Gary Sheng - Dr. Barbara Hastie Mentor Reconnection Transcript Summary

Date: June 28, 2025 Participants: Gary Sheng (@gary-sheng.md), Dr. Barbara Hastie (@barbara-hastie.md) Duration: Extended conversation - long overdue catchup Context: Mentor-mentee reconnection after significant life transitions for both parties

Overview

This conversation represents a significant mentor-mentee reconnection between Gary Sheng and Dr. Barbara Hastie, whom he originally met in an Uber ride and has maintained contact with intentionally over the years. The discussion covers Dr. Hastie's dramatic professional transition after losing a $58 million endowment, her current nomadic lifestyle, and Gary's evolution to his Alexander Sheng work, resulting in strong mutual validation and exploration of potential collaboration.

Dr. Hastie's Professional Background and Current Situation

Endowment Loss and Career Transition

Dr. Hastie described the dramatic loss of her $58 million endowment in March 2024:

Dr. Hastie: "We had a $58,000,000 endowment that was up Every year, it was replenished by a foundation... We were at the UN in Vienna, March of last year. Of twenty twenty four. I mean, it was emergency Zoom call, and Indiana University said, we're taking over your money."

The impact was devastating to her international network:

Dr. Hastie: "So I had to tell 32 contractors around the world that Natalie they not gonna have a job, but they're not gonna get paid previous two months of work."

Team Humanity International and Global Health Legacy

Despite the setback, Dr. Hastie maintains her mission through Team Humanity International, established in The Netherlands with a Belgian co-founder who was "comparable to Secretary of State" level:

Dr. Hastie: "it's really access to medicines. Know, access to essential medicines... 86% of the world's population is little or no access to this stuff."

Her unique position in the field:

Dr. Hastie: "I own the intellectual property from University of Wisconsin. That was twenty years there. I own the intellectual property from the five years at Indiana University. So I own this twenty five year legacy. Which nobody else in the world has this."

Fellowship Program Success Model

Dr. Hastie detailed her proven fellowship model for systemic change:

Dr. Hastie: "So there's a there's a oh, yeah. So one is a scholarship program that, like, is a training program that we've done with 32 countries... You get a high ranking government official who's got the will and the power to do something about this issue of lack of access to medicine. Essential medicines. And then you get a clinical person that knows what to talk about."

Sudan Success Story:

Dr. Hastie: "Sudan. One of the countries we work with They had zero morphine. They had zero chemo drugs... was about it was a year and a half. We were able to change those thing help them change those things. Then get the medicines in, So after the end of two years, you're able to take the medicines in."

Gary's Recognition of Dr. Hastie's Unique Capabilities

Gary positioned Dr. Hastie as possessing rare systems-thinking ability:

Gary: "I think the rarest thing in the world is people that if they had unlimited resources and budget, that they would even know how to create a system. That works. So do you feel like you would know how to do that?"

Dr. Hastie: "Well, I can get it. I mean, if you're talking about this system, we've already done And then just like okay. So just like able to make it to happen."

Gary's vision for potential collaboration:

Gary: "So I I basically you know, I've stayed in touch very intentionally. And you know, fingers crossed, my myself and this mentor, doctor Alexander maybe maybe asked to steward billions of dollars. So we're think what we wanna do is pilot at a at a small scale in Tulsa, Oklahoma. What what we can then do everywhere in the world, which is, like, oases of education, health centers, and you know, just like little villages that are just, like, experimenting with what how society should be."

Faith Journey and Spiritual Foundation

Dr. Hastie's Servant Leadership Philosophy

Dr. Hastie: "Thank you for saying I'm a servant because that's that's it. That's my prayer every day. I wake up, and I'm like, how can I how can I serve what am I supposed to do today? To to try to you know, help someone or make their world and and then make world a better place."

Character-Centered Approach

Dr. Hastie: "I could lose everything, but I will never lose my integrity. And so that's the best thing that that you know? And and and that by that I mean with that goes dependability and honesty and reliability. But genuineness."

She shared her guiding principle:

Dr. Hastie: "I have a little plaque when I was in storage because when I moved of India, put most of my stuff in storage. It says, character is who you are when no one but god is looking."

Monastic Teaching on Honest Prayer

Dr. Hastie shared a formative spiritual lesson from a monk during a silent retreat:

Dr. Hastie: "I learned that from a monk. I learned that from when I was living while working at the state department, and I went on a retreat retreat... there's this monk, and I'm like, oh, I could talk... And he's like, you know, dad can meet you where you are. You gotta be honest with him... you take this step. And you gotta say, god, you gotta take the next step. And if not, lead me another direction."

Current Nomadic Faith Walk

Dr. Hastie described her current transitional living situation as part of her faith journey:

Dr. Hastie: "And then I'm moving out of India. I have no idea where I'm going. I put everything in storage. Said I'm kind of can't really you know, I'm not a little bit with my mom... Not be tied to any material things. It's like, okay. Wherever I'm supposed to be is where I'm gonna land. I have to trust Right."

Betrayal, Theft, and Partnership Discernment

Extensive History of Intellectual Property Theft

Dr. Hastie revealed decades of betrayal in academic and professional settings:

Dr. Hastie: "I've also had a lot of things stolen from me. By mentors, You know, $17,000,000 grant took my idea that you know? I've had a lot of people in many different instances and even now I've had a couple palliative care groups that take my stuff."

Recent Example with Former Boss:

Dr. Hastie: "My former boss, I mean, he took he took one of my IDs. He's like, oh, yeah. And I've got he's like, oh, and I've got investors. I've got this, and we've already made so much on, like, that was mine. That's my opinion. He's like, okay. Shoot me. He sends me a smiling emoji."

Evolution of Trust Standards

Dr. Hastie described how repeated betrayals shaped her partnership approach:

Dr. Hastie: "A few years ago, would've said that fifty percent now I'm saying it's, like, 80 to 90%... 90% might maybe more generous. Because there's a lot It's it's they're not they're not"

Gary confirmed this assessment:

Gary: "I would say 90% is even a little bit generous, to be honest."

Current Partnership Philosophy

The conversation explored marriage-level standards for business partnerships:

Gary: "We don't we don't we don't don't have to make, like, you know super, like, unnecessary you know, judgments about good versus bad. It's just like you know you but the bar for partnership is, like, basically marriage."

Dr. Hastie: "So yeah. That's that's But this is because that's my friend, Tom. That the farmer that's had all these businesses. He said he did that... it's kinda like dating or whatever the answer is that, you know, even for work with it, it it he says it's like it is. It's like the bridge."

Assessment of Impact Work Authenticity Crisis

Dr. Hastie's Critique of Current Impact Landscape

Dr. Hastie: "Every word was chosen carefully because of my all my life experience related to fake impact people. Fake fake innovation, fake impact people, I think you I think you know what I mean. It's people that are not really doing this for the right reasons."

High-Level Network Vetting

Dr. Hastie described her current circle of trusted relationships:

Dr. Hastie: "You know, they're few and far between, but yes... there are very few people that I've met along the way, but there are a few, and I've been blessed. To have long term relationships with these people."

She mentioned connections including:

• A geneticist who worked with Francis Collins
• An ambassador "comparable to secretary of state" level
• Belgian royalty connections through her business partner

Gary's Alexander Sheng Website Validation

Gary shared his new Alexander Sheng website for Dr. Hastie's feedback:

Dr. Hastie: "That's beautiful. That's that's excellent... That's excellent... I love this. It's the greatest obstacle to global human flourishing. It's beautiful."

Her appreciation for the careful language:

Dr. Hastie: "Every word was chosen carefully because of my all my life experience related to fake impact people... It's people that are not really doing this for the right reasons."

Spiritual Technology Writing Recognition

Gary shared his recent spiritual writing about technology, which deeply moved Dr. Hastie:

Dr. Hastie: "Gary, this is this is unbelievable. I love oh my god... Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Congratulations. That's amazing... This is unbelievable. In the tech world writing like this. No. There's, like, zero. Literally zero. Exactly. You are it."

Recognition of Divine Inspiration

Dr. Hastie: "this comes from the heart of god that you wrote. It really is. And people need to pass it in... this is written from. I see. Really, from a really deep, deep, deep deep spirituality."

Understanding of Suffering as Spiritual Foundation

Dr. Hastie connected Gary's writing to spiritual depth through suffering:

Dr. Hastie: "This is it's been a journey... A lot of lot of lot of suffering. A lot of long suffering... Maybe suffering maybe suffering is the soil... I wouldn't appreciate what I appreciate. I wouldn't know what I would and I wouldn't I I I don't know. If faith could really be could grow to the depth and the extent they get without it."

Divine Timing and Spiritual Gravitational Pull

Planetary Orbit Metaphor for Relationships

Gary introduced the concept of cyclical reconnection:

Gary: "I think the planetary orbits thing is actually probably a good metaphor because you kinda you, like, get you, like, reconnect every season or some or, like, at the right"

Dr. Hastie: "Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. And a lot of life happens like Then now where do we pick up?"

Spiritual Forces and Opposition

Dr. Hastie articulated sophisticated understanding of spiritual warfare in impact work:

Dr. Hastie: "even on the spiritual front, like, if I'm doing something that I know is good to help people Let's say for the to help relieve people suffering. Right?... I've got to know that there are gonna be negative spiritual forces that can be mana manifested in different ways. It could be through people. It could be through circumstance. Whatever. That are going to try to stop that."

Recognition of Divine Opposition as Validation

Dr. Hastie: "And it must be something that's gonna help people. Because that's why you're getting all these She said, just keep the faith. Keep strong in the faith. Keep strong in the belief that you're doing what you should be doing."

Technology Development Opportunities

Medicine Access Applications

Dr. Hastie described two specific applications ready for development:

Dr. Hastie: "there's two two different apps. One that we would have for regulators, and it could be you that's desperately needed. Around the world. And the International Oncology Control Board was like, oh my god. We would need something like this... But what it's just something that would help patients and caregivers people with with illnesses... that would make I mean, they want improved quality of life. Exponentially."

Legacy Digitization Potential

Gary explored the potential for systematizing Dr. Hastie's 25-year legacy:

Gary: "So there's a verse well, in storage now. Trained, and it's in the Can you and then not wonder, like, And it says this is god talking to, like, the Old Testament thing. It's a I know the plans I have for you. Says the Lord. Plans for good, and not evil, to give you a hope to give you a future and hope and a hope."

Current Status and Future Possibilities

Dr. Hastie's Readiness for Mission

Despite material uncertainty, Dr. Hastie expressed complete openness to divine direction:

Dr. Hastie: "I said I'm a vagabond, but I'm not. Because I'm like, okay. I know I'm gonna end up wherever I'm supposed to be, whether it's here or Europe or I'm even looking Middle East. I mean, I'll go anywhere."

Mutual Recognition of Calling

Both participants recognized the divine timing of their reconnection:

Dr. Hastie: "I really believe god will put people in my path and in my life at the to be there Right? And I have to yeah. I wanna believe in the good people"

Potential Collaboration Framework

Gary positioned potential future collaboration contingent on funding confirmation:

Gary: "Yeah. But Well, I can tell you that I mean, like, we wouldn't need I mean, like, we're looking at is we're looking at going to a couple different entities, and it may or may not cosign with that"

Key Themes and Strategic Insights

Authenticity as Rare Commodity

The conversation reinforced the extreme rarity of authentic impact work, with both participants agreeing that 90% or more of current efforts are inauthentic.

Faith-Tested Leadership Model

Dr. Hastie's journey through repeated betrayal, material loss, and nomadic faith-walking provides a model for leadership that maintains integrity under extreme testing.

Systems-Thinking Scarcity

Gary's recognition of Dr. Hastie's proven ability to create working systems at scale highlights the strategic value of experienced practitioners versus theoretical innovators.

Spiritual Technology Integration

The conversation demonstrates successful integration of deep spiritual foundation with practical technology development and global impact work.

Divine Timing Recognition

Both participants operate with sophisticated understanding of divine orchestration in relationships and opportunities, avoiding forced collaboration while remaining open to guided partnership.

Conclusion

This conversation represents a significant validation moment for Gary's Alexander Sheng direction from a seasoned mentor with proven global impact experience. Dr. Hastie's recognition of the authenticity and divine inspiration in Gary's work, combined with her readiness for mission-based collaboration, establishes a strong foundation for potential future partnership as funding and opportunities align.

The discussion reveals two leaders operating at the intersection of faith and practical impact work, both tested through significant trials, and both committed to truth-telling and character-based partnerships in a landscape dominated by inauthentic actors. Their mutual recognition of divine timing suggests potential for significant collaboration when circumstances align.