Today on Hello Chaos, Mike Vera, a board-certified health and wellness coach and founder of Avantia Health Optimization Company, shares his entrepreneurial journey and what inspired him to start his company. Growing up with a doctor father, Mike's fascination with health led him down various paths, eventually becoming a health coach. He discusses the rewarding aspects of helping people with their health and the satisfaction of witnessing their breakthrough moments during sessions. Tune in to learn more about Mike's journey in the health and wellness industry!
Mike shared a unique perspective on managing health routines by running them like business routines. Just as we prioritize tasks and create systems for our businesses, it's essential to do the same for our health. By developing standard operating procedures for health habits like exercise, nutrition, and self-care, we can ensure consistency and success in our wellness journey.
We discussed the importance of active listening in both business and health coaching. Mike emphasized the value of reflective listening and relinquishing personal agendas to truly understand and connect with others. By honing in on listening skills, we can build stronger relationships, foster better communication, and drive positive outcomes in both personal and professional settings.
Mike's one-word summary of his entrepreneurial journey was "awake." He highlighted the significance of being alert, self-aware, and vigilant in business. By staying awake to our motivations, environments, and external influences, we can navigate challenges, make informed decisions, and ultimately achieve success in our entrepreneurial endeavors.
Timestamps
[00:01:48] The most rewarding aspect.
[00:04:39] Importance of active listening.
[00:10:10] Active listening strategies.
[00:14:21] Comedy in Marketing Strategy.
[00:15:48] The power of humor.
[00:21:03] Influence of propaganda on health.
[00:24:59] Healthy skepticism in conspiracy theories.
[00:30:17] Exclusive gangster rap music.
[00:32:34] Systems for mental and physical health.
[00:34:24] Health coaching and medical model.
[00:39:41] TV and movie recommendations.
[00:43:48] Entrepreneurial founder journey in one word.
[00:45:59] Innovative digital zine experience.
Jennifer Sutton: All right, welcome to Hello Chaos. Today we have Mike Vera, a board certified health and wellness coach and podcast host of Healthy and Awake Podcast and founder of Avantia Health Optimization Company. And we're so excited for you to be here. Welcome to the chaos.
Mike Vera: Thank you, Jennifer. It's great to be here. I'm very comfortable in chaos.
Jennifer Sutton: You're both a founder, but also dealing with mental health and health and wellness. I guarantee you deal with a lot of chaos. So start us out and just tell us about your entrepreneurial journey. What inspired you to start your company?
Mike Vera: Well, I've always been interested in health. I think that goes back to me being a kid and I grew up, my dad was a medical doctor. And so I was always surrounded by that. And I swear my dad could have his worst enemy knocking on the door at three in the morning and he would help that person. And that really instilled a certain set of values in me and a fascination with health, maybe even an obsession with health. And so I explored many different avenues throughout my life to see how I can really work on that. clinical psych path. I was a personal trainer and ultimately I'm here where I am now as a board-certified health coach where I get to really use my psychology skills to really implement behavioral modification techniques to help people change their lifestyle to be more healthy and include more healthy habits.
Jennifer Sutton: Wow. So what's been the most rewarding aspect of your journey?
Mike Vera: really getting to help people with their health. And not only that, I mean, I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I'm pretty good at what I do. So I do like being good at what I do. It's very rewarding. But really, the biggest reward is, you know, having those eureka moments during a session where people have some sort of like, oh, you know, I was holding myself back in X, Y and Z way. And then after that, they just make radical changes very easily. They have momentum, and that's when things really start to shift. And to be able to experience that on a consistent basis is really powerful.
Jennifer Sutton: And who is your clientele? Who do you work with most?
Mike Vera: I actually, I work with a lot of different types of people. So it depends. I have multiple strategies for marketing. I do work with maybe 50% are weight loss. So people who just want to change their eating and exercise and a few other things. I also have some people with more specific either health concerns or health pursuits like some kind of athletic goal or something like that. So I have experience with all that. And yeah, I mean, we've we've achieved a lot of incredible things and health coaching. One of the benefits is that you don't have to do it alone. You actually get to partner with somebody who has some idea of a trajectory for health and they can guide you. And that's pretty cool.
Jennifer Sutton: Oh, that's awesome. So what do you think is the biggest misconception people have about being a founder? I mean, you're a founder yourself, also with, you know, dealing with health and wellness yourself. But what's the biggest misconception people have, and how would you debunk it?
Mike Vera: Maybe that it's easier. I don't know. Do people think that? Because, I mean, I thought it would be maybe a little easier than it actually is.
Jennifer Sutton: Yeah. I think we hear the most from different founders and entrepreneurs like, oh, you know. Or we hear that from, oh, I want to be an entrepreneur. I want to be a founder. I can set my own hour. I can do all that. It's it'll be great. So easy. And it's like, oh, no, it's hard. It's really, really hard. And. challenging, you know, so what do you think has been your biggest, like, that, that aha moment in your journey, whether it's been a breakthrough moment, a decision that kind of said that this is this is going to create significant impact on the way I do business, any of those aha moments?
Mike Vera: Well, I guess it depends in what exact context. So in terms of the actual coaching, like, so as a health coach, throughout my training, Listening is something that was really instilled in us. And I think a lot of us think, well, I can hear, so I listen. And that's not exactly the case. Listening really is a specific skill that takes working on. And that's what I have to do to do my job well. And it's taken specific training. It's taken practice in certain ways. It's taken education. And I really think a lot of us who want to accomplish certain things in the world, should focus more on listening. And look, I've been guilty of this myself. I'm a young man. I have a lot to say. And so it's sometimes been a challenge to really pull myself back and just throwing out some talking points and just listening a little more. And I think all of us right now, especially in a world where things are so contentious and we all disagree with each other on something, and even that is enough to unfriend somebody on Facebook and all these chaotic things.
Jennifer Sutton: It's chaos. It is chaos. So, you know, I've always heard, you know, you've got to work on your active listening skills, that it's not just about Well, I'm listening, you know, of course, I'm listening. It's like, well, did you hear me? Are you asking, you know, those those active listening tips of repeating back? Yeah, you know, showing that you're engaged. And I talked to another founder about this of like, one of the things that that we've, you know, we've talked about, and it's something that I've been trying to work on, too, is is as a founder, as a business owner, a business leader, you really have to embrace kind of a radical empathy to be able to, as you're talking with somebody, you know, really listening, asking questions to kind of understand where are they? Um, and, and, you know, can you meet them where they are? And, and knowing that everyone has different journeys and they sit in, you know, their own stresses, they absorb, we all absorb information differently. And I mean, is that kind of what like those skill sets? Are there any other things that tips around? How do you become a better active listener?
Mike Vera: Well, first of all, I want to just say that was so beautifully said, because there is a strong parallel between sales and health coaching. It's in my experience, the same thing, you know, you listen to what they want, you listen to where they're trying to go. You figure out what the problems are, the needs are, and how you can bridge those gaps. But in terms of really honing in on improving listening skills, you touched on one that's reflective listening. Now that feels a little weird at first, because you're kind of repeating back what they say. Over time, it starts to feel more natural. And there's a lot of benefits, because it gives people the chance to hear what they said. And sometimes we're just letting thoughts pour out of our mouth. We don't really get to process it. And it also shows that you are listening. The one even before that that's often under-emphasized is relinquishing your agenda. So that kind of becomes an obstacle to listening. If I'm really waiting for you to stop talking so I can say what I want to say, it's actually impossible to really listen. And reflective listening is going to happen for sure. You know, really that mentality shift has to occur there because that desire is like, let me say what I want to say because that's what it's going to take to convince you to see my point of view. And that's actually not how we work as human beings. So it's like you need to be heard and understood first before a proper cooperative exchange can actually happen. And that's true in health coaching, that's true in business, sales.
Jennifer Sutton: You have to, yeah. I mean, I was coaching like an account person that works on my team and I was like, you're going into meetings and I love how you said it's an agenda, even though it's not, you know, people are like, I don't have an agenda. It's like, yeah, but you're not walking in with the mindset of, I'm here to just listen and learn. And I said, you know, I'm watching you in the meeting and I can see your brain churning of like, I have to make a point. or I have to speak up. I said, so your brain is working overtime to figure out why I need to insert myself to show I know something or whatever. And you haven't heard a thing this person has said. And so when you do blurt out something, it's off, it's out of context. Um, And it's a lot like building a relationship, right? I mean, that's kind of like, do you want to be off putting to the person that you're supposed to be, you know, really engaging with? And, and, you know, and I just like I said, I think that's great of like, remove the agenda. It's not a, I'm trying to sell you on something. It's just even in the franticness of, I want to show value for me being in the room. You can be in the room by being engaging. and asking really good questions that are more in that, Hey, this is what I heard. Did I hear that correctly? Or did I interpret this or, Oh my God, that was fascinating of what you just said. Let me, can I ask three follow-up questions because my brain's not, you know, I want to make sure I understand the context that shows, you know, that you care, um, that you are trying to understand that person's world versus just being in the room. Yeah. Right. Um, are there any other tips? Those are great. I love, love that around the active listening.
Mike Vera: Well, to summarize that, it's really, you kind of want to flip it. So most people just in a general sense are probably putting 80% of effort into like saying the best things in the best way. And then 20% is listening. So I would challenge people to try to flip that and see what it feels like and might even be uncomfortable and difficult, but try to put like 80, 70, 80% into listening and You know, I'm not saying this in the context of like, this will help you get what you want. But you know, that is also a consequence of like, it is more of a better influence tactic to do that. But it's also the human thing to do.
Jennifer Sutton: Okay, so now now I'm curious, Mike, you've got me, you got my brain churning here. So one of the challenges that I think we face when we try to flip that script and really try to ask those questions, one of the, I think, critiques that I've been given or people on my team who we try to practice this active listening people get really intimidated when, you know, you do ask direct questions of how do you, you know, it all depends on the person, right? So you kind of start reading the room of like, okay, this person likes questions, like, you know, because then they show, oh, you've got my brain. But I know that there's been, I mean, I faced that of like, let me ask some questions. Maybe, you know, how do you get it to where those questions are welcome? Like, you know, I'm just trying to, I'm trying to engage, trying to see, make sure we're all on the same page, but not becoming off-putting or intimidating is another word that we've, that we've had used back to us of like, your questions are very intimidating to me. Do you hear that? Or do you, is that a thing?
Mike Vera: Absolutely. And that is something we're trained in also, because as you can imagine, for a lot of people who want to work on health goals, that could be intimidating, right? I might have somebody coming to me who needs to lose 200 pounds and that is inherently an intimidating situation to be in. And they come to me imagining that I'm about to say, What are you doing? You're doing everything wrong. You need to change everything. And that's not going to be conducive to any sort of positive experience. They're not going to work with me. They're not going to even be motivated to work on their health if they feel like I'm judging them in that negative way. Which brings us to maybe the first point there is non-judgment. And that takes a very delicate approach in asking questions a certain way so that it comes through as non-judgmental. I'll even explicitly say, hey, no judgment here. You're eating candy every night. That's fine. But what would it take to shift mentality? Or what do you want to do about that? Are you ready to do something about that? So non-judgment is definitely a big one.
Jennifer Sutton: I need to use that phrase then. There's no judgment. I'm just trying to understand. I'm just trying to better understand so that we can uncover the problem so we can figure out the solutions. So what do you think has been like as you've been growing your business and I see that you've got a newsletter, you now podcast, you've got coaching. What was your kind of aha moments for your own business?
Mike Vera: Well, I guess the best answer to that is probably what fundamentally drives me as a person. And that actually goes back to when I was 13 years old, I downloaded George Carlin on Napster. And he's the best. And so for anyone who doesn't know, he's a standup comedian. He's very outspoken. He's passed now, but very controversial, says a lot of things that people might consider to be
Jennifer Sutton: He was the John Stewart of the 70s and 80s and 90s. You know, he was kind of before, because that's what John Stewart was like. I just took a leap, but kept that same mentality. So he comes from that approach, right? Or Robin Williams, you know, throw stuff out, but in humor style, so that you'll listen. Here's a fun thing, mental health and behavior health. This is something that I loved. Being a part of agencies and creativity, we always were taught when we're pitching ideas that are the human brain, when we see humor. I think that's why a lot of comedians like like George Carlin or Jon Stewart or, you know, Robin Williams, Chris Rock, like Dave Chappelle, whoever is your, you know, Bill Burr, you know, talking about controversial topics. It's because we, and we listen to it because our human brain, when we laugh, all of our, like the human brain, like all those defenses are left open. And so the message goes directly in and it sticks. Yeah. And so if you can do it and kind of that, and that, you know, in, in marketing and creativity, that's what we're trying to do is like let down the guard so that we can break through the noise and we can connect to that human brain. And whether it's in a, you know, we gotta, we gotta give them a jarring stat, like, Oh, Or, Hey, I'm just trying to get you to enjoy the benefits of this product or service. But, you know, that's where you get that lightheartedness, um, you know, tone and feel, but okay. So, so that's, it's like, I love comedians and yeah, but George Collin was one of my favorites, but it was because his, he would use his humor, humor to educate and inform. Yeah.
Mike Vera: Well, that's actually one of the two takeaways that I got from George Carlin was the power of humor. And for a while, I always wanted to be a stand-up comedian, and I still kind of do. But I've definitely used humor a lot, and it's been very beneficial in my business, and even in just my general human social interactions. like to be around and they like to work with, you know, people that they can kind of have fun a little bit with and relax and enjoy themselves. And when you're talking about, you know, sometimes some serious things around health, it can be a little disarming to be able to laugh sometimes and crack jokes, which is not everyone can do that. So it is a it is something that that takes some skill and work. But even further, one thing that's unique to George Carlin is how awake he really was. And I mean, you know, in his later comedy sets, he was saying, question everything you read, be skeptical, challenge authority. And those are things as a kid, you know, all I heard was, you know, listen to authority and read what we tell you and do what we say. Do what you're told. Right. And so that stuck with me really in the center of my brain. And the older I got, the more I started to see authoritarian approaches and read this without questioning it and censorship. And, you know, he was a pioneer for freedom of speech.
Jennifer Sutton: Oh, absolutely.
Mike Vera: So really influence is at the heart of all that like propaganda and marketing, which is basically the same thing. Right. And so this might sound weird, but I do see health coaching as really a similar tool set to be able to tap into those influence strategies. So if people can influence us to buy products we don't need and feel certain ways about ourselves, It's like, why can't we deploy our own specific strategies to improve our health and feel good and, you know, exercise and nourish our health and eat right and those sorts of things.
Jennifer Sutton: Make sure that you know how to filter things, especially in the the noise of of today's kind of landscape. Like you said, you know, marketing is is I always call herself like, I'm a marketer. I've been doing it for 30 years, but I feel like our industry is in crisis because the amount of inexperience and bad actors and scammers that have said, well, I've got a computer. I'll go and get a Google certification. It's like, you are actually damaging companies or the influencer. It's all about You know, it was just consumption, consumption, consumption. And now with, you know, social media and throwing out content, you can't tell. I mean, I've and all the algorithms of how they target like my feed looks very different from my husband's feed and very different from my neighbor's feed. And it's because it's targeting us based on what they feel like, you know, the the context that they can get their message in. Um, and I've had to educate and it's like the fake news, whatever conversation. But even then it's like the fake news isn't really necessary. It's not national broadcast. It's these little, um, the bloggers that have set like these fake newsletters and they have the header of wall street journal and it'll be like op ed. And I've had to train, you know, just my circle of friends to go, go through the click, like, it's probably not the source that you think it is. They are probably not a legit reporter from Wall Street Journal or New York Times. It's an op-ed, it's a paid for, and they are not on staff. Go look at their bios. If it's an empty bio, it's fake, but they have Figured out how to fake you, you know to feed it to you because it's what you want to hear And so it's just propaganda I was like, so you've got to be you got to be smart on your your devices and know what's real and what's not but with behavior like you gotta you got to be aware of that and have that filter up or you know all the junk of The beauty and the fashion. It's it's you know, I've got daughters. It is difficult It was so difficult because, you know, they're like, but that's what I see. I don't know if you find this funny or not, but I had a, I had a, I caught a, it's almost like a swear jar, but I caught it a TikTok jar that I had for my daughters. And I was like, anytime you come home and go, mom, I need to do this. I saw this on TikTok. I made them put a quarter in it. Or, uh, Oh mom, I don't need to do that on tick tock. And I, you know, that's like the swear jar. I'm like anything that you like, if you're learning it on tick tock, I don't even want to know about it. So, uh, it's it, to me, it's almost like a curse word. Um, because that's what they were, but it got them to, you know, as a joke to what are you learning? Like, what in the world are you being influenced on? And I see like their fees and I'm just like, like girls, stop it.
Mike Vera: Yeah. Well, there's so many important things there. I almost don't even know which direction to go in, but I have a few points that immediately come to mind. So one is a lot of people might think, what is a health coach doing talking about propaganda? What does that have to do with health? And I think you really actually touched on that. And it's like, How can we make really healthy decisions if we aren't aware of the constant influence campaigns that are constantly targeting us? And that's true of propaganda. That's true of marketing. Because both of those, you know, I'm a marketer. I market my business. I'm not saying marketing is the devil.
Jennifer Sutton: We all are. Anybody that owns a business, we are, we're out there, whether we're educating, we're informing, we're promoting whatever it is. So it's critical. We're selling what we need to sell. I mean, it is, it's critical in every single business, but you know, you, as the decision maker, the buyer, the consumer, um, we got to make sure that we're, we're making the right choices of who to work with.
Mike Vera: And I actually going back to one thing you said earlier, not to push back on something you said, I agree there is certainly like actual fake news out there, like basically trolls of people who create false information. Yes. Yeah. Where I take it further is I do believe that, you know, even the major media organizations, which are only controlled by a handful of people, could be considered fake news. And then I'll give you a very specific example. So, we obviously know that there are tons of pharmaceutical ads on TV. And, you know, most people aren't influenced by those ads. And there's actually been a whistleblower from the pharmaceutical industry recently came out and said, those ads aren't for you and me.
Jennifer Sutton: They're for the doctors.
Mike Vera: They are for the doctors. The doctors are very targeted in a special way for propaganda through ghostwriting and the journals and those sorts of things. But it's even more so for the actual anchors and the people reporting news. I'm Pfizer, I'm giving you millions of dollars to promote my ads. I don't want to upset Pfizer. I'm going to make sure that no bad press is coming out on Pfizer and that they look great so they keep giving us millions of dollars. Why is that important? Well, it distorts the playing field. It distorts our perception. There might be tons of bad news out there that could shape how I make decisions about certain products. And meanwhile, I'm essentially being lied to, lies by omission, by our TV.
Jennifer Sutton: Because well, public relations is not just about getting your, you know, your message on air, have third party, but it's also about what not gets, you know, removed. And I come from the media buying space too. It's like that happens all the time. It's not just like the broadcast. It happens in trade media, um, consumer, you know, Any media, you're right. If I'm buying enough, the editorial rules of church and state, if you throw enough money, you're working at a publisher level, those lines become very gray. And, uh, you do not want to upset your, your, your, your best buys. So yeah, we, I used to be able to control exactly like even how many times the reporter's going to report on my clients or, you know, and this is what I need you to say about those clients. So it is, um, the, the advertiser and the brands do influence the editorial. Absolutely.
Mike Vera: And it spills over into science, too. It's not exclusive to news, how news can be manufactured, basically. But when it comes to health, and that's one thing that makes this job difficult, is that science can be manufactured. you know, it's hard to know nowadays what's the truth and, and, you know, whether we're talking about business or science or health or anything else, I mean, the landscape that we're in nowadays, it's hard to know what's real, what's not, what's truthful, what's a lie, what's fake. It's really tough.
Jennifer Sutton: So ask questions, ask questions. Critically think, critical think.
Mike Vera: Healthy sense of skepticism, ask questions. And I want to emphasize healthy sense of skepticism because you don't want to be
Jennifer Sutton: Conspiracy theorists type of thing.
Mike Vera: I like conspiracy theories, but you don't want to be like, so, you know, you don't want to be boarding up your windows, hiding from the sun because you're wearing an actual tinfoil hat. You don't want to go actual paranoid maniac. But, you know, some conspiracy theories have come true. Like, right. There is. reason to be suspicious. And even within health, you know, there's been manipulation to make sugar out to seem to be the good guy. Like they demonized fat with Ancel Keys. They said fat's the bad guy and that you should eat more sugar, basically. I mean, that's an actual conspiracy within health. They conspired to harm people's health. So I do think that skepticism is healthy. It should be had. but you don't want to be, uh, you don't want to go full Alex Jones.
Jennifer Sutton: Right, right, right. That's right. You know, those, what was that? The, what was that? The Jewish layers, lasers, satellites, right. Laser beams now. Um, so what, what do you think has been the biggest, like, Oh shit, like, Oh crap, I've hit this wall. Like those big barriers in business. Have you had any, um, in your journey?
Mike Vera: I don't know if it's been one single moment. I think it's just been constant little, oh shit moments where, uh, you know, I had different iterations of my business where I had my last name in the business name and I got sued by another company who was using my last name. I can't even use my own name in my business. So that, that caused some headaches. And I guess if that led to one single, uh, oh shit moment, it's like, you know, maybe try to be careful, do things right the first time. And, uh,
Jennifer Sutton: And sometimes. And that's how you got the Avantia, right?
Mike Vera: Right. Yeah. So that actually is the result of that misfortune. But I ended up rebranding after that. And I did end up, you know, consulting with people, exploring all the resources in my community. You look at the SBDC.
Jennifer Sutton: Right.
Mike Vera: Or did I say that right? SBDC.
Jennifer Sutton: Yeah.
Mike Vera: score, all those free resources, look at, you know, the community colleges in your area, see what resources they have to offer, because there's a lot of good stuff out there. And, you know, I totally understand the temptation, like, I can do this on my own. I have YouTube, I can listen to you. It's really, maybe you can, but it'll take you 10 times longer than the people who have help.
Jennifer Sutton: Yeah, right. Yeah, I think those resources are so underutilized. People don't realize that there's an SBDC in every market in the country. I think there's a SCORE office almost in every county in the country. And those are free. And those are people there to help you navigate. starting your business, scaling your business. Um, almost every community has incubators, accelerators, startup classes. Um, even like account, you know, like how do you finance your business? Just like learning. I caught the business language, the language of business, which is really accounting. Um, because most of us come from the background of like we're behavior, health and mental health, or we're, you know, marketing and media. We're not, You know, we're not accounting people.
Mike Vera: Yeah.
Jennifer Sutton: But we need to know the numbers and the language. But yeah.
Mike Vera: Even if you hire someone down the road, like, so I'm going to.
Jennifer Sutton: But you still need to know. Right. Yeah. I need to know.
Mike Vera: I need to know so I can tell them the right things to do. I can't just coast and say, like, that's somebody else. That's somebody else's job. And for them to worry about, you can't have full control over your business if you don't know what's going on.
Jennifer Sutton: That's right. Cause it, cause even if you had somebody, you have to review it and go, is this right? Like how, how do I read this? Um, cause yeah, it is. You fail on that. That is a, that's a, we've seen founders who have, have gotten burned, um, critically burned.
Mike Vera: Well, at the same time, I mean, you still want to hire people smarter than you, right? I mean, I can't let my ego be afraid to hire someone that I might be intimidated by how smart they are in a certain subject. I need to know enough to be able to get myself above water and be competent in this area and enough to hire someone who's even more competent than me so that I can not only direct them as to what to do, But they can do what they do best and guide me and my own decision making over time.
Jennifer Sutton: And you know, we always find this has been my lessons learned, my aha moments of I operate at a certain frequency and intensity. I, you know, yes, there's skill sets and things that I need to round out the team, but I still need people to come up and, and have that same energy level and that frequency. Um, but, uh, and that's where we've been like, Oh, you know, our, cause the clients feel it. People in our, our work, we, you know, we want to, we have that level. So we want to, we want to make sure that we bring everybody, um, into that sphere. So, okay, so I've got a question for you. What do you think listeners would be most surprised to find out about you that's not on your LinkedIn, it's not in, you know, that's just something interesting that is not known?
Mike Vera: Well, I guess I don't really post too much personal about myself. I post my ideas, my thoughts, business updates, stuff like that. But I guess on a personal level, I listen to exclusively gangster rap music.
Jennifer Sutton: What?
Mike Vera: I am from I'm a Puerto Rican from Philly. That's what I grew up on.
Jennifer Sutton: Oh, my God.
Mike Vera: Yeah. So that's what I listen to all the time. And I try to carry myself pretty ambiguous so people can't guess anything about me in particular. So a lot of people are surprised that that's my go to.
Jennifer Sutton: Well, I love it. All right. That's a good one. Um, how do you deal with your own mental health and stress? I mean, here you're a coach, but what do you do for yourself to go? All right. I'm a founder. I'm, I'm having some pains. What are, what are some tip tips and techniques that you've kind of taken on yourself personally?
Mike Vera: This might sound weird, but if I could say it in one sentence, I run my health routine. Like I run my business routines.
Jennifer Sutton: Ah,
Mike Vera: So one way to think of it, and this is true whether you run your own business or if you work for somebody else, it's like, look, these are obligations that need to get done if I want to accomplish what I'm going to accomplish. So especially if somebody is working for somebody else, it's like, look, I give somebody else my time and I'm following their systems to do all these things for them and what they want to accomplish. So then the question is, why don't I put in systems in place to manage these priorities around health that are important to me? So if I'm going to create standard operating procedures for some emails that I really don't give a shit about, you know, why not put some standard operating procedures for maybe eating right and exercise?
Jennifer Sutton: So meditation and all that. Okay.
Mike Vera: Right. Yeah. So I have systems in play. I've, uh, just like I have a, uh, to-do lists for my business, and I have Excel sheets for managing certain things. I have Excel sheets for my workouts. I have standard operating procedures for how the kitchen functions and to make sure that I can do my meal prep and it's clean when it needs to be. And that takes a lot of work to develop systems. But if you're actually a business owner, first of all, you're already using systems. You just need to adapt them. And second of all, you're so busy that if you don't implement systems, you're not going to take care of your health.
Jennifer Sutton: That's such a good point. You know, we've talked to so many founders, I don't think we've ever translated it in that way of like, we know systems are important, but put your mental health and your physical health, just make a system for it.
Mike Vera: It's crazy. People use systems for everything else except for health. There's just this disconnect there. Like if you have a dentist appointment, you write it in your calendar. That calendar is a system for managing time. So like we prioritize, we do what we need to do for just about everything else. And then when it comes to health, it's just like, you know, maybe I'll go to the gym tomorrow. It's like, okay, that's good. But like, what's going to help keep that on track the same way you're as committed to that dentist appointment? What is it that holds that together?
Jennifer Sutton: That is a fantastic aha. Okay. If you had to hit rewind on anything and relive a moment, is there anything that you would want to for your business? You know, is there anything that you'd want to go? I'd like to do that over.
Mike Vera: Honestly, I'm really happy with where I'm at, and maybe this is a lame answer that I'm sure many people probably give, but I think the mistakes that I've made have shaped my mentality now. It's made me more aware, in some ways ruthless, in all the most ethical ways that I need to be. So I don't think I would change anything. There's been plenty of unpleasant experiences that I wish had never happened, but I don't think I would change any of that.
Jennifer Sutton: Ah, see that's so good. Optimism. Yeah.
Mike Vera: Yeah, definitely.
Jennifer Sutton: Um, all right. So if we met a year from now, what will we be celebrating?
Mike Vera: We'll be celebrating, I think on a broad level, more awareness around health coaching because a lot of people, I really think health coaching is the answer to many of our health problems today. And our medical model, the conventional medical approach is fundamentally broken. Doctors, and I talk to doctors exclusively on my podcast. It's almost 90% doctors. So they tell me the same things. They're working in a broken system that the way it's set up, it's a sick care system. We wait till you get sick and then we give you pills that only make you worse. And people know this and they're sick and they're fed up. And so that missing link is the lifestyle. And that's a challenge for a lot of people because we live in an environment where it's very easy, comfortable and convenient to do the unhealthiest things. I don't think that's an accident either. But I do think that having a support system and having accountability, having someone to guide you along the way should be a fundamental part of our medical and health approach. So hopefully in a year we'll be celebrating an evolution in our healthcare system with more health coaching.
Jennifer Sutton: I love that. And I couldn't agree with you more. That is spot on. So, okay. What advice have you received from either another founder or just a leader that you have taken to heart and you've incorporated into your business? Hmm.
Mike Vera: Well, I'm trying to think of things that I haven't already said, because everything that I have said has, you know, I didn't learn it on my own. I learned from somebody else, but I do think the most important things are prioritization, understanding your values. Maybe if I had to pick something I didn't say already, it'd probably be, you know, really understand your purpose and why you're doing this and what your drive is. Because, you know, I know so many people who are. you know, in the middle of their life, suddenly changing their careers because they committed to something that didn't mean anything to them in the first place. And now they're scrambling. And that can be a headache. I mean, maybe it's a blessing, too, but it can definitely be a headache. Right. So I think really taking the time to do the reflecting, try to understand yourself a little bit, which is no easy task. And understand, you know, what drives you, where you're trying to go and how you're going to get there. And, you know, if you can do that on your own, that's great. But if you need help, you know, seek out options.
Jennifer Sutton: That's right. I was like, there are people that are out there to help you. Yeah. Like Mike. Yeah. Um, who's been your best cheerleader in your life?
Mike Vera: Well, definitely my parents. I mean, my mom passed over a year ago and I still feel like she's cheering me on. Thank you for cheering me on all the time. I mean, She helped me with everything. And a lot of the ways that I think on a daily basis were instilled by her. And so whenever I reach a win, I can still feel her cheering me on. But my dad, who is still around, is definitely a big cheerleader for me as well. You know, he's just always there to help me and listen when I'm frustrated and encourage me. And nothing beats that.
Jennifer Sutton: I know. I know the fact that your parents are still around is a gift, right? Yeah. Oh, definitely. Or your or your dad. Right. Gift. OK, so besides your podcast, which is It's Healthy and Awake, and you said you only like it's you've got doctors on and you guys are talking about really the health care model. And is there any other podcast or anything that you or another resource that you use that you'd like to share with others?
Mike Vera: In terms of, I guess it depends, health, business, otherwise. So in terms of health, should I answer all three?
Jennifer Sutton: Yeah, if you want. Yeah.
Mike Vera: Okay. So in terms of health, If you're looking for nitty gritty science information, Dr. Rhonda Patrick is really good. So that is strictly from like, we're going to talk about the studies, which is not at all like my show. My show is, I definitely lean more towards the entertainment side of things because I don't want it to be boring. I want people to enjoy listening to some of these things and get gold nuggets. But if you're into the nitty gritty science, Dr. Rhonda Patrick, as far as business goes, I hired Clay Clark, who is a business coach, and I worked with him for a little bit. His show is really spot on. He knows his stuff better than anyone I've ever met. So business coach, business podcast rather, Thrive Time Show is the name of that.
Jennifer Sutton: Thrive Time Show. All right. I'm gonna check that out then. Okay.
Mike Vera: Entertainment shows, I'm all comedy. So the Shane Gillis podcast with Matt McCusker, Bad Friends with Bobby Lee and Andrew Santino. Usually I just want to laugh if I'm listening to a podcast.
Jennifer Sutton: I was like, was it SmartLess? And that SmartLess, was that with Rob Lowe? Uh-huh. Yeah. And, and then, yeah. And Dax Shepherds. I love his armchair expert. Yeah. Yeah. Those are, those are some of mine. Nice. And I'm filming TV nerd. So I love the, just the industry, the entertainment.
Mike Vera: What have you been watching lately?
Jennifer Sutton: Oh my goodness. So I just, well, I went to go see Deadpool and Wolverine. If you have not seen it, seen it in the theaters, go see it. It's awesome. Um, it's really, you know, if you just, if you like that genre, it's well worth it. A lot of it, it was the most meta fourth wall breaking movie that exists out there because it is, it's really, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman making fun of Marvel, Fox, Disney. They say, like he would even say in the middle of the movie, Deadpool goes, well, is that right, Hugh? Like, I mean, it's very much breaking the fourth wall type of movie. But as far as like, you know, Netflix shows and or Amazon shows, I mean, I just finished The Boys season four. I didn't get through it. It sucked. I was like, season three, usually season threes are usually like the greatest season that was like a season, but literally I had to choke through to get through season four, it was painful. And it's like, I shouldn't have to work this hard to get through but I've, you know, invested. But I tell you one of the most enjoyable ones. It's it's and I love Guy Ritchie, Guy Ritchie movies. But he has a Netflix series that's called The Gentleman. Um, and it's very much in his style. It's like six episodes, seven episodes. It's, you know, a short, uh, short series. Um, totally in a style. Theo James leads it. It was fantastic. I think I binged it all in like a weekend. Huh? And then there's, yeah. And there was a movie that I think Matthew McConaughey was in it, um, which would kind of set off the, the series. And then, you know, I love evil. I like anything like the supernatural kind of thriller, thriller, horror, you know? So, um, I am, I am a supernatural nut. So that series, um, but evil is another series. Uh, I'm just trying to think of. like ghosts on ABC. That's a fun kind of humorous. But yeah, I'm a TV junkie. So don't get me started. I'm like, totally. If it's been out, like, I think I've seen more stuff than people are like, I haven't even heard of that. And I'm like, Oh, I binge watch that. See, I rewatched it a night. I don't watch like rewatched. Yeah. Like I've, I think I've seen like supernatural it's 15 seasons. Wow. I have done a rewatch at least a dozen times. So it just like, I can get through, it's just, that's my couch. That's like, you know, it's my, um, I got, I'll just, it just runs in the background.
Mike Vera: You know, you've watched it a supernatural amount of times.
Jennifer Sutton: I watched it way too many times, but it's like psych and new girl and monk and those kind of things. Those are just, those are my, you know, it's comfort TV, right? Yeah. Yeah. Um, Gilmore girls, you know, it's comfort and then, uh, and then like some of these newer series, but I find myself going, I don't want to think about something. I don't need to pay attention. Like, let me, let me just put on a little psych episode and I'll Watch that. And I still laugh at it. It's like, it's still, what are your, are you, are you a junkie like that?
Mike Vera: Well, again, the same shows over and over. So The Office and Curb Your Enthusiasm are the two most. Parks and Rec. A little bit. Yeah. But I just started rewatching Dexter. Have you ever watched that one?
Jennifer Sutton: It is. And, you know, they're coming out with the new one. That's why. It's a new series. Yeah. They're going to re yeah. So that's that'll be fun. Yeah. They do that. That's a great show. The reboot. The revival. Yeah. Because that was a great that was a great series. Yeah. Uh, um, all right. My last question for you. Okay. If you had to sum up your entrepreneurial founder journey in just one word, what would that word be and why?
Mike Vera: Well, that word would be awake because I think you really need to be alert, self-aware. You need to understand not only what motivates you and awake to that, but you need to be awake about your environment and all the things that are constantly trying to nudge you in the wrong direction. There's a lot to be vigilant about, and I don't think you can be successful in business without being awake. So that's my word.
Jennifer Sutton: I love that. And again, we've asked this question of hundreds of founders and entrepreneurs. We have not gotten a repeat answer. And this is yet again, a non-repeat answer. I love it.
Mike Vera: Are you ready to boo the person who brings a repeat answer? Or do you have a plan there?
Jennifer Sutton: I might. I'm like, I got to figure out what I'm going to have to do. Like, no, you need to do another word. Yeah. Do a variant. Yeah. Well, Mike, this has been fantastic. I've enjoyed the conversation. Before we leave, tell us, how do we, how do you want people to connect with you? Find out more information about you?
Mike Vera: Yeah, MikeVera.com is the best place. My business website for the Avantia Health Optimization Coaching is AvantiaHealthOptimization.com, which is a lot. So MikeVera.com is probably the easiest place where you can find not only health coaching, but my podcast and social media and everything else as well. And that's V as in Victor, E-R-A, MikeVera.com.
Jennifer Sutton: Ah, perfect. And thank you everyone for listening and are watching us. And we will see you again next week. This podcast episode will be available on your favorite podcast platform. So subscribe to Hello Chaos, give us a like a comment or a share and help us build and grow a more connected entrepreneurial community. Hello Chaos is one of the many resources brought to you by OrangeWIP. That is OrangeWIP, W-I-P for work in progress. OrangeWIP is a multimedia company dedicated to serving founders and entrepreneurs in affiliate cities. Just an email to join our community. It is a one stop content hub just for founders in an innovative digital zine experience. If you'd like to be a guest on our podcast or support us, send us an email to hello at orange whip dot com. Y'all thank you for tuning in to Hello Chaos. It is where aha meets oh shit.