MAGAZINE BEYOND SUCCESS
LEGACY
Leadership, faith, family, and meaningful impact.
MEET INSPIRATION
Nick Cope Photo by: Chloe Atnip
FREE
VOLUME
#18 THE POWER OF CONNECTION Bringing people together and creating opportunity.
LEAD WITH PURPOSE Faith, family, leadership, and lasting impact.
Table of
CONTENTS
03
Letter From The Editors
04
Top Service Providers
06
Feature Article: Nick Cope
11
Where Las Vegas Comes Together Inside the New Vision for The Stirling Club
15
Natural Born Biohackers: The New Science of Women’s Longevity
21
Shay’s Signature Services
25
Lyrics From Leah: In The Palm of His Hand
26
The Growth You Can't Yet See
31
When Safety Becomes Part of Healing
33
September Is When the System Gets Tested
38
More Than a Cocktail Server: Finding Connection One Vegas Story at a Time
41
Doc Talk with Dr. Taitano
43
Cozy Keto-Friendly Chicken Pot Pie
45
Before the Holiday Crazy Begins… Take Care of You
46
Your Body Has a Weakest Link
51
Constancia, amor y tradiciones Escaramuza Colibríes de Nevada... ¡a celebrar!
2
Yourself 29 KnowDeeply
Inner Score 34 Our Keeper
Editor's Letter S
eptember has always felt like a season of reset.It’s a chance to slow down after summer and get ready for
the holidays, refocus on what matters, and become more intentional about how we are caring for ourselves while continuing to build the lives, businesses, and communities we are proud of.
Jennifer Hass Jennifer Hass - Founder
This month, we are so excited to have Nick Cope on the cover of RISE. His story, perspective, and journey reflect so much of what this magazine is about: leadership, growth, authenticity, family, community, and the person behind the success.
We love being able to create space for conversations that go beyond accomplishments and allow us to really understand what shaped someone along the way. Inside this issue, we’re also highlighting The Stirling Club and the incredible environment it has created for connection, community, business, and elevated experiences here in Las Vegas. As RISE continues to grow, relationships and spaces like this remind me how powerful it is when people come together with intention.
Dennis M. Postema Dennis M. Postema - CO-Editor in chief
September also brings an increased focus on self-care and wellness. As entrepreneurs, leaders, parents, and people who spend so much time pouring into everyone around us, it can be easy to put ourselves last. But taking care of ourselves isn’t something we should only do when everything else is finished. It is part of how we continue showing up fully. That is one of the reasons we are especially excited to introduce our newly launched Doc Talk.
3
That is one of the reasons we are especially excited to introduce our newly launched Doc Talk. This new feature gives trusted health and wellness professionals a space to educate, share their expertise, and help our readers feel more informed and empowered when it comes to their well-being. Our hope for this issue is that somewhere within these pages, you find something that inspires you to dream a little bigger, or simply appreciate how far you’ve already come. Success is beautiful, but so is the life we are creating around it. Here’s to a September filled with growth, connection, wellness, and making space for yourself along the way. With Love, Jennifer Hass
Growth happens when we slow down, reconnect, and make space for what truly matter.
The RISE Standard The Signature Five Heather McHardy Heather McHardy is the founder of The Happy Hours, Las Vegas’s 30+ pop-up nightclub where Millennials and Gen X reclaim the dance floor to 80s, 90s, and 2000s hits, doors open at 7pm, lights up by 11pm. A former pro dancer who toured Europe and performed on cruise ships, Heather has called Vegas home for 19 years, bringing rhythm, hospitality, and community to every event. Launched in May 2025, The Happy Hours now draws 250–400 guests, offers available seating, and features resident DJ Velvet Rebel and other local DJs. Events rotate between downtown and Henderson giving nightlifers their groove (and sleep) back. Website: www.thehappyhourslv.com Phone Number: 305-965-3394 Email: heather@thehappyhourslv.com Socials/Tiktok: @thehappyhourslv / @thehappyhourslv
Goval Insurance Goval Insurance is a family-owned, independent insurance agency helping individuals, families, and businesses find healthcare and insurance solutions that fit their needs and budget. From Medicare and individual health plans to employee benefits and life insurance, we provide concierge-style guidance, unbiased advice, and year-round support. As independent brokers, we work for our clients not the insurance companies ensuring every recommendation is based on what's best for you. Having proudly served more than 1,000 clients, we're committed to delivering trusted expertise, personalized service, and lasting relationships built on honesty, integrity, and exceptional care. Website: www.govalinsurance.com
Phone Number: (855)-477-3130
Dr. Johnathan Taitano Johnathan Taitano is an osteopathic physician who practices in Las Vegas Nevada. He attended A.T. He studied osteopathic medicine in Arizona and did his residency, in internal medicine, at Valley Hospital, Medical Center. He is board certified in internal medicine and has been in practice for 10 years starting out as a hospitalist but now runs a clinic with a focus on metabolic disorders.
Phone Number: 702-704-5207
Email: drtaitano@doctorscliniclv.com
Chloe Atnip Originally from California and now a Las Vegas resident for the past seven years, Chloe Atnip is the owner and lead photographer of Photos By Chloe. She specializes in maternity, newborn, family, headshot, personal branding photography, and video content. Her background in modeling and set wardrobe design at Prospect Studios in Hollywood helped shape her eye for styling, composition, and detail. Chloe is passionate about creating authentic, timeless imagery that celebrates women, families, businesses, and every stage of life.
Phone Number: (949) 923-8811 Location: 2578 S Belcastro St Ste 103 Las Vegas, NV 89117 United States
Website: Photosbychloe.com Instagram: @chloe.photosbychloe
Stephanie Solomon With over a decade of experience in the financial industry, beginning at New York Life in 2013, and a Master’s degree in International Real Estate, I am dedicated to helping individuals and entrepreneurs build, protect, and preserve their wealth. I provide guidance in financial planning, insurance solutions, long-term care planning, wealth protection, and legacy strategies, with a special focus on helping entrepreneurial women reduce unnecessary taxes, understand their financial options, and navigate an increasingly complex financial landscape. By creating personalized strategies to grow wealth, protect assets, and generate sustainable income, I empower my clients to make informed decisions with clarity and confidence, helping them achieve lasting financial security.
Phone Number: (725) 334-1675
Email: ssolomon05@ft.newyorklife.com Location: 1700 S Pavilion Center Dr. Ste 450 Las Vegas, Nv 89135
4
The RISE Standard Five Defining Businesses Las Vegas Holistic Center Las Vegas Holistic Center is led by two heart-centered visionaries: Dr. David Stella, a chiropractor, Intuitive Wellness Practitioner, and functional and energy medicine guide with over 30 years of experience, and Gina Pero, an ICF Master Certified Coach, Wellness Choreographer, bestselling author, speaker, and former Radio City Rockette. Together, they offer more than 10 advanced therapies, including frequency therapy, red light, lymphatic care, body restoration, and bio-energetic assessments, designed to support the body’s natural healing. With both in-person and remote services, their mission is to empower individuals to discover the path to optimal health that is uniquely right for them. Email: lasvegasholisticcenter.com Phone Number: (702)-352-3021 Instagram: @drstellalvhc
Jessie Rae’s BBQ Jessie Rae’s BBQ has become a Southern Nevada staple by creating a barbecue experience unlike any other. Proudly serving its signature Las Vegas Style BBQ, the award-winning restaurant is known for its slow smoked brisket, ribs, pulled pork, chicken, hot links, and legendary house-made BBQ sauce. With multiple Best of Las Vegas honors, Jessie Rae’s has earned a reputation for exceptional flavor, quality, and hospitality. Whether serving guests in the restaurant, catering community events, or providing takeout and delivery, Jessie Rae’s BBQ is committed to bringing people together over unforgettable food, creating memorable experiences one plate at a time. Phone Number: (702) 602-5353 Website: www.jessieraesbbq.com Location: 308 N. Boulder Highway, Henderson, NV 89015
Tacotarian Tacotarian is a vibrant, plant-based Mexican eatery redefining what vegan food can be. Known for its bold flavors, creative dishes, and modern twist on traditional Mexican food, Tacotarian brings a fresh energy to the dining experience. The brand celebrates culture, community, and sustainability, offering a menu that appeals to vegans and non-vegans alike. With an emphasis on high-quality ingredients and innovative recipes, Tacotarian proves that plant-based cuisine can be exciting, comforting, and crave-worthy. Their mission goes beyond food—they aim to inspire mindful eating while delivering unforgettable flavor in every bite. Tacotarian is plant-basedfood, elevated.
Phone Number: (725) 251-3853
Website: Eattacotarian.com
Location:1130 S Casino Center Blvd #170 Las Vegas, Nv 89104
My HealthMatrix My HealthMatrix® is a physician-led health optimization and performance center bringing medicine, movement, biohacking, and community under one roof. Our personalized approach may combine hormone and metabolic optimization, peptides, medical weight management, advanced diagnostics, AI-powered strength training, and recovery technologies. Members can access red light therapy, cold plunge, infrared sauna, PEMF, compression, altitude training, sound-frequency therapy, and more. More than a medical practice, gym, or recovery studio, My HealthMatrix is a complete wellness ecosystem built around one idea: Look. Feel. Perform. Younger. Longer. Phone Number: 888-699-2065 Instagram: healthmatrix_vegas Address: 8880 W. Sunset Rd, Ste 140 Las Vegas, NV 89148
My HealthMatrix® | Dr. Tim Patel, MD Website: my.healthmatrix.com
The Stirling Club Just off Paradise Road, minutes from every high-rise in the city, The Stirling Club is Las Vegas's private lifestyle and business club, the kind of curated address that usually asks a six-figure initiation to enter. Five event rooms, club dining and lounges, a fitness center, spa, resort pool, tennis, and pickleball anchor the amenities. Weeknights stay live with entertainment at the Main Bar, monthly member/community events, wine dinners, business networking, and sports watch parties. Memberships from $3,000 a year, no initiation fee, with dedicated tiers for Turnberry residents. Visit thestirlingclub.com for a personal tour. Website: www.thestirlingclub.com Phone Number: (702) 732-9700 Events: events@thestirlingclublv.com
Location: 2827 Paradise Road, Las Vegas, NV 89109 Membership: membership@thestirlingclublv.com
5
Photo by: Chloe Atnip
Meet Our Feature: Nick Cope
BEYOND THE TITLE:
NICK COPE ON FATHERHOOD, FAITH, SUCCESS & THE POWER OF COMMUNITY For Nick Cope, success is no longer I love walking into a room, seeing two people who don’t know each measured by the rooms he enters, other and thinking, Those two need the businesses he builds or the titles beside his name. It’s measured to meet. by the people he brings with him, I get a lot more fulfillment from the community he helps create and, watching something happen above all, the five daughters who because I connected the right call him Dad. people than I do from getting credit for it. RISE: When you strip away the titles, the real estate, The Stirling Club, all My faith has also become a much bigger part of who I am. I’m still of it, who is Nick Cope? growing, still learning and still Nick Cope: At the core, I’m a dad. getting things wrong. But today, I’m I’m a father of five daughters, and much more interested in living a that probably defines me more than life of purpose than simply building anything that could ever go on a a successful career. business card. Strip everything else away, and I I’m also someone who genuinely think I’m just a guy trying to be a loves people. I love bringing people good father, love people well, use together. whatever influence 6
I’ve been given for something meaningful, and leave people and places better than I found them.
RISE: You’ve had a front-row seat to a lot of successful people. What have you learned about success that you wish more people understood? Nick: Success has a lot less to do with what you accomplish and a lot more to do with who you become while accomplishing it. Living in Las Vegas and spending more than 20 years in hospitality and business, I’ve been around incredible wealth, celebrities, executives, entrepreneurs and some extraordinarily successful people.
I’ve learned that money, access and status don’t automatically bring peace, fulfillment or meaningful relationships. I’ve also learned that nobody really does it alone. Behind almost every successful person is a collection of people who opened doors, believed in them, challenged them, forgave them, introduced them to somebody or gave them another chance.
Nick: Ambition can become addictive because there’s always another mountain. Another opportunity. Another title. Another deal. Another room you want to get into.
I’m naturally outgoing. I can walk into almost any room, talk to anybody, host an event, stand on a stage or connect people. So I think there’s an assumption that confidence comes naturally to me.
There have been seasons where I’ve sacrificed peace, relationships, time with my daughters and parts of myself because I was so focused on what was next.
But I overthink. I question decisions. I wonder whether I’m doing enough. I replay conversations. I worry about letting people down.
I’ve experienced incredible highs professionally, but I’ve also experienced failure, financial uncertainty, relationships falling apart and moments where the person everyone saw publicly wasn’t necessarily the person struggling privately.
Today, I define success differently. Yes, I want to build great things. I want to win. I’m incredibly driven. But if I get to the top and my daughters don’t know me, my relationships are empty, my faith is nonexistent and I didn’t bring anybody with me, I don’t think that’s There have absolutely been moments where I wondered, What success. am I doing all of this for? RISE: Entrepreneurship can look Those moments changed me. beautiful from the outside, but behind the scenes there are I’m still ambitious. I probably always moments when you’re carrying will be. But I’m learning that the something no one else can see. dream can’t just be about building What has success cost you? something impressive. It has to be
about building a life worth living. I don’t want my greatest accomplishment to be something I owned, managed or built. I want it to be the people I loved, the lives I impacted and the five women who someday get to say, “That was my dad.” RISE: What’s something about you that people would never guess? Nick: Probably how much I question myself. Photo by: Chloe Atnip
7
Ironically, for someone who spends so much of his life connecting with other people, I’ve had seasons where I’ve felt incredibly alone myself. I think that’s part of why community means so much to me now. I understand that being surrounded by people and actually feeling known by people are two completely different things.
RISE: Why do you think real community matters so much right now? Nick: Because we’re more connected technologically and less connected relationally. We know what hundreds or thousands of people are doing every day because we see their posts, stories and updates. But that doesn’t mean we actually know them. People are hungry to belong somewhere.
I don’t just want to fill rooms. I want to create rooms where something happens.
I’ve been fortunate to build a pretty incredible network over the years. I know business owners, community leaders, hospitality executives, nonprofits, churches, entrepreneurs and people with resources.
Maybe somebody meets their next business partner. Maybe someone who’s new to Las Vegas finds their community. Maybe somebody walks I’ve realized that sometimes the most valuable thing I can give isn’t into a worship night carrying money. It’s access. something nobody knows about It’s saying, You need to know this and leaves with hope. Maybe two people simply sit across from each person.
other and have a conversation they Today, I’m especially passionate need. about bringing together business, faith, nonprofits and community. That’s community to me. Those worlds don’t have to exist I think right now people separately. desperately need places where they If I can use a room, a relationship, can put their phones down, look an introduction, an event or a somebody in the eyes and platform to help somebody else remember that we’re supposed to move forward, that’s meaningful to do life together. me.
At the end of the day, I’m just Dad. And daughters have an incredible way of exposing whether you’re actually present. Fatherhood has made me softer in some ways and stronger in others. It’s taught me patience, empathy, forgiveness and responsibility. It’s also made me think much more seriously about the example I’m setting. They’re watching how I respond when I fail. Whether I keep my word. Whether my faith is something I talk about or something I live.
I’ve made plenty of mistakes as a father. There are moments I wish I could have back. But maybe part of being a good dad isn’t pretending you got everything right. It’s RISE: How has being a father RISE: Giving back to Las Vegas is allowing your children to watch you important to you. Where does that changed you, not just personally, but grow, take accountability and come from, and what work are you in the way you lead, work and define become better. success? most passionate about today? Nick: Being a father to five daughters Today, success means my daughters Nick: Las Vegas has given me a lot. completely changed the scoreboard. being proud of the man their father became, not just the things he I’ve built my career here. I’ve raised My daughters don’t care about my accomplished. my daughters here. I’ve built title. They don’t care about the size friendships, relationships and of a deal or who I know. opportunities here.
I’ve experienced some of the greatest moments of my life here and some of my hardest. At some point, you realize influence is meaningless if you only use it for yourself.
Photo by: Chloe Atnip
8
RISE: If younger Nick could walk into your life today, what would surprise him? What would make him proud? And what advice would you give him?
You’re going to make mistakes, some painful ones. Own them. Learn from them. Don’t let shame convince you that your worst chapter gets to write the ending.
Nick: I think younger Nick would be Trust God sooner. surprised by the rooms we’ve gotten And understand that some of the into and the people we’ve met. He’d things that break you will eventually probably think some of that was become the exact things that allow pretty cool. you to help somebody else. But I think what would surprise him RISE: Was there one decision in most is how different the things I your life that felt small or terrifying value today are from the things I at the time, but looking back, you thought would matter. can see that it changed everything? I think he’d be proud that we kept going.
Nick: There hasn’t been just one career decision for me. The biggest turning points have been the moments when I decided to change myself.
We’ve been knocked down. We’ve made mistakes. We’ve lost things. We’ve had to start over. We’ve walked through seasons that didn’t Choosing to rebuild. Choosing to look anything like the plan. take accountability for parts of my life I wasn’t proud of. Choosing But we kept getting back up. faith. Choosing to walk back into I’d tell younger Nick: rooms after failure when disappearing would have been Stop trying easier.
so hard to prove yourself.
Those decisions weren’t glamorous. Nobody was applauding them on You’re going to spend years chasing social media. validation from rooms you’re eventually going to realize you never needed permission to enter. Take more pictures. Be more present. Call people back. Protect your relationships. Spend more time with your daughters. Don’t confuse being needed with being loved.
But they changed everything. Because I’ve learned that sometimes the most important decisions in your life aren’t the ones that immediately open a door.
RISE: Ten years from now, when people hear the name Nick Cope, what is the legacy you hope you’re leaving behind? Nick: I hope they don’t start with what I did for a living. I hope somebody says, Nick brought people together. I hope someone else says, He believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. I hope entrepreneurs say he opened doors. I hope nonprofits say he showed up. I hope people in the faith community say he wasn’t afraid to use unconventional spaces to bring people closer to God. I hope Las Vegas is a little more connected because I was here. But above everything else, I hope five daughters can look at the totality of my life—the successes, failures, mistakes, comeback, faith and growth—and be proud to call me Dad. I don’t need my name on a building. I’d rather have my fingerprints on people’s lives.
If, ten years from now, there are people doing something meaningful because at some point I introduced them, encouraged them, gave them They’re the ones that determine who an opportunity, invited them into a walks through the next door when it room or simply believed in them, that’s a legacy I’d be incredibly finally opens. proud of.
9
10
Where Las Vegas Comes Together Inside the New Vision for The Stirling Club By Nick Cope | Managing Partner & General Manager, The Stirling Club Las Vegas has never had a shortage of beautiful places. We have worldclass restaurants, resorts, entertainment and experiences around nearly every corner. What is harder to find is a place where people genuinely feel like they belong. That is what we are building at The Stirling Club. Just east of the Strip, The Stirling Club has been part of Las Vegas for decades. Today, we have an opportunity to honor that history while creating something that feels entirely relevant to where this city is going next: a private club where business, hospitality, wellness, dining and relationships all come together under one roof. For me, the vision is simple. I want people to walk through the doors and feel that something is happening here. Not because the room is crowded or there is always an event on the calendar, but because the people around them are interesting, engaged and open to connecting.
You might come in for coffee and end up meeting your next business partner. A game of pickleball could lead to a friendship. Lunch may turn into an introduction that opens an entirely new door. You may stop in for an hour and stay through dinner because you run into people you enjoy being around. You might come in for coffee and end up meeting your next business partner. A game of pickleball could lead to a friendship. Lunch may turn into an introduction that opens an entirely new door. You may stop in for an hour and stay through dinner because you run into people you enjoy being around. That kind of connection cannot be forced, but you can create the environment for it to happen naturally. That is where I believe The Stirling Club can become truly special.
We are already putting that vision into motion. Over the past several A great private club should create weeks, there has been tremendous moments you could never schedule. activity throughout the property. 11
We have been addressing critical infrastructure, upgrading airconditioning systems, replacing the pool filtration system, improving landscaping, adding kitchen equipment and bringing new energy back into spaces throughout the club. Those improvements matter, but they are only the foundation. The real transformation is about how the club feels and how members use it. We are reimagining our dining, social and entertainment experiences so there is a reason to be here from morning into the evening.
New culinary concepts are being developed around great food, beautiful environments and, most importantly, hospitality that feels personal. In a private club, you should be known. Your preferences should be remembered. The team should know your name. And over time, the people sitting at the tables around you should begin to feel familiar too.
Wellness is equally important to where we are headed. With our private gym, spa amenities, tennis and pickleball courts, we already have an incredible foundation. As we continue expanding programming and partnerships, wellness will become an even bigger part of the everyday member experience. The pool presents another exciting opportunity. We see it becoming a true resort-style extension of the club: a place to relax, connect, enjoy food and drinks, participate in wellness experiences and host thoughtfully curated fashion, luxury and lifestyle events. It should feel energetic without feeling chaotic, elevated without feeling pretentious.
We are more connected digitally than ever, yet people are still searching for places where relationships happen face to face. The Stirling Club can be that place. And I believe the timing could not be better. Las Vegas is evolving quickly. We are no longer simply a tourism and entertainment destination. Professional sports, entrepreneurship, technology, real estate, healthcare, hospitality and an expanding business community are bringing new people, ideas and opportunities into the city every day.
There are extraordinary people throughout Las Vegas who should know one another but simply have Imagine starting your morning with not crossed paths yet. a workout or a tennis match, grabbing coffee and taking a Our job is to create the place where We are also transforming The meeting at the club. You stay for they do. Spirits Room into a new sports and lunch, work for a couple of hours, That is also why I see membership entertainment ultra lounge. run into someone you have been differently. Exclusivity has value, meaning to connect with, then meet Las Vegas has become one of the but exclusivity alone is not the friends for dinner and watch a most exciting sports cities in the vision. game afterward. country, and we want members to The value is in curating a have an elevated home for football, Instead of moving all over Las community of people who bring Vegas, the different parts of your hockey, championship fights, something to the room: perspective, day begin to happen in one place. Formula 1 and the major events experience, ambition, generosity, that bring this city to life. That is how people live now. The creativity or simply a genuine lines between work, wellness and desire to know and support the The goal is not another sports bar. social life have changed. Technology people around them. It is a sophisticated social has given us the freedom to work environment where watching the When that community is right, the from almost anywhere, but it has game is only part of the experience. amenities become more also made genuine human meaningful. interaction more valuable. What excites me most is how all of these pieces work together.
12
Dinner becomes a conversation. A sporting event becomes a shared memory. A business meeting becomes an opportunity. An ordinary afternoon at the club can unexpectedly become the beginning of something important. We have a lot of work ahead of us, and that is part of what makes this chapter so exciting. New spaces will open. The property will continue to evolve. Our calendar, partnerships and member experiences will grow. Some changes will be immediately visible; others will happen gradually as the culture of the club takes shape. But I do not believe the future of The Stirling Club will ultimately be defined by a renovation, a restaurant or any single amenity. It will be defined by the people who fill those spaces. If we can create a club where people feel known, where they want to spend their time, where meaningful relationships form and where being part of the community genuinely adds something to their lives, we will have built something Las Vegas needs. Not simply another beautiful place to go, but a place you are proud to belong. 13
YOUR HEALTH. YOUR FUTURE. OUR PRIORITY. We help individuals, families, and businesses find the right health insurance solutions with personalized service you can trust.
MEDICARE / HEALTH / ACA / DENTAL / LIFE
Hello,
MEDICARE
HEALTH & ACA
DENTAL
LIFE INSURANCE
find the right plan for your needs with expert guidance.
Affordable plans for you and your family.
Quality dental coverage for a healthy smile.
Protect what matters most. Peace of mind for your loved ones.
we are Jose & Alexandra Castillo, your Licensed Health Insurance Professionals. Licensed & Serving: NV, CA, TX, FL, NJ
Local. Trusted. Here for You.
LET’S FIND THE RIGHT PLAN FOR YOU!
+1 855-477-3130
www.govalinsurance.com
(Hablamos Español)
EXPERIENCED
RELIABLE
We’re proud to serve our community with honesty, integrity, and care.
YOUR HEALTH JOURNEY IS OUR MISSION
DEDICATED
AWARD WINNING FLAVOR Recognized best of Las Vegas.
SLOW-SMOKED EVERY DAY Cooked low and slow for maximum flavor.
LEGENDARY HOUSE-MADE SAUCE Made fresh in-house with our signature touch
308 N. Boulder Highway Henderson, NV 89015
14
(702) 602-5353 www.jessieraesbbq.com
PERSONALIZED SERVICE We’re here to answer your questions and support you every step of the way.
Natural Born Biohackers: The New Science of Women’s Longevity By Dr. Tim Patel How to harness your body’s natural adaptability, from your 30s through menopause and beyond. Women live longer than men, but do not always live better. Women outlast their male counterparts by several years on average, yet spend more of those years in pain, on medications, and pushing through fatigue, brain fog, and a body that does not quite feel like their own. That gap between how long women live and how well they live is the real women’s longevity crisis. What often gets overlooked is this: women are, by necessity, natural born biohackers. Long before biohacking became a tech buzzword, women were adapting month after month, decade after decade to shifting hormones, changing bodies, and new physiological demands. Menstrual cycles reshape energy, mood, and metabolism.
Pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, and menopause each require a different kind of recalibration. Women are constantly reading their internal signals and adjusting how they eat, move, sleep, and show up in the world, often without language or support for what they are doing.
Women do not age in a straight line; they age in phases. Each decade demands a different strategy.
Today, a new generation of physicians and longevity experts, people like Florence Comite, MD, Sara Gottfried, MD, and Vonda
how her body truly ages, she can engineer healthspan, not just hope for it.
As a physician and founder of an integrated health and longevity center, I see this every day. Women in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond walk in with very different bodies, hormones, and stress loads even For years, the advice offered to when they share the same these “natural born biohackers” has chronological age. been generic: eat healthy, stay Their biological clocks are running active, manage stress. Helpful, but on different timelines. The good incomplete. news: once a woman understands
Wright, MD are reshaping that narrative. Their work points to something far more precise:
15
And she can do it by working with three core pillars; muscle, hormones, and metabolism supported by intelligent recovery and nervous-system regulation.
Pillar One: Medical – Hormones and Metabolism as a Moving Target Traditional medicine often treats women’s health as if the body were static: an annual set of labs, a brief visit, perhaps a prescription when numbers drift out of range. Emerging science and the clinical work of physicians like Comite and Gottfried, tell a different story. A woman’s hormones and metabolism do not age smoothly. They shift in distinct phases, with major inflection points in the mid40s and again in the early 60s, when molecular aging appears to accelerate. In women, those shifts are layered on top of:
Evidence-based hormone therapy when appropriate, with dosing tailored to the individual rather than a standard protocol Strategic, rather than reflexive, use of tools like GLP-1 medications or certain peptides always integrated with nutrition and strength work, never used in isolation Lab work should not be viewed as a pass/fail verdict. It is a roadmap. The real question is not “Are you normal?” but “Where are you on your trajectory, and how can that trajectory be steered now?”
Pillar Two: Muscle – The Most Underrated Longevity Organ
Ovarian aging (perimenopause into menopause) Changes in insulin sensitivity Rising inflammation Altered lipids and cardiovascular risk
Metabolic health and blood sugar control Bone density and fracture risk Balance, reaction time, and fall risk Independence and survival in later decades
If there is one idea I want women to internalize from this new wave of longevity science, it is this: muscle For women, particularly during is a longevity organ, especially for midlife transitions, strength women. training is not optional longevity Instead of waiting for disease to Orthopedic surgeon and longevity work; it is central longevity work. appear, a proactive approach to expert Vonda Wright, MD, describes In practice, this means: women’s longevity focuses on: muscle as a reserve of the physical Strength training two to three Deeper biomarker tracking over savings account built in earlier times per week, using loads that decades that will be drawn from in time: glucose, lipids, truly challenge by the final few inflammatory markers, insulin later life. repetitions dynamics, bone markers, and Without deliberate training, women Training movement patterns; sex hormones can lose significant muscle and a squat, hinge, push, pull, carry Early, individualized substantial percentage of bone rather than isolated muscles conversations about mass within just a few years around Incorporating elements of perimenopause and menopause, dramatically increasing power and speed that are menopause, not only about frailty and fracture risk. appropriate for the joints and fertility nervous system 16
Periodically testing strength A legitimate longevity plan and cardiorespiratory fitness to prescribes recovery as deliberately see whether training is actually as medication: producing adaptation Sleep treated as therapy: seven to nine high-quality hours, Strong skeletal muscle now functions as a vital sign of longevity, supported by evening windon par with healthy blood pressure down rituals, light or optimal blood glucose. management, and a bedroom environment designed for deep Pillar Three: Recovery and rest Regulation – The Missing Nervous-system practices such Prescription as breathwork, mindfulness, Women excel at doing more. More therapy, or somatic techniques responsibilities at work, more that consistently shift the body emotional labor at home, more out of chronic activation multitasking. Very few are taught Smart use of recovery tools; how to recover with the same level heat, cold, light, compression, of intention. and others applied with clear Chronically elevated cortisol, protocols and medical context highlighted in the work of Sara rather than as random add-ons Gottfried, MD, acts as a silent Protected white space each saboteur disrupting sleep, week that is not allocated to destabilizing blood sugar, impairing producing or caring for others hormone balance, and accelerating aging at the cellular level. Over time, constant “fight-or-flight” becomes the background setting, and true rest becomes foreign.
Future-oriented women’s longevity care does not view recovery as indulgence. It views recovery as nervous-system medicine.
A Decade-By-Decade Strategy Although each woman is unique, there are reliable patterns that can guide a decade-by-decade strategy.
Florence Comite, MD, emphasizes that this is when subtle shifts frequently begin: small rises in insulin, low-grade inflammation, early hormonal fluctuations. A woman may feel “fine,” yet her longterm trajectory is already being set. What matters most in the 30s: Build muscle early. The muscle gained in this decade becomes the reserve relied upon in the 40s, 50s, and beyond. Stabilize metabolism. Blood sugar swings, afternoon crashes, and slow but steady weight gain are not trivial; they can represent early insulin resistance if left unchecked. Protect sleep and stress. Career growth, relationships, and possibly young children combine into a potent recipe for chronic overdrive. Cortisol in this setting becomes a powerful accelerant of aging if not addressed. The goal in the 30s is to set a strong baseline so the body enters midlife robust, not already depleted. Your 40s: The Metabolic and Hormonal Pivot
The 40s are the most critical and Your 30s: Build the Foundation You’ll most misunderstood decade in women’s longevity. Age Into Culturally, the 30s are often treated as maintenance years. Biologically, they function as an investment decade. 17
Estrogen and progesterone fluctuate long before the final menstrual period, with ripple effects far beyond fertility. These hormonal shifts influence:
Metabolism and fat distribution, particularly visceral fat around the abdomen Brain function, including memory, focus, and mood Sleep regulation Cardiovascular and bone health Symptoms such as poor sleep, weight changes, and mood swings are not random. They are biological signals. At the same time, different systems metabolic, hormonal, and inflammatory may now be aging at different speeds. Recent research suggests that the mid-40s represent a major molecular shift in aging, which matches what many women report: “Everything suddenly accelerated.” What matters most in the 40s: Double down on strength training. Muscle loss accelerates during this decade; without deliberate work, it disappears.
Track biomarkers. Glucose,
Preserve and rebuild muscle.
lipids, inflammatory markers,
Strength serves as an insurance
bone density, and hormones
policy against frailty.
become high-value data,
Monitor bone density.
revealing trends early rather
Osteopenia and osteoporosis
than after a diagnosis.
are common, often silent until
Address hormonal shifts
a fracture occurs. These are, in
proactively. Perimenopause is a
many cases, preventable with
window of opportunity.
the right combination of
Thoughtful conversations about
strength training, nutrition,
hormone therapy, sleep,
hormone therapy when
cognition, and mood can
appropriate, and sometimes
redirect the trajectory, not just
medication.
mask discomfort.
Support metabolic and heart
The goal in the 40s is to navigate the transition consciously, rather than drifting through it and emerging with preventable acceleration of aging.
Your 50s: Protect Function, Prevent Decline By the 50s, menopause has typically occurred, and its effects become more visible. This decade is a fork in the road: muscle, bone, and metabolic changes can either accelerate or be actively managed. For Vonda Wright, MD, this decade centers on one word: function. Loss of strength and bone density is not an inevitable fate of aging; it is a direct threat to independence, fall risk, and survival. What matters most in the 50s:
18
health. Cardiovascular risk rises meaningfully after menopause. Lipids, blood pressure, and inflammatory markers should be tracked and addressed aggressively. The goal in the 50s is to remain strong, mobile, and metabolically resilient so this decade functions as a launchpad rather than a decline.
Your 60s and Beyond: Longevity Becomes Functionality In the 60s and later, longevity is no longer about prevention alone; it is about preserving quality of life. The work performed in earlier decades now shows up clearly in: Mobility and balance Cognitive health Day-to-day independence
Yet it is never too late to improve the trajectory. What matters most from the 60s onward: Maintain strength and balance. Beginning strength and balance training even in the 60s or 70s can reduce falls and help preserve independence. Stay socially and mentally engaged. Social isolation significantly harms healthspan and lifespan. Continue monitoring key markers. Cardiometabolic, bone, and cognitive health remain modifiable with the right interventions. The goal in later decades is to live longer while remaining capable, connected, and clear-headed.
19
The New Longevity Playbook for Natural Born Biohackers Across all decades, emerging science and clinical experience converge on a powerful idea: women’s longevity is built on three pillars; muscle, hormones, and metabolism managed proactively over time, and supported by intentional recovery and nervous-system health. This is not about chasing youth or pretending aging is optional. It is about designing a body and brain that can carry a woman strong, clear, and independent through every phase of her life. For some, that will mean seeking out an integrated center where medical care, strength training, and recovery live under one roof. For others, it will involve assembling a personal ecosystem: a clinician who understands women’s longevity, a coach who can align training with labs and life stages, and a recovery routine treated as non-negotiable. In every case, the shift is the same: away from generic advice and toward decade-specific strategy, away from reactive disease care and toward proactive healthspan design, away from fear of aging and toward ownership of the process. Women have always been adapting cycle by cycle, season by season, stage by stage. The real opportunity now is to take that natural biohacker instinct, pair it with modern science, and turn it into a clear, intentional strategy. The goal is not simply to live longer. The goal is to live well, all the way through.
20
Meet
SHAY
SHAY’S SIGNATURE SERVICES LAS VEGAS NEVADA
Hi, I’m Sheila, but everyone calls me Shay. I was born in California, but Las Vegas has always been home. It’s where I was raised, where I’m raising my own family, and where I’ve been fortunate enough to build businesses that I truly love. I’m a wife, a mom of four, and honestly, those are the titles I’m most proud of. Life at home is always busy, especially with our two dogs, Chica and Raider, running around, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. If I’m not working, you’ll probably find me sitting in the bleachers cheering on one of my kids at a game.
I love being there for them, celebrating their wins, encouraging them through the tough moments, and showing them that hard work and consistency really do pay off.
I created Shay's Signature Services because I wanted to build something that gave me the flexibility to be present for my family while doing work that genuinely helps people. Becoming Before becoming a business owner, I spent more than 10 years working an entrepreneur wasn't just about in the legal field. During that time, I owning a business. It was about creating a life where I could be learned so much. Not just about legal documents, but about people. I there for my kids while serving my met families going through exciting community in a meaningful way. milestones, difficult life changes, Today, I provide mobile notary and everything in between. One thing I noticed was how services, remote online overwhelming paperwork could feel, notarizations, loan signings, and especially when people didn't know apostille services throughout the where to turn. That stayed with me Las Vegas Valley. Every day looks a and eventually became one of the little different, and that's one of the biggest reasons I started my own things I love most. business. 21
Some days I'm meeting clients at their homes, hospitals, offices, or local coffee shops. Other days I'm helping someone get documents ready to use in another country or walking a first-time client through an online notarization. No matter what brings someone to me, my goal is always the same: make the process easy, stress-free, and leave them feeling like they were genuinely taken care of.
Being bilingual in English and Spanish has been one of the greatest gifts in my business. It allows me to connect with so many families who simply want someone they can comfortably communicate with. Sometimes it's not just about notarizing a document. It's about making someone feel heard, understood, and confident during an important moment. Entrepreneurship has always been close to my heart because it's part of my family's story.
My parents came to the United States from Oaxaca, Mexico, with very little but a dream of creating a better life. Through years of sacrifice, determination, and hard work, they built successful businesses and showed our family what resilience looks like.
Alongside my notary business, I'm also proud to be part owner of Plugged In Repairs with my husband. Together, we provide appliance repair, electrical services, and EV charger installations throughout the Las Vegas Valley. Building businesses together has Watching them never give up, even been one of the most rewarding when things were difficult, inspired experiences of our marriage. It me more than they probably realize. hasn't always been easy, but it's taught us patience, teamwork, and Their example gave me the how important it is to support each confidence to believe I could build other's dreams. something of my own, and I hope People often ask me what my my children grow up seeing that favorite part of being a business same determination in me. owner is and my answer is always Community is another huge part of the same, it's the people. I love who I am. I genuinely enjoy giving meeting new clients, hearing their back, volunteering, and supporting stories, and being someone they local businesses whenever I can. I can trust during important moments in their lives. Some of my believe success means so much more when you're able to lift other clients have become repeat customers, referred to their families people up along the way. and friends, and even turned into I'm also honored to serve as the friendships. That's something I'll Director of Growth & Engagement never take for granted. for the Women's Executive Circle. It's a role that has allowed me to At the end of the day, everything I connect with some truly incredible do comes back to my family. They women while helping grow an are the reason I work hard, keep organization that's focused on learning, and continue pushing empowering others. I love creating myself to grow. I want my children opportunities for women and to to know that success isn't just about learn from each other, build lasting building a business. It's about relationships, and celebrate one treating people with kindness, doing the right thing even when no one is another's success. There is watching, and leaving every person something really special about better than you found them. watching women encourage each other instead of compete, and I'm grateful to be part of that. 22
I'm incredibly thankful for every client who has trusted me, every opportunity that's come my way, and every lesson this journey has taught me. Shay's Signature Services is more than just a business to me; it's a reflection of my values, my heart, and the kind of impact I hope to make in my community. My goal has always been simple: provide exceptional service, build genuine relationships, and leave people feeling cared for. If I can do that every day, then I know I'm exactly where I'm meant to be.
23
24
Lyrics Leah
from
In the Palm of His Hand
God sees us all Scurrying about Left, right Around in doubt And though at times We veer off course
Don’t worry, just trust
A reflection on trust, purpose, and being held by God.
As He’s holding us close For there we are
In the palm of His hand Making sure in life we securely land In what our ultimate purpose may be No matter the way We got there you see For once you’ve given Your heart to Him
He will hold you, be with you Forever, without end Contact: lyricsfromleah@gmail.com
25
The Growth You Can't Yet See We want immediate proof that we're making progress. We measure ourselves by milestones we can see, checking for visible results while overlooking the countless ways we've already begun to change.
Why the Most Meaningful Transformation Often Happens Long Before You Recognize It As summer gives way to fall, there's something comforting about this season. Gardens begin to reveal the fruits of months of quiet tending. Trees prepare to exchange vibrant greens for rich shades of amber and gold. Farmers gather the harvest, knowing the abundance they celebrate today didn't appear overnight. It was the result of countless unseen days beneath the surface, where roots stretched, strengthened, and quietly prepared for what was to come. Growth has always worked this way.
I see this often with the women I work with. They'll tell me they don't feel like they're making progress because the scale hasn't moved, their symptoms haven't completely disappeared, or they still have difficult days. They're so focused on the destination that they miss the remarkable transformation already taking place beneath the surface.
The Roots Grow First One of the greatest lessons nature teaches us is that roots always grow before fruit appears. A farmer doesn't plant a seed and dig it up every week to see if it's growing. They understand that just because something isn't visible doesn't mean nothing is happening. In fact, the most important work is often taking place underground, where no one can see it.
Yet somehow, when it comes to our own lives, we expect transformation Personal growth follows the same to happen differently. pattern.
26
Before confidence becomes visible, self-trust quietly begins to take root. Before healthy boundaries feel natural, we practice saying no even when it feels uncomfortable. Before peace becomes our default, we spend countless moments choosing not to abandon ourselves.
These early shifts often feel insignificant because they aren't dramatic. They don't come with applause or recognition. But they are the foundation upon which every lasting transformation is built.
The Progress We Forget to Celebrate Our minds have a tendency to focus on what's still missing instead of noticing what's already changing. Perhaps six months ago you apologized every time you needed to rest. Today, you simply take the break your body is asking for. Maybe you still feel guilty sometimes, but the guilt doesn't last as long. Perhaps you've started noticing your body's signals sooner.
You recognize when you're becoming overwhelmed before reaching complete exhaustion. You ask for help more often. You recover more quickly after difficult days. You no longer believe every thought your inner critic offers you. These changes may never appear on a progress chart, but they represent profound growth.
A Different Way to Measure Growth
So before you tell yourself you're not making progress, pause.
As we move into a season of harvest, perhaps it's worth asking ourselves different questions.
Look beneath the surface.
Instead of asking, What haven't I accomplished yet? Try asking:
One of the most encouraging truths about change is that every healthy choice strengthens new neural pathways in the brain. Each time you respond differently than you would have in the past, you're reinforcing a new pattern. The first time you choose rest over pushing through, it feels unfamiliar. The tenth time, it feels intentional. The hundredth time, it begins to feel like who you are. This is why lasting transformation rarely feels dramatic. It is built through repetition, not perfection. Small choices, made consistently, reshape not only our habits but also our identity.
Because the greatest harvest isn't always found in the goals you've achieved.
Sometimes, it's found in the woman What feels easier today than it did six you've quietly become while no one is watching. months ago?
The woman you are becoming is revealed less by what you accomplish What beliefs have I outgrown? What boundaries am I holding now and more by how you respond. that I couldn't before?
Your Brain Is Growing Too
Notice the roots you've been growing.
How do I speak to myself differently than I once did? These questions shift our attention from achievement to transformation. They remind us that growth isn't measured only by what we've done, but by who we've become.
The Harvest Every autumn reminds us that the harvest is simply the visible expression of work that began long before anyone noticed. The same is true for your life. The confidence you carry tomorrow is growing in the decisions you're making today.
The peace you're longing for is being cultivated every time you choose selfcompassion over self-criticism. The woman you're becoming is taking The version of you you're becoming isn't created in one defining moment. shape in every moment you choose alignment over expectation, courage She's formed in hundreds of over comfort, and self-trust over selfordinary moments that no one else doubt. will ever see.
27
About the Author For most of her life, Jessica Waugh believed her value came from what she could do for others. As the caretaker, the achiever, and the woman who always had it together, she spent years pushing through her own health challenges while searching for answers that never seemed to come. She knows what it's like to be told everything looks "normal" when you know something isn't right.
Today, as Founder & CEO of The Pause Effect and Co-Founder of Hot Flash Heroes, Jessica helps high-achieving women connect the dots between their symptoms, habits, life experiences, and the hidden patterns that have shaped who they are. Together, they uncover the bigger picture so women can stop questioning themselves, start understanding themselves, and come home to the woman they were always meant to be. Because healing doesn't begin with doing more. Learn more at: www.ThePauseAffect.com
28
Know
Yourself Deeply The greatest project I will ever undertake is
knowing myself deeply. Who am I? What is my path? What is true?
How much of my life has been lived trying to impress other people?
Not mastery over someone else. Mastery over self. Mastery over emotions. How many decisions have been mine, These are the questions I want to Mastery over thoughts. and how many have been made for Mastery over reactions. spend my life asking. someone else? For years, I looked outside myself for The person you spend the most time The opinions of other people can't answers. I looked for validation, with is yourself. carry me because they are not living recognition, and certainty. But none It only makes sense that you should my life. of those things can tell me who I am. know that person better than anyone. The life I want has to come from Only I can discover that through within. rigorous self-examination. After all these years, I’ve discovered
The true self is what I am after.
As I get older, I understand we all have to ask these questions of ourselves, as honestly as we can, and it can be a brutal exercise.
I want to know my strengths. My weaknesses. My blind spots. I want to understand my fears. My motivations. Why I want what I want. Why I think the way I think. To know myself deeply is to stop running from who I truly am. I don’t want to live a life where I do things only for the judgment of my contemporaries.
Who am I? What is my highest path? We shouldn’t want easy answers. We should want honest ones.
Mastery begins with the person in the mirror. 29
the things I strive for rarely feel the way I expected them to when I get them. Once I succeed in whatever thing I was chasing, I quickly feel the need to climb another mountain. I’ve never been great at celebrating the wins. I am a work in progress. But I still believe the pursuit is the prize. Mastery is the prize. The process is the prize. The journey itself shapes me.
Every challenge teaches me something. Every failure reveals something. Every success asks another question.
Even today, I still work on facing and accepting the fear of people seeing who I was.
Every time I ask those questions honestly, I move a little closer to myself.
I am a work in progress.
So, I invite you... Know yourself deeply. Know your habits. Know your thoughts. Know your fears. Know your gifts. Know your purpose. Know what pulls you away from awareness. Know what brings you back.
Life is constantly inviting me to know But I take comfort in knowing every myself more deeply. experience has shaped me. Regardless, I have limited time here on this planet. Regardless, I have limited time here on this planet. There is really nothing to hold onto.
Every mistake has taught me. Every hardship has allowed me to know myself more deeply.
I am grasping at smoke.
In every human experience, there is darkness, and there is light. In just one day, you can be happy in the morning and sad at night.
Everything changes, and everything has an end.
To know myself is not to pretend those parts of life don’t exist.
The only thing that remains is this moment. This breath.
It is to become aware of them. To observe them.
The only thing that remains is this moment. This breath. This opportunity to become more aware. Awareness changes everything. Awareness that sometimes, we try to suppress the pain we’ve felt and bottle it up so it never comes out. For years, I tried to erase my past. I tried to erase the things I was embarrassed by. I tried to hide those parts of myself. But hiding my past only kept me from knowing myself.
Only then can I choose consciously. Only then can I grow. I want true and honest experiences. I want freedom. Not freedom from responsibility. Freedom from pretending. Freedom from comparison. Freedom from becoming someone the world thinks I should be. Freedom to become who I actually am.
Study yourself with the same curiosity as you study the world. Because no amount of success can replace self-knowledge. No amount of recognition can replace inner peace. No accomplishment can tell you who you are.
That is your work. The greatest project you will ever undertake is knowing yourself deeply.
I have within me a story to tell. Not because I have all the answers. But because I am willing to ask the questions. Who am I? What is true? What is my path?
By Justin Cosolo 30
When Safety Becomes Part of Healing By Sara Pedraza Nutrition became one of the first areas we addressed. I transitioned Roxy to carefully portioned, fresh homemade meals based on her Holistic healing is sometimes individual needs. We focused on misunderstood as focusing on one natural remedy or choosing wellness simple, whole-food ingredients and support instead of veterinary care. To paid close attention to her portions and responses over time. The goal me, it means looking at the whole was not a quick transformation. It dog: nutrition, physical comfort, was to give her body consistent, behavior, environment, stress, emotions, and the support already in thoughtful support while allowing her weight to change safely and place. gradually. Roxy, a French Bulldog, showed me how closely those pieces can be As the weight came off, Roxy began connected. moving more comfortably. Her body
When Roxy was surrendered by their owners due to all her medical issues, they were not able to support her, she was overweight, inflamed, uncomfortable in her body, and struggling with her skin, ear infection, and breathing. She also experienced severe separation anxiety.
appeared less inflamed, and her skin improved. She started to look and act like a lighter version of herself. These physical changes also seemed to make daily life easier for her. She had more comfort in her body, and I began to see moments of calm emerge beneath the discomfort she had been carrying.
At first, leaving her was extremely difficult. She could become vocal, destructive, distressed, and unable to regulate herself. Progress was not always easy to see, and there were days when I questioned whether we were moving forward. We continued with the same gentle structure and calm repetition. Slowly, Roxy began staying in her own bed when I left. She no longer needed to follow me from room to room, and she started resting without constantly seeking reassurance.
Eventually, she began choosing to sleep independently in her own space. For a dog who had once struggled to tolerate separation, that quiet choice represented a significant change.
Roxy’s experience taught me that healing is rarely a straight line. There were setbacks, stressful moments, and days that tested both of us. Her separation anxiety required a Supporting her meant paying She had difficulty settling down, different kind of patience. I created a attention not only to food and became distressed when left alone, consistent routine and a designated physical changes, but also to her and seemed to live in a constant state space where Roxy could begin nervous system, emotional state, of alert. Her needs were not limited learning that being alone did not surroundings, and sense of safety. to one symptom, so I knew her mean she had been abandoned. support would need to be gradual and individualized.
31
A dog who is overweight, uncomfortable, struggling to breathe, experiencing skin problems, or showing intense anxiety should be evaluated with appropriate veterinary care. Nutrition and lifestyle changes may provide meaningful support, but they should be personalized to the individual dog and should not replace diagnosis, emergency care, prescriptions, or medically necessary treatment. Weight loss and diet changes also need to be approached carefully, especially when a dog has other health concerns. For me, Roxy’s progress was never about making her into a different dog. It was about helping her feel better in her body and safer in her world. She is still on her journey, but she is no longer the same dog who arrived at my door. Her story reminds me that small changes can become important ones when they are supported with patience, consistency, compassion, and care for the whole animal. 32
September Is When the System Gets Tested What's coming, who needs to be where, and which night went sideways.
It's usually the same night every week. Late practice, a game across town, the evening that ends at eight By Carrie Carr thirty with two hungry kids and Any routine will hold for two weeks. nothing prepped. Once you can name the night, you can build a That isn't a system. That's shorter version for it instead of enthusiasm. pretending the full routine is going The real test comes now. The games to happen. Bags packed, clothes out, start counting, the homework gets done. real, volleyball and basketball are The system bends. That's the entire both running, somebody has a point of having one. project due, and the thing that Then do a reset for yourself. worked beautifully in August is getting skipped two nights out of five. This is the month people quit. They decide the system failed and go looking for a new one. Almost always, that's the wrong read.
Find the step that broke. A routine rarely collapses all at once. One piece stops working, everything after it gets skipped, and the whole thing looks like a failure when it isn't. Sunday night is when you find that out. Twenty minutes with the week behind you and the week ahead.
If the room isn't there, the answer is no, and no is a complete sentence. Protecting what you built in August is the whole reason you built it.
Expect it to change. A ten-year-old and a thirteen-yearold carry more than they did a year ago, so the routine that fits them now shouldn't look like last fall's. That isn't drift. That's the system keeping up with them.
There will be slips. You'll remind, reset, and occasionally reteach. A routine still standing in November Ten minutes, no laundry involved. A at eighty percent is worth more look at what's ahead and an honest than a perfect one you rebuilt three read on what you can actually carry. times and abandoned by January. Skip it and you'll still be functional in October. You just won't have anything left over.
You don't need a new system this month. You need the one you have to survive September.
Carrie Carr is a Chief Operating Officer, mom of two, and author of Everything arrives this month. The Built for Balance: Creating Systems extra practice, the committee, the That Bring Clarity, Consistency, and fundraiser, the thing that's "only one Calm to Everyday Life. night a week."
Say no to what September adds.
It is never one night a week. It's the drive there, the drive back, the homework that gets pushed to nine, and the dinner that doesn't happen. Look at the calendar before you answer, not after. 33
Our Inner Score Keeper I have been turning this over for a while now. Influence. The word lands heavy sometimes. It can sound like something reserved for people with platforms or titles or perfect timing. But I keep coming back to the ordinary moments when one person changes the temperature of a room, or a conversation, or even just their own day, by choosing to show up differently. Most of us know the feeling of holding something back. You sit in a meeting and the idea is right there, but you swallow it. You watch someone struggle with something you have already figured out, and you stay silent because you do not want to seem like you are showing off.
Or you say yes to another request when every part of you is already stretched thin. Those choices look small from the outside. Inside, they add up. I noticed it in my own body first. Shoulders creep up. Sleep gets lighter. The next morning I feel a little less like myself. The reverse is true too. There are days when I finally say the thing I have been circling around for weeks. My voice might shake a little. My face might get warm. But afterward there is this clear space that was not there before. I can breathe easier. I can listen better to the people around me because I am not busy arguing with myself anymore. That shift is what I mean when I talk about the influence of meeting the way we live.
34
It is not abstract. It shows up in how rested we feel, how present we can be with the people we care about, and how much energy we have left at the end of the day. I have watched friends build public versions of themselves that look impressive on paper and still leave them exhausted. They post the right things, say the right words, keep the image polished. Yet when we sit down for coffee they admit they feel like they are performing a role that no longer fits. The gap between the outer version and the inner one costs them. It costs sleep. It costs patience with their kids or partners. It costs the simple pleasure of an unscheduled afternoon. Closing that gap is rarely a big dramatic moment.
That reliability creates a kind of ease, Her days had a different texture.Scale is not the point. One honest both for them and for everyone conversation can change how around them. someone carries themselves for Trust works the same way. We cannot weeks. One clear boundary can teach keep offering steady ground to other everyone who sees it that it is people if we have not practiced it with possible to protect your own time without being cruel. These things ourselves first. If I am constantly matter. They change the quality of the rewriting my own story to fit hours we live in. And they change us whatever room I am in, the people who depend on me eventually feel the in the process. When we practice instability. On the other hand, when I them, we often discover we have more capacity than we thought. stay close to what feels true, even when it is inconvenient, something solid forms. Other people lean on it. The fear of speaking up shrinks a And I lean on it too. There is less second-guessing at three in the morning. There is more room for the It usually starts with smaller ordinary good parts of a day.I think decisions: turning down a about the people in my own circles collaboration that feels off, admitting who have shaped the communities in public that you changed your mind around them without ever calling about something, letting people see themselves leaders. One friend the less curated parts of your life started inviting neighbors over for without apology. simple dinners once a month.
Consistency matters more than most of us want to admit. The way people come to know us is built from repeated choices, not from one impressive statement. When those choices match what we actually value, something settles. We stop spending so much energy managing impressions.
Nothing fancy. Just food and conversation. Over a couple of years those dinners turned into real support systems. People found jobs through each other, shared childcare, and showed up when someone was sick.
little each time we do it and survive. The fear of being seen as imperfect softens when we realize most people are relieved by honesty.I will not pretend this is always comfortable. There are days when influence feels like a burden. People look to you for answers you do not have yet. Criticism arrives from people who only know a fraction of the story. Visibility can make ordinary mistakes feel larger than they are.
On those days the work is to stay close to the reasons you started. For me, those reasons are almost always personal. I want the people around me to feel a little less alone. I want the next generation to inherit better She never set out to build anything patterns than the ones many of us big. She just kept showing up in a way grew up with. I want my own days to That energy becomes available for that matched who she already was. feel coherent, like the outside living. I notice it in the people I The effect on her own life was matches the inside enough that I can admire most. They are not always the obvious. She felt more connected, rest at night. Protecting the loudest or the most visible. They are less isolated, more useful in the best foundation is part of it. the ones whose actions line up over sense of the word. time. You know what you will get when you deal with them.
35
The people who keep going for years usually have private practices that restore them. They keep friendships that have nothing to do with their public roles. They take real breaks without turning them into content. They let some seasons be quieter in visibility without treating that as failure. These choices are not separate from their impact. They are what make continued impact possible. Without them, even the best intentions start to fray, and the cost shows up in health, relationships, and the simple ability to enjoy a regular Tuesday.
I keep coming back to this: influence is not something we either have or do not have. It is something we practice in the choices we make every day. The way we speak or stay silent. The way we follow through or let things slide.
They are sitting in the conversations you have this week, the requests you say yes or no to, the moments when you decide whether to share what you know or keep it to yourself. Start with one of them. Notice how it feels in your body afterward. Notice what becomes possible in the hours that follow. That is where the real work lives. Not in some distant version of influence, but in the ordinary days we are already living. I am still learning this alongside you. Some days I get it right.
Some days I do not. But the days I stay closest to what feels true are the ones I can actually rest in. And that, more than any title or reach, is what I want for all of us. With Care -Rae Indigo
The way we treat the people who cannot do anything for us. Those choices shape the people around us, and they shape us right back. When the two directions line up, life feels more livable. Energy returns. Relationships deepen. The days hold more of what actually matters. You already have chances to practice this.
36
Her days had a different texture.Scale is not the point. One honest conversation can change how someone carries themselves for weeks. One clear boundary can teach everyone who sees it that it is possible to protect your own time without being cruel. These things matter. They change the quality of the hours we live in. And they change us in the process. When we practice them, we often discover we have more capacity than we thought.
Don’t Just Live Longer. Live Better. Live Stronger. Live More. LAS VEGAS’ PREMIER PHYSICIAN-LED HUMAN OPTIMIZATION ECOSYSTEM
Designed by Dr. Tim Patel, MD, with more than 36 years of medical experience and over 26 years specializing in lifestyle, functional, and longevity medicine, My HealthMatrix combines the best of both traditional and integrative medicine to help you optimize how you look, feel, and live.
PHYSICIAN-LED LONGEVITY MEDICINE
AI-POWERED SMART FITNESS
ADVANCED MEDICAL BIOHACKING
RECOVERY • COMMUNITY ACCOUNTABILITY
Functional Medicine Hormone Optimization Advanced Diagnostics Personalized Wellness Plans US Pharmacy made Peptides Long-term weight management
ONLY 2 X 22-MINUTE SESSIONS EACH WEEK
Red Light Therapy PEMF Therapy Exercise with Oxygen (EWOT) Compression Therapy Far infrared sauna Dry Cold Plunge Sound Frequency Therapy Nervous System Reset
Because lasting transformation isn’t alone. Join an exclusive physicianguided community dedicated to longevity and optimal performance.
SOUND FREQUENCY VIBRATION
ALTITUDE TRAINING
EXERCISE WITH OXYGEN
DRY COLD PLUNGE AND FLOAT
Adaptive Bio-Strength technology designed to maximize results while minimizing stress on joints.
WHY MY HEALTHMATRIX IS DIFFERENT
OUR BLUEPRINT FOR MORE LIFE
Most healthcare waits until you’re sick
Medicine
Most gyms focus only on fitness
Movement
More Life
Most spas offer temporary relaxation Medical Biohacking
My HealthMatrix intergrates medicine, movement, recovery, and community into one personlized system designed to optimize every aspect of your health
Medicine x Movement x Medical Biohacking x Matrix = More Life
SCHEDULE TODAY!
LEARN MORE
COMPLIMENTARY DISCOVERY VISIT INCLUDES Private Physician Consultation Wellness Age Assessment
PERSONALIZED CARE.
Tour of the Bio-Vitality Circuit Personalized Longevity Blueprint
PROVEN SCIENCE
Matrix
37
REAL RESULTS
8880 W Sunset Rd Ste 140 Las Vegas, NV 89148 USA 888-699-2065 my.healthmatrix.com
Your Best Life, Optimized.
More Than a Cocktail Server: Finding Connection One Vegas Story at a Time As someone who’s spent the last twenty years serving drinks on the Las Vegas Strip, I’ve I learned that my job has never really been just about beverages. Every shift is filled with conversations, questions, directions, recommendations, celebrations, and the occasional reality check. Somewhere along the way, those same conversations started finding their way into my social media content. Apparently, if you spend enough years listening to visitors, you begin to notice the questions Everyone is afraid to ask.
By Julie Heather
One of my most popular videos this month answered one of those questions:
Sometimes the smallest piece of insider knowledge can save someone twenty minutes of confusion, a long walk back in the Vegas heat, and a frustrating start to their vacation. Those are the moments that remind me why I started making educational content in the first place… Not because I know everything. But because I know what it’s like to wish someone had explained it sooner.Another topic that always gets people talking is drink orders.
Before my fellow hospitality workers start applauding, let me clarify If you’d asked me a year ago what I’d something. It’s not complicated be writing about in a women’s cocktails that make servers smile Can you cash a slot machine voucher at through gritted teeth. magazine, I probably would have a different casino? guessed cocktails, casino stories, or It’s the mystery orders. maybe the occasional guest who left It sounds simple enough, but the me wondering what planet we were answer surprises a lot of people: no. The guest who asks for “vodka soda Those vouchers are only valid at the both standing on. with Patrón.” casino where they were printed. To I don’t think I would’ve guessed that those of us who work in the industry, The request for a “hot Bloody Mary.” that’s second nature. To someone I’d be writing about nostalgia. Yet visiting from another state or another here we are. One of the biggest Someone wanting “something strong… country, it isn’t obvious at surprises of creating content has but not too strong.” Or my personal all. favorite—the person who confidently been realizing that the videos people And honestly, why would it be? orders a drink that doesn’t actually remember most aren’t always the exist. The funny part is that these ones I expect. When you’re walking the Strip, it feels moments almost always end with like one giant playground. You can laughter. Sometimes it’s a practical tip that wander from one beautiful resort to the saves someone frustrated on their next without realizing you’ve crossed Rarely is someone trying to make our next trip to Las Vegas. Other times, into an entirely dfferent business with jobs harder. More often, they’re it’s a story that reminds someone of its own policies, systems, and cashiers. ordering something they loved on a previous vacation, something a friend a place, a person, or a moment they suggested, or a drink they only haven’t thought about in years. Both remember pieces of. are meaningful in different ways.
38
After twenty years, I’ve learned that cocktail servers become unofficial translators. We hear what someone says. We figure out what they mean. And we do our best to make sure everyone leaves happy. It’s a skill I never knew I’d develop, but one I’m oddly proud of.
There isn’t an app that can magically deliver your cocktail. When I encourage people to stay nearby after ordering, I’m not asking them to inconvenience themselves. I’m trying to help them. If I come back with twelve drinks balanced on my tray and four of those guests have wandered to the opposite side of the casino, everyone waits longer.
I’ve started preserving pieces of the city I was born and grew up in. It happens when I sit with my dad looking through old photographs and listening to stories that deserve to be remembered. It happens when I post vintage casino memorabilia from decades past. It happens when people share memories of places that disappeared years ago but still feel alive in their hearts.
Then there’s the conversation that almost always sparks debate online: wait times. Every time I gently remind guests to stay near the machine or table where they ordered their drinks, someone comments that they waited an hour. Others immediately jump in to defend the servers…
Sometimes the best Vegas tips aren’t glamorous. They’re simply practical. The funny thing is, I thought those videos would be the ones people remembered this month. Instead, one of the posts that filled me with the biggest smile had absolutely nothing to do with casinos. I posted a video of my 1992 season pass asking people what their favorite slide was at Wet ’n Wild back in the ’90s. That’s it.
Las Vegas has always reinvented itself. Hotels come down. New ones go up. Neighborhoods evolve. Favorite restaurants close. Entire skylines change. But the memories stay with us. Maybe that’s why this journey has become so rewarding.
Some days I help someone avoid a long walk by explaining where to cash a slot voucher. Other days I decode a mystery cocktail order. And every once in a Here’s the truth. One simple question. I expected a few while, I get the privilege of reminding Las Vegas isn’t exactly what it used to nostalgic comments. thousands of people what it felt like be. Neither is anywhere else. The spending a summer afternoon racing What I got was something much bigger. down a water slide under the Nevada casinos have grown larger. Visitor People weren’t just naming Der Stuka, sun. expectations have changed. the Wave Pool, or the Lazy River. Technology has made us accustomed For someone who has spent twenty to getting almost everything instantly. years introducing herself as “just a But complimentary beverage service They were remembering birthdays. First cocktail server,” creating content has taught me something unexpected. I’m still relies on something wonderfully jobs. Summer vacations.Friends they haven’t seen in decades. not just sharing information. I’m human: a person walking miles every Parents who faithfully packed the cooler sharing pieces of a city that has shaped shift carrying a tray loaded with my entire life. If those stories help every weekend. For a little while, the drinks. someone have a better vacation, comment section wasn’t debating reconnect with a favorite memory, or casino etiquette or tipping culture. It simply smile for a moment, then I’d say became a reunion. Thousands of strangers bonding over a water park that no longer exists. Reading those stories reminded me of something I’ve been slowly discovering about the content I create. Yes, I love helping visitors have a better experience in Las Vegas. I enjoy explaining the little things locals take for granted and tourists often don’t know. But somewhere along the way, another theme quietly emerged.
39
“THAT'S TIME WELL SPENT.” Because in the end, the best stories about Las Vegas have never really been about the casinos. They’ve always been about the people who experienced them. -Julie Follow the journey: : Vegasbornjules : Vegasbornjules : Vegasbornjules
40
Doc Talk with Dr. Taitano
Metabolic health is pivotal because alterations of your metabolism, which is very prevalent here in America, lays the groundwork for every chronic disease that plagues our country, including obesity, type two diabetes, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, as well as heart attacks and strokes. Another consequence of a decrease, slowed, metabolism, is that it locks the body into a pro inflammatory state. These symptoms can range from brain fog, muscle aches, and pains that seem to come out of nowhere, joint pain when you weren’t that active, swelling of your legs, or simply a 5 pound increase on the scale when what you eat or what you do has not changed.
Metabolic health has been a huge talking point over the last several years. The market today is saturated with comments, ideas, research, and various opinions from medical professionals, and those who are not medical professionals, regarding metabolism and metabolic health. What I am going to try to do in this article, as well as the series, is to address some of the most common questions, conditions, current thoughts and interventions regarding metabolic health.
Other signs of a slowed metabolism include skin tags, skin color changes (mainly on the neck, under the arms or on the inner thighs), fatty liver, belly fat that doesn’t seem to budge, fatigue that you can’t seem to do anything about, as well as constant cravings or “low blood sugar” episodes if you do not constantly eat or snack. While these issues can affect everyone, we are also going to address some of the symptoms that are unique to men and women.
We will also be diving into the consequences of a decreased metabolism, either through inherited conditions, hormonal changes, as well as the most common syndromes associated with a decreased metabolism.
41
Women can show signs of a slowed metabolism with altered menstruation, thinning of hair, acne outside of early teenage years (especially on the chin or upper lip), difficulty getting or staying asleep, temperature fluctuations, difficulty getting pregnant, loss of mental focus and control of emotional outbursts. Symptoms that can be experienced by men include weight gain mainly around the mid-section, increased soreness after work outs or long days at work, erectile dysfunction, weight gain in the chest, increased emotional lability, decreased muscle mass, and difficulty with managing stress. While a slowed metabolism can cause concerns for your outward appearance, it also causes internal derangements. These include alterations in a person’s bloodwork, mainly their cholesterol panel, fasting blood sugar, and their A1c. However, outside of objective parameters that can be tested via bloodwork, one of the major things that is also affected by a decreased metabolism, which most people do not talk about or look for, is mental health issues.
decreased ability to concentrate and focus, as well as increased irritability. For people who suffer from these exacerbations, they usually say that it “came out of nowhere“ because even though they do admit to some degree of depression and anxiety (as we all do) they can usually pinpoint the time in their life when these conditions increased and is currently out of control to the point of even seeking medical advice for medications. These are just some of the things that we will dive into and discuss in this segment on metabolic health. If any of these topics or content describes you or someone you care about, please continue to follow along with this series to learn more about metabolism and how to correct it and maintain it throughout your life. BIO Johnathan Taitano is an osteopathic physician who practices in Las Vegas Nevada. He attended A.T. He studied osteopathic medicine in Arizona and did his residency, in internal medicine, at Valley Hospital, Medical Center. He is board certified in internal medicine and has been in practice for 10 years starting out as a hospitalist but now runs a clinic with a focus on metabolic disorders. Phone Number: 702-704-5207 Email: drtaitano@doctorscliniclv.com
These issues affect both men and women and can be limited to lack of motivation or drive, difficulty remembering things, as well as a noticeable drop in their thinking ability. However, these can also manifest themselves as increased depression, increased anxiety,
42
I’ve started preserving pieces of the city I was born and grew up in. It happens when I sit with my dad looking through old photographs and listening to stories that deserve to be remembered. It happens when I post vintage casino memorabilia from decades past. It happens when people share memories of places that disappeared years ago but still feel alive in their hearts.
Cozy
Jennifer Affronti
KETO-FRIENDLY
CHICKEN POT PIE
As the crisp days of autumn arrive, there’s nothing I love more than filling my kitchen with the comforting aromas of a home cooked meal. This Cozy Keto-Friendly Chicken Pot Pie is everything you love about the classic comfort food with a wholesome, low-carb twist. It’s creamy, hearty, packed with flavor, and perfect for cozy family dinners. Whether you’re following a keto lifestyle or simply looking for a nourishing meal everyone will enjoy, this recipe is sure to become a new family tradition.
First things first... Let’s Get Happy! One of my favorite ingredients isn’t found in the pantry. It’s the love and joy coming from you! So turn on your favorite playlist, say a blessing over your food and get ready to whip up this magical pie. Cooking is one of the sweetest ways we can share love, and this cozy dinner is sure to warm both hearts and bellies.
STEP-BY-STEP PREP
Combine all crust ingredients until a soft dough forms,
Dough will be crumbly but hold together when pressed
Sauté the onion and garlic in butter until softened.
43
Use cooked chicken, diced or shredded into bite-size pieces
Creamy, hearty filling ready to assemble!
DIRECTIONS
INGREDIENTS!
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
FOR THE CRUST
2. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan with butter.
2½ cups almond flour
3. In a medium bowl, combine all of the crust ingredients using a hand mixer until a soft dough forms.
1 teaspoon garlic powder ½ teaspoon sea salt
4. Divide the dough into two portions—about 60% for the bottom crust and 40% for the top crust.
¼ cup melted butter 1 large egg
5. Press the larger portion evenly into the bottom and slightly up the sides of the prepared pan.
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
6. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and allow it to cool slightly. Increase the oven temperature to 425°F.
1 tablespoon butter, for greasing the pan
7. Place the remaining dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it into a circle large enough to cover the pie. Set aside. 8. Meanwhile, melt a pat of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic until fragrant and softened.
FOR THE CREAMY CHICKEN FILLING
9. Add the mixed vegetables and cook for another 3–4 minutes.
1½ cups organic mixed vegetables
10. Pour in the chicken bone broth, then stir in the sea salt, pepper, and fresh thyme. Bring to a gentle boil.
(carrots, peas, corn, and green beans) 1 cup chopped onion
11. Stir in the cooked chicken and reduce the heat to a simmer.
3 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon sea salt
12. Add the heavy cream and simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and continue cooking for 2–3 minutes, until the filling becomes creamy and slightly thickened.
½ tablespoon cracked black pepper 2 teaspoons fresh thyme 1 cup chicken bone broth
13. Remove the filling from the heat and let it cool for about 10 minutes.
3 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded
14. Spoon the filling into the prepared crust. Carefully place the rolled top crust over the filling and gently press the edges to seal.
½ cup heavy cream 2 tablespoons cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2
15. Bake at 425°F for 20 minutes, or until the crust is beautifully golden brown around the edges.
tablespoons water)
16. Allow the pie to rest for 5–10 minutes before serving. Then gather around the table and enjoy every cozy, comforting bite!
44
Before the Holiday Crazy Begins… Take Care of You Here’s what I’ve been learning: we have to stop putting ourselves at the bottom of our own to-do lists. I love taking care of people. I love building businesses. I love creating things and having a million ideas going at once. I genuinely love the beautiful chaos of it all. But I’ve also learned that I cannot pour from an empty cup. Actually, forget the cup. Some days I can’t even find the cup.
Take care of yourself now. Put yourself on your calendar. Schedule the massage. Play your favorite game. Take the afternoon off. Go outside. Move your body. Read the book. Drink water. Eat an actual lunch sitting down. YOUR EMAILS WILL SURVIVE. YOUR FAMILY WILL SURVIVE. YOUR BUSINESS WILL SURVIVE.
We spend so much of our lives taking care of everyone and everything we And wellness doesn’t have to mean love. Maybe this season, we can By Jennifer Hass becoming a completely different person remember that we belong on that list overnight. You don’t need a 5 a.m. too. Because somehow we went from routine, a perfectly organized summer vacations, and trying to keep refrigerator, or a perfect meal prep plan. our kids entertained to suddenly realizing the holidays are basically Sometimes wellness is taking a walk. five minutes away. And if you’re Sometimes it’s yoga. Sometimes it’s anything like me, a mom, an random dancing. Sometimes it’s sitting entrepreneur, and a woman who in your car for ten extra minutes somehow believes she can fit 37 because nobody is asking you for anything there. things into a day that realistically holds about twelve, this is usually when life starts getting a little crazy. Sometimes it’s going to dinner with your friends, laughing until your stomach hurts, getting eight hours of sleep, or simply saying, “No, I can’t do We have companies to run. Kids who that this week.” need us, meetings, church, emails, That counts. events, school schedules, family, As entrepreneurs, we spend so much friends, and somewhere in the time thinking about how to grow the middle of all of that, we’re supposed business that we forget the business needs a healthy human running it. Our to start thinking about Halloween bodies need to be able to keep up with costumes, Thanksgiving plans, and our minds. Christmas presents. So before the holiday madness officially Meanwhile, I’m just trying to begins, I want September to be our reminder: remember if I drank water today.
45
Your Body Has a Weakest Link By Dr. Alan Barnard (PHD) Dr. Graham Simpson (MD)
A sixty-page report. Twenty-three findings, every one of them real. Medicine became extraordinarily good at finding what is wrong. Deciding what to fix first is a different skill, and it may now be the most valuable one left. Michael is fifty-eight. He is an illustrative composite, and he arrives carrying a sixty-page report. Genomic markers. Dozens of laboratory analytes. Imaging. A year of sleep, glucose and heart-rate data from his watch. Twenty-three findings are flagged. Every one of them is real. So here is the question. Which one would you fix first? Now ask his doctor the same thing. She has thirty minutes. She is not short of answers. She has too many. Her question is not what is wrong with this man, which those sixty pages answer thoroughly. It is where he should begin, which they do not answer at all. That gap may be the most expensive one in medicine today. This is not a failure. It is the consequence of a triumph. Systems biology, genomics, wearable sensors and artificial intelligence now let us observe one person's physiology in extraordinary breadth, and Dr Leroy Hood gave that ambition a shape when he described medicine as Predictive, Preventive, Personalized and Participatory, known as P4 Medicine.
46
But look at what happened. Our ability to identify what is abnormal advanced far faster than our ability to prioritize what to address first. More information did not simplify the decision. It multiplied it. So why not treat all twenty-three? Give that argument its due. Every finding is genuine. Deferring anything feels like negligence, and no physician wants to be the one who deferred the wrong thing. Now the other side. Clinical time is finite. So is Michael's money, his attention and his willingness to keep going. And in a system of interacting parts, effort spread thinly across many small improvements can dissipate entirely while the factor most limiting the whole sits exactly where it was.
FIGURE 1 Many systems are strong enough, a few are weak, and one is the weakest.
The move from few to one is where reductionism does its quiet damage. Correct a real but non-limiting abnormality and a number improves while the patient does not. Both of them then acquire personal evidence that this does not work. That is how good medicine loses a good patient.
What can hold it is a personalized Digital Twin. A model of one individual's physiology, built from that person's own data, that can be asked what happens if. Think of a flight simulator, understood to be useful and imperfect at the same time, which is exactly right.
This is why we propose adding a fifth principle to Hood's four. Prioritized. P4 Medicine becomes P5 Medicine, and because the Theory of Constraints supplies the focusing lens, we call it Here a principle from systems science Constraint-Focused P5 Medicine. The earns its place. A chain is only as strong fifth P does not replace the first four. It as its weakest link. Familiar enough. But tells them where to point. notice that it gives three answers, not one. Which leads to the obvious objection. If Many of Michael's systems are already choosing correctly among hundreds of strong enough. Effort spent there is interacting variables were easy, someone would already be doing it. So waste, of his money and of his finite willingness to keep trying. who, or what, can actually make that choice? A few are genuinely weak. Not a formula. We looked for one and Strengthening them creates potential concluded that no fixed score can hold but produces no result, because the it. chain still fails somewhere else.
Such a twin can be read two ways. Each system alone, and all systems together as they actually are, supplying and burdening one another. The difference between those readings estimates how much is missed when the body is treated as separable parts.
Which raises an uncomfortable question. What happens when twentythree numbers all improve slightly and the person does not feel any different?
And one is the weakest. Only there does effort convert into improvement in the whole system, and only until it is no longer the weakest.
In a complex adaptive system, the effect of relieving any one constraint depends on the state of all the others, and shifts as the body adapts.
47
“CORRECT A REAL BUT NON-LIMITING ABNORMALITY AND A NUMBER IMPROVES WHILE THE PATIENT DOES NOT..” This is where the human doctor becomes essential rather than optional. A twin can be confidently wrong. It inherits the biases in its data. It cannot carry responsibility for an outcome. Eli Goldratt put the standard well. It is better to be approximately right than precisely wrong. A twin does not need to model a person perfectly, which is impossible. It needs to be approximately right about the interactions that matter, and honest enough to report a probability across candidate constraints rather than a single verdict. The physician brings context, values, responsibility and the judgment to override. The twin brings breadth and rehearsal. Neither is sufficient alone. Diagnosis, from the Greek, means knowledge arrived at together. Not a verdict handed down. So what does Michael actually leave with? Not a problem list. A prioritized list, with one item at the top and the rest beneath it in likely order. And that top item specifies five things. What to stop doing. What to start doing. At what dose. For how long. And what result to expect.
FIGURE 2 The output is a prioritized list, not a problem list.
Dwell on that last one. Stating the expected result is what turns a prescription into an experiment. It gives doctor and patient a shared criterion for judging whether it worked, so dose and duration get adjusted on evidence rather than impression. Two things surprise people. The list is not worked through in order, because relieving one constraint changes the system, so everything below the top item is provisional. And one means one experiment, not necessarily one treatment. It may be a coordinated change in nutrition, movement, sleep and stress, judged as one unit. There is also a deliberate bias toward the least invasive effective option first, then supplements, then medications, then procedures. The first tier is lower in cost and risk, and builds capacity rather than substituting for it. It is a bias, not a rule, and urgency overrides it. So we leave you where we started, with the same question asked twice.
48
If you are the patient, what is the one thing most limiting your health right now, and who is helping you work that out? And if you are a physician, if you could improve only one aspect of this person's physiology over the next three to six months, which would produce the greatest overall benefit?
Dr. Alan Barnard (PhD)
Dr. Graham Simpson (MD)
Dr Alan Barnard is considered one of the world’s leading Decision Scientists and experts in Theory of Constraints and AI-powered Digital Twins. He is the CEO of Goldratt Research Labs which he co-founded in 2008 with Dr. Eliyahu M. Goldratt, creator of the Theory of Constraints. He is also the CEO and CoFounder of Eternity Health AI.
Dr. Simpson holds American Boards in Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine and is a pioneer in preventative and longevity medicine with certifications from both the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and Cenegenics.
Over three decades of board-level and C-suite advisory work across Fortune 500 enterprises, governments, and NGOs in 70+ countries with a focus on helping leadership teams navigate strategic inflection points, capital allocation decisions, and complex transformations.
Dr. Simpson is the founder of Eternity Medicine and Co- Founder of Eternity Health AI and assisted in the opening of several international longevity centers including the first longevity center in Dubai in combination with the first compounding pharmacy in the Gulf region.
With over 45 years of clinical experience across five continents, he informs our medical protocols Alan is also the author of eight books and over 30 and research and brings expertise to every white papers on the Theory of Constraints, decision- member’s longevity plan. Dr. Simpson has making, antifragility, and systems thinking published authored a dozen books including the recently through the StandonTheirShoulders.com knowledge released Mitochondrial Medicine and ERA III Medicine. platform.
49
CONSTANCIA, AMOR Y TRADICIONES ESCARAMUZA COLIBRÍES DE NEVADA... ¡A CELEBRAR!
Por supuesto que se vale abrazar, felicitar a Yudit Pinedo de Sánchez, fundadora y líder indiscutible de la Escaramuza, justo es reconocer su dedicación, y calidad humana. Nadie abrigue la menor duda, lo conquistado hasta hoy ha sido sobre la base del trabajo, la constancia, el quehacer transparente, sin envidia, sin querer serruchar el piso a alguien, sin malas vibras. Así se avanza, se dejan huellas.
Por Roberto Peláez Romero
“Lo mejor, subraya, es que con la mayor alegría del mundo enseñamos, transmitimos nuestros conocimientos a los más jóvenes, queremos que ellos aprendan algo nuevo todos los días, quieran y cuiden a la naturaleza, a los animales, así, considero, también se es mejor persona, eso es lo prioritario.
El poeta lo dejó sentado: “el triunfo es de los que sacrifican”. Una vez más la dedicación y la entrega, el amor y la perseverancia, las tradiciones y el carisma, devinieron en la entrega de un reconocimiento más que merecido. La Escaramuza Charra Colibríes de Nevada tiene su día... ¡El 3 de septiembre! Se trata de un premio conquistado a fuerza de trabajo, esmero y compromiso, consagración, renglones que no se venden en la esquina, es menester hacerlos valer con empeño.
Bravo Yudit. Me quito el sombrero. Gracias a las autoridades de la Ciudad de Las Vegas, por esta declaración que honra, llena de sano orgullo. Felicitaciones a la Escaramuza Charra Colibríes de Nevada.
Justo es tener en cuenta que si se reconoce a la Escaramuza Charra Colibríes de Nevada, de paso se reconoce también a la comunidad, tan apegadas están una y otra. 51
Vale apuntar que la comunidad tiene mucho que agradecer a esta entusiasta organización local, a cada uno de sus integrantes, con Yudit al frente, están prestos a ayudar, a participar, dar lo mejor en cada presentación.
en cada una de esas actividades Yudit y su Escaramuza se han distinguido, han puesto bien alto el nombre de la agrupación... y de las tradiciones. Se han ganado la admiración y los aplausos de todos. Lo mismo puede decirse de la colección de fotos que sobre la Escaramuza se muestra en ¿En cuántas actividades comunitarias la sede del Consulado General de se ha hecho sentir la Escaramuza México. Charra...? ¿Cuántas veces la prensa escrita se ha hecho eco de su “Tomar parte en esos eventos, desempeño sostenido y apunta, nos llena de regocijo, de sobresaliente? La respuesta puede satisfacción, por eso recibimos con muy bien darse en dos palabras: en cariño cada invitación, sabemos que muchas. nos tienen en cuenta, y eso nos
“VOZ DE LA GUITARRA MÍA AL DESPERTAR LA MAÑANA QUIERE CANTAR SU ALEGRÍA A MI TIERRA MEXICANA.”
Las Posadas, las cabalgatas, la participación en el Desfile Helldorado, la Alianza con el Departamento de la Policía Metropolitana, en la ceremonia por el Grito de Dolores, en los Encuentros Internacionales de Escritores,
motiva a seguir adelante, a dar lo mejor en cada presentación”, advierte. Yudit se ha ganado el respaldo a pulso, es una amiga incondicional de la comunidad. Recoge entusiasmada los frutos de su valía, de la entrega, del profesionalismo y apego a la cultura y las tradiciones de su México querido, de todo lo que aprendió de su padre.
Testigo del 'nacimiento' de la Escaramuza Charra Colibríes de Nevada, de la tenacidad de Yudit, las palabras de aliento de su señora madre, de cada una de las integrantes del grupo, su alegría y optimismo, de las habilidades de su hijo Max con la llamada 'cala de soga', de su hija Yuliza, de todos, porque el Día de la Escaramuza Charra Colibríes de Nevada es un triunfo de equipo.
52
Yo le canto a sus volcanes A sus praderas y flores Que son como talismanes Del amor de mis amores. La grandeza de Yudit y de la Escaramuza Charra, linda también con la humildad, no sorprende que la líder del grupo al ofrecer sus impresiones para los lectores de El Nuevo Mundo, resalte: “sin el apoyo de muchos no hubiésemos alcanzado este alto premio. “Rosa Bugarin, Ángela de la Rosa, Jocelyn Díaz, Lizzie y Jessica Favela, Marlen Roque, Eva Herasimtschk, Gabriela Itzel, Claudia Calixto, Carolina de la Cruz, Lesly y Gisell Pinedo, Nathaly Rosales, Maximiliano Sánchez, el Mariachi Bonito Amanecer, ellos forman parte de esta familia. Gracias también a la concejal Nancy Brune”, resalta. El pasado 3 de septiembre Yudit se despertó temprano, degustó un café, y luego caminó hasta donde está su caballo Grano de Oro... de él también es el éxito.
MAGAZINE
20
Mindset SCENARIO SORT
Read each scenario and write it under Growth Mindset or Fixed Mindset.
I keep trying till I improve.
I give up when it get’s hard.
Mistakes helps me learn.
I will never be good at this.
I can’t do this yet.
I learn from feedback.
Growth Mindset
Fixed Mindset
19
Harvest DRAW & GROW
Draw the missing halves, add your favorite colors, and trace each fall-themed word.
acorn
leaf
pumpkin
mushroom 18
First Things First! Let’s be happy! Turn on your favorite music and get ready to dance in the kitchen. Don’t forget to say a blessing while whipping up this magic!
What You’ll Need:
2 frozen bananas
Do you know why these Ingredients Are Good for You: Bananas – Give you energy and help your muscles stay strong. Coconut milk – Contains healthy fats that help keep your brain and body fueled. Honey – A natural sweetener that also has antioxidants to help your body stay healthy. Blue spirulina – Helps support your immune system (your body’s defense team!) Full of antioxidants that help protect your cells May help you feel energized and ready to play Berries – Loaded with vitamins that help your skin, brain, and body stay happy and healthy. Granola – Adds crunch and gives you lasting energy.
1 can full-fat coconut milk (chilled until thick and cold)
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons blue spirulina powder
1/4 cup water
TOPPINGS (CHOOSE YOUR FAVORITE!):
BLUE BERRIES
STRAW BERRIES
GRANOLA COCONUT HONEY FLAKES
BANANAS
DIRECTIONS: Get it ready: About 1 hour before you start, place your bananas and coconut milk in the freezer so they get nice and cold. (Tip: Leave yourself a note so you don’t forget!)
Make the blue swirl: In a small cup, mix the blue spirulina powder with the water until smooth.
Blend it up: Add the frozen bananas, coconut milk, honey, and spirulina mixture into a blender. Blend until creamy and smooth.
Build your bowls: Pour the mixture evenly into two bowls. Leave a little space at the top for your toppings.
Chill time: Place the bowls in the freezer until you’re ready to eat. Want it soon? Freeze for about 1 hour. Want it later? Keep it frozen and add toppings just before serving. Decorate & enjoy: Add your favorite toppings, make it colorful, and dig in!
17
OCEAN BLUE FRUIT BOWL It’s creamy, naturally sweet, and ready to slay the day This Ocean Blue Fruit Bowl is one of my favorite breakfasts or anytime snacks. It might become one of yours too! It’s creamy, naturally sweet, and filled with ingredients that help your body feel strong, focused, and ready to slay the day!
What makes it blue? Blue spirulina! It’s made from algae (tiny ocean plants) and is packed with nutrients that help your body stay healthy. The best part? You get to be an artist! Decorate your bowl with your favorite toppings like juicy blueberries, sweet strawberries, crunchy granola, coconut flakes, or a drizzle of honey. Have fun and get creative!
BY JENNIFER AFFRONTI
16
Autumn ACROSTIC POEM Use each letter to create a poem celebrating your progress and the beauty of fall.
A U T U M N 15
Fall Season ITEM MATCH
Label the pictures with the words in the box.
Scarf - Pie - Leaves - Beanie - Acorn Sock - Soup - Pumpkin - Mushroom
14
Favorite FALL MOMENT
Draw and write about the fall activity you enjoy most, then share why it makes this season special.
...................................
13
Words OF PROGRESS
Read each clue, & fill in the grid with the correct words. 3
5
7
1 4
2
8
6
Across
Down
2. Something you work toward. 4. The season of harvest. 6. To gain from experience. 8. What you feel after an achievement.
1. To improve through practice. 3. Synonym of the word “fall”. 5. To gain new knowledge or experiencing something. 7. Get back up and keep going.
2. GOAL 4. FALL 6. LESSONS 8. PRIDE 1. GROW 3. AUTUMN 5. LEARN 7. RISE
12
Autumn PERSONAL LEAF
Design and color each section of the leaf using the color you think best represents the autumn season.
11
Counting BLESSINGS
Count the items in each group and write the number.
Pumpkin:
Mushroom:
10
Acorn:
Path TO HARVEST
Find the right path to help the squirrel reach the acorn while practicing problem-solving along the way.
09
Lessons FOR GROWTH
Read the passage and answer the 4 questions below. Fall is a season of change, reflection, and harvest. As the weather becomes cooler and the leaves change from green to yellow, orange, red, and brown, we are reminded that growth can look different at every stage. Trees let go of old leaves to prepare for a new season, just as we can let go of old habits, learn from our mistakes, and make room for positive changes. Fall is also a time of harvest, when farmers gather the crops they have patiently grown and cared for. In the same way, our hard work, practice, and perseverance can lead to progress worth celebrating. As you read, think about the changes you've experienced, the challenges you've overcome, and the ways you've grown. 1. What does the changing of leaves remind us about growth?
2. Why does personal growth take time?
3. What is one challenge that has helped you grow?
4. What is one accomplishment you are proud of?
08
Lyrics Leah
from
THERE’S
A WORLD OUT THERE There’s a world out there Can’t wait to explore With so much beauty In my head I soar Yet where do I start Which door to go through With so many options How can I choose Yet if I get still And ask of the Lord I know He will lead me As he has times before
Contact: lyricsfromleah@gmail.com
07
Autumn B-I-N-G-O
Write the name of your friend if they match the statement. Tried something new this year
Learned from a mistake
Set a new goal
Has a favorite fall activity
Reached a personal goal
Tried a new food
Learned a new skill
Has helped at home
Has overcome a challenge
Has a fall tradition
Helped someone recently
Did something brave
Has something to celebrate
Has overcome a challenge
Has encouraged a friend
Did something kind this week
06
Progress
CUT-OFF
Cut out the cards below. Take turns with a classmate and share your thoughts for at least 2 minutes per question.
What is one goal you are working toward? What progress have you made?
What is something you accomplished recently that made you feel proud?
What is one mistake or challenge that taught you something valuable?
Something you can do better now that was difficult for you before?
Describe a challenge you faced and what helped you get through it.
What is one quality you have that helps you succeed?
What is something new you tried recently? What did you learn from it?
Who has encouraged or helped you become a better version of yourself?
05
Autumn DISCOVERY
Get ready to discover the beauty of the fall season. Find the items and check.
Always stick together with your scavenger hunt team. Avoid touching or picking up anything that seems unsafe.
04
03
Table of
CONTENTS
03
My Gratitude Sunflower
04
Autumn Discovery
05
Progress Cut-Off
07
Lyrcis from Leah: There’s A World Out There
08
Lessons for Growth
10
Counting Blessings
11
Autumn Personal Leaf
12
Words of Progress
13
Favorite Fall Moment
14
Fall Season Item Match
15
Autumn Acrostic Poem
16
Ocean Blue Fruit Bowl
18
Harvest Draw and Grow
19
Mindset Scenario Sort
06 Autumn Bingo
09 Path to Harvest 02
MAGAZINE
FREE
CREATE & EXPLORE for
curious
FOR KIDS
Fun activities young minds.
VOLUME
SEPTEMBER ADVENTURES
With Tateonna
#18
LEARN & GROW Discover something new every day.
KIDS' CORNER Stories, crafts, fun, and inspiration.