Ben grew up in French Lick, a small town situated in the tree covered hills of southern Indiana. Family, basketball, fishing, and the woods and streams all around are what inspired and influenced Ben throughout childhood.

Ben was interested in medicine from an early age. The mysteries and wonder of the human body was, and still is,  his inspiration. When most were reading teen novels and playing video games, Ben was learning about anatomy and studying the history of medicine.

Ben attended Indiana University (I.U.) and earned a BA in Chemistry with a concentration in pre-medical studies. While studying at I.U., Ben began observing western doctors and saw first-hand the wonders of modern medicine but the reliance on pharmaceuticals, the symptom-based approach, and the lack of physical touch in the treatment room are some of the things that Ben found concerning and shortsighted. Because of these observed realities in western medicine, Ben began looking for alternatives. During the last few years at I.U. Ben began reading about different medical perspectives and through a series of courses on east asian philosophy he first became aware of Chinese medicine and its fundamental concepts.