A Shot of Digital Health Therapy is a meticulously unproduced podcast hosted by health tech founders Eugene Borukhovich and Jim Joyce. Born in the pandemic, therapeutic by design—oh, and comedy is still included. We dive into unscripted conversations with the people shaping employer benefits, digital health moonshots, and the broader healthcare system. From real talk to ridiculous tangents, we spotlight the builders, thinkers, and occasional troublemakers moving the industry forward. We'd love to have you join us.
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A Shot of Digital Health Therapy is a meticulously unproduced podcast hosted by health tech founders Eugene Borukhovich and Jim Joyce. Born in the pandemic, therapeutic by design—oh, and comedy is still included. We dive into unscripted conversations with the people shaping employer benefits, digital health moonshots, and the broader healthcare system. From real talk to ridiculous tangents, we spotlight the builders, thinkers, and occasional troublemakers moving the industry forward. We'd love to have you join us.
Esther Dyson: From Cosmos to Caregiving — Why Humanity Still Wins
Shot of Digital Health Therapy
45 minutes
7 months ago
Esther Dyson: From Cosmos to Caregiving — Why Humanity Still Wins
What do angel investing, cosmonaut training, and funding a 10-year health community project have in common? Esther Dyson. Obviously.
In our latest episode #164 of #TheShot of #DigitalHealth Therapy, Jim Joyce and I had the pleasure to catchup with Esther.
We covered:
💸 Why she funded Wellville to rebuild social fabric in underserved communities (and what she really learned)
🧬 What 23andMe got right — and what it didn’t...
📕 Her next chapter: writing "Term Limits", a book about being human in the age of infinite AI
🧠 And why “making new mistakes” is a better life motto than “move fast and break things”
Esther’s wisdom is as timeless as her curiosity — and we’re just glad she finally made it on #TheShot. 😅
Fun mentions as always: Matthew Holt Unity Stoakes Marina Borukhovich Rick Brush Peter H. Diamandis Linda Avey Stepan Pachikov Anne Wojcicki
🧭 Section Breakdown (Topics + Timestamps):
Intro & Background Setup
Esther joins & shares how this podcast started as a pandemic experiment.
⏱️ 00:00 – 04:00
Esther’s Life Journey in 3 Speeds
From Oppenheimer roots to Forbes to cosmonaut training.
⏱️ 04:00 – 08:00
Cosmonaut Training & Health Discovery
How a space detour saved her life.
⏱️ 08:00 – 12:00
Wellness Habits & Biohacking Wisdom
Swimming, eating early, and NOT eating at cocktail parties.
⏱️ 12:00 – 14:00
Becoming an Angel Investor
How a million-dollar challenge turned her into an investor.
⏱️ 14:00 – 17:00
Why She Started Wellville
From judging the Healthcare XPrize to 10 years of social fabric repair.
⏱️ 18:00 – 25:00
Hard Truths About Systems & Poverty
Trust, grants-as-drugs, and funding that's actually fair.
⏱️ 25:00 – 27:00
On Government, Prevention & Food Systems
Sugar taxes, vaccines, and the real trends that matter.
⏱️ 27:00 – 29:00
23andMe’s Rise, Fall, and Lessons
She got the education, not the return.
⏱️ 29:00 – 33:00
Term Limits & Being Fully Human
Why we need constraints, not infinity — and why Pam the hygienist is the real hero.
⏱️ 35:00 – 44:00
Shot of Digital Health Therapy
A Shot of Digital Health Therapy is a meticulously unproduced podcast hosted by health tech founders Eugene Borukhovich and Jim Joyce. Born in the pandemic, therapeutic by design—oh, and comedy is still included. We dive into unscripted conversations with the people shaping employer benefits, digital health moonshots, and the broader healthcare system. From real talk to ridiculous tangents, we spotlight the builders, thinkers, and occasional troublemakers moving the industry forward. We'd love to have you join us.
