One of the things I enjoy most about building We Are Local is getting the opportunity to sit down with people who are doing something a little different.
People who see a problem and decide there has to be a better way.
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit with Bret Boggs, better known as “The Vital Intelligence Guy.” Bret is also one of our We Are Local Community Partners, and our conversation went well beyond simply talking about a business.
It was really a conversation about time, information, personal responsibility, and being proactive about our health.
From Guessing to Understanding
One of the ideas Bret talks about frequently is pretty simple:
Our bodies are constantly giving us information. The question is whether we are paying attention to it.
Bret believes there is an important difference between waiting until something becomes a major problem and beginning to recognize the smaller signals our bodies may be giving us along the way.
That philosophy is at the heart of what he calls Vital Intelligence.
His goal is to help people establish a baseline, gather useful wellness information, better understand that information, and then develop a strategy around what they are seeing.
For Bret, it comes down to replacing guesswork with clarity.
And I think that message can resonate especially well with business owners, entrepreneurs, leaders, and other busy professionals.
We measure almost everything in business.
We measure sales.
We measure expenses.
We look at productivity, customer retention, marketing results, website traffic, and dozens of other numbers.
But how often do we take that same proactive approach with ourselves?
Protecting Your Most Valuable Asset: Time
Something else stood out during my conversation with Bret: time matters.
For a business owner or professional, taking time away from work isn’t always as simple as putting an appointment on the calendar.
There is travel time. Waiting. Rescheduling meetings. Breaking momentum. And sometimes there can still be uncertainty afterward.
Bret’s approach is designed around giving people access to additional wellness information from home and helping them better understand what questions they may want to ask.
He describes his role as helping replace some of that uncertainty with measurable clarity.
Importantly, Bret isn’t presenting Vital Intelligence as a replacement for your doctor.
Quite the opposite.
He talks about using information to help people become better prepared for conversations with their healthcare professionals — walking into an appointment with more information and better questions instead of simply waiting for someone else to tell them where to begin.
That distinction is important.
WATCH OUR CONVERSATION
In our interview, Bret shares more about his journey, the philosophy behind Vital Intelligence, and why he believes having better information can change the way people approach their wellness.
A 12-Week Journey Built Around Clarity
Bret’s approach isn’t simply about collecting information once and walking away.
He describes Vital Intelligence as a 12-week journey built around three important pieces:
Clarity. Strategy. Accountability.
The first step is understanding where you are.
Then comes developing a strategy based on the information available.
Finally, there is accountability — actually following the strategy long enough to see what changes and continuing to measure along the way.
Bret has explained that the 12-week timeframe is intentional. It provides an opportunity to understand the data, follow a strategy, and evaluate what is changing instead of jumping from one idea to another.
That systematic approach is part of what attracted him to this work in the first place.
Bret considers himself a problem solver. His mission has long centered around identifying things that hold people back and finding ways to improve productivity.
Vital Intelligence became another extension of that mission.
Being Proactive Instead of Reactive
There was one part of Bret’s philosophy that stuck with me after our conversation.
We have become accustomed to reacting.
Something hurts, so we investigate it.
Our energy drops, so we start wondering why.
Something changes dramatically enough that we finally decide it deserves our attention.
Bret encourages people to think differently — to begin looking at the signals earlier.
That doesn’t mean diagnosing yourself or replacing professional medical care. It means becoming a more informed participant in your own wellness.
There is something to be said for that.
As entrepreneurs and leaders, we spend an incredible amount of time building businesses, helping customers, supporting employees, volunteering in our communities, and taking care of our families.
Sometimes the person who gets pushed to the bottom of that list is ourselves.
Bret Boggs is trying to change that conversation.
Another Community Partner Doing Something Different
This is exactly why I enjoy doing these We Are Local Community Partner Spotlights.
Our Community Partners aren’t all going to look the same or do the same things — and that’s the point.
We want to introduce our community to the people behind the businesses, hear their stories, understand what drives them, and learn about the different ideas and services being developed right here within our network.
Bret has found an area he is passionate about: helping people move from uncertainty toward greater clarity about their wellness.
And he’s built his business around helping others do just that.
If you’d like to learn more about Bret Boggs and what he means when he talks about Vital Intelligence, visit The Vital Intelligence Guy online.
Editor’s Note: Vital Intelligence is a wellness service and is not a substitute for professional medical care, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional regarding medical concerns or before making changes to your healthcare or wellness routine.
