Sachin Patel is a father, husband, philanthropist, functional medicine practice success coach, international speaker, and best-selling author…who also founded The Living Proof Institute to help practitioners all over the world to step into their power and save communities. His philosophy, “The doctor of the future is the patient,” empowers patients through education, self-care, and remapping their mindsets. And, it works. I follow Sachin’s Facebook page for daily inspiration and thought-provoking questions that help me get out of my way Sachin challenges the healthcare paradigm, and he has devoted his life to the betterment of healthcare for both patients and practitioners. His business mistakes and triumphs have taught him much along the way.  I loved learning from his wisdom in the interview below.

1. Tell us about your business – what’s your mission; your soul’s purpose and why you created your wellness business or service?

The big “why” behind The Living Proof Institute is centered around identifying the cause of a patient’s suffering, eliminating their blind spots, and putting power back into their patient’s hands so that they can discover their inner healer.

2. Tell us about your journey and your story…what got you to this point today?

I started out as a sport based chiropractor working with competitive athletes and weekend warriors. In 2006 I was featured in a news story that would change the course of my life. The interview was about elbow pain associated with tennis and golf. As soon as the story finished airing, the phone rang off the hook. Eighty patients scheduled a new consultation! Consults started pouring in; the only problem was that 98% of them did not have elbow pain! Instead, many of them were suffering chronically with a multitude of issues that their doctors were not getting to the bottom of. As a sports-oriented practitioner, I was not very well equipped to deal with these type of problems. I felt gutted not being able to help these patients. I didn’t even know where to send them, they had already seen “everyone” at this point and tried “everything.” This is when I discovered functional medicine through a colleague of mine, Dr. Ron Grisanti. He shared dozens of case studies demonstrating how he was helping patients reverse chronic diseases that were once thought to be incurable. I was hooked! I started taking a deep interest in functional medicine. In fact, I left the place I was working for to pursue functional medicine full time. It was finally in 2011 that I had the courage to start my practice and be in a position to deliver the best care possible to my patients. I opened my first office in West Chester, Ohio in 2011 and then my second location in Mississauga, Ontario in 2013. Since then, we’ve worked with several thousand patients, and the results for many of them have been transformational. The secret to our success is that our method takes an individualized and broad-spectrum approach that incorporates functional medicine, lifestyle medicine, mindset medicine, environmental medicine, as well as community-based education into the patient’s healing journey. We offer a rewarding experience for our clients by doing deep, meaningful work.

3. How are you changing the face of healthcare and/or the wellness industry? How do you create, innovate or break the rules in healthcare?

We are trying to change the narrative of healthcare by putting the patient first. We aim to teach our patients 80-90% of what they need to know to take the best care of themselves possible. We believe that the doctor of the future is the patient.

4. What personal and professional legacy or impact do you want to leave on the world?

My goal is to train and support thousands of functional medicine practitioners as they transition from insurance based, diagnosis-centered medicine to value-based, patient-centered medicine. I am a patient, practitioner, and community advocate. I want what is best for all parties involved as I believe that this is must be a win-win-win mission.

5. In your opinion, what is the most significant factor in healing or overall wellness?

I believe that the most critical factor in healing is our subconscious mind, our operating system. It’s the basis of our response to stress, decision making, and our daily habits.  Most people need to upgrade their software (mind) instead of blaming their hardware (body).

6. What do you wish people realized when it comes to their health or about the wellness industry?

No system on the planet can save you from yourself. No matter who you partner with, you’ve got to do most of the work. All “shortcuts lead to shortcomings.”

7. How long did it take you to reach significant milestones in your wellness business? And, what has helped you move the needle in making your vision a reality?

We hit milestones of success very quickly when we started our practice. I had learned from many past failures and successes (what not to do). I implemented a rapid growth strategy that helped me move mountains. Our vision took off when I moved to Canada.  I was able to get hyper-focused and bring on the right team to support the mission. My team has enabled me to the focus on my most valuable skills (messaging and content).

8. Tell us about the start-up scares: Was there a moment where you ever seriously contemplated giving up?

One of the keys to my success has been my faith in my message. I’ve never felt like “giving up” because I know that hardships are part of the journey. I remind myself that the bigger the obstacle, the bigger the prize on the other side.

9. Did you ever fail or make a substantial mistake in business or organization? Any serious challenges? How did you overcome and resolve it?

I’ve never entirely dropped the ball in my business, but I do tend to have many things going at the same time. At times, this can lead to overwhelming myself and frustration. I try to learn from every mistake and correct course as quickly as possible. Lately, my biggest challenge is learning to say, “NO”. I admit, I am remain a work in progress.

10. What action has the most impact that you’ve taken to reach your goal/s?

The most impactful action anyone can take is to authentically and consistently put their message out there. I personally love public speaking and being able to share my vision in person or online with our followers.

11. What would you tell your younger/earlier self about following your dreams?

“Readiness is more important than responsiveness.” “Making money should never cost you the things that money can’t buy.” “Build a business around your life, not a life around your business.”

12. What’s the best piece of business or personal advice YOU’VE ever received?

Family first

13. What’s the #1 piece of advice you would give a new Wellness professional who really wants to make an impact in healthcare and people’s lives?

Hire a mentor and surround yourself with people who you aspire to be like. If you want to grow quickly while making the fewest mistakes possible, learn from the experience of others. When considering a mentor, I suggest working with someone who’s got all areas of their together (health, relationships, contribution), not just their business.

14. What does a typical workday look like for you?

• Wake up at 5am
• Journaling and mindfulness
• Mentally plan my day
• Check emails
• Go to the gym
• Return at 730
• Spend time with my son
• Drop my son off at school
• Work from home or office (I do detailed tasks, podcasts, and meetings in the morning)
• Lunch from 12-2
• coaching calls from 2-5pm
• Family time until bedtime (as much as possible)
• Fall asleep with my son at 8:30

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To date, Sachin has delivered hundreds of community workshops, he is an advocate for changing the healthcare paradigm, and he has devoted his life to the betterment of healthcare for both patients and practitioners.  Check out his free resources for BECOMING PROOF and living your best life. Free Program: http://www.30in30.org 30 ways in 30 days is a FREE self-care program where subscribers get 30 of my best personal care tips. These tips are simple and easy steps that anyone can take to improve their health outcomes, no matter where they start. There are lots of free tools and resources in this popular program. 30 in 30 is your first step to becoming the Doctor of the Future. My book: www.getperfectpractice.com My book, Perfect Practice, is a tactical blueprint on how you can rapidly implement proven strategies to build, grow, and scale your functional medicine practice. I share with practitioners how they can create a successful Functional Medicine business, attract their ideal patients, and get paid what they’re worth. I’d love to send you a complementary copy so that you can rapidly scale your vision without repeating the mistakes I made along the way.