One would think looking at Chris that he has lead a charmed life but nothing could be farther from the truth.   Chris had a great childhood but as he got to his teens and then college he experienced a lot of health issues which impacted his life immensely.  He learned in college that the cause of all of his emotional and physical issues was a tumor in his pituitary gland. The tumor caused Chris’s hormonal health to suffer a great deal. Doctors responded by trying different synthetic hormone solutions, but Chris held a strong belief that a natural solution – one without side effects – must exist. You can learn all about that crazy time in his history on his youtube channel along with a ton of really useful information on health and wellness.  Whats incredibly inspiring is that instead of getting down and giving up, during his time at Duke University he used the research tools available to him to find a natural hormone solution. He researched clinical studies and organized them in a way that, when systematically used together, ultimately cured him of his hormonal imbalances. That set things in motion and led to the start of his company UMZU.com which is the place where both men and women can go to naturally reclaim their hormonal balance through clinical research-backed products. Chris isn’t just a health and wellness expert, he is a neuroscientist, a successful entrepreneur, painter, author, and inspiring leader.  For a young man, he has achieved great success and earned the respect of some of the most prominent entrepreneurs of our time.  Currently, he’s working on a book that is sure to make some serious waves in the industry and we can’t wait to read it!  

Where are you from originally? If you aren’t from Los Angeles what brought you here?

I was born in San Diego and I have lived in many places around the country. I originally moved to LA because I thought “why not” – it was time to explore a new place and new opportunities and people. LA seemed like a great place to be around everyone who is pursuing dreams.

Worst advice you’ve ever received and why?

Probably the idea that you should figure out how to work less. A lot of people sell that idea, but I think it’s bogus. You should find work you love to do, that is deeply meaningful in your life and the lives of others, and you should figure out how to work as much as humanly possible on that.

Best advice you’ve ever received and why?

“You’re entitled to nothing.” Great advice from my dad. It stays with me. Whenever I find that I am acting entitled, I immediately try to uproot the source of that thought.

Best advice you’ve given that had a positive impact and the person shared it with you?

Embrace discomfort.

Biggest hurdles and how you overcame them and the lessons learned through the challenges.

Healing my brain tumor naturally. It was very challenging for me at the time, but it set the scene for much of who I’ve become today, and how I can uniquely help people with the insight I got. I learned, foremost, the power of my own mind. I learned that I can solve any problem. I learned everything I currently know, and teach, about health. I learned that the pain of a huge challenge in your life is worth every ounce of your effort to overcome it because you become such a better person as the outcome.

A time you almost gave up and how you got through it and didn’t give up?

After my first company failed. I had no money so I had to live in my car in Brooklyn and walk to job interviews. It was a low moment for me, but it taught me a lot about what the worst-case scenario might look like. And taught me to be grateful. In the midst of the stress, I still learned new skills, made friends, and got myself out of the situation quickly. That new confidence, and the reflection on where I failed previously propelled me into learning extremely useful skills I still use to this day.

If you weren’t doing the work you are doing, what else would you be doing & why?

I would find something else important to start and build into significance.

Most important people in your journey and how they affected your life up until now?

There are a small handful of people in my life who have breathed life into me, by speaking to how they see me, to the potential they see. Those people have meant the most to me because they have seen things in me that I didn’t see myself, but once they pointed it out, I believed them. That’s really important to me.

What advice you’d give to the 18-year-old you?

Start a YouTube channel. Buy Bitcoin haha.

Do you have a mentor? If so, who is he/she?

Yes, Mike Dobson.

Do you do any philanthropic work in LA or have in the past?

I have volunteered in several places.

If so, what nonprofits do you work with and why?

I think Saving Innocence is a great nonprofit.

How would you like to be remembered?

I’m not sure if it’s important to me that I am remembered, so much as the work that I do over my lifetime improves people’s lives. When we would go camping, my dad would always say to “leave things better than you found them.”

A hidden talent nobody knows…yet. 🙂

I can surgically remove bladder stones.

Name a young man that is doing something that you find to be very impressive that is not related to you.

A friend I went to college with is running Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain implant company. That’s pretty damn cool.

Favorite Book.

A Pocket Mirror for Heroes by Baltasar Gracian

Favorite Quote.

“Nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed.” – Francis Bacon

Company:  https://umzu.com

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