ELAINE HE
Elaine He is a biohacker, tech founder, startup advisor, and community leader. She is the founder of ZOne, a personalized sleep app launching soon that goes beyond data tracking to deliver actionable, science-backed sleep routines tailored to each individual’s lifestyle and needs. Elaine transitioned to the biohacking and longevity space after a personal wake-up call with her health, and leads the San Francisco-based longevity community, Don’t Die SF, where she hosts events to educate and connect people passionate about health and wellness. She also advises startups focused on consumer adoption in longevity on GTM.
Elaine’s mission is to empower individuals to take control of their health and live longer, healthier lives. (& yes, the really cool thumbnail picture is Elaine herself!)
HOW SHE OPERATES:
How Elaine manages her health and energy while building a company:
Prioritizes long term health over short term output:
You have to start taking care of your body now to live healthier and longer
A “glamorous” career on paper led to burnout and forced her to rethink everything
Schedules her days around sleep (nonnegotiable)
Eats dinner at 4:30 pm to optimize digestion before sleep
Her entire schedule after 5 pm is based on optimizing her sleep
Tracks data AND acts on it
“Data without action is just anxiety” - Elaine
Uses wearables intentionally (she wears an Apple Watch, Oura Ring, and Whoop)
Values Oura ring most for sleep because it matches best with how she actually feels
Understands her metrics deeply, especially how they fluctuate across the phases of her cycle (HRV especially)
Has a strong foundation (even though she loves biohacking)
Her biggest transformation came from drinking more water, moving more, and stretching daily
What started as a search for a magical fix turned into lifestyle change
Treats the body as one system
Your organs are separate, but they function together
You can’t optimize one area while ignoring others, you should think about the body holistically
Believes control comes from action
Taking action = taking control of your health; you can choose how you want to live
You’re not limited by genetics, you can change your trajectory
Anyone can improve energy and happiness as long as they want to and are willing to take action
Uses tools to create leverage
Constantly tests new tools and technology as a founder to leverage her time (across business and health)
Uses each wearable differently (not one-size-fits-all)
Sees biohacking today as “luxury precision,” but hopes it will become mainstream
Listens to her body and adapts
Follows natural energy signals (push vs recovery)
Understands the body can bounce back and adapt mentally and biologically, and keeps this in mind on the days she feels unmotivated
Values community
Health is easier (and more enjoyable) with like-minded people
Always optimizing
She is always seeking to improve her biomarkers and lower her biological age
Treats health as an ongoing journey, not a quick fix
“Whoever motivates you to exercise, drink more water, and sleep better should be the friends you want to stay with longer term”
MY TAKEAWAY:
Biohacking isn’t just tools, fancy gadgets, and Bryan Johnson; at its core, it’s just people wanting to live longer and healthier.
Although Elaine happens to be a biohacker, she acknowledges the importance of the foundations. Starting with the basic lifestyle changes had the greatest impact on her. The Data is only helpful to those who want and choose to act on it. (I personally love the data and the biohacking, but I also know it’s the foundations that truly move the needle).
Also, burnout is so common among founders, but going all in on your health is one of the highest ROI activities you can do. Your business and career will match your growth, and if something as simple as eating dinner earlier can increase your energy and your happiness, it doesn’t hurt to try it for a week.
WHAT MOVES THE NEEDLE (From Elaine):
Data: Know your data so you know where you are at and what to improve
Community: Try and find your people; it can make you a better version of yourself.
STEAL THIS:
Actions you can take right now
Try to eat dinner 1 hour earlier than usual and watch what it does to your digestion and sleep.
Select one area of your life (Wearables, Bloodwork, Gut Health, Hormones) you want data insights into and seek the right tools to do so to get your baseline (reply to this email if you’d like help with this)
WHAT SHE IS BUILDING:
ZOne - Your Personal Sleep Coach
Most sleep apps tell you how you slept, but not how to improve it. ZOne tracks your data, analyzes it based on sleep science, builds a personalized sleep routine for you, and helps you keep those routines and adapt if anything in your life changes.
Elaine recognizes that quality sleep can be different for everyone, and lifestyle is a huge factor, so ZOne reflects that. The personalized routines you’d receive are built around your life and fit into your schedule.
The app also connects with wearables like the Apple Watch, Oura Ring, and Whoop, leveraging their data to build a comprehensive sleep plan.
JOIN THE WAITLIST FOR ZOne:
Thank you for reading!
& If you want $25 off of Function Health, to receive 2 semiannual bloodwork appointments that test over 100+ functional biomarkers, reply to this email for my code. I swear by Function and it really helped me. It doesn’t give a full body picture since it doesn’t include a Gut Health test or Hormone test (the panel tests hormones but only in blood, not over a 48-hour period like the Dutch Test does), but it’s an amazing, cost-effective way to get a start and some insights on where to dive deeper. I can talk on this for a long time so if that’s a conversation you’re interested in definitely reply.
