to.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Some plants really don't jive with human biochemistry very well.

[Braden Rawls]

It's like you wouldn't make the mistake.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Of eating poison ivy and expecting a medicinal effect. So it's studying those characteristics and then taking that and seeing what people were using, seeing what my patients had success with, and then taking kind of the.

[Braden Rawls]

Best of the best and pulling that.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Together in formulas, looking at what had been historically used and building out formulas, and that was pretty exciting. I enjoyed that. We actually have several levels of testing. I mean, you know, we all take these products. I want them good, and I really care about the results that people who use them have. So, you know, we just aren't going to cut any corners there.

[Ann McGinty]

And if you don't mind sharing at the very beginning how Much did it require for you to invest in order to start Vital Plan?

Yeah, we were lucky that we had Dr. Rawls's patient base there at the time so we could meet the minimum order quantities. And I'll say this was 15 years ago. And so the quantities were lower at that time. I think the threshold now to enter the market is higher. So we were able to buy into these smaller batches and then get feedback from consumers, produce revenue, and selling those supplements. Reinvesting the profits allowed us to then buy larger and larger quantities. We did take on angel investment pretty early on. And so then in addition to stocking the products and having R and D budget, then we were able to build a website, a support team, and start doing some marketing.

And what was that process like, finding angels?

We got lucky. So we found first a physician who really believed in what we were doing and it was purely a passion investment for him. And then I connected with some local business advisors, and then one of those made a significant investment in the company early on. And then we have raised some additional angel investment. Some of that has been to purchase inventory, to build out our customer support and programming.

You both really started this from the ground up.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Yeah.

[Ann McGinty]

What have been some of the biggest challenges that you've faced with starting and trying to scale your supplement business?

Oh, my goodness. It's been a roller coaster. One of the biggest things is breaking into a very crowded space where people buy based on trust.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Oh, yeah.

[Ann McGinty]

Something they're gonna put in your body for health reasons. And so Dr. Rawls had that trust with his patients. He has trust with people who get to know him. But there's definitely a trust building period. And so for trying to scale running digital ads in the beginning, that really didn't work well for us because people hadn't heard of Dr. Rawls, heard of Vital Plan, There wasn't trust. And so we've had a very long sales cycle because there's education about the. Typically the herbs we're using are new to someone. We have to establish the credibility. And so that's really been a challenge with the marketing. And then in addition to that, we're in a regulated health category of marketing claims. So herbal supplements is really in between food and drug. But if you're taking herbs, it's for a therapeutic effect, but they work very differently than drugs. So you shouldn't be making the same claims. But it's an intended health effect. So it's. It's a no man's land for marketing. And a lot of marketing channels that are Regulated, they don't know how to decipher these claims. So it's taken some practice, some refining.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Yeah.

[Braden Rawls]

Sometimes it's challenging to tell people what the products actually do in terms that.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

They will actually understand. It's challenging.

[Ann McGinty]

Yeah. We joke we're selling a product for a health benefit, but we can't say what it does. It's an odd space to be in of marketing.

Yeah, truly, that's very interesting and very challenging. And I also, I relate when you say that digital marketing can eat up dollars so quickly and you don't necessarily get the impact that you want. So what strategies have been the most effective for growing your brand beyond your patients?

It really. It's content marketing. Right. The education. Introducing Dr. Rawls having his credibility, his story is really compelling. And then that education about the herbs, the safety, the results of these regimens, and then finally customer success stories, of which, when we were first launching only had a handful, is mainly Dr. Rahl's story behind this regimen. But now we're in a position where we have over 12,000 customer stories. And so it's really that arsenal customer stories that we're leading with that's so compelling.

Wow, 12,000 customers is quite a bit.

Yeah.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

We've impacted a lot of lives. So, I mean, for me, at this point in my life, that's what counts the very most, is how many lives can we truly impact, how much difference can we make?

[Braden Rawls]

How much can we change the conversation?

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Because like you said, chronic illness is.

[Braden Rawls]

At 60% of the population and growing.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

And here in a country where we.

[Braden Rawls]

Spend more on healthcare than any country.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

On earth and our populace isn't healthy, it just screams that we're not paying.

[Braden Rawls]

Attention to the right things.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

And the equation for health, as I.

[Braden Rawls]

Discussed, is fairly simple.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

And it's just if I can get.

[Braden Rawls]

That across to people, that concept of.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Content marketing, then I've already accomplished more.

[Braden Rawls]

Through vital plan and changing people's lives than during my entire medical career seeing patients in an office.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

The more that I can build that out, the more that I can build out the education and build products that actually have true impact in people's lives, build programs that people can follow to find that pathway back to wellness.

[Braden Rawls]

I can have an enormous impact that I could never have had just as a conventional physician.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

So I see a lot of power.

[Braden Rawls]

There and empowerment of people, and that's.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

What it's all about.

[Ann McGinty]

And are you planning to keep your business model as direct to consumer, or have you explored the potential for retail?

Not retail. I think the Next channel that we would expand into is practitioner partnership. So we're doing a little bit there, but a much more dedicated push in the future that's going to come with education to practitioners about how to use this protocol and hopefully develop our own network of practitioners or maybe even all.

Of the integrated physicians or holistic practitioners who are already sort of in line with your way of thinking, sort of.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

But sometimes less than you would think. I mean, it's. We live in a world that doctors.

[Braden Rawls]

Providers, don't talk to patients anymore.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

You know, we've replaced all that with testing. We want data. And something that I found in my practice, I was at, at a point in time functioning essentially the same as.

[Braden Rawls]

What you would define as integrative or functional medicine.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

I was doing all the testing, I was doing all this stuff. And what I one was, the more I sat down and talked to the patient and understood how things had come.

[Braden Rawls]

Together in their lives to impact their.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Health, that provided the roadmap for them to get well.

[Braden Rawls]

And I just didn't need to do any testing.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

So I think we spend a lot more time and effort and resources testing people than we should. We should be helping people learn how to pay attention to their own body.

[Braden Rawls]

And that's a lot of what I.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Do, is help people realize the answers are all there. The body is telling you exactly what.

[Braden Rawls]

You need to know all the time.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

It's screaming at you and people don't listen.

[Braden Rawls]

They go to a healthcare provider and ignore that and pay thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars for testing that.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Really doesn't end up moving the needle very much. And that's kind of where I am right now with. I would like to have like minded providers that recognize the importance of just.

[Braden Rawls]

Helping the patient understand themselves, their own.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Body and how powerful these things can be and then minimizing being a lot.

[Braden Rawls]

Smarter about our testing because we waste.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

An enormous amount of resources on lab testing.

[Ann McGinty]

So when you say that the body is telling you the body is screaming at you, can you elaborate on that? What do you mean?

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Your cells are screaming at you? Right. So yeah, when your cells are stressed, like if you trip and twist your ankle, it hurts, right?

[Braden Rawls]

So those injured cells in your ankle.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Are sending messages to your brain that something is wrong. So two things happen when cells are injured. One, they send a message to the brain. We feel it is painful, so they're talking to you right there. They're sending you a message. But the second thing is if cells.

[Braden Rawls]

Are compromised, they can't do their jobs. So you start to lose that function.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

So not only does your ankle hurt, but you can't walk on it very well.

[Braden Rawls]

And if you keep doing that, it's.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Going to get worse and worse and worse. So you have to take the weight.

[Braden Rawls]

Off of it so it can heal.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

So what?

[Braden Rawls]

Healing is the ability of cells to recover from stress.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

That's what healing is. A lot of people just, they don't understand that simple thing. So if you have a symptom, your.

[Braden Rawls]

Cells are talking to you, it doesn't.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Matter where that symptom is.

[Braden Rawls]

So sometimes a symptom is specific.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Like if you blocked an artery in.

[Braden Rawls]

Your heart, you're going to get chest pain, those cells are going to be talking to you. But if you feel fatigued and you.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Just are feeling run down, it means all the cells in your body are.

[Braden Rawls]

Stressed and you really should be paying attention. Am I getting enough sleep? Am I eating a decent diet? Am I being exposed to toxic substances? Is there mold growing in my bathroom? Or have I picked up some new.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Microbe that's affecting my cells that's wreaking.

[Braden Rawls]

Havoc inside my body? What's going on? And people don't ask those really simple questions, but those questions, listening to your body, listening to what your cells are telling you, are more valuable than in any lab you can get.

[Ann McGinty]

So insert Vital Plan. We're building people a framework, right, that they can go through and have that checklist and the support and the resources to do that exercise themselves instead of needing to go through the testing and then finding the treatment. There's so much that people can do that's affordable, that's immediately accessible. And so with Vital Plan, we're hoping to get more people started on that pathway and ultimately save them a lot of money.

So are you providing education materials on the Vital Plan website?

Well, for a long time, we sent those materials via email, so sold the products. With purchase of the products, we would send an email series and PDFs, and that just snowballed over the years as we got feedback and we said, let's build this resource to answer this question. So we had this huge database of resources for our support team. And so just last summer, we built an app that we call the Vital Plan Network. And so we were able to load all of those resources onto the app and develop a community and a place where we can now go and interact with our customers. They can interact each other. There's a whole library of resources. So for us, that's really the future is we'll be doubling down on that app this year. And so have some new, more formalized programming coming.

That is very exciting. I had no idea. Hadn't seen that information yet. So I will definitely go and check it out. Dr. Rawls, do you think, and Braden, too, that with proper supplementation with these herbs, that people can truly prevent chronic illness? How much is lifestyle impacting our chronic illness, and how much is our lack of nutrients?

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Yeah, it's not lack of nutrients. Everybody gets that one wrong. It's like. It's not vitamins and minerals. Everybody's getting enough vitamins. Vitamins and minerals. You'd die if you didn't. What the problem is is this excessive.

[Braden Rawls]

Load of carbohydrate and abnormal fats that we're getting in our food. And our cells just aren't designed for that.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

You know, our cells were programmed for.

[Braden Rawls]

An ancient foraging food diet that humans did for hundreds of thousands of years.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

And that was lots of vegetables and.

[Braden Rawls]

Plant matter, roots, stems, leaves, and lean animals.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

And, you know, that's what our cells are programmed for.

[Braden Rawls]

But there wasn't much carbohydrates or fat on the menu.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

You had to eat a lot of.

[Braden Rawls]

Food, which means you ate a lot.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Of fiber for your gut to be normal. Well, our current diet, heavy in carbs, heavy in fat, low in fiber, low in phytochemicals.

[Braden Rawls]

All the things that we need the.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Very most to keep ourselves healthy aren't.

[Braden Rawls]

There, and they're not programmed for this.

[Ann McGinty]

Okay, so the herbs are not nutrients. It is specifically the phytochemical properties.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Ah, you're right. It's. You've got it. You know, everybody likes to classify, oh.

[Braden Rawls]

I'm taking my herbs to get my nutrients.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

No, that's not the answer.

[Braden Rawls]

It's the phytochemistry of the herb. And if I had to label the one thing that was most missing in.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Our current diet, it would be the.

[Braden Rawls]

Natural phytochemistry of herbs.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Because you think about it, that ancient.

[Braden Rawls]

Forage food diet was about two thirds plant matter, but it was all wild plants. It was wild berries and stems and leaves and roots, and these things were loaded with these protective phytochemicals. So about 10,000 years ago, when we.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Traded that for grains and beans, those.

[Braden Rawls]

Food sources are very deficient in these protective phytochemicals. But we kind of sense that. Humans sense that. So we kept our culinary herbs and we kept our medicinal herbs, and it kept that phytochemistry going even when we changed our diet.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

We gave all that up for about.

[Braden Rawls]

100 years ago and traded it for Drugs, and we've been suffering for it ever since.

[Ann McGinty]

It makes so much sense. As you were talking, I was thinking about. Okay, so does that mean in countries where they still utilize herbs in such vast quantities, are they better off than we are when it comes to chronic illness? I'm thinking of India or Nepal or places like that.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

That's a good place to start. Yeah. Yeah.

[Braden Rawls]

People in India consume lots of herbs in their curries, and they eat about a gram of turmeric every day, along with a of other herbs. They use a lot of herbs in their diet.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

So despite the fact that India is very overcrowded, very polluted, has tons more microbes than we do, they have some.

[Braden Rawls]

Of the lowest rates of cancer and Alzheimer's in the world, and it's attributed.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

To the herbs that they eat.

[Ann McGinty]

Interesting.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Yeah.

[Ann McGinty]

So I want to ask, what is it like working as a father and daughter duo?

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

It's been interesting. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world, Braden. I'll let you say. But I tell you, it's been a gift, the whole thing. It's been a blessing. I mean, I look at where I.

[Braden Rawls]

Was at age 50 and wondering if.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

I'd ever see 20, 25, and here I am, and it's just been glorious.

[Ann McGinty]

I will echo that. My dad and I have had many, many close moments over the years, and a lot of it is through working together. Of course, I'll share that. It can be hard to separate business and personal if you. If you partner on a company with a family member, and so certainly holidays and any trips. We're always talking about work, and my mom and my husband will say, all right, go off, talk about the business, then come back. We'll cut you off. But it's been a lot of fun to work together.

How many people do you have on your team helping you?

So we currently have 10 employees, but also work with a large number of agencies and contractors.

That's actually quite a big business.

Yeah. Some of our team members are customer success stories, which has been very cool. Right. To have customers who believe in what we do so much then that they've come back and wanted to work for the company. And so, as part of the future, especially now that we have this network, we'll be looking for what are more ways that we can plug in this network of customers who are. So they have this newfound passion for herbs and for healing. How do we activate that then and bring them into the fold with their talents? So looking forward to that as part of the future and as we start.

Wrapping up this interview. I know we have about 10 minutes left or so, but. Dr. Rawls, what are you most excited about as far as medical advancement goes for the future?

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

It's kind of a back to basics kind of thing. I think we really, really miss the.

[Braden Rawls]

Basics of cellular health.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

And we're, you know, we try to fix things. So, you know, our first step to.

[Braden Rawls]

Solve a problem is create a pharmaceutical for it.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

And what I've just come to appreciate.

[Braden Rawls]

Is when it comes to chronic illness, there is not a pharmaceutical or medical procedure made that can reverse cellular health and therefore promote healing. Not one.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

And that's, I guess, more of a disappointment.

[Braden Rawls]

I would like to see that change.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

And there is a place for medicine. You know, Braden has heard me say many times that I think there's a place and a purpose for every pharmaceutical.

[Braden Rawls]

And every medical procedure. But we overutilize those things. What we do well in conventional medicine is acute intervention.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

And what that does is it can stabilize a bad situation. You know, when somebody has a blocked coronary artery, we can unblock that artery.

[Braden Rawls]

And possibly save their life.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

But it's the body that's going to heal.

[Braden Rawls]

Healing always has to come from within the body.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

And, you know, it's a frustration. I mean, I see the oncologist, the cancer doctors patting themselves on the back going, wow.

[Braden Rawls]

We've developed this new, innovative therapy that.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Does a better job of killing cancer people, cancer cells.

[Braden Rawls]

We can keep more people from dying.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

While the cancer rate is going up and up and up and up and up and up. And it's like you're doing zero to actually prevent cancer. We have a real problem here. So, you know, as far as advancements in technology, I think we need to.

[Braden Rawls]

Get back to the basics and start catching up on that. There are some advancements, though, and quite.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Frankly, I'm using AI a lot to.

[Braden Rawls]

Advance my knowledge faster.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

And what I'm coming to the conclusion is everything that I've thought as far as theories, I try to verify with science, and there's a lot of great science out there, and I've been able to verify everything that I've mentioned so far, but it's very tedious. And using AI, I can forward that much faster.

[Braden Rawls]

I can pull the data together.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

And what I can tell you is.

[Braden Rawls]

We know how to solve the problem of chronic illness. They're just barking up the wrong tree.

[Ann McGinty]

Well, I hope that you're right, and I hope that we can get back to the basics and look more preventatively at how we can have Better health. Going back to the business side of what you two have created together, what advice would you give to an aspiring entrepreneur? Any aspiring entrepreneur who came to you and wanted to learn from your journey.

Stay lean and mean. Right. Keep your expenses low, put out your minimum viable product that you can test and iterate and get feedback and improve. And you do that over and over, over and over again as opposed to swinging for perfection out of the gate. There's so much you can learn with having that, that MVP testing and nerd writing on top of that.

Do you have plans to expand the line of offerings?

So this year we're expanding the product itself. Right. By releasing more programming, launching the community and the app around our signature Restore program and education and inspiration around that to live this we call the the full vital plan lifestyle.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

We've got more coming. A lot of tricks up my sleeve of things that we'll be releasing through this next year to optimize all of.

[Ann McGinty]

That less product oriented, our expansion in the next 12 months and more on the program and support side. So leveraging some of this new AI and tech to deliver a more full experience and keep that cost effective for the customer. This is through the new app.

Okay, I can't wait to look it up. So as a final question here, Dr. Bill Braden, if you could go back and talk with yourselves when you were in your early 20s, what life wisdom would you give yourself?

I'd say slow and steady wins the race. I did an entrepreneurial program and when we first started the business, I was thinking about those case studies and thinking, let's, let's shoot for the moon. And throughout my 20s, that was my expectation, is that the business has to see rapid growth to be successful. And so I've now learned it's going slower in the beginning, iterating, getting it just right, building something that's rock solid, that then over time you've iterated, you've optimized and then you can scale. So I'd say be patient.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Yeah, I don't think I'd tell myself anything because I would have to tell myself about somebody really difficult and uncomfortable.

[Braden Rawls]

And unpleasant things that were coming ahead for me to get to where I am now.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

And it might have dissuaded me from.

[Braden Rawls]

Actually doing some of those things and they were important. Sometimes you have to go through that to get to a different place or a better place.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

And I can't trade any of it because, wow, what an opportunity.

[Braden Rawls]

I just, I would never know the.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Things that I know if I had not had this opportunity that ended up being connected so closely with Braden and all the people that we've connected through with Vital Plan. I'd never trade it for anything.

[Ann McGinty]

It's kind of like you're exactly where you're meant to be right now.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

That's the feel. Yes.

[Ann McGinty]

Yeah. Your experience was required in order for you both to land in this wonderful spot. And I love how your using Impact as your driver of success, and I feel like that it will, no matter what, continue to grow because your motivation is so sincere. I appreciate so much that you've come on the show and that you've shared your story, shared some of your knowledge with us. And I look forward to following along with Vital Plan Network and seeing what else you have up your sleeve.

[Dr. Bill Rawls]

Yeah. Thank you.

[Ann McGinty]

Wonderful. Thank you. Ann.

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Today's Key Takeaways if your cells are stressed, you will eventually feel it. Whether it's fatigue, brain fog, pain, or chronic illness, most of us treat symptoms without looking deeper. But every function in your body starts at the cellular level. When your cells don't get what they need nutrients, rest, detoxification, protection, they can't do their jobs. That's where disease begins. A new way to think about wellness is to ask what your cells need rather than what pill can suppress the pain. How are you treating your cells? Are you sleeping enough? Moving enough? Minimizing toxins and fueling yourself with the right food, the average American gets only six and a half hours of sleep, creating a daily deficit that compounds over time. Sleep is when your body repairs and detoxifies. Without it, your cells never fully recover from the stress of the day. Over time, this leads to cellular breakdown and chronic symptoms. If you're tired, inflamed, or mentally foggy, sleep may be one of the first things to address before turning to external fixes. Chronic conditions may stem from dormant microbes that wake up when your body is weakened. Dr. Rawls suggests that stealth microbes, picked up through tick bites, scratches, or even close contact, can lie dormant in your cells for years. When your system is under stress, these microbes can erupt, and your immune system may mistakenly attack your own tissues. If you're living with autoimmune conditions. Have you explored microbial factors or cellular stress as possible root causes? Herbal supplements are not for their vitamins and minerals. They're used for their phytochemical properties, not their nutrients. Don't expect them to act like pills, but do explore their cumulative benefits. One of the most powerful things you can do is listen to your body and connect the dots in your personal health story. Dr. Rawls says that understanding how your life, stress, habits and environment have affected your body can sometimes be more revealing and empowering than expensive diagnostics. What is your body trying to tell you? Are you listening? Braden's entrepreneurial advice is clear. You don't need perfection to begin. You need clarity, feedback and patience. They launch their business by reinvesting profits, testing in small batches and building slowly with education and impact to build a strong foundation. What's your minimum viable idea or product? Can you put it out into the world before it's perfect and then improve it through real feedback? If you're entering a crowded market, build trust first, especially in wellness. Trust is currency in an industry full of hype and quick fixes. Vital Plan built credibility through storytelling, education and customer success, not flashy ads. After a lifetime in conventional medicine, Dr. Rawls says the most meaningful work of his life has been empowering people through education and herbs. Their North Star is simple impact. How many lives can they improve? How much good can they do? So in thinking about this, consider what does success mean to you? How do you measure your own success? Dr. Rawls believes many chronic illnesses are not mysterious at all, but we're simply not treating the real root causes. Are we over relying on prescription and ignoring prevention? What if True health is a return to the basics? And as Dr. Rawls says, sometimes you have to go through hard times to get to a better place you never could have imagined. Vital Plan was born out of suffering, and now it's helping thousands. And while you may not understand the reasons for any hardship you may be facing, what if you're exactly where you're meant to be? That's it for today. I release episodes once a week, so come back and check it out. Have a great day.