Meditation
Representative Image Irina L/Pixabay

Suzanne York, the founder of Humans Optimized, combines corporate expertise with personal experiences to seek innovative health approaches that empower individuals and families to promote health from within. Her mission is to pair traditional health and wellness paradigms with additional vital options to fully leverage technology and innate human abilities in pursuing health.

The thought leader's journey toward championing a combined approach to promoting health was nonlinear. As a seasoned organizational change management professional, with 25 years of experience in contributing to the growth and development of top-tier brands, she has mastered navigating cultural shifts, implementing technology and driving strategic transformations.

"Through my work in organizational change management, I came to recognize the nature of human dynamics during times of change and the distinct differences in how people responded," York says, reflecting on her corporate background.

While pursuing her career, York's life took a significant turn when her children started having some health concerns, prompting her to venture into the medical space. It began when her son had an anaphylactic reaction to peanuts at just seven months, which led to the discovery of additional food allergies and an eventual diagnosis of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), a chronic immune system disease. Simultaneously, her daughter exhibited behavioral concerns and was later diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety.

"Advocating for my children's physical, mental, and behavioral health changed my perspective entirely. While conventional healthcare addressed their acute concerns, we needed to find more proactive ways to address our day-to-day experiences," York shared.

This realization set York on a path to explore ways to support her children by combining conventional and alternative healthcare methods. She discovered the immense potential of reinforcing the traditional pathogenic approach in advancing human health and wellness with salutogenesis, a term coined by Aaron Antonovsky in the 1970s that involves approaching wellness by focusing on health instead of disease. His burning question was, "What makes people healthy?" rather than what makes them sick.

This idea resonated deeply with York, inspiring her to balance traditional and alternative health practices to take meaningful steps in promoting their health rather than solely addressing their diagnoses. She underlines the importance of combining both approaches and viewing health on a continuum from failing to full health. She emphasized, "I don't dismiss modern medicine. I augment it. It's about empowering individuals to take charge of their health journey."

One of the key concepts in Antonovsky's salutogenic theory is the sense of coherence, which pertains to our ability to cope with life's stressors by managing our internal and external resources and perceiving them as comprehensible, manageable and meaningful. If any of these factors are low, it becomes difficult to experience full health. York strengthened her resolve to shift her career after finding a stronger sense of coherence for herself.

The challenges York faced amid the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to this shift. Although she was thriving as a freelance consultant in 2019, the sudden loss of business at the beginning of 2020 forced her to reevaluate her priorities. On the other hand, a surge in demand post-pandemic left her overburdened. The swing from under-resourced to overwhelmed left her depleted, which illustrates the delicate balance people, especially working parents, must strike to achieve optimal health.

While exploring ways to support her children and manage her health, York immersed herself in nutrition, supplements, energy medicine, biomagnetic pair therapy, hypnotherapy, hyperbaric chamber treatment, chiropractic care, acupuncture and more.

"I was open to trying most of the options that appeared. Looking back, what was missing for me was someone to help me make sense of the options, the potential impact, and how best to invest my time, money, and energy. It was overwhelming and, at times, an emotional journey since it involved my children," shared York. "Now, I aim to help guide others so they don't have to experience what I did or feel the way I felt."

With this, she transformed Humans Optimized from a business-focused consulting agency to a visionary force aiming to redefine health perceptions in the United States. York combines her corporate expertise with her commitment to promoting health to lead the company, with a focus on the collective resources available to address health concerns.

York acknowledges that many remain hesitant to explore alternative methods. She drew parallels from her change management background, saying people become ready for something new when the cost of not doing something surpasses the cost of doing it. Given this context, the thought leader remarked: "I hope that by embracing change, finding coherence, and integrating diverse methodologies, we can remove obstacles to optimal health."

Ultimately, York continues her mission to promote salutogenesis and bridge the gap between traditional and alternative healthcare. She works with clients and families to take an integrated approach to promoting health.