Q&A with Jesse Cannone, CEO of Heal-n-Soothe

Though Jesse Cannone is an uber-successful business owner, his pride remains in the holistic nature of his work, and counts success by number of individuals helped rather than profit margins. As the co-founder and CEO of The Healthy Back Institute, Cannone provides a full scope of advice for those suffering from chronic pain, various ailments, and long-term disease. Utilizing a holistic approach focused on natural products, proper exercise and nutrition, and lifestyle changes, Jesse Cannone provides the masses with alternative methods of wellness. Through the Healthy Back Institute, Cannone promotes various techniques, provides valuable information from various industry leaders, and promotes naturally sound products, including the super-successful, Cannone-backed Heal-n-Soothe supplement, which utilizes a dozen natural pain relievers including various enzymes to promote pain relief.

As a professional personal trainer, Cannone previously developed chronic lower back pain as well as debilitating knee pain. Ready to commit to knee surgery, the personal trainer attended a post-rehabilitation exercise training session and learned about muscle balance therapy which would end up changing the course of his life. Within weeks of utilizing the stretches, moves, and exercises that were recommended, his chronic pain was relieved without the need for the risky surgery he had scheduled. After cancelling his surgery, his experience propelled Cannone to explore and share the vast wealth of knowledge related to natural remedies. The Healthy Back Institute was formed in December of 2003, and Cannone hasn’t looked back since!

Tell us a bit about The Healthy Back Institute.

The Healthy Back Institute aims to provide a great breadth of information, useful tips, natural products, books and learning materials, and a holistic lifestyle community for individuals interested in natural self-betterment. We focus on several ailments, and aim to provide information related to not only the ailment itself, but a full-spectrum look at various causes of the ailment, including dietary causes, emotional and mental health related concerns, prior injury consideration, obesity, posture, etc. Where a doctor, chiropractor, or other Western medical professional may address a client’s pain with a spinal alignment, The Healthy Back Institute will work to not only resolve the symptoms of the ailment, but to also determine the root cause of the ailment.

For example, if an individual reaches out with complaints about Fibromyalgia, we will examine the emotional trauma connection, the physical component, the manifestation of symptoms, and may recommend a natural product to soothe symptoms while working toward the ultimate goal of eliminating the condition altogether. For example, in this case, we would recommend Heal-n-Soothe, which contains natural herbal pain relievers, which have been shown to be as effective as several of their conventional medicine counterparts.

What gave you the idea for the business, and how did you start?

As a former chronic pain sufferer involved deeply in the field of kinesiology, my pain started to affect my career. Though I was actively involved in enriching the physical wellness of my clients, my own body began a battle of wills. Eventually, I was riddled with injuries that resulted in chronic pain and seriously considered knee surgery. With my upcoming surgery scheduled, I attended a training seminar as part of coursework needed to receive a Post-Rehabilitation Specialist certification. While in attendance, there was a particular physical therapist who discussed the concept of managing injuries, and I found myself interested in what he had to say. On a whim, I stayed behind after the lecture concluded, and though I was there to learn for the sake of clients, I took the time to discuss my own physical concerns with him.

He introduced me to the concept of muscle balance therapy and suggested a few exercises that would alleviate my pain. Following his advice, my knee pain quickly subsided, and I immediately cancelled my scheduled surgery. After my own personal success, I knew there must be a void of information available for individuals in similar situations. After all, why would people choose to pursue a risky surgery with low success rates, and potentially detrimental side-effects, if they could relieve chronic ailments completely naturally? Upon conducting preliminary research, I did not find a substantial amount of information readily available in terms of muscle balance therapy and other natural remedies for ailments. I decided this topic was too important to not share with others and set forth on the journey to do so myself!

From there, The Healthy Back Institute was born in 2003, along with my co-founder at the time. I knew that I wanted the cornerstone of the business to be holistic, and to focus on the mission of helping others. I also knew that I didn’t want to relinquish the control that comes with accepting funding from outside sources. With that stance, I had to literally garner funds through my personal credit cards and be the Jack of all trades in the beginning!

What’s your favorite thing about your job?

My job doesn’t feel like a traditional job, but instead, more like a mission, or a passion project. I have great personal interest in the topics that I delve into so researching topics prior to interviews with professionals is an absolute pleasure. Additionally, I have always been highly skilled at capturing pertinent information and creating a relatable piece of collateral out of it. I find myself constantly using this skill to develop a wealth of sound information and translate it to be as helpful as possible.

From the business side of things, it has been quite an interesting, lively, and growing journey, which I have tried to welcome as a new means of learning. Since I have been so hands-on since the inception of the company, I have had to manage all aspects related to successful growth, including taxes, web development, and everything else under the sun.

What are your keys to making yourself productive?

As I mentioned previously, I aim to increase productivity by eliminating excessive or confusing information, and provide individuals with pertinent, focused, and direct information that is useful, easy to follow, and cannot be misconstrued. I find personal daily productivity can be maintained by focusing on the useful information needed to succeed at a task without spending excessive time focusing on things that aren’t pertinent to it. I tend to approach all things with purpose, and find that this drive, motivation, and focus allows me to be productive throughout the day.

At The Healthy Back Institute, I often interview leaders within various niche fields of alternative medicine. As I understand their time to be limited, as well as my time, I always make sure to prepare prior to the interview. Not only is it respectful to be prepared for the conversation at hand, it also enables it to be much more productive by skipping introductory thoughts, comments, and conversation to focus on the rich content that is desired within the interview. Staying constantly aware of ways in which you can prepare and become increasingly productive in the short-term is a great way to ensure productivity in time-sensitive situations.

What’s the biggest lesson that you’ve had to learn within business?

Sometimes, being readily available to help others in every capacity can actually hinder one’s ability to help many more people on a long-term basis. Though it seems, and feels, right to offer aid to individuals seeking answers, I’ve had to learn early on to balance my immediate desire to help each person with my long-term goal of helping the general public help themselves.

In the beginning, people would often physically visit, seeking personalized care for their chronic pain, or they would reach out, wanting information related to their specific situation. Those who were geographically limited and unable to travel would often ask for recommendations of local alternative healthcare providers. Though I certainly wanted to assist each person with finding solutions to their ailments, including finding people locally involved within the practice, I found it became extremely taxing to act as a conduit for local healthcare providers.

Eventually, the time I dedicated to providing these services to people took away from the time needed to fulfill my passion and long-term goals for The Healthy Back Institute. I recognized the need to empower people to resolve these issues on their own terms. By providing the essential information, encouraging people to pursue self-education, and self-study, I would be able to reach a greater audience. I found my public information would be able to assist a much greater number of people.

Though it is my nature to want to personally answer each individual’s questions, I have learned to manage my time in a more efficient manner, which is more conducive to the overall goals of the company.

What does a typical day look like for you?

At this stage of my professional life, and within this stage of growth for The Healthy Back Institute, I am fortunate enough to be surrounded by a core team of trustworthy, intuitive, and motivated people, whose ultimate goal is directly in line with my goals, as well as the general long-term goals for The Healthy Back Institute. Thus, I typically spend a large portion of my work day touching base with these individuals, who assist in the daily operations of the business.

For example, I spend time with the Marketing department, planning and executing marketing strategies to reach a more global audience, and improve our message, presence, and strength of the company as a whole. From there, I will spend time brainstorming with the financial sector, figuring out ways to expand the profitability and long-term financial success of the company. Though we are not a non-profit company, I consider our business to fall within the realm of “conscious capitalism.” I truly believe a financially sound business has the potential, the capacity, and the means to reach a broader audience, and to provide that audience with greater service. Thus, the financial success of the company is crucial in the sense that it comes with the success of other factors.

As customer service is essential to the long-term success of any business, I spend a large amount of time keeping up with the customer satisfaction ratings of the business and always work with the staff to determine ways in which we can perfect this portion of the business. Since we are working with people from very different backgrounds, many of whom are suffering daily and have exhausted various avenues seeking relief, we have to be sensitive to the ways in which these situations may affect a customer’s experience. We are always looking for ways to offer empathetic customer service and create a genuinely positive experience.

Finally, upon reviewing all of these different channels, I sit down with my own task lists and conduct research needed for interviews, prepare for upcoming educational opportunities, and garner education needed to succeed within upcoming endeavors.

Tell us one long-term goal in your career.

Though I have interviewed more than 80 top healthcare professionals throughout the previous decade, this aspect of the business is not quite highlighted in the extensive manner in which I would like to highlight these interviews. Not only do they lend credibility to The Healthy Back Institute, but they are a wonderful way to highlight the work of other renowned specialists. On both the long-term, and the short-term trajectory, I would like to specifically target increased marketing efforts related to these informative interviews.

Additionally, I started this business with a mission in mind, the desire to motivate people to take control of their health. Ultimately, I strive to empower individuals and help them feel confident that their choices today are positively affecting their future tomorrow. With that in mind, I would like to continue to focus on the mind-body connection and delve further into the ways in which mental health, emotional trauma, and traumatic brain injuries play a part in one’s physical health. There are many medical topics not yet fully explored, developed, and proven, and on a long enough timeline, I believe that the mind-body connection will become a powerful tool within the holistic approach to wellness.

What advice would you give to others aspiring to succeed in your field?

I would certainly encourage those interested in pursuing a career within alternative medicine to do just that! There is a vast world out there, and there are certainly many more holistic methods to be explored. So, I would encourage young entrepreneurs to pursue careers in this field, especially considering the shifting perception of alternative medicine.

I would encourage individuals interested in holistic medicine to recognize the importance of continuing education, and to always seek knowledge. I would encourage them to look at each problem from various angles, instead of assuming one problem can only have one cause, and subsequently, only one solution. Finally, I would also encourage others to continue to view patients in the same holistic manner, which is one of the biggest differentiators between standard Western medicine, and alternative medicine.

What is a trend in your field that excites you?

Though it is not yet quite widespread, there is a murmur of change related to lifestyle on the brink. Increasing numbers of people are beginning to recognize the benefits of conscious eating, choosing to forgo unhealthy diets and focus on macronutrients, locally sourced foods, and more nutritionally sound foods. In the same vein, people are also dusting off their running shoes and heading outdoors to indulge in exercise and the soothing powers of nature.

As people recognize the agenda of the pharmaceutical industry, they become a lot more skeptical of the traditional realm of medicine. This distrust allows them to finally seek alternative methods of relief for things like constipation, headaches, and chronic pain. These people are realizing the power behind natural supplements, without having to worry about negative side effects, or potentially harmful experiences. For example, within the Heal-n-Soothe complex, there is an herbal supplement called Devil’s Claw. In various studies, Devil’s Claw has been shown to be equally effective as the traditional medical counterpart used widely for soothing arthritis pain. It has always seemed like a rational choice to me, but more and more people are voicing confidence in choosing the supplements containing Devil’s Claw to manage arthritic pain, rather than a costly medication that will, in time, ultimately destroy their liver.

What are your favorite things to do outside of work?

Though I love to read, study, and amass new knowledge, I also greatly enjoy partaking in physical adventures and maintain an active lifestyle. As a father to a large brood, I find it important to impart the importance of leading an active lifestyle, maintaining a balanced life, and leading by example. With my family, we love to explore our neck of the woods, ride quads and mountain bikes, or just explore. Additionally, I’m an avid practitioner of Muay Thai, and greatly enjoy the combination of physical and mental training the sport provides.