Building the Whole Foods of Healthcare
In this episode, Halle Tecco sits down with John Mackey, founder and former CEO of Whole Foods Market. Mackey discusses his new venture, Love.Life, that aims to do for healthcare what Whole Foods did for grocery shopping.
We cover:
His vision for rethinking the healthcare experience
What he learned about healthcare running a self-insured employer
How Whole Foods gamified health for employees
His views on healthcare regulation and personal responsibility
Why he doesn't believe in market research
His advice for entrepreneurs taking on venture capitalist funding
About our guest:
John Mackey is an entrepreneur and the co-founder and visionary of Whole Foods Market. In his 44 years of service as CEO, the natural and organic grocer grew from a single store in Austin, Texas, to 540 stores in the U.S., U.K., and Canada with annual sales exceeding $22 billion and more than 105,000 Team Members.
A strong believer in free market principles, Mackey co-founded the Conscious Capitalism Movement and co-authored a New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling book entitled “Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business” (Harvard Business Review Press 2013) to boldly defend and reimagine capitalism and encourage a way of doing business that is grounded in ethical consciousness. In his 2020 follow-up, “Conscious Leadership: Elevating Humanity through Business,” Mackey provides a roadmap for innovative, values-based leadership.
A mission-driven entrepreneur, Mackey is deeply passionate about the connection between food and health. He is co-author of “The Whole Foods Diet: The Lifesaving Plan for Health and Longevity” (Grand Central Life & Style 2017) and “The Whole Foods Cookbook: 120 Delicious and Healthy Plant-Centered Recipes” (Grand Central Life & Style 2018).
His current business venture, Love.Life™, unites the power of nourishing food, holistic medical care, and precision wellness therapies to make optimal, lasting health and vitality achievable. Mackey announced his new role as co-founder and CEO of the company following his retirement from Whole Foods Market in September 2022.
Mackey currently serves on the board of directors for Conscious Capitalism, The Motley Fool, CATO Institute, The Institute for Cultural Evolution, and Students for Liberty. His new book, “The Whole Story: Adventures in Love, Life, and Capitalism” was published in May 2024.
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