The Dylan Gemelli Podcast

Episode #60: Featuring Sean Hoess—Creating Eudaimonia: The Allure of the Eudaimonia Experience, Bringing Everyone Together, Gathering Epic Speakers, and More!
Date: October 23, 2025
Host: Dylan Gemelli
Guest: Sean Hoess (Founder & CEO, Eudaimonia Summit; Co-founder & former CEO, Wanderlust)

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the vision, creation, and ethos of the Eudaimonia Summit, an innovative health and wellness event helmed by Sean Hoess. Dylan explores what sets Eudaimonia apart from other expos or conventions—its focus on genuine community, evidence-based discussions, and delivering not just information but an immersive, transformative experience. The two discuss Sean's journey from music entrepreneur to wellness festival pioneer, the detailed logistics behind building such an event, and why Eudaimonia matters in a fragmented world desperate for connection and empowerment.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Sean’s Journey: From Wanderlust to Eudaimonia

• Sean’s background: Columbia-educated, former music label founder, and co-creator of the Wanderlust festivals.
• How music festivals inspired his approach to community and experiences in wellness.
• Philosophy of merging knowledge ("the kernel of wisdom") with fun to maximize impact.
  • Quote [05:12]: “Experience is always king. You can have the deepest passion, but if the event isn’t also fun and exciting, with moments of surprise and delight, it still falls flat.” – Sean

2. Building the Eudaimonia Summit

• Grew out of both the successes and learnings from Wanderlust; Eudaimonia amps up evidence and science-based content with a broader spectrum of expert speakers.
• Event logistics: 40 stages, simultaneous programming, hundreds of staff and volunteers, and carefully orchestrated schedules to minimize attendee stress.
  • Quote [14:49]: “We try to design it where we take the stress away... by the time you get there, you know what you want to do. Your spot’s guaranteed. You can really take advantage of this entire canvas.” – Sean
• Importance of both structure and “tranquil escape” within the bustle of a large event.

3. What Sets Eudaimonia Apart?

• Focused on wellness as an actual experience, not just a sales floor.
• Attendees self-select for positivity and growth: the environment curates itself to be supportive and inspiring.
  • Quote [16:45]: “People are seeking positive transformation or helping someone else. The audience that comes is primed to be kind.” – Sean
• Designed to allow escape from chaos, with spaces for quiet, reflection, sound baths, and meditation amidst the learning.

4. Mission and Impact: Empowerment & Community

• Addressing America’s health crisis by empowering individuals, not just offering quick-fix pharmaceutical or top-down solutions.
• Dual approach: Communicate actionable knowledge, and foster community so positive habits can stick.
  • Quote [19:55]: “Empowering individuals starts with knowledge, and it starts with community. You have to know what to change and be in a supportive group. It’s very hard to do alone.” – Sean
• Aims to break down barriers between opposing “tribes” in health and wellness.
  • Quote [27:18]: “We are paralyzed by tribalism in this country. If you could step back from the tribal belonging... you can have a dialogue and see if we can agree on things we hold in common and move the country forward.” – Sean

5. Speaker Curation and Integrity

• Selection process led by Sean’s wife, Karina; hundreds of personal outreach efforts to ensure an impressive and diverse speaker lineup.
• 85-90% of speakers are directly invited—not just commercial or self-promoting voices, but leaders with genuine expertise and integrity.
• Policy: only three “commercial” stages for sales pitches; the rest are dedicated to information and Q&A, not product sales.
  • Quote [38:20]: “We pay our talent… so we can ask them to present as experts, not as representatives out to sell a product.” – Sean

6. Navigating Wellness vs. Commerce

• Acknowledges the good intentions of both pharmaceutical and wellness industry players, but highlights the influence of financial incentives.
  • Quote [40:28]: “There’s a more subtle thing... the same incentive structure that can skew outcomes in big pharma can exist in wellness too. It’s not malicious, but we have to be aware of the bias incentives create.” – Sean
• Advocates for skepticism towards all health-related claims—whether from “Big Pharma” or “wellness influencers.”

7. Accessibility & The Participant Experience

• Eudaimonia is open to anyone interested in improving wellbeing—no “insider” requirement.
  • Quote [23:15]: “Anyone who’s alive. If you’re still alive, this is for you.” – Sean (laughing)
• Talks, panels, and networking break down barriers between experts and attendees; true two-way conversations.

8. Why Palm Beach? The Vision for Growth

• Strategic partnership with local tourism and ideal logistics: easy airport/train access, city “blank canvas” feel, and ambitions to turn West Palm into a wellness mecca, “South by Southwest” style.
  • Quote [31:14]: “There’s an energy… it’s sort of waiting to happen. My vision is a wellness takeover for the city.” – Sean

9. The Daily Flow at Eudaimonia [53:16]

• Sample daily arc:
  • Morning: Sunrise meditation/beach run, fitness/mindfulness sessions (from trampolining to aerial yoga)
  • 11am–5pm: Back-to-back talks and lectures, immersive experiences, chillout zones, contrast therapies (saunas, cold plunges), MRI scans, sound baths.
  • Expo at the center: 120+ brands (with clear separation between commercial/demo and learning-focused stages)
  • Evenings: Parties, dinners, and informal gatherings in West Palm’s vibrant scene.
    • Quote [53:16]: “You wake up in the morning, maybe there's a sunrise meditation, or a beach run you drop into… Then throughout the day, just an incredibly wide range of talks and experiential zones… and then you get to repeat that for three days and think how lucky you are.” – Sean

10. Future Enhancements: AI-powered Recap for Attendees [52:29]

• Plans to use AI to create a searchable database of talks and transcripts—exclusive for in-person attendees—so attendees won’t miss a thing due to overlapping sessions.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• Creating Community and Fun:
  • “The thing even in my 20s that bummed me out at classic music festivals was… there was no way to get away. You never had these moments where you could decompress or wander away from the crowd.” [17:09] – Sean
• On Wellness and Partisanship:
  • “Real health, real wellness doesn’t have a political side. It's so important to leave that trash at the door and realize that we all need each other...” [28:37] – Dylan
• On the Value of In-Person Events:
  • “We’ve always resisted being streamed or virtual… because you don’t get the value. The value is not just the information, it's the interaction.” [29:23] – Sean
• Big Pharma vs. Wellness Incentives:
  • “There’s an incentive for certain kinds of behavior [in both pharma and wellness]… we just have to be aware and recognize it.” [40:28] – Sean
• Access to Experts:
  • “At any given moment the attendee you’re talking to might be a master meditator, a Qigong master, or a medical doctor and you never know—there’s an interchange of ideas and cross-pollination.” [48:35] – Sean
• On Humility and Growth:
  • “The only way that I find myself to be an expert is because I understand what I don't know and I surround myself with the people that do.” [47:30] – Dylan

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:56] | Sean’s intro, background, and evolution from Wanderlust to Eudaimonia
• [06:56] | Early inspirations: music, community, and building from scratch
• [13:00] | The scale and logistics behind Eudaimonia; what goes into programming 40+ stages
• [16:45] | Why Eudaimonia feels different: atmosphere, self-selection, and curated tranquility
• [19:55] | Eudaimonia’s core mission: empowerment, community, and changing American wellness
• [23:15] | Who is Eudaimonia for? (Spoiler: everyone.)
• [36:03] | The speaker curation process and commitment to integrity
• [39:59] | Deliberate separation of info vs. sales; paying speakers for expertise, not infomercials
• [40:28] | Philosophical reflection on commerce, wellness, and skepticism
• [53:16] | What a typical day at Eudaimonia looks like
• [55:43] | Closing: Host and guest reflect on intention, gratitude, and inviting everyone to Palm Beach

Resources & Further Information

• Eudaimonia Summit website: eudaimonia.net

• Event dates: November 13–16, 2025, West Palm Beach, FL

• Discount code: GEMELLI10 for ticket savings

• Sean Hoess on LinkedIn (active for personal interaction)

• Dylan Gemelli Podcast: YouTube / Spotify

Summary Tone: Open, passionate, collaborative; the conversation is insightful, sincere, and energized by a mutual desire to foster real wellness and meaningful connection for all.