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Beyond Hormones, The Business of Wellness
Running a hormone or wellness clinic is rewarding — but let’s be honest, it can also feel overwhelming. That’s where Beyond Hormones: The Business of Wellness comes in.
Hosted by Jody Layne, co-founder of Accelerated Medical Practices, this podcast is here to help providers build thriving, profitable practices without losing sight of why they started. With over a decade of experience in marketing, sales, and business development — and after working with hundreds of clinics — Jody brings both expertise and encouragement to every episode.
You’ll hear candid conversations with clinic owners who’ve been in your shoes, expert interviews with professionals who share tools and wisdom to help your practice grow, and Jody’s own insights from years of working behind the scenes in the hormone industry.
If you’re ready to feel more confident, more supported, and a little less alone on the journey of business ownership, you’re in the right place.
Beyond Hormones, The Business of Wellness
Ep #64 - The Miami Doctor Who Turns Patients Away — And Built a Waitlist Doing It
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What does it look like when a physician builds a practice that's been running at the leading edge of wellness since 2010 — and never looked back
Dr. Ivan Rusilko started his Miami-based longevity practice before most people even knew what wellness was. Since then, he's watched the industry transform from a niche curiosity into the number one industry in the country — and he's been quietly shaping a lot of it from behind the scenes. His diagnostic protocols are now being used by providers across the country. His new AI, Celera, just saw a 30% increase in patient acceptance at soft launch. And his all-referral, no-membership, hyper-customized practice model is something a lot of clinic owners are starting to pay close attention to.
In this episode, Jody and Dr. Ivan get into the real business of building a thriving, cash-pay longevity practice — including some takes that may challenge how you've been thinking about your own growth.
Topics covered in this episode:
- Why the most profitable service in his practice is diagnostic lab testing — and how he built a $3,500 all-inclusive panel that also serves as the perfect patient filter
- The "cellular first" framework: why treating mitochondrial dysfunction and senescent cell burden before anything else isn't just better medicine — it's better business
- What "you can't prescribe scared" actually means, especially around peptides
- His philosophy on staffing: why credentials matter less than character, and why treating your team for free is non-negotiable
- The membership model debate — when it works, and why it didn't work for him
- Why he never markets and has built his entire practice on word of mouth
Connect with Dr. Ivan:
🎙️ Podcast: Lifestyle Medicine - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lifestyle-medicine-podcast/id1836422029
📍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifestylemedicine/
If you are here before June 25, 2026 - join Jody and Access Live for a free training - Why Leads Don’t Convert and What Successful Hormone Clinics Do Instead. Register for your spot: https://lp.accessmedlab.com/access-live-webinar-registration?utm_campaign=Access%20Live&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8jGDj_BpC27lT0zDzVwnj6qU0Lq38WQqk4CsM4e13d5uh1UTEYIAAiuigrDBl7id_fgiBDk4J1tX5NL7goum60VtUX40p1a9L08RKLwDgImCG0R6s&_hsmi=422053714&utm_content=421283124&utm_source=hs_email
This podcast is powered by Accelerated Medical Practices, where we believe hormone and wellness care should be both life-changing and profitable. If you own or run a clinic and are interested in being a guest on the show, please complete the form here and let's connect! Or email Jody at Jody@AcceleratedMedicalPractices.com.
🚀 Grow your clinic with proven systems at AcceleratedMedicalPractices.com
For more Insights and Tips on Growing Your Hormone Clinic, subscribe to THE AMP Report sent every other Thursday and follow us on social media for "almost" daily tips!
Last BUT DEFINITELY NOT LEAST, is your looking for the fast track to growing your clinic, check out The AMP Accelerator - A free membership site filled with on demand course content to allow you to learn what you need, when yo...
Welcome to Beyond Hormones, the Business of Wellness, the podcast for hormone and functional medicine providers who want a thriving, predictably profitable practice, and maybe a little less stress along the way. Hi, I'm your host, Jody Lane, and I've worked with lots of clinics in marketing, sales, and business development. And I have seen what works and what doesn't. And here's what I believe hormone and wellness care should be available to everyone who wants it. And while providers know the medicine, many struggle with the business side of their cashier practice. And that's where I come in. So this podcast is here to share real strategies, real stories, things you can implement in your practice right away. So I am so glad you're here. Come on, let's go. Hello, and welcome back to Beyond Hormones, the business of wellness. I am your host, Jody, and today's guest was a ton of fun. He ended up being one of my favorite conversations that I've had on this show. And I'm not just saying that, although I do really enjoy interviewing people, so I say that a lot. But here's the thing: before this interview ever happened, I was already a fan because I had a chance to be on Dr. Ivan's podcast, Lifestyle Medicine, and I have been an enthusiastic listener ever since that day. And the day before we recorded this episode, I sat down and listened to an episode that he did solo. Just him talking through his story, his philosophy, the way he thinks about medicine and patients. It was truly authentic. And I walked into this interview that you're about to listen to completely fired up and ready to go deep because it was that good. Now, Dr. Ivan is a Miami-based physician and performance expert who has been in this space for a very long time, since 2010, long before wellness was even a recognizable industry. He runs a successful cash pay longevity practice that, by his own description, serves the upper 1% down in Miami. Every patient he treats is custom. Every protocol is built from the cellular level up. And the practice is so dialed in that people are literally flying in from across the country, carrying his diagnostic panels because another doctor somewhere learned about them and started using them. Now, what we're gonna dive into today is all about business, not the medicine. So if you want to listen to the medicine, go check his podcast out, Lifestyle Medicine. We're gonna talk about how he decides what treatments are worth adding to his practice, how he built a staff that is literally a walking billboard for the results that he gets, why he never does a membership model, which you know I promote that, but he's got some great advice. And we also are gonna talk about the new AI that he has built that is making some serious waves. This episode is for you. If you've ever wondered whether your practice model is as tight as it could be, or if you're ready to stop treating everyone and start building something really specific and really powerful. Oh, and before we go, I wanted to let you know that I am going to be joining Access Live, which is the sponsor of Dr. Aub's podcast, Lifestyle Medicine, for a free training on June 25th. Now, podcasts are evergreen, so you might be listening to this, you know, in August or December. But on June 25th, 2026, at 1 p.m., I will be joining Access for a free training, and I would love to have you join. The information and the link is in the show notes. Okay, enough about all that. Let's get into the show. I introduce you to Dr. Ivan. Welcome everyone back to Beyond Hormones, the Business of Wellness Podcast. I have a very special guest today. I am excited to introduce Dr. Ivan, who is a Miami-based physician and performance expert specializing in hormone optimization and longevity medicine. He leads a modern, data-driven practice focused on helping patients improve energy, body composition, and overall health through personalized care, but not like most doctors. So uh I have had the pleasure of being on his podcast first. And so I was already kind of tuned in and subscribed to his podcast that he does with Access Labs called Lifestyle Medicine. And luckily today, uh, which is not going to be the day you're listening to this because we're recording in advance, but I was able to listen to this episode that he did all by himself to talk about his story, his background, and his philosophy on medicine. So I was excited yesterday to have this interview, but Dr. Ivan, I'm even more excited to have it with you today because I feel like I have a little insight into your brain. So thanks for being here today.
SPEAKER_00Oh, I am honored to be here. So thank you so much for having me. And I'm definitely looking forward to getting into the uh bare knuckles of it here.
SPEAKER_01Okay, cool. I have about a thousand questions uh written down, and we'll see how many we can get through.
SPEAKER_00So I have about 2,000 answers, so let's do it.
SPEAKER_01Cool. So the first thing is um you're in one of the most progressive health markets in the country, right? Miami. Um, I'm in Florida too, but in a very different part of Florida. Uh so what are you seeing right now in patient demand that most clinics in other parts of the country just aren't seeing?
SPEAKER_00Well, it's unique because I started here in 2010 before wellness was even an industry, kind of in a way. And then I've seen it kind of grow from the housewives looking at, you know, sex, fitness, and fat loss to now it's it's really transformed into more of a uh I don't know how to like a longevity type space, but also chronic disease. There's almost equaling the fitness, fat loss, and sex. So it's been kind of a very unique transition. And I think that that reflection point, that turning point was when COVID hit, and uh everybody kind of realized that health wasn't free and that, you know, you you you damn well better get yourself in shape to make sure that you can live long and full lives here.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. And um, you know, I I will I I want to give a plug right at the beginning because we're gonna talk more about the business side of your clinic than you do on your podcast, but you are a wealth of knowledge. So can you just share with everybody um how they find your podcast so that if they are enjoying the medicine side of what you're saying, they want to delve deeper. Where would they go?
SPEAKER_00For sure. I mean, we're on um everything from Spotify to Apple to YouTube. Uh you know, it's Lifestyle Medicine. We're powered by Access Medical Labs, which is the uh the actual laboratory company that we use that I pretty much use exclusively just because I like them so much. Um yes, you can check out everything there. I mean, we we cover all the topics, whether it's you know, you know, the the in-depth nitty-gritty of you know methylene blue versus polyphenol IVs to the the over abstract of CRISPR and and you know all the exciting things like stem cells and exosomes.
SPEAKER_01Okay, cool. So that's the stuff you're gonna listen to, guys, when you go to visit his podcast. But today we're gonna focus just on the business side. So what is something? I'm gonna quiz you. What is something that you know today about growing your clinic that you wish you knew like five years ago?
SPEAKER_00That's a very good question. I would say today that I kind of figured out is you you have to sit there and kind of divert what's the most important versus what's the most enjoyable. Um, and you know, like there's things like, you know, I started doing ketamine. I was the first doctor in all South Florida to do ketamine and things like that, which is an amazing experience. You see such a transformation, but it's still such a red flag for a lot of people with the whole Matthew Perry incident, this, that, and the other. So, you know, I had an entire clinic, you know, basically just for ketamine. And it did fast, it did so, so, so good for three years. And then my other practice got so much more busy that I had to kind of divert and say, okay, ketamine does done very well for me, but things like longevity and hyperbarics and things like that just uh just kind of took over. So, you know, but I I didn't make that realization too fast. You know, I was like, this is too fun. I don't want to, you know, stop doing it so much. I I think, you know, if if I could go back and be more of a a strict businessman versus a fun businessman, that's where I would kind of give myself um some uh some advice.
SPEAKER_01Okay, all right. So on the podcast, you said that physicians need to choose treatments that have extraordinary efficacy for the patient and also have profitability for the clinic, which I think is where you're sort of going with what you're saying. How do you make those decisions? Uh when, especially when you're somebody who's consuming all these treatments, you're doing them for yourself, you see how great they are, but maybe they're not as you know profitable. How do you make those determinations for yourself in the clinic?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so you know, overhead's a big thing. You know what I mean? Like, you know, when you take a look at anything in medicine, you know, a lot of people don't understand if you're getting something medicinally, it's gonna cost the physician money, which then that pass gets, you know, or that gets passed on to the actual patient. Um, whereas like the biggest thing right now is peptides. You can go on the internet and buy anything you want, research-based, and it's gonna be one fifth the price. Um, but the whole aspect is if you want the real deal, the actual things that are safe and effective, you definitely got to go medicinal. Um, so one of the biggest things I found was, you know, and I all the lectures I give, you know, it's always about the business of, and the most profitable thing that we do find here, which is also the most um, you know, it helps with the best amount of efficacy, is actual lab testing. Because the way I've actually organized my actual business is that I have such a specific way of diagnostic testing that every single negative thing that we find triggers a type of formula, a type of um uh treatment on the back end of it, which, you know, the unfortunately the more out of shape the person is, I guess you could say, you know, biologically, uh, the better you're gonna give them results, uh, but also the the the more money they will spend. And it's kind of unique. Things like heavy metals, um, chronic diseases, uh, hidden pathogens, things like that, which a lot of uh physicians and health practitioners don't even pay attention to is are some of the most profitable things we find here, but also give the patients the biggest amount of relief and also helps them prevent things like cancer, autoimmune, and uh all types of neurodegeneration.
SPEAKER_01So I'm gonna nerd out on this because I loved what you said on your show about don't test what you can't improve. Like if you're not trained to really treat the patient with what you discover, don't do the test. So what do you what do you say to a provider who's like, look, I I just I did just come from you know orthopedic surgery into hormones. I went to a you know a bioT course and now here I am doing pellets. Like, what else should they be doing so that they can they can really get to the foundational stuff first?
SPEAKER_00The biggest thing is I think everybody wants to jump from zero to a thousand you know, miles an hour. You know, I want to do stem cells, I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do that, and the other. The biggest thing that I find that's lacking in people who are transitioning from the traditional medicine field into the wellness space is the lack of basic knowledge. The more specialized you are in something, the less you see the whole person. You know, I would sit there and say, you know, most specialists see, you know, like this close. I'm looking at from 33,000 feet. And that's where you can kind of really see, you know, not only what's wrong with the patient on a cellular level, things like um mitochondrial dysfunction, senescent cell overabundance, things like that. You have to treat that first before you can do anything else. PRP, stem cells, exosomes, which are probably the most lucrative thing in this industry currently, don't do a damn thing if people have you know issues with mitochondrial hormone imbalances, nutritional, toxic overload. So a lot of these physicians are jumping in, they go to some course, they think, oh, I'm a biohacker now, and all that other nonsense. Whereas you don't have a basic understanding of a redox reaction or how iron works in the system or things like that, which you know, stay in your lane. You know what I mean? Like if you're coming over from that, then stay in your lane, because what happens is you bring a very bad to this when a patient comes to treat them and it just goes sideways so fast, and then all of a sudden it's like, oh, that wellness industry is nonsense, and we've lost not only a patient, but then that patient goes out and badmouths everything else about this industry.
SPEAKER_01And they didn't get treated, they didn't get what they came for to begin with. And I love what you talk about in this because, you know, and you and I talked about this on your podcast. And at AMP, we have a philosophy of business um implementation that it's not just the things you need to do, but you need to do them in a certain order. And what you're saying from the medicine side is that yeah, there are certain things that you need to do to make this patient feel really, really great, but you've got to do them in a certain order.
SPEAKER_00Correct. Yeah, you couldn't be more right because again, like I say, the biggest part of what we do is cellular health, which is focused on things like mitochondria, as well as the actual clearance of senescent cells, those two things right there are the largest burdens in the body when they are dysfunctional. So you can draw up any type of treatment you want from eBO to this, that, or the other, all these expensive things that patients will pay because they're expecting to get a specific result. But if you don't treat the actual real problem at first, the furthest upstream problem, you're just putting a band-aid on a hemorrhage and giving us all a bad name. So learn the science behind it. Learn how to actually take care of a patient first, then gradually grow up into all these new and uh um uh advanced types of therapies.
SPEAKER_01It's awesome. You know, because I hear a lot of providers complain that, you know, they they have these uh these treatments, they're expensive, they promise the world, the patient doesn't get the experience, and now they're frustrated at the at the money that they spent when it really what it was was they were sold too early. They they were and and the practitioner probably doesn't even realize that. They don't realize that in order for the peptide to do its job, you need to have your thyroid, you know, optimized and things like that. So that's such a great point. But let's talk about peptides for a second because you have been doing peptides for a really long time, longer than most. And the fear right now is I shouldn't offer peptides because I'm afraid that it's going to, I'm gonna get my license taken away or my malpractice insurance isn't going to kick into effect. So, what are sort of your philosophy from a business perspective about offering peptides?
SPEAKER_00Again, you can't prescribe scared. Uh, and you know, in this industry, peptides are probably the least dangerous thing you can possibly do. They literally stimulate your body to do a natural process. Taking things like aspirin, antidepressants, adderall, all these other things basically castrate you in some form or fashion. Whereas a peptide like if you take Sirmorlin or something like that, it stimulates your body to do the best it can do. So the side effect profile is extremely low. So the aspect of sitting there being worn about, oh, this is gonna happen, this, that, or the other. I mean, if you're that scared to do it, go back to actual traditional medicine, really. That I mean, that's it. There's a whole thing on it. Um, you know, peptides are fantastic. I've been doing them since 2011. I actually wrote the first protocol um on IGF 1L or three uh from a company called Vikran, which kind of started the peptide craze, which then fell up with Taylor Made, and then everything else came after that. And it was just kind of funny to see, it was considered heresy back then. And then now this is probably the most important. I mean, peptide is like the number one word in the United States right now. Um, you know, you you have to understand the science behind it and then the fact that, you know, you have to diagnostic diagnostically test to make sure that everything's safe, effective, and also that that what you're giving the patient is actually gonna maximize what they can do. If a patient has a chronic, you know, mercury toxicity, given things they're gonna stimulate a certain thing, isn't gonna work. So they're gonna simply say, Oh, this is complete nonsense, this doesn't work. Well, it it does work when you put it in the right situation.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and so what I also just kind of gleamed out of everything you just said is if one of your fears is that you're going to be, you know, sued or you're gonna be have to go to court and defend yourself, if you don't really understand the science and you don't understand what this peptide is doing, then it can be a little bit scary. So make sure you're educated. I mean, it all comes back down to the the training of the provider, it's just so amazing. Um, all right, let's let's switch topics. We talked about culture quite a bit when we were together. And you mentioned I you have a great staff. So, how do you find those right people? You also mentioned on your podcast that you know you need people that look the part that that that live the part. So, how do you find that perfect person that looks great, lives a very healthy lifestyle, utilizes the treatments, and also can give the kind of patient experience that you're looking for?
SPEAKER_00Again, it's luck. Well, I'll just be straightforward. Just a very lucky person.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, this is luck. Sorry, there's no advice here.
SPEAKER_00No, but but again, you know, the the presence you keep, because again, I think you know, it's a situation like I keep myself in a specific shape at all times because this is what I sell. I sell longevity, I sell fitness, I sell this kind of stuff. And you know, you know, like attracts like. Um, so when people come in and say that, you know, it's a situation as sad as it is to say, you you you're in an industry that is based off of how somebody looks, how somebody presents themselves, and how they act. So, you know, you have to present that first and foremost. And then what that does is it usually attracts the same type of energy, which again, usually everybody in this industry is into fitness, into nutrition, you know what I mean? Like, and if you're not, like I say, traditional medicine is a very big field, you know, it's a very good place to go. Um, but you you also have to sit there and not look for straight up credentialing. A lot of physicians get lost on is this where did this person go? I need a PA from this place. I need a nurse that went to John Hopkins, yada yada yada, which is usually the worst thing you can possibly do. You need to find somebody who's personable, somebody who's willing to work, willing to learn, and wants to, which is the most important thing. All of my staff will come in and ask me some of the most amazing questions. My nurses who are taking blood and they actually get the actual blood back, they'll come up and I have them. They'll go through and be like, well, I saw this, this, and this. What do you think? I'm like, awesome. You know what I mean? Like you're being proactive about it. And I think that's what you have to find. You have to find people, people, not just diplomas on walls.
SPEAKER_01Do you treat your patient, your staff for free?
SPEAKER_00Yes. So yeah. So my staff, they have a specific allotment per year. And then, you know, for their friends and family, they get at cost everything uh for that. I encourage that they actually use uh utilize that. You know, we give them a specific amount of IVs per month and things like that to just kind of really get it going. Because, like I said, you know, they are an extension of me. And if they don't look the part, feel the part, or act apart, I'm doing something wrong. I really am. And, you know, this is a hard thing that physicians have to do. If you have a staff member who chooses not to do that, get rid of them. And again, like I said, traditional medicine is a very, very big field.
SPEAKER_01I'm going to say that one more time so that everybody can hear it loud and clear. Treat your staff for free. Like if you don't commit to your staff getting the benefit from the treatment for one, just being a good human being, two, they're a walking billboard telling all the patients the benefits of it. And three, they will, you know, just naturally get better, look better, and just, you know, it'll just make it all around a better culture. So I love that you do that.
SPEAKER_00You know, I mean, half of the sale is them getting in there, they have online presence, this, that, and the other. When they come there and they see a woman who's 60 who looks like she's 30, girls in their 30s who are just flawless and like guys who are in shape, they're like, well, this is the right place to be. So I mean, half of the battle is already done. They've got proof of concepts in the pudding right there. Then it's just me, you know, putting the final touches on it once I actually see them in person.
SPEAKER_01So don't mention names because we're not out to put anybody out or you know, throw anybody into the bus, but you've talked to a lot of providers. Where do you hear most providers are dropping the ball in this area?
SPEAKER_00Okay, that's a great question. Nobody pays attention to lifestyle medicine. Everybody wants to focus on, you know, all peptides and hormones and IVs. What somebody does when they leave your office is more important than anything you can give them inside of your office. And I want to exemplify that. The thing that we actually go with, and actually I have an AI that I've built that's centered around this, um, is you know, hydration first and foremost. You have the right water and the right amount of water. Then you have the correct amount of sleep, which is probably the most important thing we do as humans. Then you have stress reduction, learning how to breathe, right, learning how to manage situation. Then you have nutrition. What you put in your body is what you become. So I mean, that's a gigantic part of it. Check for food sensitivities, check for different things that cause, you know, it might be something good you're eating that's causing a negative issue, and then exercise. Those five things right there. If a if a patient's not willing to do any of those five things, the efficacy of their treatment will be, will, will be nonsense. Um, so that's one of the biggest things. That's the reason I actually named my practice lifestyle medicine. I was one of the pretty, I think one of the first physicians to go after. I think they had lifestyle medicine in the college of it was like a thing to certify naturalists. And that's why on Instagram I have to handle lifestyle medicine, because I believe that first and foremost, coming from the bodybuilding industry, the collegiate sports, I figured that, you know, yeah, hormones are great. I've seen what they can do. I know peptides are good, I know this, that, and the other is great. But if I go home and completely drop the ball on what I do as a person, you're just slow dancing.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. Um, you don't have to get specific with pricing if you don't feel comfortable. But in terms of packaging, do you have membership plans? And if you do, how do you how do you account for all the advice that you give? Because that's something that I think providers struggle with. Like they know how to take a hard cost and mark that up. But how do you price out for your patients to give them all of that accountability so that they do have lifestyle choices that that are that make sense?
SPEAKER_00And this is probably one area that I think every single businessman is gonna disagree with me on. I I was never a fan of the actual membership model. I think it for for me and for where I practice and the people that I see, I think it lessens what it is. I think memberships are great if if you're if you're targeting blue, blue to whitish collar people. And again, we're gonna we're gonna speak speak straightforward. Um I I just find that more group on ish, if you will. Um, you know, I'm I I am a millennial as much as I don't like to admit it. Um, so you know, it's a situation where it's like, you know, I probably overexert myself, which kind of weighs on me every now and then with the amount of access I do give to patients, but I uh I love it. You know, this is this is teamwork. You know, I always kind of joke them, are we dating or are we doing something else? You know, I mean, I was just saying once we start doing that other thing, this is teamwork because every single patient I have is a billboard. And you know, I don't market, I'm not out there paying for followers and doing all this other crazy stuff to sit there and try to boost up a social media aspect that we have a very unique um you know tight-neck, you know, practice that that caters to the you know the upper, upper, upper 1% um of the world. And it's all work of mouth. You know, if somebody sees somebody like, what are you doing? Then that brings in another person. They know the cost, obviously, because of who they are. Um, and then that that kind of really you know preaches to what you know what this practice is is gonna be like. Um, I do think the membership model is great if you live in a specific area of the country or you're charging a specific demographic. I think it's a great model, but just for me, I've never done the membership model because I thought it would actually lessen the type of um you know service I actually like to give her, which is more mom and pa.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, no, that makes sense too. As I listened to again to the, and I'm gonna link the podcast I keep referring to in the show notes that everyone can go and listen to it. But as you describe sort of the process that you take patients through, um, that was the first thing I thought of. This cannot be a membership model because it's truly custom. All the diagnostics that you do at the beginning dictate what it is you're going to have them do after that. So yeah, I mean, I you you know, you know, because we talked about it, I do promote membership models, but that's usually when it's people that are focused on just hormones. Now that we're starting to see more and more practitioners that are doing longevity, it is becoming more difficult because you can't. Put people in the box.
SPEAKER_00Exactly. You're 100% right. And then that's why I can't do it. I could offer a membership, and 99% of the time I'm going to lose on it because you know we find so many different things. I can't be like, well, it's $2,000 a month and all of a sudden the program costs me five. You know what I mean? Like just because we found so much. So that was also a big factor that played into it. That's why I sit there and say, I think the membership model is great depending on what type of practice you have. Just remind it didn't it didn't fit correctly.
SPEAKER_01So can you kind of describe how, again, you don't have to reveal pricing, but like how do you onboard a new patient after I'm assuming the all the diagnostics that you do at the beginning is part of an initial consultation and initial lab fees, and then what do you do with them?
SPEAKER_00So yeah, so it's kind of fun. Actually, I was actually uh I actually created a new AI, which we're very proud of. Uh so the onboarding process has changed dramatically since my last 16 years versus the last three months. Um, but basically a patient will come in, our our usual, I mean, I mean, it's probably the most in in not invasive, that's the wrong word, or all-inclusive uh type of lab testing is about $3,500. And then we have that covers pretty much everything I'll find. And I tell everybody, everybody's like, Well, you're testing genetics. I don't, I don't test genetics because unfortunately at this point in time, we can't fix genetics. You know, I mean, like so I'm not gonna make a patient waste money on that. I'd rather make them waste money, well, not waste money, put money into what's gonna actually fix it. So, you know, I've I've gone over in the last 16 years, I've kind of selected every single lab that I think is the most indicative of what can fix a person, you know, uh overall uh epigenetic-wise. So once once I have all those results back, I take a look at all the different triggers. I speak to the patient what their what their goals are of treatment, um, and then we kind of package it out. That can be anywhere from $3,000 a month to 10. I mean, if you start getting exosomes, it's a lot higher than that. Um, but again, a situation is like these treatments are designed to actually give you what you pay for. You're not coming in and being like, oh, get four peptides, you pick which ones, and you go here. No, I mean this is custom. And again, like all of our patients get exactly what they ask for. Granted, yes, they will pay for it, but you know, I always try, I was trying to people with us, you know, you're getting a personal trainer, you're getting a nutritionist, you're getting a life coach, you're getting everything, plus this whole AI thing now that, you know, I mean, if you really want to take this seriously, you can't skip on your health. It's your most important asset.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. You know, um I what I just heard interestingly is that wait, hold on a second. I just lost my train of thought. I'll edit this out. Oh my god, I hate when that happens. Um, because I was thinking about Niptuck.
SPEAKER_00Um Niptuck.
SPEAKER_01That was one of my favorite shows. He referenced it so much. So what I just heard from you is that you are not afraid to truly identify who your ideal patient is, who your ideal audience is, and that's who you serve. What I think most practitioners suffer from is this desire to help everybody, whether that's because they really do want to help everybody or they're just afraid they're gonna lose a sale. Either way, they're not targeting, and you are hyper-focused about who you help, and it's people who value their life and have the money to put towards it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, the biggest thing is like you can't save somebody who doesn't want to be saved. And if you're coming and being like, well, you know, I've only spend this much. Yeah, I see your Instagram, you're out spending money on bottles that live. You know what I mean? Like it's a situation where it's like get your priorities straight. Because I said this is teamwork, and a lot of physicians don't understand that. You know, I mean they think, you know, you just send somebody home and you expect them to do it right. No, you're gonna sit there and you have to make sure you follow up on them, you know, give them all the things. And this is why, again, the AI that I developed, I mean, it's it's literally like a doctor in your pocket for it. Because I found over the last 16 years, which can get exhausting, the amount of questions you get about what can I eat, this, that, and the other, um, you know, those are the most important parts of a patient's program. So if you're not willing to do that, or if you don't have the bandwidth or whatever it could be, choose what you want, pick a niche and stick with it. Don't, I mean, again, you can't save everybody. And again, I that'd be great if you can. Um, but you have you have to really identify what you're willing to do versus what you're willing to actually, you know, risk to do it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and just, you know, listening to you talk, you don't just identify what you're willing to do, but you have to be willing to say it out loud. Like you don't seem like a person that's afraid to tell a patient, no, I'm not the right fit for you. You need to go down the street to the membership model guy over there that's gonna take $1,200 a month or whatever it's gonna be and just get what you came for.
SPEAKER_00And I and I'll be honest, the best part about what you brought up earlier is your staff. My staff now can weed through that like you can't believe, which is great. And again, it's like I said, having a my staff is I will put them, I'll put my staff up against anybody on earth right now. That's how good they are. And they they kind of understand, like, okay, this person's here, they're either fishing for pricing, because I mean the amount of people coming and trying to copy the model I built is is astronomically insane. I mean, we we we can almost pick it out from the first sentence they come in with, just looking for pricing. Um, or if it's somebody who's just coming in who's not gonna really take it seriously, and that's a situation I've invited more patients away from my practice in certain months. And again, yeah, it'd be great to get that extra money here and there, but it's gonna be more of a headache in the long run. And I don't I don't need bad word of mouth because I'm not gonna tolerate nonsense from patients who just want to come in at a magic bullet. There are no magic bullets in this industry, there really are.
SPEAKER_01Well, first of all, the the greatest form of flattery is if people want to steal from you. So that's awesome. And then secondly, yeah, that $3,500 initial lab, you know, cost that weeds them out right there. Like if you aren't willing to put that kind of money down just to find out what's going on with your body, let alone what you need to do to treat it, that is putting people in the right, in the right mindset.
SPEAKER_00Exactly. And I tell everybody, you know, it's it's kind of unique. You know, you'll sit there and when you see someone who does that, and if you take a look at what actually the actual lab test involves, I mean, we have caught cancers, we've caught neurodegeneration, we've caught various autoimmune issues, Lyme disease, mercury toxic, I caught like four uranium toxicities in the last two months that this can lead to major issues in the future. It could be the immediate future, it could be three years or it could be 10 years from now. But regardless, when you find these things now, it's so much easier to prevent something than to fix something. So, yeah, the $3,500 seems a lot, but then in the grand scheme of it, you're it is one of the cheapest and most, you know, most valuable uh valuable uh uh purchases you can possibly make.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely, especially with the way the, I mean, I don't want to go down this path, but with traditional health care insurance, the deductibles are so incredibly high. You're probably spending $3,500 over the course of a year to get diagnostics that don't actually do anything for you. That, you know, even if even if you don't move forward with every treatment possible, at least you know what there is and you can create a course of action over the next several years.
SPEAKER_00For sure. Yeah, I couldn't be more right on that one, really, really. And it's it's just it's mind-boggling to see the human condition. I always sit there and say, you know, so some people will value a car over their own health. And it's just like you have three Ferraris that you're you're you're complaining about, you know, $3,500 stick here. It's just like, go go enjoy your Ferraris. I know you can't fit in them, but good God bless you, you know.
SPEAKER_01Um, let's talk about your diagnostic panel. So uh obviously, you know, everyone knows you work with Access Labs and you know, one of the you started building this kind of custom panel, but I heard on the podcast that you said one of the things you love about Access is that you can send a provider to them and they will work with them to build a panel. So, you know, how did you start developing those panels with them? And do you recommend that everybody kind of follow what you're doing? Or should they kind of identify what they're with their niches and their practice and then work with someone like Access to figure out the right panel for them to do?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I would say the first thing again with Access is great because I mean they they can customize a panel to any anything that you need. But I think it it's it's on the practitioner to figure out what they actually need. Um, and this is where it's who you're treating age demographics here. The reason mine is so gigantic, my youngest patient's 11, my oldest is 96 at the current moment. We have everything from people who are end stage to people who are just like, I'm going to sing Bart's and I need to look good in a bathing suit. So we basically test everything. But at the end of the day, the human body is a machine. And you know, there's the same dysfunction in you, is the same dysfunction as me. You know, if you have Lyme disease, if you have eat chronic EBV, that's one of the biggest things we're finding right now. It's insane. Or anything like that, mercury toxic disease, hormone imbalances, nutritional deficiencies, anything like that can translate into quality of life and prolongation of life, which is the true definition of longevity. So the the the the beautiful thing about what Axis allowed me to do at least was come in and let my my rather spectrum ish mind go to work uh and kind of build out what I thought was the most dynamic panel possible to give the most bang for the patient's buck on certain things that I've seen over my 16 years. So this isn't just something I created. This is 16 years of me going back and forth, different labs, different, different things I find. And especially in Miami, things like mercury toxicity, I think is probably the most is is a is a true epidemic across this country, not only from the amalgam fillings, but the amount of you know sushi we're eating now. But just things like that. Well, once you have to go through and figure out these things, you can really give a patient something that, you know, that that is special to that, something that traditional medicine will never, ever be able to give them because they they they they they just don't test for it, or their physicians are too closed-minded, or they're they they have those golden handcuffs on where they don't want to risk stepping outside of their box because they're getting paid, their hospital might do it, or their HMO might not agree with it.
SPEAKER_01Right. Wow. So, you know, listening to you, and we've been talking now for almost half an hour. And the one thing that just keeps coming top of mind after working with like probably over 75 to 100 different practitioners is that you are successful because you're driving the boat. You're not looking for shortcuts, you're looking for the easy way to make cash. You live your life in the way that you treat your patients. You make sure that everybody that you treat falls in line with that same methodology as well as the people that you work with. And therefore, you've created this super successful practice that way. Would you agree with that?
SPEAKER_00It's been a long, fun road, thankfully. Um, because again, like I said, like when I jumped into this ocean of wellness, which nobody had ever really swam in, especially in Miami, it was fun to sit there and see how you can kind of manipulate and change things to kind of make it go the way you want it to. Then you see your protocols pop up across the country, you do a couple of conferences, and all of a sudden a patient comes in from LA who has your panel. So it's because some doctor learned about it. So it's kind of fun to sit there and see how you're able to kind of manip, kind of form the way wellness is right now. And it's just unique because, you know, it's a lot of not so much trial and error, but it it's a lot of common sense medicine, which I think is kind of a not so common anymore. Um, and it was it was just really unique to see. And again, it wasn't easy. Uh, you know, there there was a lot of, I wouldn't say bad press, but uh, you know, like is this snake oil? Is he is he some cowboy? Is he even a doctor? All this kind of fun stuff. And now it turns out to be the number one industry on earth currently.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So what's next for you?
SPEAKER_00Again, this is Solera, the AI I developed, I think. And again, I've done a lot of really good stuff in this industry. I'm very proud of what I've done. This is probably the biggest thing I've ever done. It's by far the most advanced AI we have out there, just not only from the physician's aspect, but also from the actual patient's um ability to utilize um how we've drawn in different things like wearables and intake forms and diagnostics and imaging, all that kind of stuff. To, I mean, you can literally sit there and be in a restaurant, take a picture of a menu and be like, what can I? Well, according to your activities, your HCRP, your liver function, and this, try getting the sirloin stake, substitute the potato for asparagus, and this is why. I mean, like, it's fascinating. Um, so we're excited about that. You know, we did a soft launch at my at my practice. And again, as a physician, which I think you'll like as well, business-wise, we've seen a 30% uptake in what patients agree to get because now they understand what they're getting. Oh, $5,000 for an exosome, what does that even mean? Oh, well, it's because I have this, this, this, and this, and this is what it'll do. Yeah, okay, now that makes sense instead of being like, well, exosomes, because I heard Gary Breckis say exosome, you know, all that kind of nonsense, you know. So, you know, I'm excited about that. We're gonna be at the A4M coming up here in I think two weeks uh in West Palm uh to do more of a hard launch for it and then, you know, kind of expand that out in a very, very unique way. So I'm very, very excited and proud of it.
SPEAKER_01Is that something that you wish to share with the listeners as how they could find out more about it? Or is that sure.
SPEAKER_00Um Solera C-E-L-L-E-R-A.ai is the is the actual um website for it. And this is basically what we're doing is we're offering physicians the chance to digitalize themselves. So a physician comes in, uh, we set them up as their own AI platform or an island within our ecosystem. Um and then from there, you know, whatever treatment they offer, whether it's hormones, peptides, IVs, Botox, fillers, whatever it is, whatever it could possibly be, we set that into their actual um ecosystem um uh product prompt. Uh and they they can really maximize um not only the profits of their business, but also the actual efficacy. And then it also provides their patients uh the each patient gets their own application uh to where the patient can ask any question they want to on Earth, whether it's I I want to learn French in three weeks to I I want to learn 3% body fat in a month, and that AI will look at all of your labs, your imaging, everything, and give you the exact way to do it, along with what that uh with what that practitioner actually offers. So we're super excited about it.
SPEAKER_01That is so cool. I the moment we hang up, I am gonna go to that site and have to go check it out because that sounds really, really cool. Unfortunately, the this show is probably gonna come out after the A4M conference is gone, but we'll make sure to link that in the show notes so that anybody who's interested can go check that out. That's fantastic. Um I don't know if uh you listened to Steve Bartlett from Diary of a CEO, but he is I have before.
SPEAKER_00Yes, I have.
SPEAKER_01He's my favorite, and so I completely stole his ending for all of his shows where I have my last guest ask a question for my next guest. So I have a guest, I have a question for you from my last guest, and that question is what is one personal perceived weakness or flaw that actually makes you great at what you do?
SPEAKER_00Wow, what is one personal weakness? Um I think I think I'm too accessible to my patients, but that's what gives me the friendly Dr. Ivan, who can you can literally text me at any time, anywhere, and I can give you an answer to something. And I think that's what I think a true, I mean, I think I think that brings back the old school physician who used to show up with a with a little medical bag at your house and be like, you know, being a doctor, you know, there's no such thing as a God complex. I mean, you are a person, and I think a lot of physicians lose that um along the way. And the fact that, you know, you you should be the hero to your patients, not only with how you you you present yourself, but also with the with the knowledge and the accessibility you have. Um, so I think, you know, a lot of people wonder why I'm so accessible. But at the end of the day, it's because I love the energy that I can give to patients, and then whatever that patient goes out and does, I get credit for it. That's my karma.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Well, and and I don't know if this is true for you. So if I'm adding on and projecting, I apologize, but I imagine you also like being around people that are committed to their health.
SPEAKER_00Oh, you couldn't, you, you, you couldn't be more right. I mean, like finding like-minded individuals, which is a lot easier today than it was, you know, 16 years ago when I started this. Um, you know, I I I did an article, I think it was for Forbes, uh, that, you know, the most hated doctor among doctors, because I used to be, people hated what I did, including my own brother. I mean, he's a world-renowned urological reconstructive surgeon. Um, and he thought this was all heresy. And now, guess who one of my favorite patients is? My brother. Uh just as interesting.
SPEAKER_01I love that.
SPEAKER_00It's very, very, very fun to see, you know, how people are starting to gravitate to it. Um, you know, there is there's a lot of genuine people in this industry now. There's a lot of sharks as well. So I think, you know, you got to be very careful with who you trust or who you listen to. Um, but at the end of the day, you know, any publicity is good. At least we're getting more eyes in the wellness industry and longevity. And I think it's just, I mean, we're we are too big to fail right now. Awesome.
SPEAKER_01Well, it has been so much fun talking to you, and I really appreciate you taking the time out of your day. You do a lot of really big things. So to spend a little bit of half an hour with me.
SPEAKER_00Oh my goodness, bro. It's been such a delight, such a delight. Really, thank you so much for having me.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. Thank you for listening to Beyond Hormones, the business of wellness. I hope that you're walking away with fresh ideas and real strategies that you can use to grow your practice and profit and if you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to follow the show so you can never miss a conversation. And if something you heard today resonated with you, do me a favor to hear this episode with a friend or it's one of the biggest ways you can support the show and exactly what they need to hear right now. If you want even more tools and support, go ahead and over to you.