In recognition of American Heart Month, I’ve organized a panel of experts to explore the role of mind, body, and spirit in relationship to a healthy heart. I will be moderating the panel which includes the following speakers: Dr. Stefanie Simmons, Dr. Eric Fretz, and Kemper Sosa. Below I have summarized what they will be discussing at LeadersConnect on February 23 from 8 – 9:30 AM at Zingerman’s Roadhouse. We look forward to seeing you there! For those of you who are out of town, we will post the video of the event next week on my YouTube channel.
From Dr. Stefanie Simmons:
“Hello everyone, my name is Stefanie Simmons. I am an emergency medicine physician, and chief medical officer for the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation. Our foundation is dedicated to preventing burnout and suicide in the healthcare workforce and improving the work environment for our caregivers. I am also a CrossFit athlete and weightlifter. I would like to discuss the seasonality of effort and recovery in work and physical fitness.”
From Dr. Eric Fretz:
“Hi everyone! I’m Dr. Eric Fretz, retired from a career in the US Navy, and teaching full-time at the University of Michigan. As a result of my upbringing and service in two wars, I am very good at suffering and ignoring pain. I was also a Red Cross instructor for decades, teaching thousands of people how to recognize and respond to heart attacks. As a result of a very stressful workplace abuse scenario, I had noticed odd symptoms in my chest for 2 years 2018/9 (Atrial Fibrillation caused by stress triggers) but ignored it as no big deal. In 2020 I survived a widow maker heart attack in a van in the mountains of Tennessee by ignoring it, suffering massive destruction to my left ventricle, and reducing my Ejection fraction to 15%. I denied it was a heart attack at the time assuming it was Covid (Jan 2020). I then death-spiraled with ever-increasing symptoms (which I denied) into Congestive Heart Failure for THREE YEARS until I finally, unable to walk more than 100 ft or climb stairs, agreed to go to the hospital. In 30 days, they removed 30 lbs of water from my body, I then removed another 30 lbs of fat in 3 months, and with 5 machines, 4 procedures/operations, 7 people, and 8 medications I am able to function pretty well. But I can never get better, only sicker. I hope to live to at least see my grandkids born. My message will focus on respecting body messages, being active in self-protection when confronted with stressors, male stupidity around health care, and the amazing ability of our body and modern medicine to give us a better life if we will only LISTEN.”
From Kemper Sosa:
“Hi everyone, my name is Kemper, and I am the co-owner of Applied Fitness Solutions. At the Leaders Connect event, I’ll be talking about the connection between personal health & fitness and leadership performance. I’m deeply passionate about fostering positive relationships, both within our community at Applied Fitness Solutions and beyond. My academic background includes a B.S. in Exercise Science and a Minor in Human Nutrition from Eastern Michigan University, complemented by several certifications in personal training and strength conditioning.
My journey in fitness and leadership is also personal. As a father to my wonderful daughter, Gracie, I’ve experienced firsthand how leading with the self and incorporating physical activity can significantly impact performance and team culture. At Friday’s event, I’m excited to dive deeper into how leadership starts with self-care and how physical activity and exercise can elevate our performance and foster a better team culture. Let’s explore how we can all lead by example, starting with our health.”