Longevity is NOT genetic. Only 50% of your genes are expressed at birth — the rest are expressed epigenetically. This means they are expressed based on the environment that you are exposed to. If you challenge yourself with fasting, exercise, rigorous mental activity, and moderate cold and heat shocks, your body will respond and repair your aging cells.
The term Blue Zones has been used to describe places where people live long and healthy lives. What exactly does it take to live a long and healthy life? What is the science and the secret behind longevity and life extension? In this series, we are talking to medical experts, wellness experts, and longevity experts to share “5 Things You Need To Live A Long, Healthy, & Happy Life”. As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Greg Lindberg.
Greg Lindberg is a successful entrepreneur, philanthropist and author. For the last three decades, he has been on the quest to reinventing, transforming and giving back. For the last few years, his mission has been focused on helping people reach their ultimate potential though wellness, longevity and leadership.
His goodwill and determination have helped grow hundreds of businesses, employ thousands of people, empower leaders and impact communities through philanthropic efforts.
Lindberg, who was born and raised in San Mateo, California, graduated from high school in 1989. After that, he attended Yale University where he completed his bachelor’s degree in economics in 1993.
During his sophomore year at Yale University, Lindberg established a health insurance compliance and reimbursement newsletter called Home Care Week to help health care professionals make sense of medical regulations. Over time, his small startup business turned into a multi-million-dollar publishing company.
Since then, Lindberg has acquired and transformed more than 100 companies that were either failing or underperforming and are now worth billions of dollars. He’s also employed more than 7,500 people.
His experiences and challenges as a business leader inspired him to author two books: Failing Early & Failing Often: How to Turn Your Adversity into Advantage published in 2020 and 633 Days Inside: Lessons on Life and Leadership published in 2022. Through this work, Lindberg’s mission is to empower people unlock their greatness by focusing on wellness, longevity and leadership.
Lindberg also gives back through his philanthropic work, including supporting a non-profit organization to provide access to resources and opportunities for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people.
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 am an entrepreneur, philanthropist and author turned wellness advocate. For the last three decades, I have been on the quest to reinventing, transforming and giving back. For the last few years, my mission has been focused on helping people reach their ultimate potential though wellness, longevity and leadership.
My goodwill and determination have helped grow hundreds of businesses, employ thousands of people, empower leaders and impact communities through philanthropic efforts.
I was born and raised in San Mateo, California, graduated from high school in 1988. After that, I attended Yale University where I completed his bachelor’s degree in economics in 1993.
During my sophomore year at Yale University, I established a health insurance compliance and reimbursement newsletter called Home Care Week to help health care professionals make sense of medical regulations. Over time, my small startup business turned into a $1.7 billion-revenue company.
Since then, I have acquired and transformed more than 100 companies that were either failing or underperforming and are now worth billions of dollars. The companies I have an economic interest in currently employ 7,500 people.
My experiences and challenges as a business leader inspired me to author two books: Failing Early & Failing Often: How to Turn Your Adversity into Advantage published in 2020 and 633 Days Inside: Lessons on Life and Leadership published in 2022.
My mission is to empower people unlock their greatness by focusing on wellness, longevity and leadership.
I also try to give back through my philanthropic work, including supporting a non-profit organization to provide access to resources and opportunities for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people.
Can you share with us the most interesting story from your career? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘takeaways’ you learned from that?
I was wrongfully convicted for a crime I did not commit. As a result, I spent 633 Days in prison. However, that struggle or disappointment did not keep me from moving forward.
Instead, it gave me motivation to empower others to overcome challenges and achieve optimal success. Through my books and wellness advocacy, my mission is to help people unlock success by focusing on wellness, longevity and leadership.
My recent book 633 Days Inside documents his challenges and takes readers on my journey to transforming my mind and body through fasting, cold exposure, exercise, nutrition and other regimens.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful for who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I grew up in a loving family. I was very lucky to have a supportive family. My parents hung a sign in my bedroom, which said, “Greg is great.” They gave me lots of love, many resources and laid the foundation for my future.
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
The three most important traits for success in my view are relentless persistence in the face of failure, being prepared for a marathon and not a sprint, and being willing to pivot in entirely new directions.
Relentless persistence in the face of failure: the best example of this is when we almost went out of business in 1998 when our largest market for our healthcare newsletters collapsed from a regulatory change that impacted reimbursement in that industry. We were forced to cut costs dramatically and adapt to the new reality very quickly. It taught us a lot of valuable lessons that we still practice today.
Be prepared for a marathon and not a sprint: this year is my 32nd year in business. Today I have even more energy and enthusiasm for the business than I did back in 1991 when I started the business. I am more excited than ever. This is because I was able to mentally prepare myself for the decades of endless battles and challenges that building a business requires. The pain of challenge never ends. That is what excites me the most. To build a successful business over the long haul you must expect and even welcome battles and challenges that are certain to come your way. There is no effort without error and shortcoming.
Be willing to pivot in entirely new directions. The business was started as a healthcare publishing business. We pivoted to healthcare technology and now we are pivoting to exit the insurance business. These have been major changes requiring enormous effort and learning. But they are critical. Keep pivoting and keep reinventing yourself. Today I’m studying quantum mechanics. It keeps my mind fresh and open to new ideas for where our next pivot may come from.
Ok, thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the main focus of our interview about health and longevity. To begin, can you share with our readers a bit about why you are an authority in the fields of health, wellness, and longevity? In your opinion, what is your unique contribution to the world of wellness?
These passions were born from my own experiences and self-transformation during his time in prison and away from work, life and family.
While that was a difficult experience, I took the opportunity to grow and transform physically and mentally. During that time, I incorporated fasting, cold showers, exercise, nutrition, mental challenges, and physical labor to his daily routine. These mind and body exercises now have become my lifestyle.
As a result, I feel stronger, healthier, energetic and youthful. I have better memory, and more muscle and stamina. Also, my gray hair turned red again.
I achieved those results by incorporating hormesis, a phenomenon in which small to moderate stressors like fasting, cold exposure, exercise, and nutrition provide beneficial effects to the body when the harmful stressors are small. Those experiences allow the body to become comfortable with the uncomfortable.
Hormesis has been explored in biology for thousands of years. Applying this concept through those daily routines can improve your life today, in the future, and even improve the life of your offspring.
That’s why I published his latest book: 633 Days Inside and also continue to pass on this knowledge to the world. I know it can make a difference, because it has transformed me.
Seekers throughout history have traveled great distances and embarked on mythical quests in search of the “elixir of life,” a mythical potion said to cure all diseases and give eternal youth. Has your search for health, vitality, and longevity taken you on any interesting paths or journeys? We’d love to hear the story.
Excellent question. My search for health, vitality, and longevity has taken me into the zone of what most people see as profound pain and discomfort. This zone of pain and discomfort is where I discovered the simple formula to reverse aging: only eat on the weekends. It’s simple to stay but one of the hardest things to do — especially when combined with an hour or two of hard daily exercise plus 10+ hours a day of strenuous mental challenges.
Based on your research or experience, can you please share your “5 Things You Need To Live A Long & Healthy Life”?
Fail early and often. Failure helps you learn, get stronger and be more successful.
Fast. Fasting a day, two days or three days can have tremendous health impact on your body. If consistent, fasting helps you live longer, be healthier.
Exercise. Movement is the best medicine for your body and mind. The more we move the better. Daily activities like sports, cardio, running, weightlifting or strength training can improve heart health, cognitive function, mood, sleep, muscle strength and flexibility and reduce chronic disease. I know it has worked for me.
Eat well. You are what you eat, so make sure you balance your healthy regimens with healthy meals, by focusing on fish, nuts and vegetables.
Take cold showers or baths. Scientific data has been telling us that cold exposure can have a powerful effect on some aspects of your health and wellness, including reduce inflammation and swelling, improve mental health, boost your mood, and much more,” says Lindberg. “But it’s extremely important to practice safely and commit long-term.
Can you suggest a few things needed to live a life filled with happiness, joy, and meaning?
Embrace change and challenges, learn, be curious, give back and keep your family and loved ones close.
Some argue that longevity is genetic, while others say that living a long life is simply a choice. What are your thoughts on this nature vs. nurture debate? Which is more important?
Longevity is NOT genetic. Only 50% of your genes are expressed at birth — the rest are expressed epigenetically. This means they are expressed based on the environment that you are exposed to. If you challenge yourself with fasting, exercise, rigorous mental activity, and moderate cold and heat shocks, your body will respond and repair your aging cells.
Life sometimes takes us on paths that are challenging. How have you managed to bounce back from setbacks in order to cultivate physical, mental, and emotional health?
Going to prison was one of the greatest challenges of my life. This could have been detrimental to my health, wellness, happiness and my future. However, I decided to get on a health and wellness and longevity journey, and give back.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?
One of the most powerful “Life Lesson Quotes” that I’ve read comes from the ancient Chinese philosopher Mencius who said: “Only then do we realize that anxiety and distress lead to life and that ease and comfort end in death.” — Mencius (372–289 BC)
This quote says a lot about the power of hormesis. We often pursue ease and comfort in life and we don’t realize that this can lead to an early death — because ease and comfort doesn’t challenge the body like starvation, exercise, and mental exertion do — and these are all critical daily habits to repairing and restoring your life and youth.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I would give them the strength to overcome adversity. Everyone faces challenges, but not everyone is able to overcome them. Learning how to fail and overcome those failures help people be stronger and more successful. I also work to empower every single person to find their inner greatness. In prison I was able to see that just about every prisoner had something about them that was truly great. Maybe they were a wonderful poet or craftsman or counselor. There is greatness within every one of us that is just waiting to be unlocked.
What is the best way for our readers to continue to follow your work online?
Follow my work and journey on Greg Lindberg.com and follow me on LinkedIn and YouTube @greglindbergofficial.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this. We wish you only continued success.