We were lucky to catch up with Kien Vuu recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kien , thanks for joining us today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.
Defining moments often come when we least expect them, and mine came in the form of a 43-year-old man named Ishmael. Ishmael, a loving father and dedicated engineer, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, a disease notorious for its aggressiveness and poor prognosis. From the moment we met, I was struck by his radiant energy and undying spirit, a stark contrast to the grim fate his condition typically spelled out.
Before meeting him, I looked at his chart and a request was made to drain 10 liters of fluid from his abdomen. Expecting to meet someone who was depressed, when I walked into the room the was greeted with the largest smile. “Doc I can’t wait for you to drain this fluid from me because it’s getting in the way of sexy time,” he jokingly said. Ishmael turned to me and, with a calm smile, said something that would forever alter my perspective on life, “Doctor, I may have cancer, but cancer doesn’t have me.”
His eyes, gleaming with love and joy, held a depth of understanding that many spend their whole lives searching for. Despite the looming shadow of mortality, Ishmael chose to focus on living each day to its fullest, to imbue every moment with love and joy. His life had been abruptly cornered by a terminal diagnosis, yet his spirit soared free.
Here was a man, very much aware of his limited time, teaching me – a longevity and performance expert – about what it means to truly live. It was a profound paradox, and it brought into focus the remarkable power of choice, of perspective. No matter what life threw at him, Ishmael understood that he always retained the freedom to choose his response, to decide how he wanted to live his life. He chose love, joy, and acceptance, even when faced with the harsh reality of his impending end.
Ishmael’s journey continues to remind me that regardless of our circumstances, we always have the power of choice. It’s our most potent ally in this beautifully complex adventure we call life. It’s what helps us face the toughest trials, and it’s what empowers us to paint our own unique masterpieces, even when the canvas is fraught with challenges. Ishmael, amidst his ordeal, chose to create a masterpiece filled with love and joy. His story serves as a poignant testament to our capacity to navigate our destiny, even in the face of the most arduous challenges.
Kien , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I appreciate your question, and I’m thrilled to share my journey and philosophy. I’m Dr. Vuu, but my friends call me Doctor V, a physician who’s been in the medical field for over two decades. I’ve spent my career focusing on human performance, health, happiness, and longevity, with a mission to ignite the limitless potential that lies within us all.
My fascination with medicine began early, inspired by the interplay of biology and psychology, of body and mind. However, it was during my medical training that I truly realized the profound capacity we have to influence our health, happiness, and performance. I observed that while modern medicine was powerful, there was a significant gap. It often focused solely on treating disease, not necessarily on promoting optimal health and potential.
This realization sparked my pursuit to combine conventional medical practices with holistic, integrative approaches. It led me into the realms of human performance and longevity, areas where I could not only treat illness but also help individuals and organizations amplify their health, happiness, and human potential.
As a consultant and advisor, my work involves guiding individuals and organizations on a transformative journey to harness their inherent life-force – what I call the THRIVE STATE. I provide comprehensive services that leverage cutting-edge advancements in technology, medicine, and mindfulness practices to offer a unique, holistic approach to wellness.
The primary issues I address are the challenges associated with chronic disease, premature aging, suboptimal performance, and the general disconnect from our bodies and minds that pervades modern life. By focusing on bioenergetic elements – sleep, nutrition, movement, breath, mindset, relationships, and nature – I empower my clients to tap into their own power to heal, perform, and thrive.
What sets me apart is my holistic perspective on health and well-being. I believe that health is not merely the absence of disease but the presence of vitality. By integrating the best of Western medicine, Eastern philosophy, and advanced technology, I create bespoke strategies to unlock an individual’s or organization’s full potential.
What I’m most proud of is witnessing the transformations in my clients. There’s nothing quite like seeing someone realize their capacity to effect change, to move from simply surviving to truly thriving. My work is about empowering individuals to become the artists of their own lives, creating their unique masterpieces of health, happiness, and human potential.
In essence, I’m a guide and catalyst for change. But the power, the magic, comes from within each individual or organization I work with. I help my clients realize that they hold the brush to paint their own vibrant landscape of life, where the potential for health, happiness, and performance is boundless.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Certainly, I’d be honored to share that story with you. It is an essential part of my journey and has shaped the individual and professional I am today.
My life story is about resilience and growth, starting as an infant refugee survivor. I was merely 8 months old when my family and I escaped Vietnam on a small boat. That perilous journey lasted for 8 long months. Upon reaching land, we spent another three months in a refugee camp. The odds were stacked against us, yet we survived, a testament to the indomitable human spirit.
As a young child, I arrived in America, a land of promise and opportunity. However, my family and I came with no money, and being a different race in a new country came with its own set of challenges. As a child, I experienced prejudice and bias because of my ethnicity. Yet, these experiences only fueled my determination to create a life of meaning and contribution.
This resolve led me to the medical profession. I was drawn to the potential of helping others and making a difference. I worked tirelessly to fulfill this dream, and I became a “successful” doctor. However, success, as it often does, revealed a new set of challenges.
In the course of my medical journey, I discovered that modern medicine, while phenomenal at treating acute conditions, often fell short when it came to cultivating wellness and preventing chronic diseases. I saw firsthand that we weren’t necessarily training people to be well. It was a startling realization and one that hit close to home.
Despite being a doctor, I found myself grappling with health issues – diabetes and high blood pressure. The irony wasn’t lost on me. Here I was, trained to heal others, yet unable to prevent these health issues in myself. I had to face the fact that while I could treat diseases, I wasn’t equipped with the knowledge to be truly well.
But, instead of succumbing to these conditions, I saw them as a wake-up call. I took it upon myself to explore beyond the boundaries of traditional medicine. I delved into the worlds of holistic health, integrative medicine, and cutting-edge technologies. My search for solutions turned into a journey of self-discovery and healing.
I managed to overcome my health issues, not merely through medication but by adopting a comprehensive approach towards wellness. I learned that the power to heal and perform at our best isn’t exclusive to medical professionals – it’s within all of us.
Today, my journey has come full circle. I’ve taken my experiences, my trials, and triumphs, and have used them to shape a new approach to health and human potential. My personal experiences with hardship, resilience, and transformation fuel my work, giving me the insights to guide others on their paths to wellness and performance.
In every challenge I’ve faced, from being an infant refugee survivor to overcoming personal health issues, the constant has been an undying resilience. It’s this resilience that has shaped me, and it’s this resilience that I hope to inspire in others as they embark on their journeys to wellness and human potential.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
One of the most significant lessons I had to unlearn in my journey was the belief that financial success and achievement demand exhausting hard work to the point of energetic drain. This concept, which I realize now is quite flawed, was ingrained in me from an early age. The narrative was clear – success only came to those willing to expend all their energy and resources relentlessly pursuing their goals.
As a doctor and an immigrant, this belief became a part of my life’s operating system. I threw myself into my work, often sacrificing my own wellbeing and energy in the process. I believed that depleting my lifeforce was the inevitable price to pay for the goals I was trying to achieve.
However, as my personal health journey unfolded and I encountered my own health issues, I realized that this belief was not serving me well, nor was it sustainable. Yes, hard work is essential for success, but the notion that it should come at the cost of one’s wellbeing needed reevaluation.
I began to understand that one’s lifeforce is not a commodity to be expended but rather a precious resource to be nurtured and fueled. I started seeing that true success is a blend of hard work and vital energy, shaped by passion, purpose, and perseverance. It involves activities that inspire us, people who support us, and actions that align with our authentic selves.
I had to unlearn the idea of hard work as a drain and relearn it as an ignition of energy. I realized that it wasn’t about depleting my lifeforce for the sake of success but about igniting it through self-care, understanding my energy sources, and surrounding myself with what made me feel truly alive.
This shift in perspective transformed my approach to my work and life. I began to prioritize activities that replenished me, developed a more profound understanding of my personal energy dynamics, and committed to staying aligned with my passions.
Unlearning this lesson was not a straightforward journey, but it has resulted in a richer, more sustainable experience of success and personal fulfillment. Today, I aim to help others realize this too – that achieving one’s goals doesn’t have to come at the cost of one’s wellbeing but can be a process of constant self-renewal and growth.
Contact Info:
- Website: kienvuu.com
- Instagram: @doctorvmd
- Facebook: @doctorvmd
- Linkedin: @doctorvmd
- Twitter: @kienvuumd
- Youtube: youtube.com/c/doctorvmd