Healthy To A Hundred: Kyle Jones of iCRYO on 5 Things You Need To Live a Long, Healthy, & Happy Life
An Interview With Savio P. Clemente
Financial freedom: To be financially free is so important when it comes to living a stress-free and healthy life. Making a comfortable living for yourself and for your family is a key factor in feeling free.
The term Blue Zones has been used to describe places where people live long and healthy lives. What exactly does it take to live a long and healthy life? What is the science and the secret behind longevity and life extension? In this series, we are talking to medical experts, wellness experts, and longevity experts to share “5 Things You Need To Live A Long, Healthy, & Happy Life”. As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Kyle Jones.
Kyle Jones, Co-Founder and COO of iCRYO, holds several National gold medals in Competitive Power lifting and is currently a professional athlete in Physique Body Building. He started his career at an established Physical Therapy Company in Houston where he first discovered the new cutting edge, revolutionary treatment called whole body cryotherapy. After 3 successful years in operating that company he decided to open his own full service Cryotherapy center in Houston, and it exploded greater than even he could believe.
Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’?
Growing up as a multi-sport athlete from 4 years old, it was always natural for me to live a health-conscious lifestyle. I played football throughout high school, and ended up with a full-ride scholarship split between athletics and academics, where I went on to play Division II football as a quarterback in college. After my vision of being a college or pro athlete started to diminish, I decided to take my competitive nature into other sports such as Powerlifting and Bodybuilding. I spent five years powerlifting, winning 2 National Titles, and another five years Bodybuilding, where I achieved my Pro Card with the GBO.
I then transferred to Texas State University to pursue Exercise Sports Science & Kinesiology. I double-majored in Business Management, and this ultimately merged into a doctorate level of schooling for Physical Therapy. In 2012, I got a job at a local physical therapy clinic in Houston, Texas, where I became one of the first in the United States to access cryotherapy. As I dug deeper into the science, I helped integrate cryotherapy into the physical therapy clinic. After managing the cryotherapy division of the clinic for roughly three years, I decided to go out on my own to open what we now know as the global recovery and wellness brand, iCRYO. At 24 years old, I took a leap of faith and pioneered an industry that was untouched, opening the first iCRYO location in my hometown of League City, Texas, in October of 2015.
Can you share with us the most interesting story from your career? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘takeaways’ you learned from that?
As I opened the first location, I leaned on my father, Bill Jones, who is the CEO/CFO and Co-founder of iCRYO. With a vast background in business management, he had always played a huge role in my life as that one person I could lean on for anything. After talking over my idea with him, we decided to create one of the world’s first cryotherapy and wellness franchise models. I brought my knowledge of the services that would be included in the franchise model, and my father brought the business acumen that could help create something to legitimately scale. Since opening our first location, my entire family has become involved with the business. One of the takeaways I’ve learned from working with family is the importance of separating work life and personal life. I’ve also learned that it’s essential to remember that at the end of the day, family always comes first.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful for who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My father’s business experience goes back decades of working with companies that scaled to hundreds of locations and owning several businesses that worked in all 50 states. His network and knowledge to scale were a huge part of where he envisioned iCRYO could go. If it weren’t for our daily breakfast chats which led to him liquidating his construction company and joining me to franchise iCRYO, I would not be where I am today. With over 250+ franchise locations awarded in just under 4 years, we now have our sights set on just over 1,000 locations in North America as well as another half dozen countries to produce an additional 1,000+ locations.
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Positivity: I try my best to live my life with a positive mindset, whether that be in business or in my personal life. I preach all of the time that you simply can’t achieve success without maintaining a positive outlook in your day to day life.
Being a servant leader: I lead my team of employees by showing them that I am right there on the front lines with them, and I’m never afraid to get my hands dirty. Ensuring that your employees know that you’re by their side makes all the difference.
Collaboration: It’s my belief that leaders who fail were simply not communicating well with their staff and network. One of my favorite sayings is that “if you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.” I make it a goal to surround myself with smart people, and collaborating with those you surround yourself with will lead to success.
Ok, thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the main focus of our interview about health and longevity. To begin, can you share with our readers a bit about why you are an authority in the fields of health, wellness, and longevity? In your opinion, what is your unique contribution to the world of wellness?
I founded iCRYO on the core values of “people first” and on the simple principle of helping others do life better. My goal is to take iCRYO to the point where I can spread our turn-key services to the masses, bringing true wellness and proactive based services to the world. My platform allows me to reach individuals on the self-development side, because mental recovery is just as important as physical. The brain is a powerful tool, and if you can’t maintain positivity in your thoughts, that’s where physical problems can come in. I would like to help others who are feeling lost in life, and will continue to educate on what people should and shouldn’t be doing in order to achieve the healthiest and happiest results.
Seekers throughout history have traveled great distances and embarked on mythical quests in search of the “elixir of life,” a mythical potion said to cure all diseases and give eternal youth. Has your search for health, vitality, and longevity taken you on any interesting paths or journeys? We’d love to hear the story.
Developing iCRYO has allowed me to travel the world, and in my journey I’ve come across a variety of highly advanced services and devices that the common person is not aware of yet. This allowed me to see behind the scenes of the proactive ways we’ll be able to help mental and physical wellness in the future. This experience has made me even more knowledgeable about proactive thinking, as opposed to reactive thinking.
Based on your research or experience, can you please share your “5 Things You Need To Live A Long & Healthy Life”? (Please share a story or an example for each)
Financial freedom: To be financially free is so important when it comes to living a stress-free and healthy life. Making a comfortable living for yourself and for your family is a key factor in feeling free.
Relational freedom: Life is about creating true, authentic relationships with the people that you choose to surround yourself with. Having genuine relationships and meaningful connections in your life creates a happy, healthy, mindset.
Spiritual freedom: No matter what your religious or spiritual belief may be, it’s essential to have one. Choosing to believe in “something” after life is what makes the time you have here so meaningful. Having a spiritual connection is a key part in feeling free.
Mental freedom: If you don’t feed your brain the right things on a daily basis, then everything else will fail on all other freedoms. Thoughts lead to actions, actions lead to what you set out to do, and it all starts with your mental state of mind. Nourishing your mind is like taking a bath; it should be something you do daily.
Physical freedom: Of course it’s essential to be comfortable in your own skin, but at the end of the day, we want to do what it takes to look in the mirror and feel our best. Committing to healthy habits repeatedly gets you to where you want to be.
Can you suggest a few things needed to live a life filled with happiness, joy, and meaning?
To live a life filled with happiness, joy, and meaning, make it your goal to help others reach the 5 pillars of freedom I mentioned above. Live a life of significance, not success. If you can help others, now you’re creating significance.
Some argue that longevity is genetic, while others say that living a long life is simply a choice. What are your thoughts on this nature vs. nurture debate? Which is more important?
I would say both, because genetics come into play in certain factors. For example, if someone is predisposed to a certain illness because of their genetic makeup, they can still combat it by being proactive, and maybe won’t get it at the age of 32, rather at 72.
Life sometimes takes us on paths that are challenging. How have you managed to bounce back from setbacks in order to cultivate physical, mental, and emotional health?
I rely on my spiritual and relational connections when life gets challenging. If I have issues, I pray about them, and if that doesn’t work, I reach out to my close family and friends. Genuine relationships help me get through tough times.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?
My favorite quote is “significance over success.” I started iCRYO to help others live a pain-free and stress-free life, and to create an alternative route to surgery or medication. Whole body cryotherapy and iCRYO’s other recovery and wellness based services are making a big impact on people’s mental and physical health. In addition, the franchise is creating thousands of jobs.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
If I could start a movement, I would call it the “servant movement.” People need to serve other people, because when you serve others, you get the same in return. Life is about treating everyone equally.
What is the best way for our readers to continue to follow your work online?
The best way to follow my work is through my LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook page.
