An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Do more, want less: This is something my mom has said to me since childhood. It is a constant reminder to give more than you receive and to be thankful for what you have.
As a part of our series about business leaders who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kane Sarhan.
Kane Sarhan is the Co-Founder and CCO of THE WELL, your one-stop-shop for wellness and host of the podcast Messy Situations. Prior to THE WELL, he was Head of Brand of SH Group, Starwood Capital Group’s hotel brand management company where he oversaw the creation and management of the Firm’s two luxury lifestyle hotel and residence brands, 1 Hotels & Homes and Baccarat Hotels & Residences. Sarhan has been named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, an Echoing Green Fellow, and a Francis Hesselbein Institute NEXT Leader of the Future.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
Woof, how much time do you have? My background is very non-traditional and has spanned multiple industries, roles and locations. I was born and raised in a small town in Michigan, moved to New York at 18 years old and have been hustling ever since. I have always worked on things that interest me with (and for) people who are smart, kind and the best at what they do. I have worked in tech, venture capital, private equity, non-profits and hospitality — the connecting thread in all of them is a creative passion to build new things digitally, physically, and financially and a love for bringing people together around a common cause or belief.
Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?
We are disrupting a health care industry that has been designed for sick care rather than health care. The wellness industry has never been bigger, but people have never been sicker, more stressed or less well. THE WELL is your one-stop-shop for wellness. We offer a range of health and wellness services, products, and experiences tailored to you. Integrating both modern medicine and ancient healing practices, our thoughtfully-designed spaces focus on whole-person health, addressing the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of well-being. Led by a team of world-class experts, we believe in preventative care that helps people feel good everyday.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
There are so many — one of the most memorable has to be one of the most embarrassing. When I was 23, I went to Ireland with a group of young entrepreneurs as part of a leadership summit. On the first day, we were set to meet the President of Ireland on the steps of the capital in Dublin. It was a surprisingly sunny day in Ireland so I had sunglasses on. We were waiting for him for some time when his aide came out to say he was running behind but would be there shortly. I started chatting with one of my friends on the trip when an older gentleman approached me, put out his hand and said, “Hello, what’s your name?”. I put out my hand and said, “Hi, I’m Kane Sarhan. What’s yours?” The moment our hands touched, the 20 cameras that were waiting there with us started flashing, only to have realized I asked the President of Ireland his name in front of 100 people! I then proceeded to fumble over my words and talked to him for a few more minutes before I realized I also still had my sunglasses on and was not even looking at him in the face. He was very funny and gracious but I learned a very important lesson: Always know who you are meeting and Google them ahead of time to recognize their face — especially heads of state!
We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?
I have been very lucky to have the most fantastic mentors in my life. I am where I am today because of the people who invested in me and helped to grow as a young person. I would say the most impactful would be Nihal Mehta and Reshma Saujani. I worked for both of them early on in my career as their apprentice, and they truly changed my perspective on business and on who and what I could be.
Can you share five of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.
- Do more, want less: This is something my mom has said to me since childhood. It is a constant reminder to give more than you receive and to be thankful for what you have.
- Get the right people in the right seat on the bus: This is something my CoFounder, Sarrah Hallock, taught me and it is so true. The key to success is always to have the right team doing the right jobs.
- You’re no use if you’re not the full you: This advice is from my friend and author, Rahaf Harfoush, who has constantly reminded me about the importance of self care, rest and recovery as an entrepreneur. The hustle culture we have created is very dangerous so I try to always make room and space for down time.
- It’s all relative: I like to constantly remind myself how small I am (and my life is) in the grand scheme of things. It is a good way to not allow situations or issues to balloon out of control. Whenever I need a reminder about this, I love watching this Youtube video.
We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?
I have been working on a personal project called Messy Situations for a while. It is a platform that is starting as a podcast, coming out on May 4th, but is expanding into lots of other things that make space and give honor to the messy side of life. The past two years has been very challenging for all of us, and the one thing I have learned is that it is a lot easier to navigate hard, messy, scary situations together than it is apart. I want to really lean into the messy side of life for myself and others to make space for all of us to learn and grow from it.
Do you have a book, podcast, or talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us? Can you explain why it was so resonant with you?
I love Elizabeth Gilbert’s Ted Talk on Creative Genius. It is an oldie but a goodie. I have watched it dozens of times at this point and think it is such a good reminder to separate ourselves from our work (as creatives) and to give space for divinity in our day to day.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Healthcare is preventative! We have got to change the way we think about our health in this country and around the world, systemically and culturally.
How can our readers follow you online?
Instagram: @Imkane or @thewell
Tiktok: @Twogaysandahouse
Online: The-Well.com or KaneSarhan.com
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
Meet The Disruptors: Kane Sarhan Of THE WELL On The Five Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
