Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rich Kunz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Rich, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

The idea for RJK ISH was born out of both success and collapse. For nearly 20 years I thrived in the insurance industry. I built teams from scratch and also took over teams, leading them into the top 10 nationally within a Fortune 200 company while fully embracing the hustle culture. From the outside it looked like everything was working. But inside I was running on fumes. I sacrificed my health, put myself last and eventually burned out. Panic attacks became the wake-up call I could no longer ignore. I walked away from that career and turned my focus back to my family and myself.

Helping others started with that experience. First in the office, watching leaders struggle in the same quiet ways I was. Then on my own path of reclaiming my health. I turned to biohacking, tried everything I could and eventually found microdosing. Those tools gave me a way back to myself.

I went through Dave Asprey’s 40 Years of Zen, earned my ICF coaching designation with a biohacking focus and became a certified microdosing coach. I also completed many leadership training courses, including the Chartered Leadership Fellow designation through the American College. That combination of training and years of leadership work became the foundation of RJK ISH.

At its core, RJK ISH (Intentional, Sovereign, Holistic) is about helping leaders do life differently. It is not just about leading teams or chasing results. It is about reclaiming health, expanding consciousness and leading with presence. The idea came from lived experience. Tested in the office. Refined through breakdown and healing. And carried forward now as a mission to guide others.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m the founder of RJK ISH, which stands for Intentional, Sovereign & Holistic. I work with accomplished leaders, parents, creatives and visionaries who find themselves at a crossroads or plateau. My work blends leadership principles with biohacking and microdosing, helping clients restore health, expand consciousness and step into life with clarity and presence.

What sets RJK ISH apart is that it was born from lived experience. My background includes nearly 20 years of leadership in the insurance industry, an ICF coaching designation with a biohacking focus, certification in microdosing, and many leadership programs including the Chartered Leadership Fellow designation through the American College. But more important than the credentials is the journey behind them. I know what it means to chase success at the cost of health and to find a better way. That allows me to meet clients with authenticity, compassion and practical tools that create real and lasting change.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

The biggest pivot in my life was choosing to leave a successful corporate career and step into the unknown. On paper, I had what many people chase: high-level recognition & accolades, trips, strong income and top-performing teams. But I knew I was no longer willing to sacrifice my health or my family for success.

The pivot wasn’t about walking away from leadership — it was about redefining it. I chose to invest in my health and explore new tools like biohacking and microdosing. I trusted that the skills I had honed in leadership could merge with what I was learning in personal transformation. That leap became the foundation of RJK ISH. It taught me that true leadership isn’t just about driving results, it’s about creating alignment between health, purpose and presence.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn was that hustle & sacrifice equal success.

One night I thought I was having a heart attack. My chest was tight. I couldn’t breathe. It felt like an elephant was sitting on me. At the ER the doctor told me my heart was fine, then asked if I was under stress. I laughed. Stress? I said I drank 32 ounces of it every morning. It was my multivitamin.

That moment cracked me open. Hustle culture had gotten me to where I was. It helped me build and lead teams, win recognition and climb to the top. But it was no longer going to work for me. What once felt like strength had become a slow collapse. I had to let go of the belief that grinding harder was the only way forward.

What I found instead was that performance and well-being are not opposites, they are connected. When leaders reclaim their health and clarity, they don’t lose their edge. They gain presence. They live better. They lead better. And they make a deeper impact.

That shift changed everything for me, and it’s the lesson I carry forward with every client I work with today.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rjk-ish.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rjk_ish
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/richardjkunz

Image Credits

https://www.karakuda.com/about
Kara Rittenhouse