How Rangan Chatterjee is seeking the secret to better living

When Rangan Chatterjee launched his hit podcast Feel Better, Live More in 2018, he thought he was late to the party. What he didn’t realize at the time was that this would mark the beginning of an unexpected transformation – from doctor to entrepreneur.

Today, the series is the most listened-to health podcast in the United Kingdom and Europe, reaching nearly two million people weekly, and Chatterjee has built a thriving wellness empire far beyond the clinic walls.

"It was probably quite obvious to others that I was building a business," Chatterjee tells The CEO Magazine. "But as a National Health Service [NHS] doctor, there was a slight discomfort for me to actually think that. How can this be a business? I’m just trying to help people."

Yet the numbers didn’t lie. The podcast was a growing operation. There were writers, sound engineers and camera crews – a team of people relying on him.

"I have to run this as an effective business so I can look after my people. That’s how they feed their families, and I take that very seriously," he notes.

Although he now embraces his role as an entrepreneur, albeit a reluctant one, the bestselling author admits the branding and business mindset only kicked in recently.

"I didn’t even know what ‘building a personal brand’ meant," Chatterjee says. "I was quite literally an NHS doctor, frustrated with the way I was being asked to practice medicine."

Medicine reimagined

After graduating from Edinburgh Medical School in 2001, Chatterjee initially gravitated toward kidney medicine. But it wasn’t long before he felt boxed in.

"I didn’t want to just see kidneys," he says with a laugh. "I wanted to see the whole body and how every symptom and every part connected."

This systems-based curiosity would eventually become the foundation of his holistic approach. But at the time, it mostly led to disillusionment.

"I was frustrated that we were just suppressing symptoms, usually with pharmaceuticals," Chatterjee explains. "Now that certainly has a role, there’s no question, but I think we overuse that approach."

The tipping point came during a particularly draining day in general practice, after he had seen around 50 patients.

"I looked at the list and thought, ‘How many people did I really help today?’

"Hand on heart, I thought maybe 20 percent. Sure, I was polite, professional and compassionate, but I hadn’t gotten to the root cause. I knew they’d be back. And that’s when I realized I couldn’t do this for the next 40 years – that’s not why I became a doctor."

That realization sparked a slow but steady pivot out of traditional medicine.

"I can see clearly now, but at the time, it didn’t make much sense," he says. "In my holidays, I started to travel, attend conferences and learn from experts around the world – people teaching things I never learned in medical school."

As he applied what he was learning, he found his patients were getting better.

"I was using less medication than ever before. And that’s the approach I’ve been taking for many years now, which led to the TV work, the books, the podcast. But all those things were secondary. My primary desire has always been: I want to help people," he adds.

Purpose over popularity

This altruistic mission acted as Chatterjee’s north star, guiding him from one opportunity to the next.

"I wanted to pursue my passion and follow my desire to help people. That’s what led me to changing the way I practice medicine. That’s what led to the TV show," he explains.

"I didn’t go looking for a TV show, but my change led to the BBC One series, Doctor in the House, in 2015, which is still one of my proudest accomplishments. I helped a lady reverse her type 2 diabetes in 30 days – something that, at the time, was deemed irreversible. I did that through nutrition, lifestyle and mindset. Then that led to the book deals, which led to the podcast."

Had he sought fame and fortune, with a mission to help others secondary, Chatterjee believes his life would look – and feel – very different now.

"For me, the goal was never to be famous. The goal was to help lots of people. A side effect of that goal is a lot of people end up knowing who I am," he explains.

He cautions against doing that in reverse, desiring fame and fortune above all else.

"There’s a generation now that wants to have a lot of followers for the sake of being well-known and having a lot of followers. And I think that’s a trap – even if you succeed and get lots of followers, if you don’t have any substance behind it, it’s going to break you on the inside. You’re really going to struggle," he advises.

"Having a big personal brand can either destroy you or be the fastest form of self-growth you’ve ever had. For me, it’s been the fastest form of self-growth."

Healthy habit prescription

While social media has turned the health space into a noisy, sometimes vicious battleground, Chatterjee continues to ground his work in simplicity and empowerment.

"There are so many debates and arguments on social media," he says. "Take the lens of diet, for example. People are viciously fighting over whether they should be low-carb or keto, or vegan or plant-based."

Even expert advice can feel contradictory, he says.

"You could get a Harvard doctor recommending low carb for mental health and an Oxford doctor recommending plant-based for the same condition," he admits. "People tell me, ‘I’m so confused, I don’t know who to trust.’

"But in 2025, that’s the wrong question. The more helpful question is: Why do I no longer trust myself?"

Chatterjee recommends people tap into their body’s innate wisdom – an approach he expands upon in his latest book, Make Change That Lasts, published by Penguin Life.

"Try a diet for four weeks. Pay attention to your mood, energy, sleep, relationships, focus and bloating. Then try another. You’ll know what works for you," he says.

‘Fast’ advice

While diet is often the focus, Chatterjee is quick to point out that when we eat is just as crucial. Research shows most Americans eat over a span of 15-plus hours each day.

"This is a relatively new phenomenon. For most of humanity, we’ve had a 12-hour break every 24 hours, which we now call fasting. It used to be the norm," he explains.

Circadian rhythm plays a major role, and eating at the wrong times – even healthy foods – can impact health.

"Even if you’re eating olives, but it’s your 15th hour of eating, it’s probably not the best thing for you," Chatterjee points out.

The same goes for sleep.

"People who are sleep deprived make poor business decisions, they make poor food decisions, they eat more junk food, they’re more likely to turn to alcohol or extra caffeine, and they’re less able to resist temptation," he says.

And while longer fasts may offer benefits, including improvements in sleep, energy, gut function, blood sugar control, mood and more, he cautions against turning self-care into competition.

"High performers tend to think, if fasting for 12 hours is good, then 14 or 18 must be better. Some people can thrive on one meal a day – but it’s not for everyone. We don’t need to go to extremes," he says.

Letting go and leading

Now 47, Chatterjee also avoids the extremes of years past, no longer running himself into the ground, moving from project to project without pause. Instead, he’s focused on being the best version of himself – and encourages others to do the same.

"A lot of people tell me they followed my advice and got rid of their depression or diabetes, but they can’t get their loved ones to listen. They ask, ‘How can I change them?’ You can’t," he says.

"My philosophy is to be the change you want to see in the world. Be the change you want to see in the people around you. Show up healthy, full of energy, calm and with low stress levels, and the people around you are going to notice. They’ll want some of what you’re having."

That’s the approach he takes when it comes to creating meaningful transformation – in individuals, in medicine and in business. And a big part of that transformation, he says, comes down to how stress and burnout is managed.

"The people who thrive understand that most of the stress in our life is not external – it’s internal. It’s this idea that most situations are really neutral, but our perspective determines the outcome for us," Chatterjee explains.

"Think of the driver who cuts you off in traffic. They didn’t cause your stress. Instead, it was your response to the situation that caused you stress. When you truly absorb and understand that, your life will start to change."

Prisons of the mind

This shift in perspective came after a conversation that still stands out to him today.

"We re-released this for episode 500 of my podcast because it’s probably my favorite of all time," he reveals.

"It was with a lady who was 93 at the time, called Edith Eger. She was sent to Auschwitz at 16 years old, and both of her parents were murdered within two hours of arriving. Not only did she survive, but she’s forgiven. She’s let go. She’s moved on," Chatterjee says.

"One of the things she told me in that conversation was, ‘Rangan, I have lived in Auschwitz, and I can tell you the greatest prison is the prison you create inside your own mind.’"

That was the turning point.

"The penny dropped for me that day," he says. "I thought, that’s what we all do. We create these mental prisons, thinking the driver who cut us off or the person who sent the annoying email is the cause of our stress.

"But they’re not – because if every external event were truly responsible, then everyone who experiences the event would feel the same way. And they don’t, so it must be our response."

After that conversation, Chatterjee says he began a nightly practice of self-reflection.

"Once my kids are in bed, I ask myself, ‘Where did you get triggered or feel stress from something out of your control?’ Instead of blaming, I dig deeper, asking, ‘What did that bring up for you? Why did it create stress?’

"This practice has changed my life," he says with a smile. "Most of the time I just don’t allow stuff to stress me anymore – at least, not in the way they used to. I encourage anyone to go back and listen to this episode. Hearing it directly from her is so powerful."

After touring the United Kingdom earlier this year, Rangan Chatterjee is heading to Australia in July and will be taking to the stage in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Click here to book tickets to this highly anticipated event.