Introduction
[00:00:00] Detective Ev: Well, hello my friends. Welcome back to another episode of the Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition. My name is Evan Transue, aka Detective Ev. I will be your host for today’s show about KetoCon.We’re talking to a guest that we’ve had on once before. Her name is Robin Switzer and she’s the founder of KetoCon. KetoCon is a conference that has been going on since 2017. We, as FDN, attended last year for the first time, and we loved it.
Now, you guys also might have heard of Paleo f(x), that will no longer be a thing it looks like. I think KetoCon’s going to be even better this year because they not only landed the same event center that Paleo f(x) is normally in, but they landed similar dates because Paleo f(x) was typically in April or May from my understanding.
I think this is the event this year that is going to completely fill up with all these wonderful people from around the country and world who are dedicated to natural healing, biohacking, all this kind of stuff. It’s really a unique and cool crowd to be a part of. I was impressed with how many people she had there last year in July. Paleo f(x) hosted in April of last year, and she was already throwing this down in July. I would say she was busier than Paleo f(x).
So, when you have this year set up, everyone, I think, is more than ready to travel again. They’re just open to this idea of getting back in person, going to these conferences. Then when we take away one of the bigger health conferences of the year and replace it with this, I think this is going to be awesome.
KetoCon: Not Just for People Interested in Ketosis
Reed Davis, the founder of FDN, will be keying. I will be down there at our booth doing podcasting. I’ll have my girlfriend with me, she’ll be at the booth. My best friend will be with me doing the booth. His girlfriend will be doing the booth. It’s going to be really fun. We have so many people coming down.
Anyway, we wanted to bring on Robin today. She actually did an Instagram Live with us, so I apologize for the phone call quality audio, but the information’s still cool. It’s not super long. We’re not going to sit here for 50 minutes today. You’ll just get the information on KetoCon and learn who it’s for. It is not just for people who are interested in ketosis, that is for sure.
It’s similar to the Paleo f(x) title, right? That might have started out as something that was exclusively about Paleo, but it evolved over time and now you have sleep sciences, biohacking, light and stuff. That’s exactly what KetoCon is. In fact, Robin went out of her way to state on this Live that she purposely actually brought in less food vendors this year to have more diversity and make it a true health conference as opposed to just keto.
So, we hope you guys enjoy this one. If you do want to attend KetoCon with us, we have a $50 discount, and you can check that out in the show notes. I’ll be excited to see you guys there. If you have any more questions about it, you can find them at KetoCon on Instagram. That is at K E T O C O N on Instagram. Without further ado, let us get to today’s episode.
Hey, Robin, how are you?
Robin Switzer: How are you?
KetoCon: Robin Switzer – One of the Original Founders
Detective Ev: I’m doing good. It’s good to get to see you again. It’s been, well, I guess it feels long in one sense, but not that long because you guys had enough success that you were able to move this event to April of this year, even though we just had KetoCon in July. This is going to be great.
[00:03:01] Robin Switzer: Oh, yes. But it was really a matter of, we had no choice. [00:03:06] Detective Ev: You’re too humble. You just take it, just take the compliment and run. [00:03:10] Robin Switzer: We always wanted to get earlier dates, but the venue that we work with is always booked 18 months in advance. It’s always hard to get dates, and we’ve always been stuck with July days. We were able to get April this year, although I can’t get April for next year. So, we’ll see.
You guys know I get on Lives all the time, so it’s not like I can just say super nice things about everyone if I didn’t actually mean it. You would notice inconsistencies. Robin, I said it to you last year, and I stand by it.
KetoCon: Event Dates and Location
We talked about this at FDN, we go to wonderful events. We love everyone so far that we’ve ever worked with, as far as I know. I haven’t been here forever, but as far as I know, it’s all been good. But the organization that you approached with KetoCon and just how seriously you took the relationship with the vendors, from my understanding, it’s the main reason we’re coming back this year.
Then of course it was just a good event. So, we’re just excited to work with you. This is what we really need right now.
There is a lot of people, I think, getting into this conference space, especially post pandemic. We’ve gone to some of these, and you guys might have been to some of them. We don’t need to mention names, but they’re just a little crazy. And then KetoCon was awesome. I remember your son coming up. We had like one little minor technical difficulty, and he just was so adamant about getting it fixed.
You guys have a lot of vendors at these things. I’m excited to talk about what we’ll be able to do this year. First and foremost, even though it’s in your bio, let’s just go over this real quick. When are the dates and where’s it happening?
KetoCon: Morphing Over the Years
[00:05:04] Detective Ev: Nice. This is what I love. It’s like you’re just not going to take no for an answer. You’re going to figure it out one way or another. And so, it’s cool.Now this is what we really need to specify today, cause I’ve talked to you before. Obviously, we talked last year. Robin’s actually been on the Health Detective Podcast, so if you guys are interested in her story, I would go there more for that. Today we’ll talk about more of the event itself.
I think one thing that any trainee FDN or active FDN might initially think it’s like, okay, KetoCon. Is it just keto? Because in the world of FDN I mean a lot of us do utilize ketosis. I’m one of those people, you already know that. Some people, depending on where they’re at, we have actually found that there’s a smaller portion, but some portion that just seems to do a little better going off different things.
So just to be clear, even though it has the name KetoCon, this is not just an event for that, right? Like how does FDN fit in? What other type of vendors will be there? Let us know about that.
Robin Switzer: Sure. So, no. KetoCon launched as an event that was solely dedicated to the ketogenic diet and lifestyle, but we have definitely morphed over the years. And I would say that, while we still have a banned ingredient list, the underlying theme of the event is improving metabolic health and utilizing ketosis as a tool.
KetoCon: Brain Health, Hormonal Health, Sleep Optimization, and Anything in Between
[00:06:11] Robin Switzer: We have changed. This event is now much more of a health optimization event.You’re not the first person who said to me, KetoCon, if I’m not following a ketogenic diet, why would I come? I would tell you, look at the list of speakers and list of companies that will be there, and you’ll see why this event is much more of a health optimization event.
If I hadn’t invested seven years in the branding of all of this, I may have changed the name. We may still have to change the name to be quite honest with you. I would say that we are covering more topics related to biohacking and optimizing your health, improving your metabolic health than we’ve ever done before.
We have over 70 speakers this year. Reed is one of those speakers. 15 or 16 keynote speakers, and the rest are speaking in breakout sessions, in breakout rooms. I tell you; we are covering everything from brain health to hormonal health to sleep optimization, meaning everything and anything in between.
So, what’s there for everyone, it’s truly a learning experience because there’s just so much information. But it’s also a like experiential type of event. There’s much more there than just walking by and getting free food samples.
[00:07:33] Detective Ev: Although that’s a pretty cool part I may add. [00:07:36] Robin Switzer: That is a pretty cool part.We do have some amazing sponsors and exhibitors that will be offering that. But if you’ve attended KetoCon in the past, don’t expect to see a hundred food vendors. They’re not there. This event has definitely changed. You’ll be experiencing things this year that you may not have experienced before.
KetoCon: Combination of Learning & Celebration
Last year, BodySpec was at the event, they’ll be back this year. Twice as many vans doing DEXA scans throughout the entire weekend. We are working on wrapping up the details on a cold plunge experience, doing ice baths. There’ll be several companies that offer various forms of saunas, like home saunas.
Gosh, there’s going to be so much there this year. It’s really a combination of learning and celebration. You’re learning about your current state of health, how to improve it, where to go from here, and all these tools that you can use to improve your health.
The other thing is when companies like FDN attend this event, we find that we have a large percentage of attendees that are already like either health entrepreneurs or people who are in this space because they’re in that transition of moving into becoming a health entrepreneur. And there are things there for learning more about certification programs and education programs that they can use to improve their career as well.
[00:08:54] Detective Ev: Yeah. That’s why we’re happy to be there. It’s going to be cool. I did not know at all that you were thinking about trying to implement, like the cold plunge stuff and the double of the DEXA scans. Genius! You guys gotta take advantage of that.I was so stupid. I didn’t, admittedly, fully understand the benefits of a DEXA Scan. So, I ended up getting one at a different conference over that year. I’m like, for 40 bucks, or whatever, even if it’s anywhere under a hundred, it’s actually a very good deal compared to how you would do this normally. And it’s very insightful to see where you’re at body-wise.
KetoCon: Similar to Paleo (f)x
I was happy to know that my visceral fat was super low. The guy said this is excellent. You don’t have that fat around the organs. I’m like, all right, cool. I’m doing something right. This shows how these things can work a little differently for people because I am someone, like I said, who utilizes ketosis a lot. I do like it. It seems to work for me.
Some people get so freaked out, they’re like, dude, you got all this saturated fat, cause that’s how I eat. This is personally how I do it, yet my numbers look great. My triglycerides are perfect, my visceral fat, I now know is fantastic. For different people it can really be lifesaving and it can just make you feel so good cognitively.
But again, the event’s so much more than that. I think you’re in a unique position and I’m really excited for you. I’ve talked to the FDN people about this because, as far as I know, there’s no more Paleo f(x). I think this is similar to what they were trying to do and did not succeed at, unfortunately. It was called Paleo, but everyone knew it was more than that.
Then it’s like, all right, cool. Well, we have this really cool person, you, that runs things extremely well, knows how to organize it. I mean, I think this is the new thing. And it’s even in the same city, right? So, it’s like people get to do that same kind of process of going to Austin.
A lot of us always go to like PICNIK after the event. We love that place. I thought it was the coolest thing ever when I learned about it last year. And so, yeah, we’re excited.
KetoCon: Close to 100 Vendors
Jo Pate asked, “How many vendors will there be?” I know we talked about speakers. How many vendors?
Rayen said, “Love PICNIK.” Yeah, I mean, we gotta go. You know, it’s already on the schedule and we’re not even there yet.
But yeah, they’re all going through FDN right now. My girlfriend will definitely be graduated by then. My best friend might be there by then. And then his girlfriend is just a little bit behind, but she also started later. They’re just so excited. This is like their first health event that they’ve ever been to.
They had a few options to choose from. This is the true testament. I said, no, come with us to Austin, go to the KetoCon one. We have to like do a couple different flights. It was a bit inconvenient just from where we’re at. I’m like, it’s worth it. Just go to a good event and actually see what this stuff’s like cause it’s a whole new world for them.
Just tell us and it’s shameless right? You can be more in love with certain speakers or vendors than not. Which ones are you really excited for people to get to see? Like is there any talks in particular that you’re excited about?
[00:11:29] Robin Switzer: Not any in particular. I mean, we literally have 75 speakers.Detective Ev: I know.
KetoCon: 75 Speakers
Robin Switzer: I mean, every single person brings something different, you know, another element to this conversation.
Dr. Ken Berry is attending this year and he has not been to KetoCon since 2018 for various reasons. He’s had two children in the past few years. And I’m really excited for him to come back because he’s very passionate about living a ketogenic/no-added- junk type of diet. He’s an MD, so he’s seen it all and he uses this in practice. He’s very animated, very full of personality, and people just love to watch him speak. I’m really excited to have him back again.
Let’s see, Ben Azadi will be speaking again this year. Very excited to have him back.
Catharine Arnston will be speaking again this year about algae. There are so many speakers. Mindy Pells.
[00:12:31] Detective Ev: Catharine Arnston always comes like, cause I follower at a lot of these conferences, and she spits out so much information that you’re like, there’s no way she’s going to be different next time. Then she has like a whole nother master’s level education for you at the next conference, like a few months later. She’s always fun to watch.And Ben, that’s awesome. He’s cool too. He’s kind of standard now at any Keto Conference, but he’s also an FDN. It’s nice to get to connect with him.
Raewyn and Reed will be there. We just have a lot of FDNs in Austin, so personally have a bias towards it. I love it, just getting to see everyone at these events.
KetoCon: A List of Banned Ingredients
If you guys are already signed up and coming to KetoCon, please drop that in the comments. If you have any questions about the event, this would also be the time. This isn’t really a Live for FDN necessarily. It’s more of a Live for KetoCon. So, let me know if you’re coming and also let me know if you have any questions directly.
I just wanted to shout this out because again, I think it’s a testament to the way that you run on this event. I know that you’re not running as many food vendors as you did in the past. You’re trying to actually diversify that a little more. But you did mention this quickly. You said a banned ingredients list. Can you tell people what are the banned ingredients lists? You don’t have to list off the things. Like why do you even have that?
[00:13:36] Robin Switzer: Well, anybody who’s been to a grocery store in the past year has seen the explosion of products that are labeled keto.
I have been on a mission since we started doing this to try and educate people that just because something is labeled keto doesn’t mean that it’s good for you to eat. Most of them are like processed food products, but they contain things with substitutes or ingredients that cause inflammation, that are cheap ingredients, and the macros look great.
They look like they fit into a ketogenic protocol, but the ingredients suck. It would just basically be eating keto junk food. We started doing this in 2017, there was a lot of confusion out there because there were so many like miracle ingredients hitting the market and we were trying to bring some clarity to the conversation when it came to ingredients.
KetoCon: Certified Ketogenic
So, if you look at a website called Certified Ketogenic, that’s our website, we have a full long list of banned ingredients that we will not allow. Well, we work with food product manufacturers to certify their products, but we won’t allow those ingredients and those products. We use that same list at KetoCon.
I would imagine that in the future as like dietary protocols change, we will be accused of being overly strict. But, you know, people come to us in a state of ill health. Even if you don’t realize that you’re in ill health, if you’ve been eating the standard American diet or you’ve been transitioning away from a poor diet, there are things in your body that need to heal. You will not heal if you continue to take in these types of ingredients that we’ve banned.
I think you and I had this conversation last year; we’ve turned away a lot of companies with really deep pockets because of this banned ingredient list. I mean, at this point, it’s what I stand for and I’m not going to let it go, period.
[00:15:38] Detective Ev: This is why I love you.This is why this event is going to be here five, 10 years from now. Because people, especially in my generation, I’m seeing this all the time, they are so done with the gimmicks. We smell this stuff out so quick, all these companies and corporations just trying to make extra money. The irony is it’s like people are still following these tried and true tactics just to make an extra buck, but that’s actually a losing strategy.
Doing Business Ethically
We’re in this awesome time of business where, in my opinion, being ethical, doing the right thing and standing for what you believe in, is actually going to attract people. I know this is not your primary motivation, but it is a business and it needs to be profitable. It’s kind of cool that you can do the right thing and also make good money.
This is why FDN is the only company that I work for. Everything else I do outside of this is self-employed to work for myself cause I can never find something that I’m aligned with. FDN, I’ve been here for several years already; and unless they kick me out, I’m going to stick around for at least several more, right? Because I like waking up and knowing that we’re actually doing the right thing. You can go make some money; you can make a great living. But you can do the right thing at the same time.
We had someone actually applauding you down in the comments. That is awesome.
So, what are the different tickets that people can get? I know actually if they follow FDN, I think we have a $50 off or something like that. But I know that a three-day event can be a lot for people. Some people can make all of it. Some people want the VIP thing. Can we break down the different options for possible attendees?
KetoCon: Ticket Info & Expected Excitement
[00:16:54] Robin Switzer: Sure. We offer a one-day ticket that’s for Sunday only. If you just want to come explore the expo hall and meet the vendors and see the speakers for that day. We also offer a three day, like a general admission pass that gets you access to everything at the event.Then we also offer a VIP ticket, which gets you the three-day ticket access to everything at the event, the VIP dinner, we do like VIP seating in the front two rows of the keynote staging area. And we also have a VIP breakout room that is solely for the VIP ticket holders. They get to have like a more intimate conversation with a select number of speakers in that VIP breakout room. They also get, we do unlimited water and coffee all day in the VIP lounge. And they get a VIP swag bag that’s probably going to be hard to carry this year.
I have to say that your excitement is kind of contagious. And I’m in the trenches here, you know, in the last final weeks leading up to the event ordering lanyards and swag bags and stuff. But you’ve reminded me how uplifting an event like this can be.
That’s what I mean, that’s probably why I keep on doing it. Because when you walk in the hall and you walk in the Convention Center, the first thing you feel is the energy. It’s really kind of like buzzing. People are so excited to be there.
KetoCon: There for the Same Reason
They’re so excited to be in an environment where they have something in common with everybody that’s there because everybody that’s there are there because they care about their health. They want to improve their health. It doesn’t matter where they are in their journey, if they’re ill, recovered, fit, not fit, it doesn’t really matter, they’re all there for the same reason.
It’s kind of like going to a rock concert, everybody’s there for the same musician. Feel that electricity. And that’s how it feels at KetoCon. It stays like that Friday, Saturday, and Sunday until we close it down. Then, I mean, I’m right away planning, when are we going to do this again?
[00:18:54] Detective Ev: Yeah. I appreciate you saying that because I’m not big on flattery because flattery is fake. But I do go outta my way to look for the genuine positives I see in something and share that with someone. I’d want them to do that with me.It is nice to be able to say, okay, this event was awesome last year. I know her well enough at this point to know that it’s only going to be equal or better. So that’s a win.
It’s saying something when, like my friends, I mean, they’re in a transitional period of their life. They’re leaving their jobs to go pursue FDN, so they’re not just reigning in money throwing in around everywhere. So, we’re particular about the events that we’re going to.
KetoCon: Like-Minded People
I just told them, I mean, one mixing in Austin is great too, right? I’m like, guys, trust me in April, good time to go to Austin, cause July, yeah, that can be brutal. But at least it’s a drier heat. I didn’t think it was that bad as like 106 degrees would be up here. April’s going to be a beautiful time to go. We got PICNIK, you got a guaranteed good event.
I’m like one of those people, I feel like not everyone’s like this, but my friends laugh, my girlfriend laughs. I like take responsibility for how things that I told my friends to do went. If I’m like, yo, let’s go to this restaurant, and the restaurant sucked. I don’t know why, but I take personal responsibility for that. So, yeah, when we go to the event, I want it to be cool.
Someone said, “I recently learned that KetoCon is a thing, would love to attend.” Hey, you still got like a month and a half to get this figured out. Hopefully we will see you there. Super excited. There’s a lot of energy there.
I think that’s the main thing, I wanted to go back to that. You brought up this idea of almost going to a rock concert. What’s funny is I never actually understood these events for the longest time, I’ve only been to a couple concerts in my life, and I was mostly forced to go. I think I’ve only went to one voluntarily. I’m not a big sports guy, so I don’t like the sporting events. I was always like; how does so many people go to these things? I’m like, well, duh. When you love a specific thing and you get to meet like-minded people, that’s it.
KetoCon: A Way to Make a Difference
When I started going to these health conferences for FDN, those were the first health conferences I ever went to. It’s so awesome when like, I’m the weirdo walking around with the blue light blocking glasses, right? My girlfriend and I look nuts. Then you go here and it’s like, oh no, everyone does this kind of stuff. Everyone’s into health.
What’s nice about our groups too, and I don’t know that all sporting events can say this, is since when people are healthy, their brain works a lot better. When you have an inflamed brain, you can be mean, you can be moody, you can be anxious. I’ve been all those things, so I’m not judging people. I’m saying that I’ve been that way myself. When you go to meet healthy people that are on a journey, the consciousness is just so high. I don’t mean to sound woowoo.
I’m just saying like the spiritual aspect, like there is a higher vibration, I guess is what I’m trying to say. Like everything is just such a high-level conversation. There’s no gossip, there’s no pettiness or BS. You’re just talking about ideas and the amazing stories. You do leave inspired, that’s why this is worth a year’s worth of work.
We all leave and we’re like, all right, we got these awesome new ideas to pursue. Last year was amazing. This year will be epic.
KetoCon: Aligned with FDN
I’m probably twice your age, so I’ve been on this journey for a long time. I feel like if I can keep doing this, if I can bring a few thousand people to KetoCon every year, I know that they go home and influence at least one other person.
So, if I’ve got 3000 people there, then I’ve touched 6,000 people, and that feeds on itself. That’s how I get fulfilled with all of this. That’s why I keep these crazy hours and do this for a whole year to plan an event that you know is over in three days. It’s kind of like cooking for Thanksgiving. You cook for a week and then everybody eats in 20 minutes and it’s over.
But I mean, I believe that one of the reasons that we are so aligned with FDN is because your mission is making a difference in people’s lives and my mission is the same. We’re doing it from different regards, different spaces, but we’re doing the same thing. And that’s why I think we’re so well aligned.
[00:22:39] Detective Ev: Yeah. That’s really true. It’s special to be able to do that. That’s why I’m always actually thankful for the health experiences that I’ve had, and I’m sure you would agree in the same way.You’re right, as a younger person, I’m 27 right now, I was dealing with all these health issues from like five to 19, 20 years old. So, of course I was sitting on the pity potty a lot of the times wondering like, why is this happening to me? This isn’t fair. But then I realized I was given this gift that all my other friends, for the most part from high school didn’t get.
KetoCon: Find What You Love and Do It
That gift was, I don’t hate the rest of my life from Monday through Friday for the next 40 years. I love it. I can’t wait to do this Live with you. We’re doing workshops last night. We’re doing the podcast. Like, life should be fun. Yet most people, unfortunately, haven’t necessarily identified that passion for them yet. But it’s obvious for us because we were forced into it more or less.
When you don’t identify that, you might be going to these nine to fives, or let’s be honest, eight to sixes that you don’t even really like and enjoy. That’s a fraction of your life, man. So, I mean, if nothing else just, my gosh, the best thing you can probably do for your health is just finding those things that you love and then going and doing them. The stress of hating your life is probably a lot worse than any particular diet, although I’ll put a little asterisk on that one. I think you know what I mean.
So, if you have any last second questions here for Robin, I won’t keep you too long. I know you got a lot to do.
Oh, next someone said, “Same. I gave up my 20 plus year nursing career to pursue holistic health, which turned into being my own boss and now enrolled in FDN.” Okay. And you’re enrolled in FDN. Awesome. Well, we hope to see you down in KetoCon and we do get a $50 discount.
I hope Jo doesn’t kill me for this one, she manages the Instagram. I think you guys can just DM us for the discount. Unless do you know it offhand? Cause I should have gotten that beforehand. I’m sorry.
[00:24:12] Robin Switzer: I’m pretty sure your code is FDN50.KetoCon: For All Who Want to Optimize Their Health
[00:24:14] Detective Ev: Keep it simple, right? Try the FDN50 please, before messaging us. Even if you’re watching it afterwards, feel free to give it a shot and then message us, if need be. We want to see people there. There’s nothing cooler, a lot of this is digital nowadays, which is amazing. Because, like you said, we can spread this message to more people.Oh, that is the code. It’s FDN50. You don’t need to message us. It’s FDN50. Thank you, guys.
The amazing thing is like when I’m at these booths and someone’s like, I followed you guys forever, or I listen to the podcast, or I saw you on this Live with whatever, that’s just a special feeling. It’s really awesome.
My girlfriend said, “Amazing!”
What’s a final thing to finish up on here? I guess, I know it should be obvious, but again, there’s this biohacking mix in it. There’s the keto mix, whatever. So, just to be as clear and concise as possible, someone’s been watching this on the recording, or they’ve maybe stuck with us the whole time and they’re like, all right, I think I like this, but I need them to talk to me directly. Who is KetoCon for? Because it’s not just for people that want the ketogenic diet or like the ketogenic diet even.
Conclusion
[00:25:39] Detective Ev: Perfect. That’s really what it is, right? If you want to be with the latest and greatest for this stuff. I know a lot of the speakers, not always personally, but I just know of them, and these are people that know stuff that becomes trending online like five years after they were already talking about it, right? Because they’re on that front line researching this stuff. So yeah, if you want to just learn about the newest things going on in the world of functional/natural healing, biohacking, whatever, this is the place to be.Robin, again, we’re super excited to be with you. If there’s no questions, I’ll let you go now because I’m sure this is a nice break. But I’m also sure, like you said, you got no shortage of work. Right? I think we covered everything today unless you got anything else you’d like to share.
Robin Switzer: All right. Take care.
You can always visit us at functionaldiagnosticnutrition.com.
To hire an FDN practitioner, go to fdnthrive.com.
For a FREE eBook, go to fdnthrive.com/steps/.
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