Christian Seale

Christian Seale, Co-Founder of Vitruvia, brings a diverse and successful track record as a serial healthcare investor and entrepreneur. After a series of life events that led to firsthand experiences with what is lacking in the healthcare industry, Christian forayed into the healthcare industry and was inspired to take action. He determined his mission in life is to help transform the health and lives of a billion people by creating a more efficient, accessible, and prevention-focused healthcare system. To date, his investment portfolio includes over 30 innovative healthtech companies, seven of which have been acquired.

Prior to diving into the health sector, Christian worked with consumer-only VC firm Maveron, Goldman Sachs, and Teach for America and then became a Founding Member of NextGen Venture Partners and Equitable Origin, the world’s first certification for responsible energy production.

Christian earned his MBA from Harvard Business School and graduated magna cum laude from Brown University. Christian is a World Economic Forum Global Shaper and a Fulbright Scholar. Christian is a frequent guest on technology and health-related podcasts and is an active contributor to Univision and TechCrunch.

Where did the idea for Vitruvia come from?

The Vitruvian Man is a drawing by Leonardo da Vinci made around 1490. The drawing is based on the ideal proportions of a human body, and how it relates to geometry. We settled on this name because we found that it perfectly encapsulates what we are doing at Vitruvia, helping people get back into their optimal selves. With tension, pain, and lack of mobility a part of everyday life, we at Vitruvia strive to bring the human body back into perfect alignment to relieve these common burdens.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

My morning starts with meditation and priming. I spend time journaling by mainly focusing on gratitude and listing ten things I am grateful for that day. I regularly tell myself: “things are always working out for me,” especially if that avocado pit of stress seems to come up.

I do my best to keep my phone on airplane mode throughout the morning to get deep work done before responding to text messages or emails. This helps me take control of my day vs. reacting to it. I’ll sweat, whether that’s through a workout or in the sauna, and once the phone is off airplane mode I respond to whatever the business needs may be that day.
I love taking my in-person meetings or phone calls while walking – something about movement gets my ideas generating more.

Everyday, I try to watch the sunset – it reminds me how magnificent our existence is. I typically work late, even though I am striving to find more balance and step away from work.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I listen to my initial instinct and jot that to paper. After I can articulate at least part of an idea outside of my mind I know I can begin to prime my idea into actualization. It’s all about turning inner feelings into concise steps and trusting your instincts. Even my loftier ideas have turned into elaborate plans after I’ve sat with it for a minute, trusted my process and slowly pieced together actionable steps. Then I share the vision and rally the people around it.

What’s one trend that excites you?

Consumers spending more disposable income maintaining their own health and wellness as opposed to being reliant on the healthcare system to take care of them. Taking care of your wellness vs taking care of yourself while sick has seen an incredible uptick in discussion since the beginning of the pandemic and I don’t see its relevance lessening anytime soon.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

It’s hard for me to sum it up to one habit as it’s more of an equation for me. There’s a couple of practices that influence my productivity, the first being my morning ritual made up of meditation, gratitude and journaling sequences. In addition to starting off the day on a high note, I use priming which is the practice of altering your subconscious into a positive state of being. It’s really important to take your practices to heart and incorporate them into your daily routine. I’ve seen that although I may not consider myself a creature of habit, that these practices have really helped me level up as an entrepreneur.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Stop worrying. Everything happens as it should and for your learning and growth. Enjoy the process and be more present. Always be grateful and celebrate your wins no matter how small. Always lead with kindness and love especially when you do not want to.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

That the greater whole of us is disillusioned and disconnected. Everyone should venture into the world of visualization and take the lessons I’ve mentioned in this interview into their own practices. I don’t think there’s one path to enlightenment but taking any is better than none. I would love it if the readers consuming this could visualize a world of peace before blatantly accepting violence.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Prioritize health, sweat everyday and focus on what is right vs what is wrong. Simplify your life and look at it from a birds eye view. There’s a lot to be thankful for and if you wake up in an able body I urge you to move and groove any and every chance you get.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

Fall in love with your customer, not your product. Your customer is why you continue to have business. Continually ask yourself “what more you can do to ensure they are raving fans?” and I believe those answers are your best sales and marketing tools.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

The key is to listen to your own instincts and there’s been times where I’ve gone against that. I’ve always regretted when I’ve overextended myself and gone against my instinct when I’ve worked so hard to make instinct an iterative process that just keeps building on what feels right.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

Crowdfunding on the blockchain. It will allow for transparency worldwide.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

I adore my Nutribullet. Every morning I make my kale, spinach, ginger lemon and turmeric drink. It’s a nourishing drink that really helps me start the day right.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

Google Drive on my phone. I stay connected and have access to anything and everything I could ever need on the go. I use it daily for personal and business needs. I can even show a model of our process on my phone!

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

Ask and It’s Given by Esther and Jerry Hicks. No matter who you are or what your goals are, this book serves as a roadmap to achieve your goals. There are countless processes from this reading that have stuck with me and have served me well during my personal and professional endeavors.

What is your favorite quote?

The quality of your life is determined by the quality of your questions. This quote derives from the practice of positive psychology which is intertwined with the idea that we are the masters of our own destiny. The questions we ask ourselves especially in a time of need or darkness really influence our lives and if you’re taking the time to spin curiosity into positivity then you’ll be filling up your cup with pure goodness.

Key Learnings:

• The quality of your life is determined by the quality of your questions.
• The key is to listen to your own instincts.
• Stop worrying. Everything happens as it should and for your learning and growth.