FOUNDER'S STORY

Russ and Kaye Allen

My last photo with mom

The day my brothers Steve and Dave and I spread mom’s

ashes near Angel Island in the SF Bay

Quick background: I was the child of Elizabeth Allen, Mom overcame her waist down polio paralysis enough to conceive me. My life journey has been guided by Mom's triumph.

I went to University California Berkeley. In my junior year I had 2 roommates who along with being full time students were pioneers in the path of a severely disabled person mainstreaming, Tim and Bill were trauma quadriplegics. Bill was injured in a High School football game and Tim was injured in a car wreck. Our deal was I was the house Dad and did the support tasks of keeping the house working and when needed providing attended care to get their day going. The experience taught me life lessons I still employ. Living 24/7 with my roommates revealed they had the same hopes and desires as me, their disability was only an obstacle.

I left college in my senior year to found a food bank in East Oakland Project volunteer, which I served for 7 years as its Exec Director, Project Volunteer operated for 21 years distributing millions of pounds of food locally and internationally. I met my wife of 45 years Kaye during my term at PV . We have 4 adult children and 5 Grandchildren.

My last photo with mom

The day my brothers Steve and Dave and I spread mom’s ashes near Angel Island in the SF Bay

Quick background: I was the child of Elizabeth Allen, Mom overcame her waist down polio paralysis enough to conceive me. My life journey has been guided by Mom's triumph.

I went to University California Berkeley. In my junior year I had 2 roommates who along with being full time students were pioneers in the path of a severely disabled person mainstreaming, Tim and Bill were trauma quadriplegics. Bill was injured in a High School football game and Tim was injured in a car wreck. Our deal was I was the house Dad and did the support tasks of keeping the house working and when needed providing attended care to get their day going. The experience taught me life lessons I still employ. Living 24/7 with my roommates revealed they had the same hopes and desires as me, their disability was only an obstacle.

I left college in my senior year to found a food bank in East Oakland Project volunteer, which I served for 7 years as its Exec Director, Project Volunteer operated for 21 years distributing millions of pounds of food locally and internationally. I met my wife of 45 years Kaye during my term at PV . We have 4 adult children and 5 Grandchildren.

When I left UC Berkeley in my senior year, I spent the next 7 years living a monk-like life and served as a Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Project Volunteer Food Bank. We operated in the East Oakland community and eventually expanded our efforts internationally. These action shots are of Kaye and I working together to distribute food to our local East Oakland community.

Every year we held an awards banquet that honored the service of our volunteers. The pictures on the left are of that banquet and our activities. Over the 7 years that I served as the Executive Director of Project Volunteer, we distributed millions of pounds of healthy food to our local community in East Oakland, around the State of California, and Internationally to disaster areas.

When I left UC Berkeley in my senior year, I spent the next 7 years living a monk-like life and served as a Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Project Volunteer Food Bank. We operated in the East Oakland community and eventually expanded our efforts internationally. These action shots are of Kaye and I working together to distribute food to our local East Oakland community.

Every year we held an awards banquet that honored the service of our volunteers. The pictures on the left are of that banquet and our activities. Over the 7 years that I served as the Executive Director of Project Volunteer, we distributed millions of pounds of healthy food to our local community in East Oakland, around the State of California, and Internationally to disaster areas.

Kaye and Russ Allen have gone individual journeys in our optimizing our weight and wellness. Along the way, we’ve shared what we’ve learned with each other and many others. Kaye was an attorney for 40 years dealing with a high stress job and using food as a reward and stress relief.

Russ was the owner of several businesses and faced tremendous pressures from running a businesses with 75 employees and making payroll, covering taxes and all of the sales needed to make the company successful.

Russ and Kaye’s Journey Begins in Death Valley, CA.

Together they raised a family that now has four adult children and five grandchildren. Along the way our health suffered. At the center of the suffering was our obesity. Kaye had a 40+ year career as a lawyer and Legal Administrator for Not for Profits. Her experience and expertise will guide the future of the Wellness Institute .

Russ learned from a cardiologist how to use a meal replacement program to lose over 50 pounds. He then went on to coach as Director of the NFL Alumni Wellness Challenge over 25 former NFL athletes and their families how to succeed in their weight loss with our average participant in the wellness challenge losing at least 35 lb.

Using nutritional, lifestyle, and coaching methods

Following a surgery Kaye determined that she would address her weight issue and over the course of 10 months lost 70 lb. Given our age these were substantial amounts of weight. And at no time did we use medications.

Now today those medications are readily available and we are excited to support anyone who’s lost weight using them and everyone who is looking to lose weight with or without them. We offer a wellweight and train our clients to focus beyond the number on the scale and dig deeper into body composition where the real story is told.

Wellness is a function of optimizing all of the key variables in your body’s metabolism not a single variable like the number on a scale. Our approach is to use red light therapy as the catalyst that reduces the barrier to success you face and achieving your wellness and weight goals. We’ve been fortunate to develop our company Optimal Wellness around this goal and look forward to working with you on your journey.

Kaye and Russ Allen have gone individual journeys in our optimizing our weight and wellness. Along the way, we’ve shared what we’ve learned with each other and many others. Kaye was an attorney for 40 years dealing with a high stress job and using food as a reward and stress relief.

Russ was the owner of several businesses and faced tremendous pressures from running a businesses with 75 employees and making payroll, covering taxes and all of the sales needed to make the company successful.

Russ and Kaye’s Journey Begins in Death Valley, CA.

Together they raised a family that now has four adult children and five grandchildren. Along the way our health suffered. At the center of the suffering was our obesity. Kaye had a 40+ year career as a lawyer and Legal Administrator for Not for Profits. Her experience and expertise will guide the future of the Wellness Institute .

Russ learned from a cardiologist how to use a meal replacement program to lose over 50 pounds. He then went on to coach as Director of the NFL Alumni Wellness Challenge over 25 former NFL athletes and their families how to succeed in their weight loss with our average participant in the wellness challenge losing at least 35 lb.

Using nutritional, lifestyle, and coaching methods

Following a surgery Kaye determined that she would address her weight issue and over the course of 10 months lost 70 lb. Given our age these were substantial amounts of weight. And at no time did we use medications.

Now today those medications are readily available and we are excited to support anyone who’s lost weight using them and everyone who is looking to lose weight with or without them. We offer a wellweight and train our clients to focus beyond the number on the scale and dig deeper into body composition where the real story is told.

Wellness is a function of optimizing all of the key variables in your body’s metabolism not a single variable like the number on a scale. Our approach is to use red light therapy as the catalyst that reduces the barrier to success you face and achieving your wellness and weight goals. We’ve been fortunate to develop our company Optimal Wellness around this goal and look forward to working with you on your journey.

My Experience Coaching NFL Greats

Our NY Team Left to right:

Lee Rouson, Michel Faulkner Russ and Bart Oates

Lee Rouson lost over 40lbs using

meal replacement and coaching

My AZ Team!

Before Mike Bankston, Darryl Clack and Sidney Justin

Our Arizona Team lost over 250lbs

My AZ Team!

Before Mike Bankston, Darryl Clack and Sidney Justin

Our Arizona Team lost over 250lbs

Richard Walker

I met Richard at the LVI Super Bowl. He told me he wanted to lose weight before his wedding. We worked together and over the next 2 years, Richard lost over 120 lbs. He invited me to be a groomsman at the wedding of Minnie and Richard.

Richard passed in Nov 2024 and we miss him everyday.

Richard Walker

I met Richard at the LVI Super Bowl. He told me he wanted to lose weight before his wedding. We worked together and over the next 2 years, Richard lost over 120 lbs. He invited me to be a groomsman at the wedding of Minnie and Richard.

Richard passed in Nov 2024 and we miss him everyday.

Russ’ Media Appearances:

The Dr. Oz Show

NYC Health Commissioner

Tackle Obesity receives NYC Proclamation

Tackle Obesity Month in NYC

NYC Health Commissioner Dr Vasan

With NFLA Ottis Anderson SB XXV MVP

NYC Health Commissioner

Tackle Obesity receives NYC Proclamation

Tackle Obesity Month in NYC

NYC Health Commissioner Dr Vasan

With NFLA Ottis Anderson SB XXV MVP

Brandon McKenney

Brandon McKenney is currently serving as the District Ranger for the Mogollon Rim Ranger District within the Coconino National Forest. A proud Navy veteran, Brandon served for a decade as a Navy Corpsman, deploying multiple times to Iraq and Afghanistan with Marine Corps infantry and artillery units. He concluded his military career in 2016 as an Amphibious Reconnaissance Corpsman, holding both jump and dive qualifications.

After transitioning from the military, Brandon earned his degree in Criminology from the University of Arkansas, where he also interned at the Terrorism Research Center. He has since dedicated his career to public service, working for the Department of Veterans Affairs, the State of Arizona, and now the U.S. Forest Service.

Brandon is passionate about supporting fellow veterans and fostering wellness through community, nature, and service. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, exploring new places and cultures, and working on his rural property overlooking the Grand Canyon.

Brandon McKenney

Brandon McKenney is currently serving as the District Ranger for the Mogollon Rim Ranger District within the Coconino National Forest. A proud Navy veteran, Brandon served for a decade as a Navy Corpsman, deploying multiple times to Iraq and Afghanistan with Marine Corps infantry and artillery units. He concluded his military career in 2016 as an Amphibious Reconnaissance Corpsman, holding both jump and dive qualifications.

After transitioning from the military, Brandon earned his degree in Criminology from the University of Arkansas, where he also interned at the Terrorism Research Center. He has since dedicated his career to public service, working for the Department of Veterans Affairs, the State of Arizona, and now the U.S. Forest Service.

Brandon is passionate about supporting fellow veterans and fostering wellness through community, nature, and service. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, exploring new places and cultures, and working on his rural property overlooking the Grand Canyon.