The conversation moves through the structural forces driving the shift — flat insurance reimbursement against rising overhead, the stakeholder problem of insurers and PBMs sitting between patient and physician, and what Jess in her recent reporting calls the demoralization of America's doctors. They wrestle with the inherent scaling tension in cash-based care, how AI is more likely to be deployed to maximize insurance margins before it relieves physician burden, and what international models (Kenya, Canada, global health insurance) can teach Americans about price transparency and personal responsibility. Jess closes with a journalist's challenge: keep questioning, follow the evidence, and resist letting health policy collapse into political tribalism.

For physicians evaluating a model change, employers reconsidering benefits, and anyone trying to understand why so many doctors are walking away from the insurance-based system.

She reframes imposter syndrome as evidence you're stepping into a bigger game, makes the case that "people seek experts, not generalists," and offers concrete tactics: a signature talk that doubles as lead-magnet content for YouTube, podcast, and social; capturing email lists everywhere you speak (since 50% of prospects buy within 18 months — but only 3% buy now); collaborating with 5–10 aligned partners who share your patient avatar; and optimizing for both SEO and AEO (AI-engine optimization) so AI assistants surface you to the patients you're meant to serve.

The conversation closes on the bigger shift — moving from transactional fee-for-service to transformational programs, why AI is actually creating more demand for trusted human authorities, and JJ's mantra: "You shouldn't have to sacrifice your life to save others."

For practitioners ready to stop trading time for money and build a sustainable, mission-aligned practice.

His current obsession is AstroDoc and its AI health agent Astrid ("A System To Reinforce Infinite Doctors"), designed to be for billions of patients what Samir became for his own parents when they were sick. The conversation digs into healthcare versus sick care, why AI will change the physician's role without replacing it, the ethics of non-clinicians building medical AI, and Samir's view that the next generation of doctors will function as coaches and cheerleaders — not gatekeepers of knowledge.
For physicians weighing DPC, founders building health AI, or anyone thinking about how the doctor-patient relationship evolves in an era of voice-enabled, multilingual, clinician-led tooling.

The conversation dives deep into the structural forces shaping healthcare — the rise of managed care and HMOs in the 90s, how the "gatekeeper" model distracted primary care from its healing mission, and why insurance-based reimbursement remains the biggest barrier to integrative medicine adoption. Goldman draws on his experience  producing the Heal Thy Practice conferences (2009-2016) to share what made practitioners successful: confronting their psychology around money, breaking out of professional silos, and being willing to take risks even when the path isn't clear.

Looking forward, Goldman argues the tipping point won't come from government but from Fortune 500 employers demanding better care models from insurers. He calls for the field's "different tribes" — naturopaths, MDs, nurses, chiropractors — to present a unified front and position integrative medicine as the core of healthcare, not a side dish. Essential listening for any clinician navigating the business side of integrative practice.

Dr. Mehrdad Soleimani joins Dr. Erik Lundquist and brother Dr. Davin Lundquist to share the journey from ICU nurse to emergency medicine physician to med spa entrepreneur — and the common thread through all of it: taking care of people. Mehrdad discusses how his nursing background gave him a fundamentally different perspective on physician behavior and burnout, ultimately leading him to switch from surgery to emergency medicine when he didn't like the person the lifestyle was making him become.

  On the business side, Mehrdad offers candid lessons from building a med spa in Temecula: the importance of hiring the right people over the cheapest option, partnering with an experienced practice manager, starting lean without a large space, and the costly trial-and-error process of finding a marketing firm that actually delivers. His advice: hold vendors accountable, set deadlines, and fire fast when it's not working. Instagram and organic community engagement — including Chamber of Commerce involvement and supporting small businesses during COVID — proved more effective than expensive agencies.

  The conversation closes with Mehrdad's passion for physician wellness, his root cause analysis approach to physician behavioral issues, and the simple power of asking a colleague "how are you doing?" — a question many physicians say no one has ever asked them.

  For practitioners exploring med spa models, navigating marketing vendors, or thinking about physician burnout from a systems level.

He recounts co-founding IFM with Dr. David Jones, coining the term "functional medicine" in 1990 (over considerable pushback), and personally investing millions to institutionalize the movement. The conversation turns to today's convergence of wearable tech, AI, and portable health records, which Bland sees as empowering patients while elevating the clinician's role to teacher and guide. He warns that ultra-processed food is an existential threat — citing declining fertility — and describes his Big Bold Health ventures in regenerative agriculture and minimally processed fish oil. His parting advice: find your peer group, start with high passion, and the world will protect you.

For practitioners exploring functional medicine, students seeking inspiration, or anyone curious about the movement's origin story

Here is the link to the publication in the IMCJ (Integrative Medicine: A Clinician's Journal)
*** Note from the Editor. There was a mistake in what link I posted. Here is the link to the actual article mentioned"

The Paradigm-Shifting Future of Health Care: Rise of Predictive, Personalized Lifestyle Medicine - PMC
The Paradigm-Shifting Future of Health Care: Rise of Predictive, Personalized Lifestyle Medicine (2025) takes that foundation and projects where it's heading — a tech-enabled, predictive, continuously monitored health system.

Functional Medicine Past, Present, and Future - PMC
Functional Medicine: Past, Present, and Future (2022) makes the case for why functional medicine works based on history and evidence. 

She emphasizes the power of presence and stillness in clinical care, arguing that being fully attentive with patients sharpens diagnosis more than extended appointment times alone. A deeply personal story about a dying AIDS patient who hadn't been touched in months crystallized her belief in the healing power of human connection.

On the business side, she reflects candidly on the challenges of running one of Albuquerque's first integrative clinics — overloading on Medicaid/Medicare patients, lacking a common clinical language across disciplines, and learning to charge appropriately for her time. She advocates for micro-practices, sliding-scale cash models, and an entrepreneurial mindset — being flexible, iterating on your model, and not waiting for perfection before starting.

She closes with a hopeful vision for the future: integrating functional and lifestyle medicine into all medical training, nurturing clinician wellbeing to combat burnout, and empowering patients and communities to demand better care.

Kristin walks through the origins of her cash-based membership model, which bundles provider visits with health coaching and dietitian access to keep patients engaged and avoid the "excitement and drop-off" cycle she saw at other practices. She explains why she built a brand around the mission rather than herself, invested early in scalable systems, and prioritized patient retention as her number-one marketing strategy. She's candid about the emotional toll of scaling — the loneliness of entrepreneurship, the whiplash between feeling like everything is thriving and everything is falling apart — and how joining an entrepreneurial peer group helped her feel less alone. She shares her leadership mantras ("find peace in the chaos," "let the fires burn," "delegate and elevate") and encourages practitioners to focus on one priority at a time, hire people better than themselves, and cast a wide net for mentors outside their immediate field. Looking ahead, she sees functional medicine moving fast toward AI and genetics-driven personalization but hopes brick-and-mortar care will remain central to the patient experience.

Note from TRC-BOM Podcast - Kristin mentions using a 3rd Party software for her clinics for taking calls etc. That software is "Weave"
Here is a link to their site.
https://www.getweave.com/

She describes launching an ambitious hospital-backed integrative clinic early in her career, the overwhelming overhead it created, and the misalignment she felt working inside a system driven by metrics opposed to her healing philosophy. This led her to restart her career in Boulder with low overhead and a deep sense of autonomy, eventually partnering with functional medicine leader Dr. Bob Rountree.

Jill explains how authenticity, storytelling, and spiritual alignment helped her grow her brand, become a national speaker, write her book, and create a documentary. She encourages clinicians to trust intuition, embrace imperfection, and take courageous first steps—even before feeling “ready.” With AI poised to shift medical practice, she believes the future of functional medicine lies in deep human connection, community building, and purpose-driven care—things no technology can replace.

He describes the challenges of maintaining integrative ideals during traditional medical training, and the importance of mentors who helped him blend functional, conventional, and Eastern approaches. Robert discusses building an integrative pain program within a major health system, navigating reimbursement obstacles, and using team-based care to stay financially viable in insurance-based medicine.

The conversation also explores burnout, the power of teaching, the value of lifestyle medicine, and how personal practices like Tai Chi and writing sustain his well-being. They touch on the future of integrative medicine and how AI could complement clinicians by handling complexity and freeing physicians to focus on human connection.

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His entrepreneurial path—from early digital health ventures to developing clinical tools—led him to his current role as Chief Medical Officer at Fullscript, where he now helps scale integrative care for clinicians nationwide while still maintaining a small patient panel. Jeffery discusses the challenges of leaving insurance-based practice, the ethics of selling supplements, the importance of honest communication, and how clinicians can take actionable steps toward independence.

He also predicts continued rapid growth in integrative medicine as patients become more informed, influencers expand direct-to-consumer health content, and AI tools reshape expectations—all increasing the need for skilled practitioners who can offer deeper expertise and relationship-centered care.