Why we built this

For years, Brian trained for the most extreme environments on Earth — base camps at altitude, summit pushes in minus-40 conditions, months of preparation followed by days of absolute physical depletion. He learned everything conventional sports science had to offer. And he still felt like something was missing. The missing piece wasn't more training. It was recovery — specifically, the kind of deep, cellular-level restoration that conventional recovery methods couldn't reach. Sound. Light. Electromagnetic frequency. The body's own natural rhythms, supported and amplified rather than fought.

Vanessa was on a parallel path. Her father suffered from chronic illness, and two siblings from addiction. She saw the toll and spent her early years deeply immersed in learning how nutrition, wellness, and therapeutic living can support a body broken. Three decades of study in Ayurvedic medicine, yoga, and mindfulness had shown her that the ancient wisdom traditions had always understood what modern neuroscience is only now confirming: the body heals in stillness, in resonance, in harmony.

The Sound Mind & Body Studio is where those two paths converge. Built for people who push their limits — and for people who simply want to feel like themselves again

Who we are

Two men standing on snow in mountaineering gear, both giving thumbs up, dressed in colorful insulated jackets and pants, with snow boots, sunglasses, and beanies.

Brian Block

Before Brian Block was a wellness coach, he was a mountaineer. He is the first Iowan to complete the Seven Summits — climbing the highest peak on every continent, including Mount Everest and the two contested peaks- for a total of nine. That pursuit required decades of extreme physical conditioning, mental resilience under life-threatening conditions, and recovery protocols that most people will never need to think about. Brian thinks about them every day — because they are the foundation of everything he has built.  Today, Brian channels that hard-earned knowledge into wellness coaching and the programs at The Sound Mind & Body Studio. He is a certified Total Well-Being Coach through the Gaja Collective, an integrative program that combines evidence-based coaching, meditation instruction, and Ayurvedic health principles to support transformation across mind, body, and spirit. This training equips him to guide clients in building sustainable habits, managing stress, cultivating clarity, and creating meaningful life change.

Throughout his career, Brian has combined his love of adventure with entrepreneurship and wellness leadership. His experiences training for extreme environments, navigating risk, and pursuing long-term goals give him a practical perspective on resilience, recovery, and peak performance—insights he now brings into his coaching and wellness work.

Today, Brian works with individuals seeking a more aligned, energized, and intentional life. Whether through coaching, wellness programming, or community leadership, his mission is to help others reconnect with their potential, elevate their well-being, and live with greater purpose.

Brian on the summit of Mt Vincent, 2012

A smiling man with sunglasses resting on his head taking a selfie outdoors during sunset. Behind him, there are residential buildings with tiled roofs, greenery, a river, and hills in the distance.

Costa Rica reset, 2022

A woman with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a nose piercing smiling while sitting on a plush beige chair in a room with pink walls and a wooden side table with a small plant and a lamp.

Vanessa Block

Vanessa Block is a wellness practitioner, entrepreneur, and operations leader dedicated to helping people reconnect with balance, resilience, and sustainable well-being.

With more than two decades of experience leading complex programs, building organizations, and managing cross-functional teams, Vanessa brings a grounded, practical perspective to the world of holistic health. Her professional background spans leadership roles in global outdoor and performance brands, where she specialized in strategy, operations, and relationship-driven leadership.

Alongside her corporate career, Vanessa has pursued an extensive path of study in holistic wellness and personal transformation. She is a Certified Ayurvedic Health Coach through the Gaja Collective, where she trained in traditional Ayurvedic principles, lifestyle medicine, and integrative health coaching. Her training focuses on helping individuals understand their unique constitution and create sustainable routines that support energy, resilience, and long-term health.

Vanessa is also a Radiant Warrior Yoga Instructor, trained through the Yoga Farm Ithaca, where she studied meditation, breathwork, and mindfulness practices designed to cultivate inner clarity, emotional balance, and deeper connection to self. She is currently pursuing certifications and on-going education specifically in women’s health, menopause, and neuroscience.

Her approach blends ancient wisdom traditions with modern life demands—helping clients create practical, sustainable changes that support physical health, mental clarity, and emotional well-being.

As co-founder of Sound Mind and Body Studio, Vanessa focuses on creating experiences and environments that support restoration, nervous system regulation, and whole-person wellness. Her work is centered on helping people slow down, reconnect, and build a foundation for long-term vitality.

A family of seven posing on a city outdoor balcony, with brick buildings behind them. The group includes three boys, two girls, a man holding a baby, and a woman. They are all smiling and casually dressed.

Brian and Vanessa have 5 wild and active kids. They love to explore, learn, and travel alongside their children. You will find them on the slopes, at a mountain lake on paddleboards, coursing down a river, at the local driving range, or scaling rocks and bagging peaks around Utah and beyond.

Contact us

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