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“We are not destined to be a product of our genes,” John Mackey, the cofounder of organic grocery store Whole Foods, tells me. “We have the power to shape our health and well-being through the choices we make every day—whether it’s lifestyle habits, like diet, exercise, and sleep, or our mindset.”
After selling Whole Foods to Amazon in 2017 and retiring in 2022, Mackey didn’t stay inactive for long. Both literally—he’s an avid hiker, practices Pilates and yoga, and plays pickleball—but also when it came to his next move of conscious capitalism. This month, the plans finally came to fruition: a 45,000-square-foot wellness community space in El Segundo, California, named Love.Life.
Exit the California 1 highway (a less scenic part, not directly located on the Pacific coastline) and enter a shopping center with—yes, you guessed it—a Whole Foods, and that’s where you’ll find the first Love.Life location. As I pull up in my Uber, I’m surprised by how unassuming, even a bit residential, it appears regardless of all the tech-driven body biohacking that’s said to be going on inside. My morning plans look like this: Meeting Dr. Christina Miller, who is double board certified in emergency and integrative medicine, and have blood drawn; tour the facility; exercise, which I’m not particularly thrilled about; get a Dexa Scan; and try the PEMF device for the first time. That’s something that makes the Love.Life model unique—you can visit doctors, trainers, physiotherapists, and more in the same place, and they all interface on the same software and communicate with one another.
“I’ve had this idea for a long time, and I almost created a similar business in 1985 called LifeWorks,” Mackey says. “While I am very proud of the impact Whole Foods had on bringing healthy natural and organic food mainstream, there are limits to the impact a grocery store can have on improving health. That’s why I am so excited about Love.Life! It’s a continuation of my 40-plus-year calling that takes the power of nourishing food and marries it with functional medical care, fitness, and wellness for a holistic approach to health that’s focused on helping people become the healthiest, best version of themselves.”
After I check in at the front desk, I take a quick look around. There’s a café to my left (it’s open to the public) and a gym to my right. But I start my appointment after going through a series of halls and glass doors, which leads me to a fancy version of my doctor’s blood-draw room. That’s where I relinquish 15 vials of blood—more than I’ve ever given in my life. Luckily, I’m already lying down, because my ears start to ring toward the end of the process. This is all part of the Baseline Assessment, where 105 different biomarkers (lipid panel, thyroid, liver and kidney function, and more) are tested and evaluated.
It’s through tests similar to the ones I underwent at Love.Life that Mackey learned that he has the APOE4 gene. “It means I have a predisposition to Alzheimer’s and heart disease,” he shares. “My family has a history of heart disease—my mother passed away from heart disease in her early 60s, my father had heart disease and Alzheimer’s, and my brother and sister both struggle with heart disease as well. This knowledge has empowered me to make specific, preventative lifestyle changes. While genetics can shape our health, they don’t necessarily define our future.” Now his wellness practices include a “whole-foods, plant-based diet and trying to avoid oils, salt, and refined sugar”; Transcendental Meditation; spiritual reading; gratitude; and exercise. These activities are now part of the community aspect of Love.Life.
While I wait for my test results, I’ve already started making small changes in my life. A little stretching in the morning (my physical exam revealed über-tight hips) and going on a walk after dinner, which helps with digestion and blood sugar regulation. And I’m ready to do something bigger once my biomarker results come back—until then, cold showers it is.
