We recently had the chance to connect with Dr Ivan Rusilko and have shared our conversation below.
Dr Ivan, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What is a normal day like for you right now?
A normal day for me is rather bipolar right now. It vibrates between seeing patients at my clinic, programming AI for my new business venture, and scheduling my next adventure, which is currently to Norway to swim with orcas under the northern lights for which I leave in 3 days. I truly believe that a boredom is the devil’s workshop, so I constantly try to fill my brain with either experiences, knowledge, or memories. From teaching myself the piano to training for the Master’s Golden Gloves boxing tournament for next year, I always try to stay busy so I don’t have time for nonsensical stress that can cripple a life these days.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Where to start… Well, I founded Lifestyle Medicine here in Miami Beach, which is based on a philosophy that one’s mental, physical, and emotional states need to be addressed in a customized way to truly define medicine, and I proudly did that before this kind of medicine was even a thing in Miami back in 2011. I was the first to pioneer IV nutrition and wellness medicine on Miami Beach and was part of the first major peptide rollout (IGF-1 LR3) that started what we are currently in: the peptide craze. I graduated early, skipped several grades throughout my college and medical school years, and even took a year off when I won the title of Mr. USA in 2008 and again in 2010. Currently, I am working on a medical operating ecosystem that will incorporate AI and EMR into a platform for both doctors and patients to receive the most up-to-date, live-action care and fulfillment not currently seen in the industry, which debuts in December 2025: Cellera AI.
I have traveled to all five oceans and all seven continents, where I have participated in some of the most extreme and life-altering experiences, which I promote through my practice as Experiential Medicine. These voyages have seen me nearly lose a hand to a tiger shark, have my ass grabbed by a 500 lb gorilla, battle a sperm whale in 3,000 ft of water, wing walk at 4,000 ft on a bi- plane, survive an arctic blizzard and an antarctic hurricane, and white-water raft down the heart of the Nile… just to mention a few. I use these adventures as the barometer for how well my medicine works and has become the best promotion for where I hope to get patients to health wise..
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who taught you the most about work?
Surprisingly, I think my dad gave me the best piece of advice accidentally. My father was a simple man who did extraordinary things in the universe he lived in. A coal miner’s son who used an outhouse until he was 18, he was the first in his city to graduate high school, go to college, and even become a doctor (chiropractor). He had always pushed my brother, sister, and me to never settle for being normal as he said that was boring, and he raised us according to that creed, always making sure our grades were optimal and our athletics were at a peak.
But one snowy Western Pennsylvania morning, as we sat in a tree stand for what seemed like hours before the sun was set to rise, waiting for a deer to walk by, he leaned over and told me this: “Son, never try to be the strongest, the best-looking, or the smartest person at the table. There are too many factors influencing that. Always try to be the most interesting one though because, no matter what, if you’re interesting, that means you’re memorable, and being memorable is the first step in making through this life.” He couldn’t have been more right. With all the awards and accolades I have received throughout my life it seems the imagers of me diving with sharks or jumping off mountains or chasing monsters is what bring people in the door and usurpingly keeps them there.
Who would have thought that a conversation at such a young age would have resulted in the shenanigans I have partaken in across this earth in the quest to be and stay the most interesting person anyone will ever meet? So far, it’s worked out rather well. I just wish he were still with us to see how it turned out.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
If I could say something to my younger self, it would be, for sure, to take every risk, dance every dance, and ride it till the wheels fall off… and invest in Apple. I accomplished the first three… the fourth, unfortunately, I did not.
I think the best attribute I have, whether learned or inborn, is that I am not afraid to fail. People who are afraid to fail miss the best lesson, because there’s no such thing as failure if you learn, and the education that comes with each perceived failure is more valuable than any diploma you could ever hang on your wall. I do have many “diplomas” in things like business and love from the missteps I may have taken but Ive learned my lesson each time and regret nothing because of it.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
The public version of me is the only version of me. I have branded myself as I would expect every healthcare worker to: what you see is what you get. If you are going to sell a lifestyle, then you had better lead by example. You can’t take weight loss advice from a fat doctor just like you can’t take cardiovascular advice from a cardiologist that smells like cigarettes. And you certainly can’t sell happiness to patients if you yourself aren’t happy.
My proof of life, as well as the concept for my way of practicing medicine, is the over-the-top life I lead that is open for all to follow. I even put my romantic life out there when I wrote the novel series The Winemaker’s Dinner, which was my way of initially processing a breakup but turned into a newfound passion for the written word; this one just happened to be erotic and sold very well. I encourage everyone reading this: whatever advice you are willing to take had better come from someone who exemplifies the advice you are seeking.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Have you ever gotten what you wanted, and found it did not satisfy you?
Yes, many times. I remember my high school and college days when the TV show Nip/Tuck aired, which featured a group of Miami Beach plastic surgeons who lived a life I thought at the time was absurdly impossible but so addictive to watch. Botox parties, gorgeous, loose women, sun, fun, cars, money… What else could a hillbilly from Meadville, Pennsylvania want to experience when he grew up?
I remember the day exactly: I was riding my bike on the Miami Beach South Pointe boardwalk when it hit me. I was 29 at the time, had the penthouse of the Delano hotel as my office, and had everything I had dreamed about from the list above. But was I happy? Yes, I couldn’t help but crack a smile that I had somehow become a version of Christian Troy and hadn’t even realized it. But I wasn’t as fulfilled as I thought I would be. I continued to want to grow and get better and accumulate more and more. It was an addiction that consumed me like wildfire, one that still does today.
Shortly after this realization, HBO green-lit a pilot entitled ‘Fountain of Youth,’ where a Hollywood camera crew followed me around reenacting all the crazy true stories of my up-to-date life… with the director’s main goal: make him a likable Christian Troy. I literally got my Nip/Tuck TV show. Funny how life turns out. (It never aired… too much nudity.)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lfstm.com
- Instagram: drivanrusilko
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivanrusilko/
- Twitter: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Zh9xJQTBJE4M2qmAgAE5m
- Youtube: https://vimeo.com/drivanrusilko
- Soundcloud: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lifestyle-medicine-podcast/id1836422029&ved=2ahUKEwjBqa-Un66QAxWtmWoFHYQLJK8QFnoECCEQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3blYWpMVB2iYmvqgtlqHi6
Image Credits
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