The Lab Results Behind an Entrepreneur Who “Lost His Edge”

Why dopamine depletion and nutrient deficiencies, not mindset, may be the real reason you’re feeling off

He Thought He Was Burnt Out. The Truth Was Deeper.

This client came to me with a familiar story:

• Low motivation

• Scattered focus

• Scrolling > working

• Waking up tired

• Quick to irritate

• Relying on sugar, caffeine, or nicotine just to function

He wasn’t disengaged from his business, he loved what he did. He just couldn’t keep up. And for high-performing entrepreneurs, that disconnect is devastating.

What we discovered in his lab work confirmed what he already suspected: He wasn’t lazy. He was running on fumes.

Years of Pushing Finally Caught Up

Long hours. High stress. Constant output.
Eventually, the body can’t keep up with the demand. His system was depleted across every level: hormones, neurotransmitters, nutrients, and gut function.

Here’s what his labs revealed—and how they explained every one of his symptoms.

1. His Cortisol Curve Was Flatlined

Adrenal exhaustion is real—and measurable.

Functional hormone testing showed a severely blunted cortisol pattern:

• Low on waking → grogginess and lack of motivation

• Low mid-morning → poor mental stamina

• Afternoon crash → brain fog, cravings, and fatigue

• Flat at night → disrupted sleep and poor recovery

He wasn’t waking up restored or able to sustain focus. His energy system was tapped.

2. His Dopamine Was Tanked

Dopamine is your motivation molecule—and his was depleted.

Urine neurotransmitter testing revealed:

• Low homovanillate (HVA): dopamine metabolite

• Low vanilmandelate (VMA): norepinephrine/epinephrine metabolite

This explained his inability to feel drive, follow through on tasks, or get that momentum spark back.

Dopamine depletion in entrepreneurs looks like:

• Mental fatigue

• Difficulty focusing

• Low tolerance to stress

• Craving stimulation (sugar, nicotine, dopamine hits from scrolling)

3. His Brain and Body Were Nutrient Deprived

We found suboptimal levels of:

• Vitamin B12

• Folate

• Vitamin D

These nutrients are essential for:

• Neurotransmitter synthesis (dopamine, serotonin, etc.)

• Methylation and nervous system repair

• Emotional regulation and energy metabolism

He wasn’t producing the raw biochemical ingredients for performance.

4. His Gut Was Inflamed and Sabotaging Him

The gut-brain axis is real. In his case, it was inflamed and depleted.

• Calprotectin: 534 (normal < 173) = major gut inflammation

• Critically low Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes = wiped-out microbiome

Without those bacteria, he couldn’t:

• Absorb nutrients

• Reduce systemic inflammation

• Support dopamine regulation

• Recover from stress

His brain fog wasn’t a mystery. It was a microbiome problem.

The Big Takeaway: Symptoms Are Signals

Brain fog, low energy, and lack of motivation aren’t character flaws. They’re your body throwing up red flags.

When we ran his labs, we found:

• Depleted neurotransmitters

• Missing nutrients

• Chronic inflammation

• Hormone and gut dysfunction

Once we had the data, I built him a custom precision protocol to correct these issues at the root. Within weeks, his energy returned, his focus snapped back online, and his drive reignited.

When your biology is aligned, high performance becomes effortless.

Ready to See What’s Going On in Your System?

If you’ve been operating at 50% and blaming yourself— stop. Your brain isn’t broken. Your system is likely just depleted.

Schedule your free strategy call and I’ll show you:

• The exact labs we use

• What we look for

• And how we rebuild your system from the inside out