← The Ultimate Human with Gary Brecka
The Ultimate Human with Gary Brecka
181. Dr. Jonathan Leary: Why Cold Plunge & Sauna Social Clubs Are The Future of Wellness Communities
00:52:05
Loading summary
Transcript306 lines
- [00:00]
A
Human connection is one of the most important things for our health. And right now it's plummeting. People are having more and more alone time than ever before. And then when they do socialize, they're going drinking alcohol, which is a depressant and a dissociative connection.
- [00:14]
B
And community and purpose do not come through electronic media. And the more isolated a person is, the more they're accelerating towards the grade.
- [00:22]
A
And that's when I knew I needed to have remedy. Not just be this beautiful place with hospitality standards, but. But also what I love about being in an ice bath or a sauna. We're enhancing our physiology, so we're bringing out a better version of ourself. And it's also allowing us to have a higher chance to have a better connection.
- [00:37]
B
The other thing that I think struck me when I was at your place was you've added this component of functional medicine.
- [00:44]
A
Functional medicine can analyze everything. And then you really get a full understanding of this puzzle that you have to figure out, like all of this biochemistry, how do all of these things affect one another?
- [00:54]
B
As you built this and this thing started to take shape, what were some of the things that surpr you that were byproducts of that environment that you didn't see going in?
- [01:03]
A
For five years, I got to listen to patients. What are all the things that they were constantly complaining about? I'm like, how do I just figure out a solution for these things? And the number one complaint I had for five years was ultimate human.
- [01:26]
B
Hey, guys, welcome back to the Ultimate Human podcast. I'm your host, human biologist Gary Breca, where we go down the road of everything. Anti aging, biohacking, longevity, and everything in between. And today, I know I say this all the time, but today is a really special guest. I gotta find, like, another way to do intros and say it's a special guest, but it truly is because this man is on a mission to change the way that we view healthcare and. And how we can integrate a lifestyle of wellness and longevity into everyday events that we would think about socializing, like drinking or going out or a nightclub or networking. And I think he was the pioneer of social wellness. In fact, I remember a few years ago reading about this place, and I'll disclose it here in a minute. Reading about this place and going, what the hell is social wellness? And now the founder of Remedy Place, Dr. Jonathan Leary, is with us. Man, welcome to the podcast.
- [02:25]
A
Thank you for having me. It's an honor.
- [02:27]
B
I really think that what you've done, I think there's first movers in like every industry that see ahead of these big trends. And you know, I have often said that I, I feel like the pandemic in some ways did society a favor, maybe even did the world a favor.
- [02:44]
A
Yeah.
- [02:44]
B
And it sort of rattled everybody's cage and it woke people up to wellness. Hey, you know, maybe, maybe our governmental and so, you know, social elites don't have our best interests at heart. And maybe this journey to being the most optimal version of ourselves we kind of have to take personal possession of. And I remember when I first heard about Remedy Place and I saw your first place in New York and I looked at it and it reminded me of like a really cool kind of London speakeasy vibe. And hopefully that's, I mean that in a very complimentary way. And I was like, what you go in there and cold plunge and sauna and groups and like. And I would love to hear about, you know, your inspiration for that. Maybe what it was in your background that made you take that bold step. Because now you seem like a genius, but then you seem like kind of a renegade. I feel like, you know, for sure. For sure, yeah.
- [03:44]
A
You know, when I first started, I always wanted to be a doctor. And when I was doing my undergraduate and studying pre med, you have to volunteer in the hospital setting in shadow. And I had to build my resume. And I just quickly realized I'm like, is this the environment that I imagined, like putting my whole career and life forward in and also is this how I really wanted to take care of people? And by the time that couple of years passed, I'm like, I'm just going to create my own type of practice. And I went into alternative medicine only because, you know, chiropractic degree in the state of California, you're a primary care physician and you can treat and diagnose anything. You just can't puncture the skin or prescribed meds. And I was like, I don't want to prescribe meds and I don't want to be a surgeon. So I'm just going to create Remedy Place. And I moved to la. When I was out of the gate.
- [04:30]
B
You were thinking that, wow, so when was this?
- [04:33]
A
2022.
- [04:33]
B
Okay.
- [04:34]
A
Moved to LA, started my doctorate and then every Sunday I worked on the business plan and I knew nothing about business, but I googled everything and throughout that whole entire program I had 158 page binder and I just thought, oh, when I graduated I went to Wells Fargo. I'm like, today's the day that I get this business loan. And I walked in and the woman laughed at me. And she's like, sir, you have no money and all this student loan debt. How am I supposed to give you a loan? And I'm like, what do you mean?
- [05:00]
B
But this business is.
- [05:01]
A
Yeah, that's amazing. I need a loan. But it was great because at that time, you know me talking about a social wellness club that, you know, 2015, people were like, that's the most LA thing in the world that won't work anywhere.
- [05:13]
B
Right.
- [05:13]
A
So it was actually. I don't think the world was ready at that time. But then I went into private practice and I opened up a concierge practice in sports medicine. Not because it was fancy, but if I'm being honest, it was the only thing I could afford at that time.
- [05:25]
B
Yeah.
- [05:26]
A
And I landed a couple big patients. And then after three months, I had a wait list. And then for five years, I got to just travel the world with cool people and cool families and save them from surgery. And that's what I became kind of known for. And it was a blend from everything from functional medicine to chiropractic to physical therapy to Chinese medicine, but all in one. And what was interesting was for five years, I got to listen to patients. What worked, what didn't work, what were they willing to do, what were they not willing to do? Common lifestyle habits, stressors. What are all the things that they were constantly complaining about? I'm like, how do I just figure out a solution for these things?
- [06:00]
B
Yeah.
- [06:00]
A
And the number one complaint I had for five years was, Dr. Leary, I feel incredible. My problem's gone. But all these lifestyle changes that you made me implement are ruining my social life. And now I can't have fun.
- [06:14]
B
Ah.
- [06:15]
A
So that's when remedy.
- [06:16]
B
Because they're not drinking.
- [06:17]
A
Yeah. Like, how are you supposed to go on dates? How are you supposed to go to these events? How are you supposed to hang out with friends after work?
- [06:22]
B
Yeah. Network with peers, all that stuff.
- [06:24]
A
Yeah. And I was like, why is it that the most things I have documented the five year in practice was this one complaint? And that's when I knew I needed to create, have remedy. Not just be this beautiful place with hospitality standards, but also a place that they could actually use a substitution for how they socialize. And, you know, it was a guest when we opened the first one in 2019 in LA, everyone, you know, I'm like, are they going to use as a date? Are they going to use it as a meeting spot? Are they going to come here after work. And you know, part of the tour was really just teaching people, just kind of like shedding light on the awareness of how you could use the space. And people like, wow, like, that's strange. You know, I think anything that's not ordinary is a little misunderstood. But then as people started to do it, that's what we really became known for. And what I thought was like, this is a maybe, like, maybe this works. But even if it doesn't, it can still just be this place where you have self care and it's amazing hospitality standards. But it's completely changed. I think you're right. With the pandemic. I think that was like the light switch that went on in the world for everyone to know that no one can make you healthy, only you can make you healthy.
- [07:30]
B
Exactly.
- [07:30]
A
And then the awareness just shifted and now like everyone's talking about social wellness.
- [07:36]
B
Right.
- [07:36]
A
And you know, like, even, like I hear the word prevention, you know, self care is all about prevention. And I'm like, we've gotten so sick that the goal of health is to prevent not getting sick. But I'm like, health is not the absence of illness.
- [07:49]
B
Yeah.
- [07:50]
A
You know, health, like with my athletes, I had to get them in the healthiest state to not, not be sick, but to perform.
- [07:56]
B
Yeah.
- [07:56]
A
You and me aren't performing on a field, but we're performing in life.
- [08:00]
B
Right.
- [08:00]
A
It might be trying to achieve happiness, it might be better relationships, it might be creativity, or it might be our work performance. But I think the future is going to have health as a tool to maximize your success. And we'll see how this transitions as time goes on.
- [08:15]
B
You know, I think you see a lot of the biggest brands in the world. In fact, I just came from a meeting with the CEO of Equinox.
- [08:22]
A
Yeah.
- [08:23]
B
And you know, Equinox now has hotel brands.
- [08:25]
A
Yeah.
- [08:25]
B
I'm staying at one here in New York, which I love. I stayed in their sleep lab.
- [08:28]
A
Love it.
- [08:29]
B
Just the fact that a hotel even is conscious enough to have a sleep lab. Right. An eight sleep mattress. Horsehair and, and you know, cotton fiber, I mean, coconut fiber and seaweed stuffed mattresses, you know, fully blackout blinds, like really kind of catering to the traveler other than just a place to get out of the public eye and lay your head. But actually, you know, an environment that you could really benefit from. It's like you're. You're only going to be in that bed six or eight hours. You might as well get the most out of it. And, and now I think there's just massive Groundswell of, of interest in destination wellness. And sometimes we're, I mean, I know I select hotels by. First thing I look at is the gym.
- [09:17]
A
Yeah.
- [09:18]
B
And then the next thing I'm like, do they have a cold plunge? And if they do, I make, I'd rather go to a four star hotel with a cold plunge and a good gym.
- [09:24]
A
Yeah.
- [09:25]
B
Than a five star aligned with like, you know, five star dining. And I see it in Miami too. You know, there's these, these sort of wellness movements like coffee and chill that are really taking off and, and we've, we've sponsored a bunch of these events and it'll be 2,000 people.
- [09:42]
A
Yeah.
- [09:43]
B
You know, mainly just a really young, sexy, vibrant crowd. Your calling card is your physique, not your Richard Melee.
- [09:49]
A
Right.
- [09:50]
B
It's going to be at a, at a club, right? No, nobody's, nobody's got a Louis Vuitton bag on because they're in a bikini. And, and, and it's not centered around drugs and alcohol. But, but all the other things are there like a cool DJ and an awesome vibe and, but then cold plunges and coffee and, and it just seems like it's a really safe environment. They start at like 9 in the morning, go to noon.
- [10:12]
A
Yeah.
- [10:12]
B
And if you walked into this, you would think it was any other south beach ranger, Right?
- [10:17]
A
Yeah. It's amazing.
- [10:18]
B
Beautiful crowd, great music, sun shining, and there's no drugs, there's no alcohol. And it ends at noon, you know, and so, but you know, when, when, when you started this concept, I, I think you filled a massive gap in the space, you know, that, that, you know, we've always gathered around drinking alcohol, food. I mean, what's your first thing you think of when you go on a date? Where are we going to go to dinner, get a nice bottle of wine, have some champagne and realizing that there's a whole lot more to that kind of social interaction. How about actually leaving and feeling better than when you arrived?
- [10:57]
A
You know, I mean, that's our promise at our club, you know, because it's like we, it's just such a habit. And when they're passed down habits that this is what you do to socialize.
- [11:06]
B
Yeah.
- [11:07]
A
But there's no reason why we need to connect over food or alcohol. We can connect over anything.
- [11:11]
B
Yeah.
- [11:12]
A
We could be sitting, having IVs. We could be sitting in a sauna. We're doing lymphatic compression. We can do, yeah, anything.
- [11:18]
B
But you kind of normalize that because, you know, IVs are so, you know, medical. So you think of sitting in a white room at a clinic with a nurse with the full nursing outfit and, and nobody talking to you. You don't think of it as, as a socially engaging thing.
- [11:33]
A
100. And that's why design, especially of an environment is so important. You know, I like to say that we're designed to heal. The initial intention was to be the exact opposite of a clinic.
- [11:42]
B
Yeah.
- [11:43]
A
Exact opposite of what?
- [11:43]
B
Oh yeah, you definitely pulled that off.
- [11:45]
A
But then I realized that treating patients in their homes, their guard was down. And the more that their guard was down and they felt comfortable, the faster they were receptive to the care.
- [11:54]
B
Yeah.
- [11:54]
A
So then I was figuring out like, all right, when people do design, they're always thinking about how do you want someone to feel in a space? But I'm thinking about how do you manipulate their physiology in that space. There's so many things that you can do to alter whatever sense you're trying to target to start positively enhancing their physiology.
- [12:12]
B
Yeah.
- [12:12]
A
Like you were saying in like the hotel, it's a no brainer that no matter what, every environment in the future is going to be optimized to hopefully be working with you, not against you.
- [12:22]
B
Yeah.
- [12:23]
A
And I think no matter what the goal of that environment is, if it's a hotel room, to maximize your sleep.
- [12:29]
B
Yeah.
- [12:29]
A
That makes so much sense that whether it's a hotel room or your bedroom, that design, that should be the number one focus of that room.
- [12:36]
B
Yeah.
- [12:36]
A
You know what I'm saying?
- [12:37]
B
Yeah. It's so funny. My, my mom used to always tell my daughter when she started dating, like, you ought to go meet a nice man in a grocery store, you ought to hang out in the grocery store, wait for a nice family. And she was like, because, you know, and I was like, mom, why are you telling Madison to go hang out in the grocery? Sounds a little creepy. And she's like, well, at least you know that he's shopping for good food. And you know, but you know, but I think about these remedy places and I'm like, you know, if I was single in a dating scene, if you're a young man or woman or even an older man or woman and you're, you know, and you're trying to find a mate, at least you know that if you're meeting there you have some like minded interests and like, you know, in self care for sure. And, and I got to tell you, I, I, I was seeing these robotic massagers on, on, on Instagram all the time. Seem, seemed a little creepy but, and I was like, there's no way that that feels like a human massage. And nobody doesn't like a massage. And I was like, it looks like that thing's going to run right up my spine and it's going to be painful. And so I tried it at your place day four yesterday, and it was so incredible because I think it was better than any massage I've had because something about that thing, it could track where my spine was and my bones. Not once did it like run over a rough spot and jerk me. But. And then the, those little arms, the little, the little hands. Yeah, they're heated.
- [14:05]
A
Yeah.
- [14:06]
B
And I. So I finished going through all the program settings, the pressure and all of that, and then I laid there. And then once I got used to it, man, I passed out. My production manager had to come in, wake me up. You needed it, you needed it. I was out, man. It was a really pleasant experience. And I think designing an environment where people are over that, you know, that social stigma of, hey, I'm in a cold plunge or I'm in a. I'm sweating in front of you on, on a, on a date is really cool. And I think how far you've thought about socializing and community is, you know, shouldn't be overlooked because as I've kind of built a brand in this space and my brand is about messaging to the masses.
- [14:54]
A
Yeah.
- [14:55]
B
I've sort of seen an erosion in the, in the celebrity influencer, even the social media influencer, because a lot of people are not building a community.
- [15:05]
A
Yeah.
- [15:05]
B
And I think this remedy place that you've built is really about community.
- [15:10]
A
Right.
- [15:10]
B
I mean, by the time somebody is selecting to enter that community, they kind of know what they're getting into. And it already tells you a lot about that person's values.
- [15:18]
A
For sure. I think, you know, as an alternative medicine doctor, if I said 10 years ago it's about human connection and community, people would have said that's the most woo thing.
- [15:27]
B
Yeah, exactly.
- [15:28]
A
And I would have to be very careful because I am so science backed up in however I delivered anything, no matter if it was saying the same thing. How it's said is very important. But it's great that people are now realizing, you know, whether it's blue zones to like, all of this new research is coming out, like human connection is one of the most important things for our health.
- [15:48]
B
So true.
- [15:49]
A
And right now it's plummeting. You know, people are having more and more alone time than ever before. And then when they do socialize, they're going drinking alcohol, which is a depressant and a dissociative. Right. So then they're having false connections and they're numb and they're not even sure.
- [16:03]
B
Yeah.
- [16:03]
A
Is this a connection?
- [16:05]
B
Yeah.
- [16:05]
A
But what I love about being in an ice bath or a sauna or getting an iv, we're enhancing our physiology, so we're bringing out a better version of ourself, and it's also allowing us to have a higher chance to have a better connection.
- [16:17]
B
Hey, guys, let me tell you about one of my favorite new hydration drinks. Now, this is for distance athletes, hits, cardio exercisers, people that sweat a lot or exercise intensely. And an A game is a hydration drink. It has eight essential vitamins. It has all of the electrolytes, the entire suite of B vitamins. Before you freak out and read that, it has 21 grams of sugar, which it does. The sugar is coming from natural cane sugar and honey, my preferred mechanisms for getting glucose into the blood during intense exercise. It also has natural flavors, but these natural flavors don't come from bacterial fermentation. They actually come from real citrus fruits, and the color is from vegetable juice, not artificial dyes. So next time you're looking for a great hydration drink and. And you're exercising intensely, AAME is your choice. Now let's get back to the ultimate human podcast. Yeah, I totally agree with that. And what, you know, as. As you sort of. Because you were the. The pioneer. So as you built this and. And. And this thing started to take shape and come to life, like, what were some of the things that surprised you that were outcomes and byproducts of that environment that you didn't see going in?
- [17:23]
A
Yeah, first, you know, seeing if it actually caught on. Like, are people really. Must have been real, like.
- [17:28]
B
Yeah. Did you raise money? I mean, how did you really get it off the ground? You know, they're not inexpensive places. They're very well done.
- [17:34]
A
Thanks. Thanks.
- [17:35]
B
You know, well done.
- [17:36]
A
Over the years in practice, my patients became my mentors, and then they became my investors. So there's a really beautiful story of either, like, the individual was a patient or it was a family of the individual. So, like, all the money that went into it was also had a story behind it. And I think that also gave us a cool, stronger platform. But we really never raised a lot. You know, we had one raise for our series A, but we've been pretty quiet about our raises. But compared to most in a brick and mortar space, we've been, you know, we haven't. We haven't raised A lot.
- [18:10]
B
Yeah.
- [18:11]
A
And I think it's just we're still figuring out the business.
- [18:14]
B
Right.
- [18:14]
A
You know, I think like, this isn't a like five year plan for me. Like this is what I want to do to leave a Legacy. And I'm 35 and I have my whole life ahead of me. I don't need to open 100 of these rapidly. My goal right now is like, there's so much to learn, there's so much to also make sure that, you know, society also is receptive to. So if I go too far out there, I might lose some people. And especially with alternative medicine, I'm trying to make a lot of these things mainstream and it's, I want to take it at the right pace and then get a stronger and stronger business because like I said, the end goal is so much bigger than just these brick and mortar clubs. Like, there's so many verticals to this business. But at the end of the day, I just want to build a community that trusts us, that can lean on us, that we can be that reliable source of education.
- [18:57]
B
Yeah. You know, you know, I, I talk about the blue zone research a lot. And, and when you look at blue zone research, there was no continuity between diets. Right. So it wasn't like a certain dogmatic diet like keto, paleo, pescatarian.
- [19:10]
A
Yeah.
- [19:10]
B
Vegan, vegetarian, carnivore that, that said. Okay, well all the people in the carnivore or all the people on paleo or all the raw food vegans lived the longest. Yeah, it was the, the, they were all whole foods but was not exchangeable. Was this sense of community and purpose.
- [19:27]
A
Yeah.
- [19:28]
B
Which I think, you know, goes a long way. And it also goes undervalued because connection and community and purpose do not come through electronic media. And we knew in the mortality space.
- [19:43]
A
Yeah.
- [19:43]
B
That if you wanted to cut somebody's life expectancy in half at any age, put them in isolation.
- [19:50]
A
Wow.
- [19:51]
B
And the more isolated a person is, the more they're accelerating towards the grave. In isolation doesn't mean you're in solitary confinement. Isolation means that you lack connection and you lack community and you lack purpose. And so that was a non exchangeable in all of the blue zones.
- [20:12]
A
Yeah.
- [20:12]
B
So we could learn a lot from the people that are living the longest in the simplicity of this sense of community and human connection. And sadly, what's happened with electronic media and social media is we're isolated in plain sight. We're, we're entertained, but we don't have a community.
- [20:33]
A
Yeah.
- [20:33]
B
You know, I mean, I could pick up my phone and just get lost in Instagram or tick tock videos for. For hours. But I've built no connection, no community. I just saw, you know, three guys get knocked out and, you know, one woman sledding with her dog and what, you know, whatever it is.
- [20:49]
A
Yeah.
- [20:50]
B
So I was entertained.
- [20:51]
A
Yeah.
- [20:52]
B
But I lost that. That connection. And so, you know, I want to bring you back to that question of, like, what. What have you seen evolving from Remedy Place that maybe you didn't expect that you're like, wow, this wasn't, you know, what. How I intended, but this is what I see coming out of this. Do you see communities, relationships? Do you see, like, was this a surprise to you, maybe that corporations are now holding events there?
- [21:18]
A
Yeah. I would say two things. I would say, you know, about a fifth of our business is events now. Really. We used to say when we opened, like, we could remedy any event. So we'd go to any event from Cannes Film Festival to the Kardashians Backyard and, like, host, like, these events. And I was like, okay, it doesn't matter what the occasion. We can add something. Like, we would bring our ice bath class everywhere, and that. That gained so much momentum, and that was like our kind of our natural marketing that we got paid for to put on these events. But then everyone went nuts. And I think we started getting so many views online in these ice bath classes. And then we transitioned from all these external events to just using the club. We're like, the clubs are these beautiful venues and all of these companies don't want to just have another open bar or another dinner. They're looking for experiences, and experience that make people better and they're more memorable. So it's cool to have, like, companies like Saint Laurent to Nike that are coming and renting out the club and they're doing open self care and they're figuring out a way that they want to make their event unique with their. Maybe that's their product launch or whatever it may be, but it's fun and I think it's interesting. For me, I'm like, every single industry is trying to figure out what their wellness edge is. It doesn't matter if it's like fashion till we partnered with Kohler, which a plumbing manufacturer.
- [22:36]
B
Yeah, I saw that announcement the other day.
- [22:38]
A
Yeah. And it's to see, like, automotive airlines. Like, I'm like, how cool is it that we're in an industry that everyone right now is. Is trying to figure out how they can add some type of wellness component to their to their vertical. And that gets me excited because to be able to partner with people like Kohler. Right. That have 150 years of experience.
- [23:00]
B
Yeah.
- [23:00]
A
You know, they've been building this business and they have such a reputable reputation to be able to have that and then be able to speak to their audience and shed awareness around something like ice baths that, you know, you, me both love.
- [23:12]
B
Yeah.
- [23:13]
A
And that have their audience now more aware to, like, you know what? Maybe I'm going to try that now.
- [23:18]
B
Yeah.
- [23:19]
A
And if we can cross into every single industry and use their platforms to also educate, I feel like it's our responsibility. Right. To be able to give more education to as many audiences as possible. And that's why I love these partnerships that aren't where initially maybe I thought, like, you would think that you'd partner with health companies.
- [23:40]
B
Right.
- [23:41]
A
But now I'm like, I only want to partner with companies that aren't in the health industry because I think we can add so much more value.
- [23:46]
B
Right.
- [23:46]
A
And there's more of a compliment, you know, where their expertise and strength, we can combine and do something powerful that, you know, others can't.
- [23:55]
B
You know, I think most people watching this would say, man, I wish my company would host an event there. I mean, I think corporate events, you know, are so. You ever. You ever see the movie the Office? Yeah, it's one of my favorites. Right.
- [24:07]
A
Yeah. Where.
- [24:09]
B
But, you know, they. They make a spoof out of all of the traditional corporate boxes there. You know, there's a birthday party, so somebody goes to the supermarket and gets a, you know, crappy $6 birthday cake, and they're like, happy birthday to you. And there's the water cooler in the, you know, in the corporate kitchen with the Keurig. And. But there's nothing special or communal about that. You know, my mom got. My mom worked for Delta Airlines for 30 years, and when she graduated, I mean, when she retired, they gave her like a Seiko watch. It was probably a 200 watch. And a. And a sweatshirt said, delta Airlines, thank you for your service. I'm like, wow, 30 years, a sweatshirt and a Seiko. That's awesome. And, you know, and. And she doesn't have any connection with any of the people that she worked with for all. All of that time because the environment was so sterile. So it was, you know, corporations, I think, are realizing, dude, you can build a lot of community and a lot of camaraderie and, you know, in your. In your staff, your employees bring a lot of joy to them by doing some of these things that are outside.
- [25:18]
A
The box, you know, and building a stronger team.
- [25:21]
B
Yeah.
- [25:21]
A
You know, like, it's crazy to me. You see, especially in New York City, like everyone's working so hard and they're drinking all night. I'm thinking, why would I take my team out to drinks? That's going to slow them down, it's going to affect their mental health and they're not going to perform as good the next day. Where if you think about doing something impactful, that's bringing them to have a stronger connection and amplifying their physiology, doing something healthy, it's like treating a sports team like I would treat my work team. And every corporation should be thinking about that. I mean, I've spoken for JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs and all these banks. I'm like, you guys should be treating your teams like I would treat a pro sports team.
- [25:58]
B
Yeah. Because healthy, happy, vibrant, connected.
- [26:02]
A
And then think about how much better the company would do if everyone was performing better and was happier.
- [26:09]
B
Yeah. I totally agree. I've heard you talk about like a seven pillar lifestyle. What is that about? Like these, these pillars of lifestyle.
- [26:20]
A
Yeah.
- [26:21]
B
Is that kind of Remedy trying to.
- [26:23]
A
Yes. For us. You know, like, I'm trying to figure out our way to educate in a way. Like Remedy's a luxury experience and I'm like, how do we make things more accessible? And I think that's where like us just providing free education. Right. Any opportunity that there's a time to educate and teach someone, you know. I totally agree. Your body's your number one asset and most people don't even know how it works. Nevermind. I take care of it.
- [26:44]
B
Right.
- [26:44]
A
So like, we just need to teach people what those foundational pillars are. And I think what's interesting is you don't have to go to Remedy to be healthy.
- [26:52]
B
Hmm.
- [26:52]
A
You know, Remedy's amazing experience. It's like, you're gonna feel better, it's gonna amplify you. But the foundational pillars of health are so much simpler. And I think we're overlooking, you know, like, how are we teaching you how to eat? How are we teaching them how to move? How are we teaching them to really focus on their thoughts? How are you controlling your thoughts? And how are we rewiring your brains with like these simple practices and routine and then learning about things that might not feel as traditional? Like, how are we teaching people to have better relationships?
- [27:22]
B
Yeah.
- [27:23]
A
How are we teaching people how to create communities? How are we teaching them to audit all of their environments? Because if I believe that every Environment can either work with you or against you. How are we looking at that? No matter what your budget is or where you, what you have access to, figuring out whatever you can do, as long as we're making small little changes and moving it in the right direction. But I just think it's so important, you know, of course all of the fancy technologies and red light and ice baths and Iberic are all amazing. But like you said, like, who's teaching people about human connection?
- [27:54]
B
Yeah.
- [27:55]
A
As people are having, especially the younger generation with that grew up with only social media, who's teaching them those skill sets to rebuild.
- [28:03]
B
Yeah.
- [28:03]
A
Human connection. And that's where I see there's so much opportunity because that's what we need to really be focusing on.
- [28:11]
B
Over the last 20 years in human biology, one compound I've trusted again and again is nad. Plus its critical for energy focus and cellular repair. But your levels drop around age 30. I used to administer NAD via IVs in my clinics, but now I take Row Nutrition's liposomal NAD, the first oral formula that actually works. Their advanced Delivery tech gets nad straight into your bloodstream. I take 1 teaspoon daily and the results are real clean energy, sharper focus and better recovery. You can try it risk free with the ultimate 15 code at checkout for 15% off. Just put in ult at 15 at checkout you'll receive 15% off and your cells will thank you. Now let's get back to the ultimate human podcast. Yeah. You know, it's, it's interesting. I, I have a 16 year old and I have, she just turned 17. I have a 27 year old.
- [29:05]
A
Yeah.
- [29:05]
B
And even though they're only 10 years apart, they had vastly different experiences going through grade school, middle school, high school and, and vastly different experiences than what I have. I still remember like in 8th grade if you wanted to ask a girl out like we use, we would usually like write a note.
- [29:23]
A
Yeah.
- [29:23]
B
And, and there'll be like a little box like yes or no. And then you would pass it to your friend and then he would pass it to the desk in front of him. It would finally make it up to the girl. And then you were like sweating, your heart's pounding. And then they would open it up like check a box. Or you actually had to have, you know, the wherewithal to walk up to someone and ask them on a date or tell them that you like them.
- [29:47]
A
Yeah.
- [29:47]
B
And, and, and that sort of palpable fear. And, and I mean it's sort of gone now in social media. Because, you know, like my youngest daughter will be like, yeah, you know, five guys asked me out in the last month. I said no. I'm like, how'd they ask you out? When they sent me a text message, you know.
- [30:03]
A
Yeah.
- [30:04]
B
You know, so, so that's this whole connection thing that's, you know, the, the, the absence of, of that real. And it's, it's kind of beautiful, like meet somebody, start to vibe with them, have a real connection, you know, grow that maybe into a relationship, maybe into a friendship or maybe into nothing. But, you know, having a sieve like, like a remedy place where at least you know that you have like minded interests maybe. Why my grandmother told my daughter to go to the grocery store, like stand in the avocado aisle or something. He's picking up an avocado. At least he's healthy. You know, it's like, yeah, it's so funny. Judy Brec. Big shout out, Mom. The other thing that I think struck me when I was at your place was you've added this component of functional medicine.
- [30:52]
A
Yeah, right.
- [30:53]
B
Where not as a requirement, but if you wanted to sort of up your game to the next level. Because I think there's a increasing level of curiosity in. Okay. This made me feel great. I took a sauna, took a cold plunge. I feel clear and clean and awake and like, you know, sort of switched on. I call the cold plunge my drug of choice for a reason. Because nothing makes me feel better for longer.
- [31:18]
A
Great.
- [31:19]
B
I'm so excited that Equinox had a cold plunge this morning. And so, but you've, you've graduated to like now these additional services and functional medicine, what, what is, what is that platform like? And do you see that being something that you're going to integrate as you go forward?
- [31:37]
A
Huge. Yeah. I mean, half of my practice before remedy was functional medicine. And you know, for me to actually treat someone to the best of my ability, it'd be naive of me to think that I would be able to do it without knowing what's under the hood.
- [31:51]
B
Yes.
- [31:52]
A
And I just think that functional medicine can analyze everything. All of these blood tests, Right. We can look at every organ, every system, every deficiency, every toxicity level, every sensitivity. And then you really get a full understanding of this puzzle that you have to figure out, like all of this biochemistry, how do all of these things affect one another? And then what can we do to naturally get that to the right spot? And I just think it takes out all the guessing. And I used to do it, you know, when people were like, why do you have to do my blood work. And my patients, I'd be like, listen. Because half of what's going on could be just be biochemical or nutrition, like nutritional. And especially when I was talking about patients that were recovering or in pain, they're like, why are we talking about my diet? I'm like, because your diet is going to play a major role in this recovery process.
- [32:38]
B
Yeah.
- [32:39]
A
And I just think for me, like, I do my full functional medicine screening every six months. I'm like, my life changes so much almost on a monthly basis. Whether it's work, travel, you know, work stress, whatever I'm building, like your body's changing and ever changing. And because our lifestyle is not the same, you need to keep looking back. And I think everyone, my main focus with every patient first is like, you need to understand you. Whether it's. Whether it's the wearable, whether it's the blood work, whatever you have access to. The more data that you can have, the more you can start understanding. So then we know what's the fastest, most effective way to get you the results that you want. But what's wild is like to think that functional medicine is not covered under your insurance.
- [33:22]
B
It's so crazy. I mean, I think that's my change under the new administration. You know, I think Bobby Kennedy is doing a good job of, of opening some of these lanes, and I think you're going to see those get wider peptides. What I would call lifestyle medicine. Not even functional medicine, lifestyle medicine, or just the, you know, back to the basics. Recommendations of drawing people's attention to the importance of sleep. Drawing people's attention to the importance of hydration, drawing their attention to the importance of this basic movement. You know, I think walking is the most underrated exercise in the world.
- [33:57]
A
I say that all the time. Yeah, it's one of the most important. That's why I think, you know, when I moved to New York, one of my favorite of my top three reasons why I love New York more than living in LA is just the walking.
- [34:08]
B
Yeah.
- [34:09]
A
And I think it's harder to have as good of a diet here, but I think because you can walk more. My rule is, like, the more you eat, the more you walk. And if you cheat, walk a little bit more.
- [34:18]
B
Yeah, that's a great one.
- [34:20]
A
And I think it's so cool because it's like, if you have to walk, if you walk to every meal, like, say I go out to dinner most nights just because that's my current life right now. I wish I was cooking at Home. But I make sure that I walk. If it's under two miles, I walk there and walk back.
- [34:35]
B
Yeah, that's right.
- [34:36]
A
And I just think that's completely changed my digestion in the. Actually the best my digestion and GI health has ever been. And I owe that really just to the amount that I walk and the amount of steps that I have.
- [34:49]
B
You know, it's funny, I noticed when I. When I pass women on the street in New York, half of them have like the high heels sticking out of their purse and they've got to say sneakers on. So you know, they've got their work gear and their dress on and, and you can tell, you know, they're. They're walking to work, then they'll get to their office and pop the heels on. But, you know, it's. That mobility is so important. You know, our lymph system is a static sim system. It doesn't have any pressure behind it. It's not like our arteries and veins that have the heart to move it, you know, move the fluid.
- [35:19]
A
Sure.
- [35:20]
B
The lymph moves by muscular contraction and by motion. And the more you move, the more you're just naturally detoxifying. And I think the. Just the old school we. I have a saying that aging is the aggressive pursuit of comfort. Because I believe a huge component of aging is that we aggressively pursue comfort. We want to regulate our temperature in our car, in our house, in our office. We want to regulate our lighting. You know, we can make it the surface of the sun at 1 o' clock in the morning if we want.
- [35:52]
A
Yeah.
- [35:52]
B
And it's so unnatural and so out of sync with our circadian biology.
- [35:56]
A
Yeah.
- [35:57]
B
Is to have whatever you want, whenever you want and feel exactly how you want, you know, at your demand.
- [36:03]
A
Yeah.
- [36:03]
B
You know, I, I often say we gotta stop telling grandma not to go outside because it's too hot, not to go outside because it's too cold. Just to lay down, to relax, to eat at the first pang of hunger.
- [36:14]
A
Yeah.
- [36:14]
B
Because you're just collapsing all your natural defense mechanisms.
- [36:17]
A
Well, that's where like, I think aging is the result of adapting to stress. And the healthier you are, the better you adapt to stress.
- [36:27]
B
Right.
- [36:27]
A
And I think it's really interesting that being healthy is about figuring out how to be more resilient and adaptive no matter what we're exposed to.
- [36:35]
B
Yeah.
- [36:35]
A
And I think that's like kind of what you're saying is just like those stressors or those moments or those things that we interact with, being able to get more resilient and more adaptive to be able to handle those makes us healthier.
- [36:47]
B
I totally agree. I mean a lot of the things that are stressing us in our life, there's not a lot we can do about it. I mean if you're a young mother of three, that's stressful.
- [36:57]
A
Yeah.
- [36:57]
B
Full stop. You know, if or young father of three, you know, or even of one. And you know, your, your career is almost always going to distress you out you had a boss that you don't like and a coworker you don't get along with. You have a job you're not particularly happy with. So there, there are a lot of these stressors family that we deal that are, that are going to be there whether we arm ourselves to deal with them or not. And it's incredible now the correlation that research is able to draw between physical resilience and mental resilience in our ability to be adaptive to stress and have stress be less impactful.
- [37:38]
A
Yeah.
- [37:38]
B
On our bodies, you know.
- [37:40]
A
Well, that's why I'm fascinated with stress. Because you think like, you know, people say how bad stress is. I'm like a certain level of stress I think is good for you, you.
- [37:49]
B
Know, like hormetic stress.
- [37:50]
A
Yeah, exactly. We go to the gym and we tear our muscle fibers to become stronger and we think that's normal. But I think every single system, us going in a sauna or a cold plunge, our body is adapting to a stressor in an extreme. And I think right now we've been in such a period where people are avoiding all the things that are hard especially. And I think that's affecting our mental health more than anything because you know, just like you were saying earlier with the kids, like having to ask a girl out.
- [38:18]
B
Yeah.
- [38:18]
A
Like that amount of stress and like anxiety and nerves, like that made you stronger.
- [38:23]
B
Yeah.
- [38:24]
A
But if you didn't develop those skill.
- [38:25]
B
Sets, I still literally remember the feeling how they say, like you might not remember what happened, but you remember how it made you feel.
- [38:33]
A
Yeah.
- [38:33]
B
I remember being in 8th grade and like or, or 9th grade or 10th grade and proms coming up and you know, you've got to ask someone if they want to go with you and like just the like loss of breath, you know.
- [38:46]
A
Well, that heightened emotional state. Right. Is what imprints that memory.
- [38:50]
B
Yeah.
- [38:50]
A
You know, like, so that's why that feeling of being anxious and being nervous, like that's what made it so sound in your brain to be that memorable.
- [38:59]
B
Yeah.
- [38:59]
A
And I think if we numb all of those strong feelings, we're Going to lose a lot of memories.
- [39:04]
B
Yeah, I couldn't, Couldn't agree with you more. So when you're. You know, One thing I find tough for people like me, and it's gotta be for people like you, too, is I'm so intellectually curious about what's going on out there. Like, what is the latest and greatest? I mean, are there new functional labs that we should be pulling? Are there advances in genetic testing as supplementation being refined? How do you go through the sieve of. Of what lands in a Remedy place? Because you could get paralysis of analysis of the possibilities. Right. I mean, pmf, oxygen, red light, you know, cold, plunging, sauna, vibration acoustics. You know, you could just go down this insane road and then eventually you don't have a business model anymore, Right? No, for sure.
- [39:54]
A
And I think, listen, we get pitched things every week. Yeah. You know, the latest and greatest technology, this new technology. And for me, you know, like I said, Remedy is so important to me, and not just for the short term, for my whole life, that we don't add a lot of new things to Remedy. You know, everything that's in Remedy is there because now I've used it for at least 10 years, and I know that it works. And I want anyone that knows, like, when they come in Remedy, I want them to know that anything here is here because it works right here. Yeah. And like something like an AI massage. I haven't been using an AI massage for a decade, but I know the power of massage. So the delivery of the modality might change and how people experience it or the design or like how people socialize, it will change and evolve. But for us, we haven't changed much. And these are things that I was using in my practice before Remedy.
- [40:46]
B
Yeah.
- [40:46]
A
And I just. That's an important thing because if I start doing things to test out in the clubs, we can lose credibility.
- [40:52]
B
Right.
- [40:52]
A
And right now I just want to make sure we're gaining as much trust as possible and making sure that people just know that it's there because it's the best and it's the safest version.
- [41:01]
B
Yeah.
- [41:01]
A
And because they have the data to prove that it works.
- [41:04]
B
I think there's something interesting about the robotic massage because, like, I remember my, my father started in the Navy as a pilot.
- [41:11]
A
Yeah.
- [41:12]
B
He's telling me stories about this years ago, obviously, but told me stories about how, like, Autopilot was just coming into the cockpit of some of these. These jets. And at first, like, all the pilots were like, there's no hell. I'm getting in a cockpit with a computer flying the plane. And two years later they wouldn't get into an airplane that didn't have an autopilot. Right. Because of the level of comfort with the technology. And the truth is autopilot's safer than a human pilot because of the number of independent variables that it can assimilate and create an actionable result. It's like AI. I think there's something to be said for these kinds of robotic massages because there's, you know, there's potential, you know, social stress. Like, oh, my wife is going to get a massage by this really good looking dude. Or you know, I mean my, my husband's going to get a massage by this really attractive woman, like, and they're gonna be oiled up in his underwear. So you're trying to normalize that. But like the robot is like, hey, you get up and leave. He's not asking for your phone number, you know.
- [42:15]
A
Yeah.
- [42:16]
B
It's just you and the AI massager. Nothing, nothing freaky is going down. So kind of, you know, I might require my wife to only get AI massages. Now that I think about, I'm really comfortable with that. Sage. Sorry.
- [42:28]
A
So funny.
- [42:29]
B
But, but I think the, the acceptance of artificial intelligence technology, I feel like it's 25 years ahead of where mainstream medicine is right now.
- [42:39]
A
Yeah.
- [42:40]
B
It's not an attack on mainstream medicine, but takes a long time for the regulatory environment to catch up. And as I've traveled the world and met with literally the top functional medicine physicians, leading experts in anti aging, biohacking, longevity, wellness, whatever you want to call it, researchers, PhDs, MDs. What's fascinating to me is that a lot of this research is bringing us back to the basics.
- [43:05]
A
For sure.
- [43:06]
B
They're like, by the way, you can't sort of eat your way around not exercising and you can't exercise your way around a poor diet.
- [43:15]
A
Yeah.
- [43:15]
B
And nothing will supplement for lack of sleep.
- [43:19]
A
Yeah.
- [43:19]
B
So there's like some foundational things and that human beings need if you want to live a long, healthy, thriving life. And I wish I could patent them. You and I'd be the wealthiest guys in the world. But you can't because they're widely available. They're basic. God gave it to us every day. Sunlight, grounding, breath, work, movement, sleep. And sometimes I find that it's hard to emphasize the importance of that to people.
- [43:49]
A
Yeah.
- [43:50]
B
Because it seems so basic.
- [43:53]
A
Yeah.
- [43:53]
B
But the truth is we gotten so far away from that.
- [43:56]
A
And it's that simple.
- [43:57]
B
Yeah. It's that Simple. Like I saw a video of gym classes in the 50s and insane.
- [44:05]
A
I've seen those.
- [44:06]
B
Have you seen those?
- [44:06]
A
Yeah, like that's how everybody's in crazy shape.
- [44:09]
B
Guys are just ripping pull ups for no reason. And you know, it was, it was, it was amazing. Like you play find the fat person. Everybody, you know, they're going up the walls with the little, you know, with like the sticks, you know, doing push ups. Everybody's running a mile in under nine minutes. And now three quarters of our military age, men and women can't enter the military because of poor health. I mean, that's, that's 77 of the population that's of the age to enter the military. Like, we are in a crisis and I think a lot of this crisis could be solved by getting back to the basics. So I, I really, I, I can't see anything other for remedy than you guys just continuing to, to explode.
- [44:57]
A
Yeah. Thanks, man. Yeah, I think it's like you said, it's, it's that simple and we've made it so complicated.
- [45:02]
B
Yeah.
- [45:02]
A
And like alternative medicine's been around for a very long time and those were the foundations of those. Like when you, when you provide those foundational things and you put the body in the right state, it heals.
- [45:14]
B
Happy is an award winning digital wellness company and we invite you to join us in transforming the way people rest, renew and focus. The goal is to help people take control of how they sleep, how they feel and how they perform, all without taking drugs, supplements, or high caffeine energy drinks. The neuroscientists at HAP B have created a set of mood enhancing programs. They're called Vibes. So each vibe uses ultra low frequency signals to mimic the effects of relaxants or stimulants in the body. When the brain detects these signals, it reacts as if you're actually taking the substance, giving you all the benefits without the downsides. So it puts you in control of how you want to feel, when you want to feel it naturally, with no chemicals, pills or side effects. Just select a vibe on the Happy app and let the soothing electromagnetic waves wash over your body. At Happy, we believe a more rested world is a better world. It's time to change the vibe. Now let's get back to the ultimate human podcast in a functional panel. Because I think a lot of my audience is very woke to functional medicine, but a lot of them are new to it and they're sort of on this journey and, and they're on this platform trying to figure things out. What, what does it mean to you like functional medicine or when you say that you pull these functional panels.
- [46:30]
A
Yeah.
- [46:30]
B
What are you kind of looking at?
- [46:31]
A
Yeah.
- [46:31]
B
I think somebody could understand.
- [46:33]
A
What's important is, like, people, like a lot of people think that their annual blood work that they do when they're primary care doctors, their functional medicine, but that's just diagnostic test. The point of those.
- [46:43]
B
Do you have disease? Do you not have.
- [46:45]
A
Exactly. It's not telling you, hey, is there things that are concerning that could be a disease? Are there other things that are causing the symptoms that you're experiencing? A lot of people get blood work and their blood work's fine. When they get just their diagnostic blood work, they're like, I can't figure out why I feel this way. I have all of these symptoms. I don't understand why, you know, I'm always bloated. I have all these GI problems. But then they get their blood work and they're like, everything's fine, but it's just very surface level. Functional medicine will look at it at a very detailed level in ways that your normal panels won't.
- [47:18]
B
Yeah.
- [47:18]
A
And I think that is what's really missing. Where it's like, you know, they'll do a couple vitamins in your normal panel, but they're missing. There's so many more to be looking at.
- [47:28]
B
Right.
- [47:28]
A
And a lot of the times simple imbalances or deficiencies are causing the symptom that you're experiencing that no one can figure out.
- [47:35]
B
Dude, you are singing my tune. I've said for years, we are not as sick or diseased or as pathological as we think we are. We are nutrient deficient. When you deprive the human body of raw materials, vitamins, minerals, amino acids.
- [47:46]
A
Acids, yeah.
- [47:47]
B
Nutrients, you get the expression of disease. I mean, a lot of brittle bone diseases are mineral deficiencies. Osteopenia, osteoporosis, a lot of the expressions of deficiency, hypertension, hypothyroid autoimmune are deficiencies that have gone on for a long period of time where the body can't defend itself. And then eventually it breaks for sure. You know, and, and you, you, you will eventually blow a motor if you don't put oil in the engine. And, and so if you're deficient in oil, the expression is blown motor.
- [48:18]
A
Yeah.
- [48:18]
B
If you're deficient in radiator fluid, the radiator overheats. And, and it's, it's astounding to me how we accept these things in, in, you know, mechanics and in plant physiology, but we don't believe it in human.
- [48:31]
A
Physiology and the psychological component. Right. That symptom that turned into a disease and then you're labeled, people feel handicapped because like, I have this disease and I'm like, wait, you know that we can fix that. Like that's not a permanent thing. Yeah. And let's look at what's on.
- [48:48]
B
Nobody thinks that.
- [48:49]
A
And then, you know, then sometimes people get stuck on these medications for their whole life and they didn't know that there was a simple solution.
- [48:56]
B
Right.
- [48:56]
A
Unless it's an emergency, like, don't come to me if there's an emergency. But for a first line of intervention.
- [49:01]
B
Right.
- [49:02]
A
For anything functional medicine should be the first thing that we do.
- [49:06]
B
Yeah.
- [49:06]
A
And if you still have to do all the other medical interventions, you should still do it to be co managed.
- [49:11]
B
Yeah.
- [49:11]
A
Because there's no more guessing anymore.
- [49:13]
B
Yeah, I totally agree with you. You know, Dr. Leary, I, I, first of all, this is amazing and I'm definitely going to have you you back on the podcast. I want to spend a few minutes going into our VIP group because my VIP community has some very specific questions for you. But for those folks that are watching this that want to find out more about you or more about Remedy.
- [49:36]
A
Yeah.
- [49:36]
B
How, how do they find you?
- [49:37]
A
Best way is Instagram, you know, at Dr. Jonathan Leary or at Remedy Place, we try to keep everything up to date there, whether it's the events, the education, or what is going on that's new in the club. So, you know, either come and stop by because, you know.
- [49:51]
B
And where are you located now and where are you anticipating to be, let's say in the next six months to 12 months?
- [49:55]
A
Yeah, I'm mostly here, so I live between L. A and New York, but New York, I'm trying to make my main home base it's easier. We have the two clubs here. We just opened in Boston, so now it's easier.
- [50:05]
B
Yeah.
- [50:06]
A
And I love it here. I really, you know, I grew up on the east coast, so it feels nice to be back on the east coast. And I just feel like I'm trying.
- [50:12]
B
To reel them down to Miami right now. We had a little talk about it, so off camera, I'm gonna put a little more pressure on them when we open there.
- [50:19]
A
I'll be there all the time.
- [50:20]
B
That'd be great. We'll fill the east coast first. You know, this is amazing, Dr. Leary. I, I, I pray every day for pioneers like you, and I'm excited for your success and I'm really more excited for the impact that you're making on the world and what you're giving people, which is a way to normalize being optimal and in a social situation, give them an alternative to just food and alcohol. And I really appreciate that mission.
- [50:49]
A
Thanks, man. That means a lot.
- [50:50]
B
I wind down every podcast by asking my guests the same question, and there's no right or wrong answer to the question. And that is, what does it mean to you to be an ultimate human?
- [51:01]
A
Wow. I think it's to constantly pursue change. You know, for me, I. I think personally and professionally, in order to continue to be better than your environment allows you to grow.
- [51:15]
B
Yeah.
- [51:15]
A
And I think without challenge and without new obstacles, without new learnings, we plateau. And I think to get you get one time on, not all stress is back.
- [51:26]
B
Totally agree with you.
- [51:27]
A
You know, and I just think everyone has their uniqueness, and I just think the more that you're able to allow yours to come out by being healthier and by challenging the norms, you get to, like, add your value to this world.
- [51:39]
B
That's amazing. Well, I'll link everything that he referred to in the show notes below. If you're interested in becoming a VIP, just go over to the ultimate human.comforward/vip. It's 97 bucks a month. I provide tremendous value, really trying to build and cultivate this community. Dr. Leary and I are going to go in there and answer some of your direct questions, but definitely make sure you check out the podcast. And until next time, that's just science.