Meet Daniel Lowry, CEO & Co-Founder of SANAMethod

"We have nearly 500 members and over 2000 patients on the books. To think about all those health benefits permeating through the community brings me a lot of satisfaction."

Get to know Daniel Lowry, CEO & Co-Founder of SANAMethod. Discover his love of sport, fitness and helping others hit their stride.

What inspired you to work in the health and wellness space? Was there a defining moment that set you on this path?

In all honesty I was just terrible at school. Totally unable to sit still or focus on the more cerebral subjects. I had a real aptitude for PE and sports though and that led me down the eventual path of the fitness industry.

If you weren’t running the larger SANAMethod brand, what do you think you’d be doing instead?

It would definitely be something else health and wellness related. I get a real kick out of helping to inspire people to make big changes in this part of their life. While I’m not working directly with clients these days, building the systems and mentoring others to do it on my behalf is very fulfilling. 

What’s one piece of advice you would give to your younger self when thinking about your career options?

Do what you enjoy and do it well, the rest will work itself out with time and experience.

What do you find most rewarding about running SANAMethod?

It has to be the reach. One of my career mentors said to me "The more people you help, the better you’ll do". This is certainly the case and a guiding principle I live by. We have nearly 500 members and over 2000 patients on the books. To think about all those health benefits permeating through the community brings me a lot of satisfaction.

Can you share a memorable client interaction that reinforced why you love your job?

I was actually at a social event recently and I met a lady who after a bit of small talk asked me what I do. When I told her about being one of the founders of this business, she said “Oh I’m a customer there, it’s great, truly one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself and it’s changed my life”. These kinds of interactions are not uncommon and they put a real pep in my step to know we’re making such a difference.

What aspect of your work brings you the most joy?

Seeing people succeed but also in seeing our staff enjoy the work they do.

Why did you start SANAMethod and where do you spend your days?

Well I really do have to give Dr Ralph the credit for the initial idea. He came to me and said that weight loss medications are going to be a big deal, but there needs to be a better service developed for guiding people along the path for best outcomes when using them. That turned into an exercise in ‘how do we best do that?’, resulting in what you see today. Most of my time is spent on running the business, as well as the franchising side of things so that we can maximise our reach and impact. I do this from our head office at Magnet Court.

What’s something unique about SANAMethod that makes it a great place to work?

There are so many smart people and great minds working within our organisation. I love talking with the doctors and listening to their insights, the fellow owners are great people and amazing partners in business, on the occasions I’m in the clinics it’s always good to talk with our clients too. Hearing their personal wins is a great thing to experience, such a positive culture to be a part of.

How does working here support your growth?

It gives me an amazing vehicle to help as many people as I possibly can. We have a goal to open 100 franchises in Australia, which would mean that our idea is helping more than 30,000 people at any one point in time (and many more than that overall).

What’s the work culture like at SANAMethod Clinics?

Positive, fun, and exciting on the daily.

How does SANAMethod help you maintain a good work-life balance?

Lol, it doesn’t. I’m a business owner. That comes with the understanding that work/life balance is the first thing to go. It’s all good though, I’m happy to bear that cross as we’re doing lots of good along the way.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

Time with my family, golf (I’m obsessed), reading about history and geopolitics.

If you could have dinner with any historical or medical figure, who would it be and why?

William Buckley (1780–1856) – The "Wild White Man" An escaped convict who lived with the Wathaurong people for 32 years. You’d be fascinated by his adaptive mindset, physical resilience, and the cross-cultural learning he embraced long before it was respected. He was a British convict who escaped Tasmania and lived with the Wathaurong Aboriginal people (who lived between Geelong, Western Melbourne and as far north as Ballarat) for 32 years, becoming fluent in their language and fully integrated into their culture. Imagine the stories he’d tell!!!!

What’s a book, podcast or hobby that has had a big impact on you?

Podcasting in general has been a massive part of my life and success to this point. I didn’t finish year 12 but have been the beneficiary of the democratisation of information, learning so much from various history, business and self development podcasts. It’s hard to narrow it down but the books and philosophical podcasts of Sam Harris have been of note. He’s a voice of reason and critical thinking during a time that’s become more and more extreme ideologically.

Other podcasts of note would be:

• The Game, Alex Hormozi

• The Harvard Business review

• The Huberman Lab podcast

My top three books (in no particular order):

• The Four Agreements by Don Miduel Ruiz

• You’re It, by Alan Watts

• The Gulag Archipelago by Alexksandr Solzhenitsyn

Do you have a hidden talent or passion that surprises people?

I like to invent nicknames for people I get close to. It’s not usually confined to just one name either, I like at least 3-4 that I can cycle through.