The Worried Well

The streets are saying your T is low, your sperm is slow, and the count’s abysmal. What can you do about it? We called the Sperm King himself, Khaled Kteily, founder of Legacy, to break down why guys should think about sperm the way women think about eggs. He talks to us about revolutionizing sperm testing, freezing, and “de-risking your DNA” from the comfort of your home. Legacy is backed by celebrities like Justin Bieber and The Weeknd, and has frozen the sperm of more than a third of Fortune 100 CEOs. We answer important listener questions for Khaled like, “Did you enter your sperm in that sperm speed race competition?”. Give it a listen to find out.

P.S., Shout out to Legacy’s fractional general counsel. If your start-up needs legal support, look no further than Hosseini PPLC.

Sources + Required Reading

* FT: Who Broke the Sperm Bank?

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This week, Ariana braves sugar withdrawals Upstate, Emily has seasonal allergies in BK, and Susana is…present? We investigate the world of designer babies, polygenic embryo screening, and the companies helping parents rate their embryos as hot or not. Is this lifestyle flex tiptoeing the ethical yellow caution tape between “wanting what’s best for your kid” and eugenics? If you’ve dropped thousands on frozen egg [commodity] futures or wondered if your future kid could beat your ex’s LSAT scores…this one’s for you.

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SOURCES + REQUIRED READING

Pfizer ends development of weight-loss pill danuglipron (Reuters, April 2025)

Novartis Press Release on US R&D pledge

Cofertility’s radical model for women: Freeze your eggs for free by donating half of them (Techcrunch, April 2025)

Should Human life be optimized (NYT, April 2025)

How to make a superbaby - start by screening your embryos (The Times, July 2024)

An IVF Alternative Could Make Having Babies Less Onerous (Wired, April 2025)

Embryo Screening and the Ethics of Human Genetic Engineering (Nature, 2008)

US startup charging couples to ‘screen embryos for IQ (The Guardian, October 2024)

Updates in preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) (Journal of Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 2024)

Who Broke the Sperm Bank (FT, March 2025)

How the unregulated sperm market is creating an online baby book (Newsweek, March 2025)

Episode Art Egg: The Substance

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Was Adam (of Adam and Eve fame) patient zero in the male loneliness epidemic? In this episode, the ladies chat about social isolation and welcome their first guest, Producer Paul, to introduce some y-chromies and testosterone into the mix. We focus on the medicalization of loneliness, friend tech, and other budding business solutions to commodify connection. Your loss is their [capital] gain.

SOURCES

https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf

https://www.belonginstitute.com/courses/2025-in-person-community-building-intensive-2

https://www.statista.com/topics/11644/loneliness-in-the-us/

https://www.scienceofpeople.com/loneliness-statistics/

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/500-cases-measles-reported-nationwide-19-states-cdc/story?id=120251851

https://fortune.com/2025/03/28/23andme-bankruptcy-chapter-11-genetic-data-medical-ancestry-dna-silicon-valley-delete/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/colorado-psychedelic-mushrooms-healing-centers/

https://www.jnj.com/media-center/press-releases/u-s-fda-approves-tremfya-guselkumab-the-first-and-only-il-23-inhibitor-offering-both-subcutaneous-and-intravenous-induction-options-for-adult-patients-with-moderately-to-severely-active-crohns-disease

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In this week’s episode, we bring you a dispatch from AHAIC 2025 (Africa Health Agenda International Conference), take control of the bro-centric longevity conversation, and look into what the girligarchs are up to in the femtech space. What are the market opportunities in this billion-dollar industry? Who’s funding it? Will it impact our well-being or is this just a pink-washed cash grab? And why did it take so long to realize women are not just small men?

 

LINKS + SOURCES

Investment in health: www.weforum.org/stories/2023/01/davos2023-womens-health-rethinking-the-cost-as-an-investment-for-societal-gain

 

Gender gap in medical research: https://time.com/7171341/gender-gap-medical-research/ 

 

Antidepressant gender differences: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5286730/#:~:text=Factors%20that%20may%20contribute%20to%20sex%20differences%20in%20antidepressant%20efficacy.&text=A%20number%20of%20studies%20suggest,these%20studies%20has%20been%20disputed.

 

Women Spending Power: https://nielseniq.com/global/en/insights/analysis/2024/shaping-success-a-deep-dive-into-womens-impact-on-the-cpg-landscape/ 

 

FemTech Market: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/femtech-market-report

 

Menopause Market: https://www.managedhealthcareexecutive.com/view/international-menopause-market-expected-to-reach-27-63-billion-by-2033 

 

VO2 max + longevity: https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2018.06.045

 

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Society has moved past the bootstrap girlboss era. We’re obsessed with sleepmaxxing and the business world has noticed. This week’s episode is all about R&R—no, not that kind. Re$$$$t & Revenue. We start with a brief weather report on tech CEO ketamine slumber parties, RFK Jr. confirmation, and pharma drama, then discuss all things sleep. Cozy up and press play.

RESOURCES & REFERENCES

 

Weather Report

• Don’t Die Summit: https://fortune.com/well/article/bryan-johnson-tech-millionaire-dont-die-summit/

• Ketamine Slumber Parties: https://www.wired.com/story/ketamine-psychedelic-slumber-parties-tech-executives/ 

• MAHA Exec Order: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/establishing-the-presidents-make-america-healthy-again-commission/

• Jury still out on glyphosate: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/19/well/glyphosate-health-cancer.html

• Trump Admin Bird Flu Blunder: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trumps-drive-reshape-government-threaten-bird-flu-response-rcna192133 

• Treating ADHD Lifespan: https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/12/health/adhd-medication-lower-risk-of-death-study/index.html 

 

Sleep Deep-Dive

• Business of sleep: https://www.axios.com/2024/01/13/sleep-tech-supplements-bedding-healthy

• Defining Sleepmaxxing: https://dailyconcept.substack.com/p/what-is-sleepmaxxing?utm_source=%2Fsearch%2Fsleep%2520hygiene&utm_medium=reader2

• Getting good sleep could add years to your life: https://www.acc.org/About-ACC/Press-Releases/2023/02/22/21/35/Getting-Good-Sleep-Could-Add-Years-to-Your-Life 

• Quality of Melatonin and CBD Gummies in US: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2804077

• Gallup Americans sleep less: https://news.gallup.com/poll/642704/americans-sleeping-less-stressed.aspx

• 40% of employees in a 4-day workweek trial reported fewer sleep issues: https://www.businessinsider.com/4-day-work-week-employees-report-decrease-insomnia-sleep-problems-2023-2#:~:text=40%25%20of%20the%20around%202%2C900,an%20increase%20in%20sleep%20issues. 

• Veteran Study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S016503272101209X 

• Cost of Productivity, Obstructive Sleep Apnea: https://med.umn.edu/news/obstructive-sleep-apnea-hidden-health-crisis-america#:~:text=A%20recent%20study%20by%20the,%2C%20physical%2C%20and%20economic%20benefits 

• Zepbound FDA approved for sleep apnea: https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-medication-obstructive-sleep-apnea 

• Sleep Trends: https://globalwellnessinstitute.org/global-wellness-institute-blog/2024/04/30/sleep-initiative-trends-for-2024/ 

 

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On the first episode, we dive into the booming world of longevity clinics.  What do they offer?  What’s the hype?  And why are Gen Z/millennials dropping serious cash on anti-aging?  We look into the rise (and fall!) of spots like Extension Health, Hooke, Modern Age, and Forward, the recent TikTok drama around Continuum, and what the broligarchs (think: Sam Altman, Jeff Bezos) are backing.  We also learn that Emily is bullish on hyperbaric oxygen tanks and that brain rot might be…fake news.  Is longevity the future?  Listen to find out.

Resources and References:

• The Global Wellness Industry Is Now Worth $6.3 Trillion: https://archive.is/ydXjm
•  Article about Longevity Written in the Atlantic in 1928: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1928/05/the-secret-of-longevity/649408/

Defining what a longevity clinic actually is:

• The Longevity Clinic Will See You Now—for $100,000: https://www.wsj.com/health/longevity-clinics-aging-living-longer-2b98e773
• Modern Age has closed: https://beautymatter.com/articles/nyc-based-longevity-clinic-modern-age-to-close

F45 now also has GLP1s: https://insider.fitt.co/issue-no-282-gym-as-clinic/

Neko Health, the body-scanning AI health startup from Spotify’s Daniel Ek, opens in London: https://www.nekohealth.com/se/en/neko-health-raises-260m-series-b

 

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