In this episode of the Full Throttle Leaders podcast, host Michael Falato interviews Alex Fredericks, founder of ToneWell. Alex explains ToneWell’s core technology: a 30‑second voice recording is processed by an algorithm that extracts thousands of biomarkers, delivering a personalized wellness report in under five minutes. He outlines the company’s two‑pronged business model – a direct‑to‑consumer service that helps individuals address weight, stress, sleep, and general well‑being, and an enterprise side that supplies raw voice‑derived data to corporate wellness programs and tele‑medicine practitioners, positioning ToneWell as a medical‑adjacent analytics tool rather than a diagnostic entity. Alex recounts his eclectic background, from launching ~60 consumer packaged goods (including music‑related products and collaborations with Beyoncé) to working with wellness technologies like PEMF, and how his understanding of frequency from music informed the voice‑biomarker concept. He shares his jiu‑jitsu journey, describing how the sport’s strategic “flow with the go” mindset shaped his approach to business and life. Alex also discusses a pivotal fundraising decision: he turned down a large clinical‑focused investor to stay true to a broader well‑being vision, emphasizing the importance of aligning with the audience’s needs. The conversation veers into personal interests – his love for portrait art (Gustav Klimt), diverse music tastes (Blues Traveler, Rakim, Harry Styles), and the role of LinkedIn in networking. The episode closes with contact information for both Alex (tonewell.co, LinkedIn) and Michael (top‑of‑funnel services).
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All right, everybody, great news today. I got Alex Fredericks from Tonewell. Um, we're doing a podcast, Full Throttle Leaders, today, and I like Alex because we're both jiu-jitsu black belts. That's the real reason why I got him on here. But no, he has a great company. He just raised money. He's on a lot of my roundtables. Alex, tell us what you do and why you're on the podcast today.
I appreciate you having me on today. So ToneWell takes a 30-second sound clip and we run it through our algorithm and we extrapolate a couple thousand biomarkers that we turn into a wellness report for our customers in under 5 minutes. We like to think that we help people build better relationships with themselves by giving them actionable answers and not just drowning them in more data.
Is it for interviews? Is it for health, like doctors? What's the—
So we are— we are— we have 2 sides of our business. The direct-to-consumer is for the everyman. Whatever your opportunity is and what you see to be your wellness growth, it could be losing weight, it could be managing stress, it could be getting better sleep. It could be just you don't feel well and you don't know why. I, as I just said, I think most people are drowning in data, but they still come up short with 2 really basic questions. Why don't I feel well? Why don't I function well? So what we do is, because voice is timely, it's of the now, um, and it is as accurate as any other test that you're going to come across. Our ability to give you actionable answers in under 5 minutes allows you to make better choices in your life, and those choices. allow you to have better outcome. And, you know, so it's for everybody. And then we have an enterprise side. Our enterprise side is corporate wellness, telemedicine practitioners who we supply the raw data to so they can make diagnostics. We are not a diagnostic company, we're medical adjacent. I like to think of ourselves as a, as a super tool or an analytic, and that's what we're helping you understand and make decisions. Whilst on the enterprise side, we deliver all of the raw data to, you know, the people that can diagnose for you. But diagnostic is a longer form word, meaning you need to make a protocol moving backwards. What's going wrong? I don't want to tell you what's going wrong. I want to tell you what's happening, and they're a little bit different.
And how did you come up with this, and what's your background?
So my background is in consumer packaged goods. I think I have I've brought about 60 products to the market, things that sit on shelves that are in shiny boxes, so to speak.
What's a famous one?
Uh, well, I started in the music business, so there are a couple famous ones there because I think everything's a packaged good, uh, whether you're kind of sod guru or a box of soap, you actually have to fit into a box, literal or proverbial, get on a shelf, literal or proverbial, and somebody has to take you home and brag about it.
Right.
So I have, uh, like I did a, uh, uh, a Paula Abdul stacker product a million years ago. I did phone cards with Beyoncé, you know, like legitimately these things that you're like, oh, I need that. And then you're like, I have a piece of plastic in my hand. What did I really need it for? So I then moved into thought leaders and gurus, still packaging. You're Sadhguru for the UN and you have to have some world whatever, whatever program. Still has to go in a box, still goes on a shelf. Somebody has to take it home and brag to their friends that they're now involved in this UN program with Sadhguru, right?
Right.
So, doing that forever, I moved from what was the green world into the organic world. Organic became wellness. Wellness is now longevity. Those are all sales words. And, when wellness came into vogue, I did a lot of things in wellness technology. I'm really very good at taking the complicated and making it simple. So, on that level, I started working with wellness technology companies, neurofeedback, red light, PEMF, things of that nature. And, because I have a background in music, frequency makes sense to me. I understand signal path and flow. So, about 3 years ago, I ran into a group of technologists that had this amazing product where they were delivering waveform with frequency in it for healing modalities, PEMF. And I said, hey, can't we go the other direction? Meaning, like, can't you take frequency and value what's going wrong? And their answer was, yes, there's about 30-plus years of research. It's just not what we're doing. And myself, as a packaged goods guy, said, okay, that's what I'm going to do. And off to the races we went, and I licensed their technology and spent about 18 months building out the core of the business that is now Tonwell.
And tell me a little bit about your journey in jiu-jitsu. I know we talked about this a little bit.
Sure. So I was a judo guy as a, as a kid. I grew up in New York City and judo was just the sport that I did. I wrestled in high school to get out of gym class kind of stuff.
Well, wait, wait, but I was—
yeah, but I was very good at judo. And then, you know, I went to college and sat on a couch for 20 years, though I have a black belt in American Kenpo for Whatever. Um, I, I was good at katas. Cool. Um, I— and no offense to the Kenpo guys, I don't need any beef. But, uh, when I was like 40, seriously, I'm sitting on my couch and I'm watching my wife go to the gym every day, and I'm not a gym guy. And I said to myself, self, this is not going to end well. You better go do something. So I have worked with athletes, like I've worked with guys like Renzo Gracie over the years.
That's awesome.
Yeah, and like Frank Trigg's a buddy of mine, UFC Hall of Famer, you know what I mean? And I'm this schmuck sitting on a couch and I legitimately just Googled jiu-jitsu near me. There were 2 schools, equidistant, didn't like one of the guys that answered the phone, Loved the other guy that answered the phone. And when I showed up on that same day, I was like, hey, I'm Alex, we spoke on the phone today. And he said, and I quote, I don't care, you won't be here in 2 weeks. And I was like, oh, okay. Well, 14 years later, I still do jiu-jitsu. You know, it just— Fish to water. I love everything about it. I love how demanding it is. I love the chess that it is. I love how high-volume wattage your brain needs to be regardless of thinking about nothing while you're doing it. You're thinking about everything at the exact same time. It couldn't be— I couldn't be more of a fit for it kind of thing.
What's one thing in the last year that you learned that really solved a great problem for you that you'd want to pass on or something that you really failed at and that like, just like in jiu-jitsu, you lost and you learned?
So here's the thing. I actually say this all the time. I'm very fortunate. I failed at a lot of things. They've just never kept me down, period. I really think that a good portion of life is mindset of recognizing things don't work out. And I will learn— I will share something that I learned in jiu-jitsu as a white belt, actually. I'm at a seminar with a guy named Daniel Belize. He was like— he's still— he just won the IBJJF European Pans. Like, Like he's a monster of a guy, an old school jiu-jitsu. And he's at a seminar with us and he says, "Boha, boha, you really gotta learn. You really have to learn how to flow with the go." And I looked at him. I said, "Don't you mean go with the flow?" And he said, "I speak five languages, though broke English. However, I mean what I say, and I know." So I said, "Well, explain please." He said, "Sure, sure, sure. If you go with the flow, you will fall for anything." And he was speaking jiu-jitsu. But if you learn to, if you learn to flow with the go. You will wait for your opportunity regardless of what it takes, and then you will seize it. And I have carried that through life ever since then. It is so important that you don't go running down the hill because everybody else is running down the hill.
Are you the sheep or are you the sheepdog?
Right, exactly. Yeah, right.
I like, I like Yoda's, uh, there is no try, either do you or don't.
Yeah, it's, it's true. So in the last year Like with the advent of AI and all of these things, I try everything. I'm so up to date even though I don't understand it.
But what did you lose at or succeed at in this company that you could— that we're going to learn something right now? Sure.
So here's the thing with Tonewell. I am medical adjacent. There are a lot of companies that are clinically white-papered, millions and millions of dollars in development. And I, and I refuse to go down that road, not because I'm a moron, but because I believe in the audience. And I believe that your audience dictates what it is that you do with them. And there is so much proven fact on what I do that I don't have to be the guy doing that. So I actually lost out on a huge venture whale type person just because I would not do that. And they're like, you're stubborn and a moron. And I had to point out how many companies have died along the path of being specific. So for me, a clinical is like, this painting right here is a woman wearing sunglasses and it's the only thing I can talk about. That's it, period. I can only talk about her. And that's not general wellness to me. I want to be in the well-being business, like What is Michael's sense of well-being? How's— and that's a broad category. So I say that to say I lost a guy that could have written the check. No question. Not a question. However, what I gained from it was the ability to really not just stand my ground and not just do it for that sake, but how to communicate exactly what my company is. Not what you think it is. And I'm only married to my wife. Everything else is a good idea. If you have a better idea, I'm in. However, when you're wrong, and just because you're that person doesn't mean that I have to go that direction. It is exactly what I just said. I am learning how to flow with the go, not just because, oh my God, you're such and such with such and such title from such and such place makes you right. You're not. You don't know my business.
Is that your wife behind you?
No, not at all.
That's—
my wife is behind me, but just not—
What, what is that picture with the, with the blonde?
So I collect, I collect portrait art because I think it's one of the greatest things ever. I think the whole thing is a lie, and I mean that in like the funny way. Like, that's somebody painting their interpretation of the girl that was sitting there, and I'm pretty confident that she did not want her glasses all askewed on her face, but that's the way they saw it. So there's this, like, I love portrait art because of that. There's this weird interaction of, like, what I perceive versus what you want to put off. As a guy that comes out of the music business, I only think there's 2 theories.
What's your favorite, what's your favorite, uh, artist?
My favorite artist is probably Gustav Klimt, just because I think that his, his use of figures is amazing. But again, I'm—
I'm sorry, music.
Oh, sorry. My favorite music artist is completely subjective to the moment in time. So like in the mid-'90s, I was a huge fan of the band Blues Traveler. I also toured a million hip-hop artists. I'll tell you that Rakim is the best of all time. Like I currently listen to— I am— I think that music, like frequency, is the moment in time that you're in. And like, if you're super stagnant not to listen to the next thing, then you're gonna miss the universe giving you some information. Example, I went to go see Project Hail Mary last night, and there was a song in it that's a Harry Styles song. I'm not a Harry Styles fan at all, but the way that it was delivered in the movie was completely out of context to how I've been hearing it. And I actually had to write my nephew this morning, who's a big Harry Styles fan, I apologize for being wrong this whole time. That song's incredible because the way that I heard it in that moment, I went, oh my God, I totally get this.
My favorite song is Hallelujah. It never gets old.
Oh, Hallelujah could never get old because there are a million versions. Jeff Buckley, arguably the best version of it, but Leonard Cohen, who wrote it, version is incredible. And you're like, yeah.
And then Poison by Bel Biv DeVoe.
What? Okay, so I live outside of Philly, right? And I'm a New York City guy, but I have to give credit to Philly and the Philly music scene. And Bell Biv DeVoe is like that.
Boyz II Men, Bell Biv DeVoe.
Yeah, love it. That, that era, like, again, like, I, I grew up in New York and the '90s was— that was the best.
Blackstreet's good. Tupac. Yeah, um, I'm into reggaeton a lot right now, like more, uh, Mark— well, Mark Anthony Salsa, but Maluma and Becky G and Karol G. I don't understand Spanish, but I don't know why.
For many years, I had a business partner named Ellis Pacheco. Shout out to Ellis. And his father's a guy named Johnny Pacheco. And Johnny was Johnny Pega Phones. No, no, Johnny is the founder of the Fania All Stars and coined the word salsa. I just say that because you said salsa. Yeah. So like, I am, I am, I am. If it's good, I'll listen to it. It makes zero diff. You could play me Brahms or you could pay me play me Biggie. Makes zero difference. Like seriously.
There's some African like da da da da. Uh uh. I I would go with what's it called? I don't even know what song, but it's just like I love that stuff.
You know, it's just like it's like it's almost like so Fela Kuti and af like Afrobeat is like the greatest almost all time.
Yeah. Well, thanks for making time for me today. And how did they get— I put your email while I was talking to you in your signature there. So that's how to get a hold of Alex.
Yep. And you know how Michael and I met is LinkedIn. I'm a very LinkedIn guy and tonewell.co is the company. And my only OCD is that I don't have any unread messages. So if you want to reach out, believe me, I'll return it.
Same here. Same here. Um, you know, as, as guys that are black belts, we, we, we, we, we, we measure and we're specific and we don't let people down. I think that's what kind of—
Yeah. How do you know where the opportunity is?
Yeah. All right. So my number, 512-639-3375. If you want help with top of funnel, go to Market Strategies. I do podcasts, roundtables, masterminds, and go to Market Strategies. So feel free to reach out to me. I love doing these podcasts. We have roundtables all the time on LUMA. And, uh, thank you, Alex, and we'll talk soon, buddy.
