Austin Life Transitions: Wellness Entrepreneurship and Spiritual Practices

Date: September 9, 2025
Participants: Gary Sheng, Allison Gaughan
Location: Austin breakfast spot
Duration: ~90 minutes
Context: Reconnection conversation between longtime friends as both navigate significant life and career transitions, with deep sharing about spiritual practices, business ventures, family dynamics, and Austin community exploration

Executive Summary

This intimate breakfast conversation captures two entrepreneurs at pivotal transition points, sharing candidly about their evolving spiritual practices, business ventures, and life directions. Gary shares his journey from AI coding bootcamp through educational consulting disappointments to his unexpected calling toward church ministry work in Liberty, Texas, while Allison discusses her strategic move from Denver to Austin to launch her corporate wellness platform "Vitality Vault."

The conversation reveals both participants' commitment to integrating spiritual principles into their professional work, with Gary exploring how to document healing testimonies at an apostolic church, and Allison developing kundalini yoga-based corporate wellness programs. Their discussion of Austin's conscious culture, river access, and entrepreneurial community provides practical insights for building meaningful connections in the city.

Most significantly, the conversation demonstrates how spiritual maturity influences business decisions, with both prioritizing alignment with values over purely financial considerations. Their shared interest in documentation and storytelling suggests potential collaboration opportunities, while their mutual appreciation for authentic spiritual practices creates foundation for ongoing friendship and support during their respective transitions.

Key Themes and Discussions

Gary's Professional Transition Journey

AI Coding Bootcamp Experience:

"So at the end of last year I applied to this AI coding bootcamp. Got in. That was a three month bootcamp."

Educational Consulting Disillusionment:

"Pretty quickly I realized that the leadership was not in the same values that I would want to be creating something for kids. It was kind of just it's not I don't want to say, I don't want to characterize things purely as money grabs but it just didn't have the heart that I felt would be needed for any project that is trying to affect lots of kids."

Church Ministry Calling:

"I feel called to help him grow his church... It is a church that I don't know if you have seen this happen or believed it happening but it is a church that is I believe so filled with the Holy Spirit that it is healing people."

Documentation Mission:

"Gonna help him write some books, gonna help document the case studies of the people that he's helped um for example if it's true believe it until I hear otherwise or find out otherwise that he's by him laying hands on people that certain ailments have been cured."

Professional Evolution Framework:

• Technical Foundation: AI coding skills providing versatile base
• Values Alignment: Rejecting opportunities lacking authentic mission
• Spiritual Calling: Following guidance toward ministry work
• Documentation Focus: Using skills to preserve healing testimonies
• Faith Walk: Trusting divine provision over guaranteed income

Allison's Wellness Entrepreneurship Vision

Vitality Vault Business Model:

"The product is called Vitality Vault it's got over 50 videos on yoga, it's all kundalini yoga meditations pranayama which is breath work and yoga sets under 30 minutes so powerful."

Corporate Pricing Strategy:

"I have 4 tiers, I have companies that are 1 to 1000 employees, 1001 to 5000 5001 to 10,000 and 10,000 plus so I could literally do 8 million at the end of this year by having a combination of a couple of those."

Revenue Potential:

"It will cost them like $22 to $88 depending on how many employees right for the small so I'm giving a 50% discount at like a pre-sale for September and October and November and December would be a 20% discount."

Book Integration:

"I have a book that goes with it it will be out next year it's called Destined to Thrive... it literally gives sacred blueprint which is how all of life has been created it's the seed of life."

Business Development Framework:

• Scalable Platform: Digital delivery enabling massive reach
• Tiered Pricing: Accommodating companies of all sizes
• Seasonal Strategy: Leveraging corporate budget cycles
• Content Integration: Book and digital platform synergy
• B2B Focus: Corporate benefits positioning

Spiritual Practice Integration

Gary's Substance Elimination:

"I recently stopped drinking coffee but I'm going to get some tea... I'm just trying to like eliminate as many substances from my life. Cause like there's always uppers and always always downers. Just trying to like kind of have natural energy."

Allison's Kundalini Expertise:

"I've been practicing 20 years so you know the benefits oh and as a teacher kundalini is different because I've done lots of other yoga teacher trainings too lineages but in this one you have like level 1 and then you have many level 2s so they specify in like 21 stages of consciousness."

Human AI Philosophy:

"We are all architects of our days that haven't happened yet we have this incarnation and we when we came in our soul signed a contract to live and contribute we've never been given a we've never been given resources that taps in what I call this is my IP our human AI this is authentic intelligence."

Frequency and Vibration Work:

"Right now the world population is at a predominant frequency of fear because of the systems and the conditioning that's been happening our organs, every every bit of us has its own resonance like our organs and tissues and cells we need to get to higher vibrations that go above the matrix."

Spiritual Integration Framework:

• Natural Energy: Eliminating artificial stimulants and depressants
• Advanced Training: Multiple levels of consciousness work
• Individual Wisdom: Recognizing unique authentic intelligence
• Vibrational Mastery: Rising above fear-based conditioning
• Soul Purpose: Living according to pre-incarnation contracts

Family Dynamics and Health Challenges

Allison's Father's Leukemia Recovery:

"Gary, I have to tell you that he just turned 86. When you look at him, his state of gratitude and spirit he and his wife look like they're 16... Because the chemo he had a very acute type of leukemia so they literally had to eradicate every white blood cell in his body."

Healing Factors Analysis:

"I think it was a combination of everything because when his doctor came and gave diagnosis, he was like he didn't, he just said what do you want to do and my dad didn't even hesitate, well of course I want treatment... his spirit said yes, he is just ready for this."

Gary's Family Travel:

"My parents are doing well They're about to do a 20 day trip starting today Greece and Italy... They're both retired."

Brendan's Wedding and Career:

"Brendan and Chelsea are going to Italy for their honeymoon... the farm is where they're getting married... he got a new he got a new job thankfully it's remote and he's still doing his music production."

Family Health Framework:

• Spiritual Attitude: Positive mindset contributing to healing
• Treatment Acceptance: Surrendering to medical intervention
• Multi-Modal Healing: Combining spirit, medicine, and immunotherapy
• Life Celebration: Maintaining joy and gratitude through challenges
• Career Balance: Supporting family members' creative pursuits

Austin Community and Lifestyle

River Access Importance:

"Having access to the river easy access to the river is very important it's very energizing, it's very beautiful great walk I joined this I was part of this walking club for a little bit where we would walk for an hour and a half on the river every morning."

Conscious Community Culture:

"I feel like it's a very conscious healthy community it's like a generally conscious healthy culture... a lot of different spiritualities are pretty well represented here."

Terrytown Area Appeal:

"The area that I'm like oh my gosh I have to own my house here is Terrytown... I loved the Mozart's roast roaster it's right on the water it's a coffee breakfast lunch place but they have a ton of seating so there's lots of families and people meeting."

Transportation Necessity:

"Unless you just are in this area man you can't get anywhere without a car it's so hard."

Austin Lifestyle Framework:

• Nature Integration: River access as essential lifestyle component
• Spiritual Diversity: Multiple traditions represented and accepted
• Community Spaces: Gathering places fostering connection
• Car Dependency: Transportation planning crucial for social life
• Conscious Culture: Health and awareness as community values

Parenting Philosophy and Transformation

Allison's Parenting Evolution:

"I'll never forget when I started practicing shortly after McKenna says to me why don't you ever yell anymore... she was a child I did a lot of yelling because Terry did a lot of yelling at me kind of related to everyone and then I just, it's the trickle down there right."

Thermostat vs Thermometer Concept:

"For her to make that statement, like I wasn't getting I was totally in control so I didn't need to project that I was in control by raising my voice... I'm going to be the thermostat of my vibration, my frequency and my resonance."

Gary's Recognition:

"Do you know that's what he says? He says, he says there are two kinds of people thermometers and thermostats yes people need to know that they can be thermostats, they can set the frequency."

Heart Coherence Understanding:

"This is the work of heart math that I do as well the science of the heart that I'm trained in because our coherence our heart was the first brain and so it's receiving and sending 90% of the information."

Parenting Transformation Framework:

• Behavioral Modeling: Children reflecting parent's emotional state
• Internal Control: Managing personal frequency rather than controlling others
• Heart Intelligence: Understanding heart as primary information processor
• Vibrational Influence: Recognizing ability to affect others' energy
• Conscious Parenting: Spiritual practice improving family dynamics

Sound Healing and Vibrational Therapy

Gong Therapy Understanding:

"All the planets have a different frequency and then there's the cosmos in general so you can have a gong in various sizes but when you strike the gong it's a little like if we look at how the universe was created everything is through sound."

Neurological Impact:

"The gong has the same frequency as our neurons and so when you play the gong it literally changes your neuron patterns and subconscious blocks and stuff."

Recording Studio Search:

"I want to play it myself and so I need to find a recording studio that would have a gong so I don't have to, like minimum they're $1500 and so the ones they have are five feet and they have three of them."

Specific Planetary Frequencies:

"One is for the cosmos itself and the other two are specific planets one is Jupiter and the other is the moon... here's the gong for wealth if you want to answer your beer so it sets you to the frequency of that."

Sound Healing Framework:

• Universal Creation: Sound as fundamental creative force
• Neurological Resonance: Gong frequencies matching brain patterns
• Subconscious Reprogramming: Sound therapy for deep healing
• Planetary Alignment: Specific frequencies for different purposes
• Professional Integration: Incorporating sound healing into business offerings

Relationship and Partnership Readiness

Allison's Relationship Clarity:

"I cannot wait to find someone who loves to travel... I'm so ready That's another thing I'm so ready for a relationship partner I'm very, very ready."

Friend's Rapid Romance:

"She was divorced for over 20 years did a lot of dating like tenacious She a month and a half ago had a date turned into another date within like the fifth date they were planning their life together and they're literally planning their wedding right now."

Evidence of Possibility:

"Light just like a light switch and they could not be more perfect and when you look at a picture when they went away like on the third week or so she sent me a picture they look like they've been together forever... that is my evidence that it can happen that quickly."

Partnership Vision:

"I feel also too that I with such clarity that I have for my work that I have that same clarity for calling in."

Relationship Readiness Framework:

• Clear Intention: Knowing exactly what kind of partner desired
• Evidence-Based Hope: Real examples of rapid, authentic connection
• Professional Clarity: Business success creating relationship confidence
• Travel Compatibility: Shared adventure as relationship foundation
• Spiritual Alignment: Seeking partner who supports conscious lifestyle

Personal Revelations and Vulnerable Sharing

Gary's Church Experience Evolution

Catholic Church Project:

"I tried to work with the Catholic Church and that was my reflection on that was that God wanted me to see that that was not who I should be working with... The lawyers basically just stifled it."

Power Structure Sensitivity:

"I have become more sensitive to what power structures do to the purity of a spiritual mission let's say."

Church Tourism Insights:

"I have a number of acquaintances I had one like really good friend I have one really good friend that was excited that I was moving here."

Apostolic Church Discovery:

"This individual Apostle Delmar he has been doing his thing for like 30 years. But he's super low key and I kind of love the idea of among a lot of church institutions and pastors that I think that are really big that shouldn't be big necessarily."

Allison's Business Development Strategy

LinkedIn Advertising Plans:

"I think I'm just going to run ads inside of LinkedIn when I get some revenue coming in from these like I'll just allocate a certain percentage and just run run ads I want to start you know so the outreach I want the system to work for me."

Mindset Shift on Marketing:

"I never liked anybody who does ads but that's an old program I can delete that and I'm just going to assume that anybody that comes into my company that follows me or inquires or whatever that they're a potential client."

Assistant Need Recognition:

"That's what I need I need that I need somebody to do that for me at some point."

Bali Retreat Opportunity:

"They invited me for a free trip to have an experience there and so they asked me for November but they asked me for this year but my dad was diagnosed with leukemia so I wanted to put everything on hold."

Austin Housing Search Reality

Property Search Intensity:

"I found a place there last night I've looked at 17 places I'm living in an Airbnb right now and I asked to extend it but he has somebody coming in so I need to find a place ASAP."

Budget Constraints:

"This house is currently physically out of my budget... next week that could change."

Dr. Eric Connection:

"She put me in touch with Dr. Eric and um he's got a 3 bedroom home that would be fully furnished one room he turned into a wellness room with a sauna and red light and the tunnel and you know all the stuff."

Location Priorities:

"I ended up saying no because the neighborhood was just too far one way south and I'm like to the walking on the path and all the stuff it wasn't it didn't meet my like."

Key Quotes and Memorable Declarations

On Spiritual Practice Integration:

"I'm just trying to like eliminate as many substances from my life. Cause like there's always uppers and always always downers. Just trying to like kind of have natural energy."

On Educational System Values:

"Pretty quickly I realized that the leadership was not in the same values that I would want to be creating something for kids... it just didn't have the heart that I felt would be needed."

On Divine Healing Documentation:

"That's pretty new to me the whole like even being possible so I know that whatever I'm able to like document is gonna help other people know that if there's something that the medical system was not able to fix there may be other alternatives."

On Business Potential:

"I could literally do 8 million at the end of this year by having a combination of a couple of those."

On Authentic Intelligence:

"Your intelligence is unique to you your soul is unique to you same with me that's why if you ask 8 billion people it will have 8 billion different opinions based on their personal life experience."

On Parenting Transformation:

"Why don't you ever yell anymore... for her to make that statement, like I wasn't getting I was totally in control so I didn't need to project that I was in control by raising my voice."

On Heart Intelligence:

"Our heart was the first brain and so it's receiving and sending 90% of the information of everything that I'm taking in right now and relating to you."

On Sound Healing:

"The gong has the same frequency as our neurons and so when you play the gong it literally changes your neuron patterns and subconscious blocks and stuff."

On Austin River Culture:

"Having access to the river easy access to the river is very important it's very energizing, it's very beautiful great walk."

On Relationship Readiness:

"I cannot wait to find someone who loves to travel... I'm so ready That's another thing I'm so ready for a relationship partner I'm very, very ready."

On Faith Walk:

"This is totally like me just trusting that doing what I feel called to do is gonna allow me to prosper."

On Complementary Relationships:

"The dream is to find good complementary relationships for sure let everyone do their lane and be mystified in some ways about how other people do what they do."

Conclusion

This breakfast conversation exemplifies how authentic friendship can provide crucial support during major life transitions, with both participants offering each other practical insights, emotional encouragement, and spiritual perspective as they navigate significant changes. Gary's evolution from tech entrepreneurship toward ministry work, and Allison's strategic business launch while managing family health challenges, demonstrate how spiritual maturity influences professional decision-making.

The conversation's greatest value lies in its demonstration of how conscious individuals can maintain meaningful connections while pursuing divergent paths, with each person's journey informing and inspiring the other. Gary's documentation skills and Allison's storytelling interests suggest natural collaboration opportunities, while their shared appreciation for Austin's conscious culture provides practical foundation for ongoing friendship.

Most significantly, both participants exhibit remarkable integration of spiritual principles into business planning, with Gary choosing faith over financial security in his ministry calling, and Allison incorporating vibrational healing concepts into corporate wellness offerings. Their discussion of thermostat vs. thermometer consciousness, heart intelligence, and authentic individual wisdom reveals sophisticated understanding of how personal spiritual development affects professional effectiveness and relationship quality.

The conversation concludes with both individuals feeling supported in their respective transitions, having received practical Austin living advice, business development insights, and spiritual encouragement. Their commitment to staying connected while pursuing their callings demonstrates how authentic friendship can provide stability during periods of significant change, with each person's growth contributing to the other's success and spiritual development.

This dialogue serves as both personal check-in and strategic planning session, providing both participants with renewed clarity about their directions while strengthening their friendship foundation for ongoing mutual support throughout their Austin-area adventures and spiritual entrepreneurship journeys.