Optimizing Business for Both Impact and Family Life with Dr. David Heitmann

Today’s Guest on The What’s Working Now Podcast is returning to the show after 3 years of insane company, family, and individual growth. Host Katie Richardson invites Dr. David Heitmann to talk about his incredible entrepreneurial journey that truly began when he was four years old. David’s thirst for knowledge and craving for growth has led him to obtain several degrees,  motivating him to move from a doctor to a tech entrepreneur, coach, and published author. 

Today, David is developing an advanced health app to expand his reach and help people around the world feel healthy, energized, and capable of achieving their dreams. Listen in, and find out how he does it!

3 Key Takeaways:

• Why David is grateful that failure happened in his company.
• How to tell your body might be warning you it’s time to do something new.
• The power of giving yourself space to contemplate the right action before jumping into the work.

Show Notes

[7:05] David gives a background 

• His journey began with science 
• His doctor degree in sports medicine
• A thirst for knowledge leading him on an entrepreneurial journey

[9:30] What was different about David’s approach

• His natural ability to put long data streams together and how to relate it to someone who isn’t an expert in that field
• His desire to learn from different fields across the board
• “In every profession, it’s that hammer and nail equation…That isn’t what made me healthy when I was younger…and I just never felt trapped to that. I always said ‘No, no, there’s other ways to do things.’”-Dr. David Heitmann

[13:30] Feeling safe to be curious and learn

[13:50] Where he is now

• Failure allowing him to re-shift
• His family closing down the practice and converting a bus into a tiny home
  • Traveling for a year
• Discovering his obsession with business and philosophy
• Online marketing
  • “I tried a couple of different companies, and while they were successful, it didn’t really speak to my heart. And because I’d gone through the process of doing things where I felt trapped before, I just put an end to them and just went on to the next thing.” -Dr. David Heitmann

[15:30] Talking to CEOs and helping them around roadblocks

• Getting in to the digital health industry
  • The apple watch and how digital health is demeaning to people/looking for a way to remedy that
• Digital empathy founded to inspire people to seek better health through the human aspect

[19:40] The importance of doing what’s fun or exciting for you

• Failures as important data points that lead David to his passion
• Being grateful for everything that’s happened to you
• Growing yourself and helping your children to grow

[25:17] How understanding what he needs in his boxes of importance impacts him

• Most of the little things we focus on won’t matter in the long run
• “Anytime where I’m starting to feel accelerated, anxious, overwhelmed about the business, I go hit the land. And I go…chop wood, and clarity comes. And instead of immediately putting my head down and doing a whole bunch of work and going the wrong direction, I give myself space and it allows me to see the direction in a much more clear way.”-Dr. David Heitmann

[27:10] David’s application and strategy

• Everything out there already exists, but we just don’t know how to make it useful for the user
• His company pulls all of the health data into one app (Authentic) and tracks your body’s reaction to your health approaches

[33:15] Empathy as the missing piece in health and technology

• David’s connection to the land, his family, and others

[35:55] What’s working now for Authentic

• Covid’s impact on health realization
• It’s the perfect time for this technology
• “I have this philosophy of who not how…I always used to be the how person. And so what’s working for me really well is the who can I connect with? Who can do this?”-David Heitman

[40:00] David’s perspective on the change he made professionally

• It’s not a change, it’s just me being me
• Helping people
• His body as the signaler that he has the potential to help more people

[43:00] What David consistently does every day

• Goes for a walk, practices gratitude

[43:35] The book David keeps on his shelf

• His self-guide book coming out called “Fill Your Bucket”
• His list of philosophy books that re-center

[45:20] His advice to other entrepreneurs who feel stuck and are afraid of the unknown

• Taking your first actual vacation/getting out of your environment

[47:30] The big thing that drives David

• Freedom to choose what you want to do without liabilities
• Helping people along the way

Connect with Dr. Heitmann

Connections are found on his website: mindofdave.com