If you don’t have your health, what do you have?
– Rich Chi
Rich Chi’s journey reads like a full-body reboot: a kid from Buffalo, drilled in the “no pain, no gain” martial arts culture, someone whom every test labeled “perfectly healthy,” even as exhaustion nearly killed him. Instead of quitting, he dove headfirst into what he calls a holistic rehab: Chinese medicine, yoga, breathwork, meditation, and deep rest. The payoff? A four‑hour, fully conscious Kundalini surge that moved his body through spontaneous Tai Chi/Qigong/Yoga flows and proved to him, viscerally, that energy within the body is real.
From there, Rich co-founded a holistic health center, trained with a Chinese medicine master capable of directing bioelectricity through his hands, and developed his own muscle release system after realizing traditional stretching wasn’t effective. A dietitian, personal trainer, yoga instructor, and diabetes educator, he now “recharges” clients by teaching them to listen to their bodies and reclaim their natural energy. The interview below with Stacey Chillemi captures that shift from muscle to mind, from force to flow, and the practical ways he helps people get recharged now!
Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory?
I grew up in Buffalo, New York… right next to Canada and Niagara Falls. My brother pulled me into martial arts when I was eight. First day: 50 push-ups, 50 crunches, 50 squats, wild Kung Fu forms. The next morning, I could barely get out of bed. From then on, I adopted the “more is better, no pain, no gain” mindset; I earned a black belt in Praying Mantis Kung Fu, wrestled in high school, boxed with a member of the Jordanian national team, practiced kickboxing, and trained in MMA.
Meanwhile, through my teens, I was exhausted all day, every day despite all my tests proclaiming me “perfectly healthy & fit.” At age 19, training for my next fight, my heart rate blasted past 200 and wouldn’t go back down. I almost died from sheer exhaustion. That’s when I knew I was missing something about wellness.
What kept you pushing harder through training despite the fatigue building?
Like I said, I was hooked on this whole no pain no gain mentality. So whenever I felt tired, I just did what I felt the whole wellness/fitness industry was telling me to do: do more cardio, lift more weights, eat more protein. I studied martial arts, wrestling, boxing, kickboxing, and MMA. But even as my exhaustion got worse, my specialists kept reassuring me, “You’re a perfectly healthy and fit young man.” So I just pushed harder.
When your heart rate spiked over 200, what did that ER moment teach you, and how did it propel you toward a different path?
The ER moment was a blur. After stabilizing, I realized everything I’d been doing wasn’t working. As a last resort, I turned to holistic medicine, tracking down an herbalist. He actually listened, palpated, checked my tongue, and then said, “I think all your organs are starting to shut down.” On the one hand, I was shocked, but it was the first time anybody sounded like
They had a clue what was wrong with me. I followed every instruction: yoga poses, acupuncture, veggies for breakfast, new sleep and thought patterns… and slowly but surely, after everything I did, I started to feel better!
When the old way stopped making sense, did the world itself look different to you?
Yes, for sure! Consciousness shifted. Starting my own business, I suddenly saw every storefront fighting for attention. On the health side, the most significant shift was developing body awareness—finally listening to my body instead of piling on more cardio, lifting, and protein. That grind was burying me like a giant runaway snowball effect.
“Listen to your body” can sound vague; what did it tangibly mean for you day to day?
Here’s one: In college, I joked that my superpower was spitting giant balls of mucus. I walked around Buffalo State with a massive glass of milk. I’m not saying dairy is even bad, but I was chugging it in excess, and it was causing excess mucous in my system, making it harder to breathe and affecting my sleep. I ignored what my body was telling me. Once I realized what foods were doing to me, I dialed my diet in—though I did lose that little “superpower,” though.
Once you started tuning in, what unfolded next as you followed that inner feedback?
I co-founded a holistic health center with an acupuncturist and many other practitioners. We helped thousands of people get truly better: infertility, optimal function, everything. Personally, I maintained acupuncture, a super clean diet, and practiced meditation and breathwork extensively. My “big three” rehab methods were rest, breathing exercises, and meditation. Yoga talks about sleep debt; I had layers to clear. But one day in meditation, I heard, “You’re no good, you’re worthless.” This was the first time I caught my subconscious playlist. I realized I had all kinds of pent-up fears and worries, like being alone or feeling that awful forever, which were putting me in a constant background fight or flight mode, continuing to drain my energy.
Shifting from building muscle to building mind and awareness, how did that deeper work redirect you?
It pushed me into rest, meditation, and breathwork, the “big three” of my holistic rehab. In meditation, I finally heard the subconscious loop “you’re no good, you’re worthless” and realized I was afraid of being alone and of feeling awful forever. That awareness became new healing work. Listening to my body, and what food, movement, and sleep were actually doing to it, redirected everything.
Three years in, your body moved on its own for four hours. What exactly happened during that session?
I was staying in a space with tons of natural light. Meditating, my spine began to oscillate, and my body flowed through Tai Chi/Qigong/Yoga movements for four hours. And while I was fully conscious, it was completely involuntary! Years of decompressing my spine had opened up all the circuits of bioelectricity that are there within us all. Once it opened, energy flowed endlessly, opening up every blockage in my body. The coolest part is that it still happens, I just don’t have four hours at a time as a busy professional these days.
Was that the Kundalini awakening you experienced, the surge that signaled a new step?
Definitely, it was proof to me that energy in the body is REAL! It was moving me, involuntarily. I wanted to shout it from the rooftops. I posted videos: “Look, you can see it pulsing in my throat and at my sternum!” But I feel like people just weren’t ready. Even big yoga schools just said, “Wow… want to take a class with us?” After years of that, I kind of hung up my kundalini awakenings for about a decade, as nobody really believed me.
Later, you trained with a master who could shoot bioelectricity through his hands. What was he actually doing, and to what end?
He’s a doctor of Chinese medicine, harmonizing all the channels through mind, body, and spirit. Through ancient practices, he can also transfer bioelectricity through his hands into patients, where needed. The body usually has multiple organs and circuits that are either blocked from energy flow or very weak, even if all your tests here in the West are “normal.” It’s a very strategic practice. I trained with him in these ancient practices for about 4 years. Now, like that first awakening, my body rocks back and forth along the governing and conception vessels and side to side along the girdle vessel, which runs around your waist, which feels like you’re actually moving a hula-hoop in circles.
After that first training trip, how did your body respond?
My vision cleared 100%. I was buzzing—feeling my energy shoot through meridians and circuits I’ve never felt before. However, I still had to build up enough health to sustain that energy. Western labs still said “normal.” However, my master’s checks would always say otherwise, showing severe weaknesses. I had to keep raising my wellness and hold onto my qi.
People crave awakenings, but rarely see the work and life shifts that follow. How did it change your relationships and daily life?
I lost touch with 99% of the people I knew. You meet two kinds: surface-level—weather, TV, headlines—or the ones who ask, “How are you really?” and stay present. It’s not bad, it’s just a shift. And you don’t have to “believe” in energy to benefit. Simple things can give you more energy, improve your health, and increase your happiness. We’re just not taught them. Pay attention to the energy in your body.
What services do you offer now, and how does your muscle release system differ from stretching?
I provide “recharging wellness coaching,” a dietitian, personal trainer, yoga instructor, and diabetes educator rolled into one. You receive nutrition, fitness, and flexibility plans, along with authentic motivational coaching to help you overcome whatever blockages you have and what’s holding you back. After learning that stretching really doesn’t work, but rather just yanks on tight muscles, I developed The Muscle Release System to truly release muscle tension and decompress your spine. In doing so, you can release a lifetime of muscle and spinal tension, which can help clear blocked energy circuits and maximize your circulation of blood, oxygen, and nutrients to all your trillions of cells.
Tell us about the book; what’s it called now, and what will readers find inside?
The book is called “Get Recharged Now,” just like the website (.com). Just hit the big yellow button that says Let’s get the book! It’s my story, with a few funny stories and invaluable longevity lessons. And if you’re not a book person (like me, too), I sum everything up in two chapters in the back: a long-term recharging guide for longevity and a short-term one for midday slumps. Run the checklist and jump-start your energy and longevity! Then go back for the details and all my crazy stories, if you want!
Would you like to leave the audience with some last-minute thoughts?
If you don’t have your health, what do you have? Nothing. The New Wellness is more than just “normal tests”; it encompasses peak organ function, with physical, mental, and spiritual aspects. Are you having fun? Are you doing what you love daily or at least weekly? Are you present? Are you enjoying life? There is more to life than your 401(k) and corporate ladders, which all dissolve into nothing at some point, like everything else. We will never get this day back. Be present. Connect. My five rules: have fun, be well, learn and grow, help others, and respect the earth.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
I keep everything at GetRechargedNow.com; that’s where you can explore coaching programs, watch videos of masters of bioelectricity, and also get a copy of my book, Get Recharged Now: Have More Energy with The Secrets to Longevity. If daily inspiration is more your style, follow me @RichChiWellness on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube (Also linked on the home page). I’m currently doing a 100-part series: Biohacks for more energy and longevity that I’m super psyched about! Drop a comment or DM: I answer personally, because building community is a big part of it.
Rich, thank you for sharing your fantastic journey. We are looking forward to hearing more about your work.
Thank you for having me, Stacey, and I look forward to showing the amazing Advisor audience how to have more energy and live as long as you can in as good a shape as you can! Remember, don’t just sit there, recharge!
