Meet William Peetoom | Wealth Architect & Legacy Benefits Strategist

We had the good fortune of connecting with William Peetoom and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi William, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Thank you for the opportunity to share this.

Starting my own business wasn’t just a professional decision—it was a lifeline. After surviving cancer, I came to a sobering realization: the traditional 9-to-5 structure wasn’t built for people navigating complex health challenges. I needed the flexibility to honor my healing, manage my energy, and still create meaningful impact in the world. That level of autonomy simply didn’t exist in conventional systems.

Launching Kaizen Group Intl. allowed me to architect a life—and a business—on my own terms. It gave me space to lead with purpose while integrating wellness, advocacy, and strategy into everything I do. I wanted to build something that could evolve with me—not hold me back. And I knew I wasn’t alone, there are countless others like me: brilliant, capable individuals who just need the right framework to thrive.

That’s why Kaizen isn’t just a business—it’s a movement for mindful growth, community upliftment, and legacy-building. Today, I have the honor of serving as a Healthcare Advocate, Commissioner for the City of San Diego, and founder of Blue Zone Insurance, helping others create stability and resilience in their own lives and businesses.

Ultimately, the thought process was simple: If the world doesn’t offer you a seat at the table, you build a new table—and invite others to it.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
At Kaizen Group International, my mission is clear: to empower business owners, essential workers, and healthcare leaders with strategic tools that preserve income, reduce risk, and build generational wealth. BLUE ZONE INSURANCE – A Division of Kaizen Group Intl. serves as our public-facing platform, delivering customized solutions for real people with real challenges—especially within the Filipino, GLBTQ+, and senior care communities.

What sets me apart is my holistic approach as a Wealth Architect. I bring together a suite of programs and products designed to support and protect with precision and care. These include payroll tax-saving strategies, federal tax credit recovery, and living benefits life insurance that provide protection during life, not just after death. I also specialize in retirement income planning, annuities, and business continuity tools that guard against the three biggest financial threats: dying too soon, becoming chronically ill, or outliving your money. These are all appointed through National Life Group, a mission-aligned partner in building sustainable legacies.

But I don’t just deliver products, I deliver financial literacy for legacy. My clients don’t just walk away with a policy, they walk away with clarity. They understand how to redirect cash flow, structure benefits, and create intergenerational financial peace of mind.

As a terminal diagnosis survivor, I know firsthand the importance of designing a life and a business that aligns with both health and higher purpose. The traditional 9-to-5 couldn’t hold the fullness of who I am, so I created a model that could. Now, I help others do the same.

My commitment is to those often left out of legacy planning: Filipino caregivers, residential care administrators, essential service providers, and emerging entrepreneurs who carry their communities on their backs but are rarely invited to the wealth-building table.

At Kaizen, we don’t believe in cookie-cutter solutions. We believe in wealth by design. Continuous improvement, strategic protection, and legacy creation, this is what we build, together.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
When my best friend visits San Diego, I don’t give them a sightseeing checklist, I offer them a story. A lived-in, heart-led journey through the city that raised me, healed me, and holds me. One week isn’t enough, but it’s just enough to fall in love.

We begin on a Sunday, early, before most of the city stirs. Down at the pier, the local fish market is already alive with salt, grit, and purpose. Fishermen shout out their hauls, regulars lean in for the best catch. There’s no gloss here, just the rhythm of a working harbor and the sacred ritual of fresh beginnings.

We paddle next, gliding across Mission Bay, still glassy under the rising sun. It’s quiet, contemplative. You don’t just see San Diego here, you feel it. We pull into Vacation Isle and walk over to the Barefoot Café at Paradise Point Resort, tucked into tropical landscaping like a secret oasis. The breakfast is unfussy but fresh, and the view is paradise itself.

Later that morning, we make our way to Kusina: A Taste of the Pacific for their famed Filipino brunch buffet, lumpia, sinigang, pancit, and more. It’s less about food and more about memory—shared language, laughter, and soul-fed communion.

As the day winds down, we head to JRDN at Tower 23 in Pacific Beach. Oceanfront, effortlessly chic, and glowing in the late-day light, it’s where we toast to new adventures and long friendships over surfside cocktails and fresh sea bass.

Monday is for coastlines and culture. We begin at Cabrillo National Monument, where we hike down to the tide pools, watch the city curve around the bay, and breathe in that big, sacred air. By afternoon, we head to Balboa Park, not just for the architecture or gardens—but to visit the House of the Philippines inside the International Cottages. We step into my story, my culture, our shared history of resilience and joy.

Dinner that night is unforgettable. At Animae or Le Coq, where Chef Tara Monsod redefined what it means to infuse Filipino soul into fine dining. Every bite is a tribute to ancestors and a future vision all at once—comfort, elegance, and courage on a plate.

Tuesday begins with salt in our hair and sand underfoot at Tamarack Beach. We surf, we laugh, we fall. By midafternoon, it’s time to explore the Balboa Park museums, which, on Tuesdays, are free to locals. We get lost in space, science, and culture, then change gears for an evening in Gaslamp, where the city hums with neon and possibility.

Wednesday we drive east into the mountains. The air cools as we climb into Idyllwild, where we hike Deer Springs Trail, legs burning and hearts wide open. On the way back, we stop in North County for wine tasting, small-lot pours and rolling vineyard views help us reflect and recalibrate.

Thursday is for the desert. Anza-Borrego shows us a different kind of sacred—wide skies, deep silence, and ancient rock. We hike The Slot, eat under the sun, and seek out Ricardo Breceda’s metal sculptures, scattered like myth across Borrego Springs.

Friday, we slow down again. The scent of lavender pulls us to Keys Creek Lavender Farm in Valley Center. We sip, stroll, and breathe it in. That night, we honor our roots with dinner at White Rice Bodega by Chef Phillip Esteban, where every dish speaks fluent heritage and invention. Afterward, we indulge in handcrafted pastries from Hommage Bakehouse, the artistry of Justin Gaspar folded into every bite.

Saturday is all about play. We start in Pacific Beach and head straight to Belmont Park, where we ride the historic wooden Giant Dipper roller coaster like kids again—screaming, laughing, and forgetting the world. In the afternoon, we make our way up to Kate Sessions Park, one of the best views in the city. There, with a kite in hand and the whole skyline at our feet, we let joy take flight.

That night, we keep it casual—good food, good music, good people. Maybe we revisit North Park. Maybe we chase one last taco. Or maybe we just sit still for a while, letting the week sink in.

This is San Diego, as I know it.
Not just a destination, but a living mosaic of healing, heritage, and heart. It’s a city that holds the ocean and the desert, the mountain and the street. It’s Filipino chefs reshaping fine dining. It’s lavender fields and tide pools. It’s laughter on a roller coaster and silence under the stars.

And when I share it—piece by piece, place by place—I’m not just showing my best friend around. I’m reminding them (and myself) that home isn’t always a structure. Sometimes, it’s a city that sees you. That holds you. That welcomes you, exactly as you are.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First and foremost, I dedicate this shoutout to my beloved partner and eternal soulmate, David Shaeffer, whose love, wisdom, and unwavering presence continue to guide me every day. As a terminal diagnosis survivor, there were seasons when the future felt fragile. But it was David’s unshakeable belief in my purpose that reignited my will—not just to survive, but to lead, serve, and leave a legacy rooted in compassion.

I also honor my Filipino heritage—not just as ancestry, but as destiny. The spirit of bayanihan, of communal care and shared strength, is the soul of everything I do. I carry with me the stories of my mother’s caregiving hands and the resilience of countless Filipino essential workers whose quiet heroism holds up entire communities. My work is a love letter to them.

This shoutout is for the caregivers, the CNAs, the LVNs, the home health aides, and the residential facility administrators—many of whom are Filipino—who wake before dawn to serve others with humility and excellence, often without recognition. You are the heartbeat of our healthcare system, especially in senior care. And through Kaizen Group International and Blue Zone Insurance, it is my life’s mission to protect your income, your dignity, and your future.

I am deeply grounded in my Nichiren Buddhist practice of over 25 years, where chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo has been both shield and sword. It gave me the courage to speak truth in boardrooms, advocate for marginalized business owners, and rebuild my health when Western medicine alone was not enough.

I am forever grateful to mentors like Francine Maigue, whose mentorship paved the way for me to step into community leadership, and Kristine Custodio-Suero, whose brilliance and empathy helped refine my path. Mayor Todd Gloria, a fellow Filipino-American changemaker, reminds me that representation isn’t just optics—it’s infrastructure for a more just future.

The teachings of Bob Proctor, Earl Nightingale, and Neville Goddard shaped my mindset, but it was the caregivers, clients, and everyday leaders I work with who shaped my heart.

To the small business owners, senior facility administrators, and essential workers I proudly serve—you are not invisible. You are invaluable. And I am here to make sure systems start treating you that way.

This journey has never been about personal success. It’s been about collective elevation—lifting up the very people who have always carried us through.

Website: https://www.kaizengroupintl.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kuya.will.i.am

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wpeetoom

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/wm-kaimana-peetoom-725930462

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kuyawilliam619

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KaizenGroupIntl

Other: https://linktr.ee/wpeetoom