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About Brains and Brawn

Origin Story

  

Brains & Brawn Human Performance Optimization was born at the intersection of two demanding worlds: high-performance medicine and elite athletics.

Its founders spent three years working side by side in the medical industry, growing a complex spine and pain program in environments that demanded constant travel, long hours, and peak performance under pressure. Medical conferences became a shared proving ground, days packed with learning, networking, decision-making, and standing on concrete floors from dawn until night. The physical fatigue was real. The cognitive load was relentless.

Through countless conversations between sessions and late evenings after conference days, a realization took shape: success in these environments isn’t driven by intellect or physical endurance alone. It’s driven by the integration of both.

One founder comes from the neuro-medical world, deeply immersed in the science of the nervous system, performance under stress, and the biological foundations of human optimization. The other brings the mindset and discipline forged as a former Division I football athlete, where preparation, recovery, and mental resilience are the difference between average and elite.

Together, they recognized a gap. High-performing professionals, whether clinicians, executives, or athletes, are expected to operate at elite levels without systems designed to support the nervous system, physical durability, and mental clarity required to sustain that performance.

Brains & Brawn was created to close that gap.

The brand represents a unified approach to human performance, where neurological readiness, mental resilience, and physical capacity are trained together, not in isolation. It’s about preparing the body to support the brain, and the brain to lead the body, in the environments that demand the most from us.

What started as a shared insight between colleagues became a mission to help high performers show up sharper, stronger, and more resilient: day after day, conference after conference, season after season.

Brains & Brawn isn’t just a name.

It’s a philosophy forged from experience, science, and elite performance culture.

About Us


Eric Smith, MD is a board certified neurointerventional radiologist with expertise in minimally invasive procedures of the brain, head, neck, and spine. Dr. Smith completed diagnostic radiology residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin, followed by diagnostic and interventional neuroradiology fellowships at the University of California, San Francisco. He currently is the medical director of the Neurointerventional Surgery service in Boise, Idaho. 

  

Zach Rupp is a results-driven professional with a background in elite athletics and over 15 years of experience in medical sales. He played collegiate football at The University of New Mexico and went on to compete for three years in Arena Football.

After his football career, Zach became a personal trainer and competitive Strongman, winning Kansas Strongest Man three consecutive years. He competed nationally, finishing 3rd in the United States, and qualified for The Arnold Sports Festival, competing against top strongmen from around the world.

He later transitioned into medical sales, where he applies the discipline, resilience, and performance mindset developed through elite competition to succeed in high-performance environments.

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