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Adding Life to Your Years: The Longevity Blueprint
By Bryce Wylde and Brent Bishop
We live in a world that has long measured success by lifespan. But lifespan is only the years we get on this planet. The real secret lies in healthspan—the number of years we live well, full of vitality, purpose, and joy. That is the very essence of longevity.
As health explorers, clinicians, and coaches, we’ve spent decades climbing mountains, crossing jungles, and testing the limits of human performance, always asking the same question: What truly makes someone the healthiest version of themselves? The answers are both ancient and modern, rooted in culture and sharpened by science. When those forces meet, they form a blueprint for living longer and better.
Longevity isn’t about hacks or quick fixes. It’s a series of daily, purposeful choices that compound over time. These choices are primarily comprised of movement as medicine, nutrition as fuel, stress as a teacher, and sleep as recovery. Regular, intentional exercise strengthens the heart, metabolism, and brain. Nutrient-dense foods rich in antioxidants and phytonutrients don’t just fight disease, they slow cellular aging. Mindful stress regulation through breathwork, meditation, and time in nature recalibrates the nervous system. And deep, restorative sleep is perhaps the most underrated longevity tool because it rebuilds hormones, memory, and emotional balance.
These pillars are timeless, practiced for generations by centenarians across the globe. What’s new is our ability to personalize them through modern technologies like continuous glucose monitors, VO₂-max testing, and longevity insights derived from our DNA.
Where Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Science
Our quest for longevity led us deep into the Ecuadorian Amazon, where we partnered with Marc Kielburger, Dr. Tim Cook, and the team at Minga Lodge. More than an eco-luxury retreat perched above the Napo River, Minga Lodge is a living bridge between Indigenous tradition and modern longevity science.
Here, guests immerse themselves in movement, superfoods, breathwork, and the natural rhythms of the rainforest. They learn to live in harmony with the land, to reconnect with stillness, and to experience ceremonies that Indigenous healers have passed down for generations. Midway through each retreat, something shifts. The group stops learning longevity and starts living it. Phones are down. Hearts open. The jungle becomes the teacher.
Marc Kielburger is a philanthropist, humanitarian, social entrepreneur, co-founder of Minga Lodge and the WE movement, and now proudly a modern-day biohacker. He explains:
“Minga Lodge is more than a place. It is a reconnection. When people arrive, they often come carrying stress, fatigue, and a sense of disconnection from themselves. Within days, something shifts. The rhythm of the rainforest slows their minds. The nutrient-rich foods reset their bodies. The rituals of the Indigenous healers open their hearts. I have watched guests transform right before my eyes. They rediscover their energy, their clarity, their purpose. They remember what it feels like to be fully alive. That is what longevity truly is—not adding years for the sake of it, but returning to the wholeness and vitality that have always been within us. Minga Lodge is where that awakening begins.”
The Science of Renewal
For Dr. Tim Cook, a longevity physician and one of the retreat’s leaders, the rainforest offers the perfect laboratory for human healing:
“As a longevity physician, I have spent decades helping people understand how their biology tells the story of how they are truly aging. But science alone is never enough. Real healing requires integration of body, mind, and spirit. At Minga, when people step out of the noise and into the rhythm of the rainforest, something remarkable happens. Inflammation decreases. Stress chemistry settles. Gene expression begins to shift toward repair. You can see it in their energy, their eyes, and their breath. Longevity medicine gives people time, but connection and purpose give that time meaning. That is where transformation begins.”
Together, Marc Kielburger and Dr. Cook founded Unlimited Life, a global initiative rooted in the same philosophy that animates Minga Lodge:
“We founded Unlimited Life with one shared belief—that true longevity begins with reconnection. At Minga Lodge, we see it happen every time. People arrive carrying stress, fatigue, and the weight of disconnection, and within days they begin to come back to themselves. The rainforest restores what modern life has taken. The wisdom of Indigenous healers meets the precision of modern science. Minds grow still. Energy returns. Purpose awakens. This is not just a wellness retreat but rather it is a renewal of life itself. Our mission is simple: to help people remember their vitality, to reconnect with what matters most, and to add life to their years and years to their life.”
You can discover more at www.unlimited.life
Stories from the Rainforest
The first retreat at Minga Lodge was nothing short of transformative. Guests didn’t just return home with memories, they left with renewed habits, grounded mindsets, and tools they continue to use today.
Melissa Peterson, RN, CCM, shared her experience:
“My time in the Amazon was truly transformative. I came home with an even deeper understanding of how simple, natural practices—movement, connection, and stillness—can completely shift our well-being. Although I was already aware of the importance of personalized health, I left the retreat with a new appreciation for the role genetic testing plays in creating a truly individualized and effective approach to health optimization. The psychedelic ceremony was also profoundly life-changing, revealing a level of peace and connection with my inner self that I had never experienced before. Through meditation since returning home, I’ve learned how to revisit that grounded, centered state whenever I need it. It’s become both my nervous-system reset and a powerful reminder that true longevity begins with harmony between body, mind, and spirit.”
With over 30 years in healthcare, Melissa has dedicated her career to helping others heal and thrive—merging the science of longevity with the art of holistic living. You can follow Melissa on Instagram @melissas_my_coach
Another participant, Leandra Antonutti, reflected on how the rainforest redefined her sense of connection:
“When I think about longevity, I think about community, not just the people around me but the web of connection that sustains all life. My time in the Amazon rainforest changed how I see that. Every sound, every movement, every breath in that place was a reminder that nothing exists in isolation. The trees communicate underground, the animals move in rhythm with the forest, and the people live with a deep awareness that their well-being is tied to everything around them. I went there with a group of people I didn’t know, and through the shared experience of being immersed in the forest, something shifted. Together we moved, learned, and supported one another, and in that process, community revealed itself in the most natural way. It made me realize how often, in our modern world, I try to do things alone: to grow, to heal, to evolve. But transformation doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens through relationship, when we move, breathe, and share space with others who reflect our strength, our vulnerability, and our capacity to expand. The rainforest taught me that true longevity isn’t about extending years but about deepening connection—to nature, to one another, and to the pulse of life moving through all things.”
Leandra now channels that awakening into her work at leandraantonutti.com, inspiring others to “imagine living the life you were born to live”—a journey she began the moment she stopped waiting for her life to start.
Visionary entrepreneur, transformational coach, and author of the forthcoming book The 4 Dimensions of Wellness: An Algorithm for True Healing, Dana Herrera experienced one of the most profound spiritual awakenings of her life during her time in the Amazon. A seasoned leader in human potential and conscious creation, Dana describes her experience at Minga Lodge as the moment that bridged science and spirit—where purpose and surrender became one path. In her new book she writes…
The Revelation
“In the heart of the Amazon, beneath a sky so thick with stars it looked alive, I sat in silence and surrendered. The medicine had opened the veil between worlds, but what I felt wasn’t foreign—it was familiar, like returning to a home I’d forgotten I built. As I breathed, I could feel every cell in my body vibrating with awareness. The jungle pulsed in rhythm with my heartbeat. Every sound—the hum of insects, the crackle of fire, the distant rush of the river—became part of a single, unified song. It was as if creation itself was whispering: You are not separate from Me. You never have been. Then came the message, clear and undeniable: ‘All is One, and I Am within all.’ Not a metaphor. Not a poetic idea. A truth so alive it dissolved every illusion of separation I’d ever carried. I saw that every tree, every human, every breath was an expression of God experiencing Himself through form. I understood, finally, that the same intelligence guiding galaxies was guiding me. And then came the second wave of revelation:
“Creation is not something you do; it is something you allow.’ Those words changed everything. I realized that the life I was meant to live—the work I was building, the message I was carrying—was never about striving or proving. It was about surrendering so completely to God’s will that my choices became extensions of His love. That’s the essence of manifesting—not demanding from the universe, but aligning so fully with the Divine that your very being becomes the prayer. In that moment, I wept. Not from sadness, but from remembrance. I remembered who I am, who you are, who we all are: fragments of God waking up to ourselves, creating not from ego, but from essence.”
Dana’s time in the jungle sparked a cascade of creation. Upon returning home, Dana began developing an entirely new wellness category and the company that would carry it into the world. Her upcoming book, The 4 Dimensions of Wellness, serves as the blueprint and an algorithm for true healing that merges consciousness, embodiment, and purpose.
Be on the lookout for Dana’s book launch and brand debut in 2026—projects born directly from the transformation that began beneath the starlit canopy of the Amazon rainforest and learn more about Dana’s work at https://www.danaherrera.life
Each story from the rainforest reveals a universal truth: longevity is not a destination, but an awakening. It’s the moment we remember who we are and how deeply we’re connected to our bodies, to one another, to the natural world, and to something greater moving through it all. From science to spirit, from movement to stillness, these experiences remind us that adding life to our years begins not with radical change, but with conscious reconnection. What happens in the jungle doesn’t end there, it ripples outward, shaping how we live, love, and show up in the world long after we return home.
Your Own Journey Toward Thriving
Longevity doesn’t require a passport to the Amazon (although we’d love to host you there!). It begins with small, consistent steps you can take today. Move for twenty minutes. Eat whole, plant-rich meals. Breathe mindfully when stress rises. Prioritize sleep. Each act is a vote for your future self. Each day lived with intention is a day that rewrites your biological clock.
Early next year in February from the 13th to the 19th, 2026, we return to the Amazon for “Think, Love, and Impact: The Longevity Retreat at Minga Lodge” for another immersive longevity retreat and an experience that unites everything we’ve learned as clinician and coach, explorer and guide. The rainforest will awaken your senses, Indigenous wisdom will expand your perspective, and the science of longevity will give you practical tools to bring home.
In partnership with Evolve Magazine—the official media sponsor—Evolve readers receive an exclusive $500 discount toward registration. As regular contributors to Evolve, we’re thrilled to extend this invitation to a community already committed to living with purpose, vitality, and growth.
All retreat details and registration can be found at thinkfitnessstudios.com/mingalodge.
If your goal is not just to live longer but to thrive longer, we invite you to join us. Together, let’s add life to our years and years to our life!
For more information visit: https://www.
