Embracing Vision, Weathering Criticism, and Finding Alignment

As a founder, you have a very clear vision for what you want to bring into the world and what is going to work. There have been moments along the way where people in the medical community or media have questioned whether it makes sense for non-diabetic individuals to use glucose monitors. People at times have publicly trivialized the technology or said that it’s more of a "toy" than a valuable part of a health journey. I staunchly disagree with the sentiment, and here's why: with 93% of American adults dealing with preventable metabolic dysfunction, it makes little sense to wait until you have overt illness to then give people tools to understand their bodies.?

My co-founder, Josh Clemente, who is an aerospace engineer formerly at SpaceX, brings this point home with an analogy to rockets: A single rocket may have around 10,000 sensors on it that help predict failure of the machine before it happens. This makes sense: you don’t want a rocket failing out in space.? In contrast, in the healthcare system, we take the opposite approach: we wait for the body to express signs of failing (chronic disease) and only then do we put sensors on it to track it (like continuous glucose monitors). This doesn't make any sense.?

My message is this: believing in my mission of creating a world of empowerment and healing helped weather criticisms. Certainly, you shouldn't ignore criticisms (there may be something valuable to be learned!), but you don't need to respond to or emotionally internalize everything that comes at you. That can wear you down and dim your light and energy.?

Takeaway: No matter what comes at you, stay focused on your mission.

One of my favorite moments of the founder journey was when our team had an off-site in Montana. Myself and 14 of my teammates cold-plunged in a freezing glacier lake in Glacier National Park.?

The lake was at the end of a long hike and there were literally icebergs floating in the water. So many people felt like they were never going to do a cold plunge and were a hard no!," but as they saw other people on the team jumping in the cold water, they joined in too! Eventually, the entire group went into the freezing lake! It was one of the most exhilarating and bonding experiences I've ever had.

In that moment I felt so much alignment amongst all aspects of my life, work, and passions:

Together with this team we had built a metabolic health company that was helping tens of thousands of people feel more empowered in their health journey.?

Together with this team we were facing challenges and overcoming them together.

Together we were practicing what we preached: hiking, being outdoors, practicing cold plunging to boost our mitochondrial function.?

It was a moment of bliss that I'll never forget and I realized that when you listen to your deepest calling from the universe, so many good things happen.

• Casey Means , MD, Levels Health

Staying focused on your mission is the cornerstone of enduring success in any endeavor. It requires dedication, resilience and a clear understanding of why you embarked on your journey in the first place. Challenges, distraction and detractors are inevitable but maintaining focus on your mission provides the necessary compass to remind you of the impact you aspire to create and the lives you aim to touch.?

Dr. Casey also mentions weathering criticisms. Not internalizing criticism requires a conscious effort to maintain a healthy perspective and separate your self-worth from external feedback. Remind yourself that criticism is subjective and often reflects the agenda of the critic rather than an objective truth about your abilities or worth. Recognize that everyone has their own preferences and limitations that may influence their feedback. Also, focus on distinguishing between constructive criticism from unconstructive criticism. Constructive criticism will offer insights for improvement while unconstructive criticism can be driven by personal bias or negativity. Keeping this in mind can help you maintain a resilient mindset and avoid internalizing criticism in a detrimental way.?

The account of Dr. Casey’s off-site experience in Montana, particularly the cold plunge in Glacier National Park, resonates deeply with the essence of alignment across work, life, and passions. It's a vivid illustration of unity and shared purpose within a team. The act of collectively facing challenges, including the daunting prospect of a freezing lake, reflects the resilience and camaraderie that has been integral to building her metabolic health company. The alignment extends beyond the professional realm, seamlessly integrating the principles she advocates—hiking, being outdoors, and even the adventurous cold plunge—as a testament to the authenticity of her commitment. This shared experience not only fosters a strong team bond but also highlights the importance of listening to one's deepest calling and aligning actions with purpose. Moments like these not only contribute to the success of the company but also create a lasting, blissful memory that encapsulates the profound impact of aligning passion, work, and life in unison.

Maintaining focus on your mission and handling criticism are vital aspects of a successful journey. Ultimately, by staying true to their deepest callings and aligning actions with purpose, individuals and teams can create lasting impact and fulfillment.

If you would like to know more about how I do it, my routines and products that make my life a little less wild, subscribe at rebeccaminkoff.substack.com .?

And if you want to learn more about how to elevate women on a mission to break barriers, join our ecosystem where we provide content, capital, and learning to propel these women to the next level at https://femalefoundercollective.com/