Preventative healthcare isn’t just for the wealthy few, it can be accessible to everyone who needs it most.
In this episode, Nina sits down with Emilian Popa, founder of Expand Health, for a candid conversation about democratizing longevity and preventative care. From his early days as an entrepreneur in Romania to working in venture capital and finally building his own healthcare company, Emilian reveals the critical gaps in our current healthcare system and how technology can bridge them.
This isn’t about boutique longevity clinics charging $10,000 for annual memberships. It’s about making evidence-based preventative care accessible and affordable for the middle class, the people who need it most but are currently priced out of the market.
Emilian explains why behavior change is the hardest part of healthcare transformation, how AI is revolutionizing patient experience and cost structures, and why the fundamentals of nutrition, movement, and sleep remain non-negotiable. You’ll discover what’s actually stopping people from accessing preventative care, how healthcare will evolve over the next decade, and why brain health deserves more attention in the longevity conversation.
Timestamps:
00:00 Emilian’s Entrepreneurial Journey
05:47 Building Expand Health: A New Approach to Healthcare
12:11 Behavior Change and Health Span
20:24 Innovations in Preventative Care
25:43 Scaling Preventative Health Across Continents
30:57 The Cost of Healthcare and Access to Testing
32:31 Democratizing Healthcare: Bridging the Gap
34:59 Behavior Change: The Key to Health
37:16 The Future of Work: Balancing Productivity and Health
41:05 Foundational Health: Nutrition, Movement, and Sleep
43:33 Emerging Technologies in Health and Longevity
48:15 Advice for Individuals in the Longevity Space
52:58 The Importance of Brain Health and Future Innovations
Where to find Emilian Popa:
Where to find Nina Patrick, PhD:
