The Next Blue Zone? | Dan Buettner & Jaime Wesolowski

Steven Cavazos on October 13, 2026

Originally published by The Health Curve podcast.
 
In this episode of The Health Curve, host Dr. Jason Arora sits down with Blue Zones Founder, National Geographic Fellow, three-time Emmy winner, and NYT bestselling author Dan Buettner, alongside Jaime Wesolowski, President and CEO of Methodist Healthcare Ministries (MHM). Together, they explore what it takes to engineer a healthier population from the ground up through environmental transformation. The Blue Zones approach studies global communities with the longest-lived people, and utilizes those findings to transform local environments and municipal policies, with the goal of making the healthy choice the easy choice. Dan and Jaime share details on their project to create the next ‘Blue Zone’ in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, a region facing severe health disparities and high rates of chronic disease. Drawing from Dan’s decades of research and Jaime’s leadership in health equity, the conversation covers how neighborhood-level engagement drives policy adoption, why changing default options creates lasting population health gains, and how lessons from Costa Rica’s basic health teams can shift healthcare upstream. From leveraging trusted Gallup metrics to celebrating traditional heritage diets, this episode outlines a practical model for community-driven health transformation.

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The Roots of Well-Being: Leading with Purpose: Lessons from Aspen Healthy Communities Fellows

Steven Cavazos on October 7, 2026

The Aspen Healthy Communities Fellows (HCF) program is designed to strengthen leadership skills and provided tailored support to leaders across the country. The program is part of the Aspen Global Innovators Group (AGI) and Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. (MHM), has been a longtime supporter of this initiative.

In this episode of The Roots of Well-Being, we hear from past fellows as they discuss how their experiences fueled their passion for leadership and strengthened their commitment to serving their communities. Watch the full episode below.

To learn more about the Roots of Well-Being, click here.

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Jaime Wesoloski

President & Chief Executive Officer

Jaime Wesolowski is the President and Chief Executive Officer at Methodist Healthcare Ministries. A healthcare executive with three decades of leadership experience, Jaime is responsible for the overall governance and direction of Methodist Healthcare Ministries. Jaime earned his Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration from Xavier University, and his Bachelor’s of Science from Indiana University in Healthcare Administration. As a cancer survivor, Jaime is a staunch supporter of the American Cancer Society. He serves as Chair of the American Cancer Society’s South Texas Area board of directors and he was appointed as Chair to the recently created South Region Advisory Cabinet, covering eight states from Arizona through Alabama. Jaime believes his personal experience as a cancer survivor has given him more defined insight and compassion to the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of patients and their families.