Hospitality also runs through his work. As founder of Tampa Hospitality Group, his Simply Sushi concept earned “Best Sushi Restaurant in Tampa” honors. That balance of culinary creativity and operational discipline shows up in his events playbook today: carefully orchestrated guest flow, backstage logistics that respect talent and crew, wayfinding and signage that reduce friction, and hospitality touches that make every stakeholder feel seen. He treats brand promise as a contract with the audience and designs every touchpoint to keep it. Colleagues often describe Shawn’s leadership as strategic yet grounded. He writes master P&Ls and cash-flow plans, runs pre-mortems to surface risks, and leads post-mortems to convert lessons into playbooks. He negotiates JV and revenue-share agreements, aligns IP and trademark strategy with distribution plans, and engineers tiered sponsorships that align value to outcomes. He builds small, high-agency teams and augments them with specialized partners, creative, production, legal, and PR so the organization can flex without bloating. Most importantly, he communicates clearly and candidly, giving teams autonomy with accountability.

Why BioHack Yourself? Because the agency sits at the center of a growing wellness ecosystem: original programming, a premium magazine and digital network, live forums for thought leaders, and a constellation of partner events. Shawn’s portfolio amplifies that center of gravity. The WOW Festival becomes an annual tentpole with year-round content; Miami Swim Week brings global visibility and cultural cachet; Limitless Live unlocks interactive distribution and commerce; and Green Maidworks anchors the agency’s commitment to sustainability and trust. Together, these platforms form a flywheel: content begets community, community begets commerce, and commerce funds more content and impact.

In a sentence: Shawn D. Kaplan is a deal architect and operator who turns wellness ideas into enduring media, events, and technology businesses connecting creators and brands to the people they’re here to serve. At BioHack Yourself Media Agency, he’s building systems that help audiences live better, help creators earn better, and help partners measure what matters. It’s builder’s work, done with creator empathy and executive rigor and it’s only just getting started.