By Anne DeVries
JJ Ruescas, the dynamic founder of Optimizing Me, is on a mission to redefine personal growth through curiosity, continuous improvement, and nervous system optimization. Since launching Optimizing Me in 2014, Ruescas has applied principles of Kaizen—continuous improvement honed over a decade leading high-performance tech teams—to help individuals unlock their potential.
Born in a high-altitude city in Bolivia, Ruescas always brimmed with energy but initially lacked direction. As an outsource engineer managing teams in Bolivia, he lived a fast-paced life until a pivotal 2013 experience forced him to reassess his trajectory. “The universe gave me a face slap to rethink what I was doing,” he recalls. Quitting alcohol and nearly his job, he accepted an offer to move to Austin, where his company recognized his potential in both technology and human development.
In Austin, Ruescas thrived by optimizing teams, focusing on individual human performance, and tailoring work schedules and environments to each person’s strengths. However, in 2016, a visa cancellation forced him to leave the United States again. As he awaited visa reinstatement for four years, he became a digital nomad, traveling the world and immersing himself in high-performance practices, including optimal sleep, nutrition, and movement. “I learned to treat every human as an experiment of one,” he says, emphasizing personalized optimization over one-size-fits-all solutions.
Reinvigorated by his 4 years away from Austin, he returned to the pursuit of growing his company, Optimizing Me, which Ruescas calls his “Dharma”—the work he cannot not do. The company’s flagship offering, a unique blend of breathwork, hypnosis, trauma-informed leadership, and storytelling, is designed to optimize the nervous system. Sessions help clients discharge stress and expand their “window of tolerance” for life’s highs and lows. “The nervous system isn’t designed to make you happy—it’s for survival,” he explains. “By increasing resilience to pain, you unlock greater capacity for pleasure.”
Optimizing Me offers group sessions, one-on-one coaching, and corporate workshops. Ruescas regularly collaborates with local Austin studios and hosts events at venues such as Upgrade Labs 5th Street, 3rd Eye Meditation Lounge, and Yoga hŌM Studio. His work also extends to private in-home sessions, curated retreats, corporate off-sites, and wellness activations for summits, nonprofits, and even milestone celebrations like birthdays—all tailored to create immersive, high-impact experiences.
His team, spearheaded by Andrea Cavero, Operations & Growth Lead, ensures seamless operations. “Working with JJ didn’t just teach me about optimization, technology, and conscious breathing—it transformed me,” Cavero says. “I went from pressuring myself to experimenting with awareness. What started as a support role evolved into something much deeper: today, I’m not just part of the team, I’m part of a mission I truly love—to grow, integrate, and share real tools that change lives.”
Ruescas’s impact is deeply personal. He limits one-on-one clients, ensuring high accountability, while group sessions attract a diverse range of participants—CEOs, parents, and curious novices alike. His “10-minute Manage Your State” practice, available on his website, combines functional breathing and super-ventilation to de-stress, offering an accessible entry point for beginners. Free access to this class is available to West Austin News subscribers.
Future plans include scaling Optimizing Me to create experiences that foster cohesive group energy, alongside workshops on habits and digital optimization, and continuing his successful podcast on Spotify, Apple Music, and accessible through his website.
Ruescas prioritizes authenticity. “I don’t promise healing—I deliver optimization,” he says. His vision for the Austin Community is to make these practices mainstream, showing novices that nervous system optimization is a vital opportunity to enhance the quality of life.
From a transformative awakening in Bolivia to guiding Austinites toward their best selves, JJ Ruescas embodies the Japanese Shokunin mindset—relentless improvement through experimentation. Optimizing Me isn’t just a business; it’s a movement to help humans thrive, one breath at a time.
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