Hi Everyone,

I hope your summer is off to a great start and you are finding your way to having tons of fun. I am starting to really enjoy further deconstructing the topic of fun. Seneca said, “we suffer more in imagination than in reality,” which is likely true. However, I believe we can make a case that we enjoy more contentment in imagination than in reality, too. So, if it is true that contentment is subjective (academics acknowledge this by measuring happiness through subjective well-being instruments), then a strong case can be made for the benefits of architecting a life through positional economics and taking measures to increase one’s prospects to engage in fun opportunities. In an attempt to practice what I preach, the family and I have made the decision to move from California to North Carolina — freeing up some resources for more life experience and (hopefully) more fun. Time will tell if we feel like the reward (opportunities for fun) outweighed the risk (loss of existing support systems).

More on that in future editions; for now, here are some more great interviews with two modern pioneers in digital health.

Business, Innovation and Entrepreneurship: This quarter, we look at the entrepreneurial side of digital health with Ryan Tarzy. Ryan is the current director of the Incubation Studio at CoverMyMeds. Before this position, he served as SVP of Business Development for PokitDok and has co-founded two companies, Medikeeper and Playful Bee. The interview with Ryan Tarzy about digital health can be found here.

Health and Wellness: This quarter’s health and wellness interview is with Daniel Freedman about virtual fitness. Daniel originally co-founded CyecureBox, a successful cyber security tool. He has since gone on to focus his efforts on the development of his new company BurnAlong — a virtual fitness startup that aims to help people find the time to exercise. The interview with Daniel Freedman about virtual fitness can be found here.

Life Experience: This quarter, I got to experience Lightning in a Bottle. It is an unbelievable festival with stunning art, good music, and lots of great educational sessions. I got to meet and learn from Dr. Jack Kreindler (@drjackUK) and Dr. Adam Gazzaley (@adamgazz) while partaking in some shenanigans with good friends and enjoying the scenic setting of California’s Central Coast.

Lighting in a Bottle | Bradley, CA

Contribution: I was able to donate time, as well as money, this quarter. Through TECHquality, I helped improve the gender gap in digital health by mentoring a co-founder of the company Cleanopy. I also donated to former interviewee Jeff Atkinson’s son during his Tour de Pier effort, as well as donated a car to the East Bay SPCA.

It is the anniversary of my brother’s passing. Brian left a legacy through amazing memories with quality friends — a testament to the value of making time to enjoy and experience life. I believe he would be proud of the direction I have taken this endeavor and the directive to focus on fun for a while. His life is certainly a reminder to make the most of the time we have. My hope is to honor him by making sure I maximize people’s ability to have fun with the short time we have been given. The next edition will mark 10 years of this project. It has been quite a journey so far, and I look forward to it being a lot more fun as we continue on. I’m grateful that you are a part of it.

In health,
Dr. Rucker

P.S. I was featured in the Wall Street Journal this month; good piece about fitness technology for those interested: Your Gym’s Tech Wants to Know You Better
P.P.S. I plan to be in Portland in July for the World Domination Summit. If you are going too, please let me know … I’d love to meet up.

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