Fitt Insider

Let's talk about the business of wellness…

Carly Stein is on a mission to reinvent the medicine cabinet and whilst she’s at it, save the bees! Following a series of personal health problems, a chance encounter with bee propolis in an Italian pharmacy, and an unfulfilling career in finance, Carly launched natural remedy brand Beekeeper’s Naturals. 

In this episode, Carly shares with us the moment she discovered the wonders of propolis, ‘an antioxidant dense bee product’ and the business's key ingredient. We hear how no-one believed in Carly’s business idea, and how a bootstrapped trip to South-East Asia, away from all of the negative opinions, gave her the space to write a business plan and professionalise her - at that point - ‘hobby’. We also talk about Carly’s self-doubt, and why her biggest challenge so far has been herself. 

Carly’s top tip to other entrepreneurs: ‘expect the unexpected’ and use ‘moments of weakness to build resilience’.

Thank you to our sponsors:

Whole Foods Market is the world’s leading natural and organic foods retailer. With 7 stores across London, they offer a huge range of products that lead the way in quality, specialty and vegan diets. Head over to @wholefoodsuk or check out @alexandradudley for more information on the Mindful Moments Campaign.

The go-to legal firm supporting the wellness industry, Bird & Bird.

Modern accountancy firm dedicated to saving you money, GrowFactor.

Software booking experts, Mindbody.

To find out how Welltodo can help you grow your business and support your career objectives, head to welltodoglobal.com today.

Today I'm joined by Josh Clemente, the Founder of Levels — a metabolic fitness company.

In today's episode, we talked about continuous glucose monitoring and using Levels to unlock real-time feedback on lifestyle choices, like what you eat, how you exercise, and the quality of your sleep. We also discussed Josh's plan to make metabolic fitness mainstream in hopes of tackling diabetes, obesity, and chronic ailments.

About Josh Clemente >>

Josh, Founder of Levels, is a mechanical engineer and CrossFit-L2 trainer. At SpaceX, he led a team to develop life support systems that sustained astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley on their May 2020 trip to the International Space Station aboard Dragon Endeavor: the first new crew-carrying spacecraft since 1980. Josh has also spent time designing and building Hyperloop technology and leading engineering for a company providing vehicle-based rescue systems for emergency response teams. Josh enjoys the outdoors, functional fitness training, technology, coffee, and restoring motorcycles.

More from Fitt Insider >>

Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.

From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.

Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, L'Catterton, Peloton, Goldman Sachs, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.

Website: http://insider.fitt.co

Let’s talk about the business of wellness...

Lara Mead is the Co-Founder of athleisure brand Varley. In 2015 whilst pregnant with her first child, Lara and her husband Ben launched their first collection, securing major US stockists Bandier, Carbon 38, and Bergdorf Goldman’s. Self-funded by the sale of their London home, the British duo moved their lives to LA to give Varley the best chance at success. 

In this episode, Lara talks about a childhood of competitive athletics shaped her mindset for success, how a chance encounter with a woman wearing hot pants changed things, and the struggles of self-funding a rapidly growing product-based business. We also discuss Varley’s recent (2019) £4 million investment, and how the capital is supporting the growth of Varley’s digital strategy. 

Thank you to our sponsors:

The world’s largest corporate fitness platform, Gympass - connect your gym, studio or fitness centre to new corporate customers from your area.

The go-to legal firm supporting the wellness industry, Bird & Bird.

Modern accountancy firm dedicated to saving you money, GrowFactor.

Software booking experts, Mindbody.

To find out how Welltodo can help you grow your business and support your career objectives, head to welltodoglobal.com today.

Today I'm joined by Jason Feldman.

Jason is the CEO of Vault Health — a performance healthcare company helping men optimize their well-being.

In today's episode, we talked about the barriers preventing men from accessing care, the difference between telehealth and online pharmacies, the company's pivot to COVID testing, and why Jason believes men's health is just the beginning for Vault.

More from Jason >>

Jason Feldman is the Co-Founder and CEO of Vault Health - a fast-growing startup providing specialized healthcare for men and their manhood… at home. Vault makes it easy for men to get the specialized care they need and to perform on the level they strive to achieve. Before founding Vault, Feldman was Head of Prime Video Direct, Amazon's self-service marketplace for studios, distributors and content creators to make their content available on Prime Video in over 200 countries. In his prior leadership role at Amazon, Feldman led Global Innovation and Global Vendor Management, expanding Amazon's retail reach around the world. A long time senior leader in retail and consumer products, Feldman helped build brands, innovate new e-commerce distribution platforms and retail format portfolios for L'Oreal, Hanesbrands and Home Depot. He studied international communications and has a Master's in Public Administration from The George Washington University. Feldman is a father to 17 year old triplets and lives in New York.

Let’s talk about the business of wellness...

My guest today is Craig Elbert, the Co-Founder and CEO of Care/of, a personalised direct to consumer supplement and vitamin brand that helps people build healthy habits. With $12 million in funding under their belts, Craig and his Co-Founder Akash are now on a mission to solve real consumer problems in the category. 

In this episode, we talk about finding a Co-Founder that compliments your skillset and what to do when you don’t agree on the best launch strategy – create a bootstrapped MVP and iterate, launch the perfect brand with some noise, or... do both?! We also dive into the world of operating a DTC brand, the importance of aesthetics and design, and the impact of COVID-19 on the business, and the wider vitamin and supplement category.

Thank you to our sponsors:

The go-to legal firm supporting the wellness industry, Bird & Bird.

Modern accountancy firm dedicated to saving you money, GrowFactor.

Software booking experts, Mindbody.

To find out how Welltodo can help you grow your business and support your career objectives, head to welltodoglobal.com today.

Today I'm joined by Nate Forster.

Nate is the CEO of NEOU, a platform for streaming and on-demand fitness.

In this episode, we talked about how NEOU plans to become the Amazon of fitness, including its digital platform, a 20,000 square-foot production hub in New York City, and content partnerships with a growing number of fitness instructors and brands.

Let's get into it.

More from Nate >>

Nate Forster is a former professional tennis player turned entrepreneur. Nate started his career in hospitality and transitioned into the health and wellness industry in 2010. At the start of his entrepreneurial career, he was an operating partner at dek23 and b.e.d. nightclubs in Miami, in which he brokered the sale of both businesses. In 2010, he became the owner and operator of the first Reebok-partnered CrossFit gym and by 2014, he was the largest CrossFit affiliate owner globally with 15 locations. Nate is now the co-founder and CEO of NEOU, a digital fitness platform that helps fitness influencer and workout brands scale to a larger audience. The mission of NEOU is to bring consumers the best of all types of fitness, health + wellness concepts and trainers to anyone in the world at anytime.

Let's talk about the business of wellness…

Ara Katz is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Seed Health, a microbial sciences company pioneering applications of bacteria to impact human and environmental health. The multifaceted business features a consumer division alongside an R&D Lab, that together are disrupting the $50B+ global probiotics market and stewarding the future of how we will use bacteria to restore, and sustain, human and planetary health with serious science.

Ara is a serial entrepreneur and first principal’s thinker who has been recognised in Marie Claire’s “The New Guard: The 50 Most Influential Women in America”, listed on Business Insider’s “Silicon Alley Top 100” and “36 Rockstar Women in NYC Tech”. 

In this episode, Ara talks about how her curiosity led her to launch Seed, the science behind probiotics and microbiomes (check out seed.com for lots more info), and her belief that ‘education is medicine’. We also find out more about Seed University, the brands approach to social media, and why ‘people are everything’ to this science-driven company. 

Thank you to our sponsors:

The go-to legal firm supporting the wellness industry, Bird & Bird.

Modern accountancy firm dedicated to saving you money, GrowFactor.

Software booking experts, Mindbody.

To find out how Welltodo can help you grow your business and support your career objectives, head to welltodoglobal.com today.

Today I'm joined by PJ Nestler.

PJ is the Director of Performance at XPT Life — a performance lifestyle system developed by Laird Hamilton and Gabby Reece.

In this episode, we discussed the breath, movement, and recovery methods used at XPT. The rise of the high-performance lifestyle. And how XPT has used retreats, coaching certifications, and its consumer app to grow the brand.

More from PJ >>

PJ is a human performance specialist with over 13 years of experience preparing top athletes from the UFC, NFL, and NHL for competition. Outside of training top athletes, Coach PJ is devoted to education, sharing his knowledge and experience with the purpose of elevating the fitness profession. He is currently the Director of Performance for XPT Life where his role entails researching & developing educational curriculums around XPT's Breathe-Move-Recover pillars and teaching certification programs for health & fitness professionals around the world.

https://www.xptlife.com/

https://www.instagram.com/coachpjnestler

More from Fitt Insider >>

Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.

From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.

Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, lululemon, Peloton, Beyond Meat, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.

Website: http://insider.fitt.co

Let's talk about the business of wellness…

Pietro Carmignani leads the European region at Gympass, an organisation committed to defeating inactivity by helping corporate organisations to improve their wellbeing programmes. With an emphasis on ‘engage’ and ‘maintain’, Gympass optimises return on investment for companies, linking workplace wellness back to results.

In this episode, Pietro talks us through his career milestones since joining Gympass in 2015. We cover launching in a new market, hiring passionate people when start-up salaries aren’t always desirable, and business development strategies that speak to employees, HR professionals and gym providers. We also discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the workforce and the responsibility that employers have when it comes to the health and wellbeing of their staff.  

What’s next for Gympass? Following acquisition of Portugese AI firm Flaner at the end of 2019, Gympass will be working hard to offer personalized and customized bespoke products for employees based on their behaviours.

Thank you to our sponsors:

The world’s largest corporate fitness platform, Gympass - connect your gym, studio or fitness centre to new corporate customers from your area.

The go-to legal firm supporting the wellness industry, Bird & Bird.

Modern accountancy firm dedicated to saving you money, GrowFactor.

Software booking experts, Mindbody.

To find out how Welltodo can help you grow your business and support your career objectives, head to welltodoglobal.com today.

Today I'm joined by Mark Gainey.

Mark is the co-founder and Executive Chairman of Strava, a global community of athletes with more than 50M members.

In this episode, we discussed Strava's business model, including freemium access and paid subscriptions, the company's focus on putting the athlete first, and Mark's plan to make Strava a multi-generational company.

More from Mark >>

Mark has been building successful companies for 20+ years. He currently serves as the co-founder and executive chairman of Strava, a global community of athletes. Founded in 2009, millions of athletes have joined Strava for the competition and camaraderie found in tracking and sharing their fitness activities. Mark also co-founded Kana Communications, an enterprise CRM firm, in 1996 and served in various capacities, including CEO, president, and chairman. He has offered his expertise to a wide array of companies over the years, joining the boards of Alter-G, BoardVantage, Daum, Clari, and Coaching Corps. Mark holds an AB from Harvard University.