March 5, 2026: Your daily rundown of health and wellness news, in under 5 minutes.

Today's top stories:

• CrossFit CEO Don Faul steps down March 6 as company explores sale with Moelis & Company advising potential buyers

• Equinox opens luxury resort at Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast with 128 rooms and 20,000-sq-ft fitness club, planning 30+ hotels over next decade

• Whoop plans to increase workforce by 75% adding 600+ roles ahead of potential IPO, with international markets now 60% of sales

More from Fitt:

Fitt Insider breaks down the convergence of fitness, wellness, and healthcare — and what it means for business, culture, and capital.

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Work with our recruiting firm → https://talent.fitt.co/

Follow us on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/fittinsider/

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Reach out → [email protected]

March 4, 2026: Your daily rundown of health and wellness news, in under 5 minutes.

Today's top stories:

• Quest Diagnostics unveils AI chatbot in MyQuest portal analyzing five years of lab data powered by Google's Gemini models

• Subco launches independent supplement certification program anonymously purchasing retail supplements and verifying ingredients in independent labs

• Eight Sleep raises funding at $1.5B valuation, shifting from reactive sleep optimization to predictive AI agent and pursuing FDA clearance for sleep apnea detection

More from Fitt:

Fitt Insider breaks down the convergence of fitness, wellness, and healthcare — and what it means for business, culture, and capital.

Subscribe to our newsletter → insider.fitt.co/subscribe

Work with our recruiting firm → https://talent.fitt.co/

Follow us on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/fittinsider/

Follow us on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/fittinsider

Reach out → [email protected]

March 3, 2026: Your daily rundown of health and wellness news, in under 5 minutes.

Today's top stories:

• Temple raises $54M for temple-worn wearable continuously measuring brain blood flow to quantify focus, fatigue, and cognitive resilience in real time

• MyFitnessPal acquires AI-native Cal AI with $40M+ in sales, deepening push into digital nutrition tracking across 280M registered members

• HHS plans to reclassify 14 peptides including BPC-157 and CJC-1295 back to Category 1, enabling licensed compounding pharmacies to produce them with prescription

More from Fitt:

Fitt Insider breaks down the convergence of fitness, wellness, and healthcare — and what it means for business, culture, and capital.

Subscribe to our newsletter → insider.fitt.co/subscribe

Work with our recruiting firm → https://talent.fitt.co/

Follow us on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/fittinsider/

Follow us on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/fittinsider

Reach out → [email protected]

Today, I'm joined by Kat Cole, CEO of AG1.

Evolving from a $160M single-SKU brand to $500M+ revenue, AG1's in hypergrowth mode — adding flavors and sleep aid AGZ, entering Costco, and investing $30M in clinical research.

In this episode, we discuss building foundational capabilities before scaling complexity.

We also cover:

• Handling criticism and competition

• Insights from early operational mishaps

• Strategies for retail expansion and packaging redesign

Subscribe to the podcast → insider.fitt.co/podcast

Subscribe to our newsletter → insider.fitt.co/subscribe

Follow us on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/fittinsider

AG1's Website: www.drinkag1.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drinkag1

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drinkag1

X (Twitter): https://x.com/drink_AG1

The Fitt Insider Podcast is brought to you by EGYM. Visit EGYM.com to learn more about its smart fitness ecosystem for fitness and health facilities.

Fitt Talent: https://talent.fitt.co/

Consulting: https://consulting.fitt.co/

Investments: https://capital.fitt.co/

Chapters:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:50) Kat stepping into CEO role

(02:30) Multi-product, multi-channel evolution

(03:05) US blending capacity expansion

(04:00) First flavors after 10+ years

(04:45) AGZ launch: consolidating sleep stack

(07:01) Operating gaps despite hypergrowth

(09:00) New Zealand supply chain dependency

(10:30) Leaky shaker bottles insight

(13:00) Real growth at scale

(14:20) Delaying retail expansion

(16:00) Packaging redesign for shelf

(18:20) NSF certification delays

(20:10) D2C relationship advantages

(22:05) $30M research commitment

(23:15) Double-blind trials and skepticism

(25:20) Larger studies: 100 vs. 30 participants

(27:00) Why competitors don't invest in research

(28:20) Handling criticism and competitors

(30:00) Apple, Lululemon comparison

(32:00) Using critique to improve

(33:30) Marketing science strategy

(35:00) Scientific advisory council

(36:21) Podcast marketing reality

(38:25) Referral and gifting conversion

(40:00) Multi-channel integration

(41:20) Retail as billboard

(42:20) Costco untapped awareness

(43:20) Slow operational work pays off

(44:02) Future retail expansion

(45:00) Stacking products customers request

(45:39) Conclusion

February 27, 2026: Your daily rundown of health and wellness news, in under 5 minutes.

Today's top stories:

• YOU(th) Health Tech raises $4.5M to expand smartphone-based health screening platform detecting 50+ digital biomarkers in under two minutes

• UFC Gym partners with NexGen MD Scientific to launch in-gym longevity clinics offering GLP-1s, peptides, and hormone replacement therapy

• XENOM raises $15M seed funding to launch "Decathlon of Fitness" with 10 standardized events, debuting at Dallas Cowboys facility in June

More from Fitt:

Fitt Insider breaks down the convergence of fitness, wellness, and healthcare — and what it means for business, culture, and capital.

Subscribe to our newsletter → insider.fitt.co/subscribe

Work with our recruiting firm → https://talent.fitt.co/

Follow us on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/fittinsider/

Follow us on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/fittinsider

Reach out → [email protected]

February 26, 2026: Your daily rundown of health and wellness news, in under 5 minutes.

Today's top stories:

• Gallup survey finds 73% of Americans turn to doctors first for health advice, with just 16% using AI tools and social media

• Alcohol industry erases $830B in market value since 2021 as GLP-1 drugs and structural demand shift drive U.S. drinking rates to lowest since 1939

• Two-thirds of exercisers have tried AI fitness platforms, but only 10% would choose AI-only coaching as platforms shift to hybrid models

More from Fitt:

Fitt Insider breaks down the convergence of fitness, wellness, and healthcare — and what it means for business, culture, and capital.

Subscribe to our newsletter → insider.fitt.co/subscribe

Work with our recruiting firm → https://talent.fitt.co/

Follow us on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/fittinsider/

Follow us on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/fittinsider

Reach out → [email protected]

February 25, 2026: Your daily rundown of health and wellness news, in under 5 minutes.

Today's top stories:

• Kim Kardashian joins UPDATE as co-founder ahead of relaunch and Walmart rollout, positioning jitter-free energy drink in $16B category

• Oura launches first custom AI coaching model for women's health, integrating biometric data with clinical research across menstruation to menopause

• Budget gyms including Planet Fitness, Crunch, and Snap Fitness upgrade amenities with boutique classes, contrast therapy, and smart strength equipment

• Fitt announces strategic partnership with AIIR, expanding ecosystem into communications and experiential services for health and wellness brands

More from Fitt:

Fitt Insider breaks down the convergence of fitness, wellness, and healthcare — and what it means for business, culture, and capital.

Subscribe to our newsletter → insider.fitt.co/subscribe

Work with our recruiting firm → https://talent.fitt.co/

Follow us on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/fittinsider/

Follow us on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/fittinsider

Reach out → [email protected]

February 23, 2026: Your daily rundown of health and wellness news, in under 5 minutes.

Today's top stories:

• Meta plans smartwatch launch later this year with health tracking and AI features, potentially integrating with Ray-Ban glasses ecosystem

• Grail's $949 Galleri blood test fails to show statistically significant reduction in late-stage cancer diagnoses in major U.K. trial, stock falls sharply

• Equinox's $40K/year Optimize membership hits 1,000+ person waitlist, including biomarker testing, training, and health concierge

More from Fitt:

Fitt Insider breaks down the convergence of fitness, wellness, and healthcare — and what it means for business, culture, and capital.

Subscribe to our newsletter → insider.fitt.co/subscribe

Work with our recruiting firm → https://talent.fitt.co/

Follow us on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/fittinsider/

Follow us on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/fittinsider

Reach out → [email protected]

Today, I'm joined by Sam O'Keefe, co-founder & CEO of Flex.

Enabling use of HSA and FSA funds at checkout, Flex unlocks tax-advantaged spending on preventative health products — from fitness and recovery to supplements and wearables.

In this episode, we discuss making "pay with HSA/FSA" as common as PayPal.

We also cover:

• Confusion around HSAs & FSAs

• Value props for merchants and consumers

• Integrating with Equinox's membership flow

Subscribe to the podcast → insider.fitt.co/podcast

Subscribe to our newsletter → insider.fitt.co/subscribe

Follow us on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/fittinsider

Flex's Website: www.withflex.com

Shop with Flex: www.withflex.com/shop

Instagram: www.instagram.com/paywithflex/

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/withflex/

X (Twitter): https://x.com/paywithflex

Sam's Email: [email protected]

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The Fitt Insider Podcast is brought to you by EGYM. Visit EGYM.com to learn more about its smart fitness ecosystem for fitness and health facilities.

Fitt Talent: https://talent.fitt.co/

Consulting: https://consulting.fitt.co/

Investments: https://capital.fitt.co/

Chapters:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:39) Sam's background

(02:26) Why HSA/FSA funds are hard to use

(04:00) Making HSA/FSA work

(05:35) IRS regulations

(07:05) The education problem

(09:00) Merchant value proposition

(10:30) Increased accessibility

(11:10) API-first infrastructure

(12:05) Custom integrations

(14:40) Patterns across fitness, sleep, supplements, wearables

(16:15) Women directing family healthcare spending

(18:00) Subscription retention

(19:15) Psychology of separate health spending pool

(21:25) Equinox partnership

(22:40) Seamless checkout integration vs reimbursement friction

(24:15) Fitness language shift

(25:05) Making HSA/FSA ubiquitous in every checkout

(27:15) $150 billion underutilized in HSA/FSA accounts

(28:40) Consumer marketplace

(29:30) Growing B2C alongside B2B focus

(30:30) 2026 priorities

(32:33) Conclusion

February 20, 2026: Your daily rundown of health and wellness news, in under 5 minutes.

Today's top stories:

• Ergatta joins Interactive Strength portfolio alongside Wattbike, CLMBR, and FORME, continuing independent operations under CEO Tom Aulet

• D1 Training hires Harris Williams to explore sale, operating 170+ locations serving 100K+ scholastic athletes in $154B youth sports market

• Hims & Hers acquires Australian telehealth platform Eucalyptus for $1.15B, expanding globally with brands serving 775K patients across Australia, UK, and Japan

I'm heading to LA this week for the Connected Health & Fitness Summit to host a fireside chat with Fritz Lanman, CEO of Playlist (parent company of Mindbody and ClassPass), on AI in fitness and the anticipated $7.5B EGYM merger. If you're attending or based in LA and want to meet up, email [email protected].

More from Fitt:

Fitt Insider breaks down the convergence of fitness, wellness, and healthcare — and what it means for business, culture, and capital.

Subscribe to our newsletter → insider.fitt.co/subscribe

Work with our recruiting firm → https://talent.fitt.co/

Follow us on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/fittinsider/

Follow us on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/fittinsider

Reach out → [email protected]