Is this the future of preventive healthcare? Teemu Arina, the founder & curator of HOLOLIFE Summit unveils his ambitious vision for holistic wellness that transcends self-optimization and biohacking.
In a significant evolution from its origins as Biohacker Summit (10+ years), co-author of the Biohacker’s Handbook and curator Teemu Arina is unveiling HOLOLIFE: an ambitious reframing of human potential that moves beyond mere biohacking into a comprehensive practical philosophy of personal development, communal legacy and self-transcendence.
Arina articulates how the rebranding reflects a fundamental shift in perspective: “Biohacking is often misunderstood: to many, it sounds dangerous, invasive or even extreme – akin to breaking into a computer system. It can also come across as very utilitarian: shortcuts and hacks to optimize human biology. But to me, it’s about more than shortcuts, algorithms, and protocols: it’s a lifelong lifestyle, a pathway to mastery with no true end.”
Treating chronic diseases has hit $1 trillion in the USA, and obesity rates are at an all-time high. According to Arina, we are facing the failure of the medical system to properly address preventive healthcare, with only 0.65% of GDP spent on prevention. With the aid of technology, the wellness industry is stepping up to address the gaps: “According to the Global Wellness Institute, the wellness industry is now richer than big pharma and sports, hitting 6.32 trillion dollars. How did the generational shift happen, as reported by the Bank of America?”
According to Paracelsus – the Swiss physician and pioneer of the medical revolution – “medicine is not only a science; it is also an art. It does not consist of compounding pills and plasters; it deals with the very processes of life.”
Teemu Arina draws parallels between historical events that opposed scientific progress: In the times of Paracelsus, science went hiding from the religious inquisition. It was considered heretic, even pagan, and universities and secret laboratories had to operate in the shadows.
Ironically, a couple of centuries later, as scientific thought dominates, the holistic wellness industry has faced the same treatment from the medical establishment, although it might as well be the solution to the very degenerative diseases that we are battling today. “It is understandable, as we didn’t know better than reductionism – We didn’t either, so we wrote piles of biohacking books with 10 000+ references to medical studies and conducted quantified self-experiments tracking hundreds of biomarkers. You were forced to depend on individual variables and struggled to make connections between them. I see that this is about to change: the wellness industry and medical industry together, combined with AI and technology, may as well be the future of preventive healthcare that finally cracks the code of longevity”, explains Arina.
“We just didn’t have access to the full picture. We didn’t have AI and we didn’t have the right tools to look at complexity for what it is. We were ignorant for a reason, under the mercy of the limitations of our instruments”, explains Arina. “The artificial division is an illusion. It is time to unify science, technology, and nature. We have to move back to the times of Paracelsus when both science and nature were in the service of man. Leave the extremists and limited belief systems of either camp behind – we are not served well by the ignorance if we want to make major scientific discoveries for extending human longevity. Diversity of thought will be accuracy of thought.”
From self-optimization to self-transcendence
The HOLOLIFE concept draws its name from the Greek “holos”, meaning whole or complete, representing a more inclusive approach to wellness that connects physical, social, mental and spiritual development.
“As my friend Shawn Wells says: we have to leave things better than we found them. Health and wellness should not be based on the fear of dying or on the absence of disease – our energy and resources should be spent to contribute to creating a better world for the future generations,” Arina explained, referencing the fear-based “don’t die movement” popularized by millionaire self-proclaimed rejuvenation Olympian Bryan Johnson who, according to press reports, wants to look like his son from the inside out.
This shift aligns with Arina’s interpretation of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, where shelter, food and social connections are the foundations, and creativity and self-expression emerge as the highest ideals. Arina notes that Maslow himself ultimately added “self-transcendence” above self-actualization, which he originally was afraid to include for fear of religious zealots considering such thoughts heretical.
“Self-transcendence is about your legacy and impact beyond the self: using health, wealth, and energy to benefit others and the world” Arina says, suggesting that the most evolved personal development moves from self-centered optimization to collective contribution. The move from self-optimization to self-actualization is a move beyond the self.
In Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous Vitruvian Man the human is inside a circle, but the cube framing the man extends beyond the circle. This metaphorically represents the essence of man: not merely to live as long as possible, but to live as impactfully as possible, even after leaving your physical body.
A balanced approach to wellness
Notably, Arina advocates for practicality over perfectionism: “In the end, 20% of effort is enough to reach 80% of improvement: perfection is an unrealistic goal; consistent practice and creative ability to adapt and learn are key,” he explains, addressing the growing concern around “orthorexia” (obsession with eating healthy food), “nosophobia” (fear of falling ill), and other obsessive wellness behaviours.
Rather than promoting rigid regimens, HOLOLIFE embraces a more sustainable approach that acknowledges human imperfection while still pursuing growth. “Daily routines aren’t flawless for anyone, not even for Dr. Andrew Huberman,” Arina noted, referring to the Stanford professor who has become famous for his podcasts promoting optimal science-based daily routines.
“The real art is in application and creative adaptation; like in martial arts, it’s about practicing the fundamental forms and then being ready to adapt to each situation, not obsessive execution of perfection.”
Estonia: An unexpected epicenter of holistic innovation
The upcoming HOLOLIFE summit, scheduled for 14-15 June 2025, will be hosted in Tallinn, Estonia, a location Arina characterized as rich with historical significance beyond its Soviet-era narrative.
The venue itself embodies the event’s transformative ethos: an old factory founded by a German industrialist is slated for demolition on the way to a startup acceleration hub.
Arina highlights Estonia’s deep multicultural heritage as a Viking trading hub and its ability to preserve its traditions. Its cultural resilience culminated in the Singing Revolution (1987-1991), which led to its independence and departure from the Soviet Union, drawing parallels to wellness practices that have persisted despite historical suppression. “For example, sauna culture was persecuted by the church as heretical. This growing international wellness trend survived here because Estonians are probably the most resilient nation in Europe” he noted, referring to its history in defending its nation against all other Vikings, Germans, Russians, and even the Pope of Rome, longer than any other nation in mediaeval Europe.
Festival-like experience with grand vision
The HOLOLIFE Summit will feature multiple containers that create different zones of experience, including impressive stage designs, art galleries, holistic spa experiences, a sanctuary space for embodied practices, and recovery lounges with DJs, hands-on activities, and musical performances. The event culminates with the HOLOLIFE Party, featuring the Estonian HAUX HAUX conscious community and headlined by a DJ who is also a medical doctor, in a venue that serves no alcohol and celebrates life. The HOLOLIFE Summit is set to shatter all expectations of what a health conference should look like: “I’ve been to all kinds of health and medical conferences, and often the environment, food, and drinks served are the most unhealthy things you can imagine consuming.”
“HOLOLIFE Summits have a festival feel: a transformative, community-driven experience,” Arina explained. “With events, people rarely remember who spoke or what the topic was, but they remember how they felt – transformation happens when information and practice connect to emotions.”
This experiential approach reflects Arina’s larger ambition: “My vision for HOLOLIFE is insanely big; it’s beyond just conferences or transformative health technologies – maybe even beyond my lifetime.” He invoked the example of Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona, still under construction centuries after its inception, as emblematic of the multi-generational thinking he aspires to. He believes every entrepreneur should create something that outlives them and their business.
Three converging trends
The HOLOLIFE concept integrates three dominant cultural trends:
- wellness (achieving optimal fitness and vitality)
- conscious awareness (making mindful choices for collective well-being)
- thoughtful application of health data, AI, and technology
Arina views technology not as separate from human evolution but intrinsically connected. “Technology and AI are extensions of our collective consciousness, driving human progress and offering new ways to connect, understand, and evolve together,” he comments.
As the HOLOLIFE summit prepares to welcome participants from over 60 countries, Arina’s rebranding signals not just a new event name but a comprehensive rethinking of wellness culture, biohacking and health optimization spanning over a decade.
HOLOLIFE may as well be the next chapter in how we approach personal development, longevity, and collective human potential for years to come. Everyone is welcome, from medical doctors to scientists, technologists and holistic practitioners, to define together what it may look like.
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