Our Story

Awaken Health Institute was born from a shared observation: despite unprecedented access to healthcare, information, technology, and resources, many people are still struggling to feel truly healthy.

As a cardiologist, Dr. Rishi Menon spent years caring for patients facing cardiovascular and metabolic disease. He saw firsthand how many of the conditions affecting modern health are influenced by factors that extend far beyond a clinic visit—how we eat, move, sleep, manage stress, connect with others, and find meaning in our lives.

At the same time, Sarina LeSieur spent more than two decades leading culture, well-being, and human-centered transformation initiatives within a large healthcare system. She worked closely with physicians, nurses, leaders, and employees who were successful by many traditional measures, yet often felt exhausted, disconnected, and unsure how to create lasting change in their own lives.

Through countless conversations, a common theme emerged: people didn't need more information. They needed a different experience.

They needed a space where science and humanity could coexist. A place where health could be explored not only through lab values and diagnoses, but through purpose, relationships, recovery, movement, nourishment, and meaning.

Together, we began asking a different question:

What if health wasn't simply the absence of disease? What if it was our capacity to fully engage in life?

That question became the foundation of Awaken Health Institute.

Awaken was created to help people reconnect with the parts of health that are often overlooked but profoundly influence how we live and feel. Through physician-informed education, reflective practices, meaningful experiences, and community connection, we help individuals build greater awareness of the factors that shape their health and create sustainable change over time.

We believe that every person has the capacity to move toward greater vitality, purpose, and fulfillment, regardless of where they are on their health journey.

Our goal is not perfection.

Our goal is awakening.

Awakening to what matters most.
Awakening to the choices that shape our lives.
Awakening to the possibility that health can become a pathway to living more fully.
Awakening to what is already innate within us.

This is why we created Awaken Health Institute, and why we are honored to walk alongside others on their journey.