Fitt Insider

Today, I’m joined by Sami Inkinen, founder & CEO of Virta Health. Leading with lifestyle, Virta takes a bottom-up approach to diabetes management. Leveraging ketogenic nutrition therapy, the company is tackling root causes of type 2 diabetes. In this episode, we talk about unwinding the metabolic health crisis. We also cover: • The rise of GLP-1s • Reversing type 2 diabetes • Harms of ultra-processed foods Subscribe to the podcast → insider.fitt.co/podcast Subscribe to our newsletter → insider.fitt.co/subscribe Follow us on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/fittinsider Virta Health’s Website: https://www.virtahealth.com/ Virta Health’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/virtahealth -   The Fitt Insider Podcast is brought to you by EGYM. Visit EGYM.com to learn more about its smart workout solutions 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 (02:01) The ineffectiveness of current diabetes treatment (04:30) Addressing the underlying drivers of diabetes (06:53) Sami’s journey to founding Virta Health (12:47) Virta’s nutritional based approach to solving diabetes (16:24) Operationalizing nutrition therapy (18:26) Business model and sales process (23:01) Incentives and misaligned healthcare (28:08) Default food environment and metabolic health (34:36) The impact of GLP-1 drugs on Virta’s business (40:04) The need for a holistic approach to obesity (41:29) Conclusion

Emi Gal, Founder & CEO of Ezra, discusses AI in lowering MRI costs, preventative health importance, lifestyle changes to prevent cancer, and personal biohacking experiments. The podcast explores innovative full-body MRI scans for early cancer detection and the future of healthcare disruption.

Rebecca Parekh, CEO of The WELL, shares insights on integrated wellness, healthy third spaces, and unmet consumer needs in the industry. The discussion covers East meets West medicine, founding The WELL, challenges of scaling preventive health, and the evolving wellness industry landscape. Rebecca's vision for the future includes global expansion, partnerships, and integrated technology for customer-led change.

Today, I’m joined by Eric Litman, Founder and CEO of Aescape. Underwhelmed by traditional massage therapy, Eric created Aescape. Using AI robotics, the company provides a precise, consistent, fully automated bodywork experience.  In this episode, we discuss Aescape’s seven-year journey to launch. We also cover: • Partnering with Equinox • The future of human-robot interactions • Creating an on-demand massage marketplace Subscribe to the podcast → insider.fitt.co/podcast Subscribe to our newsletter → insider.fitt.co/subscribe Follow us on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/fittinsider Aescape’s Website: https://www.aescape.com/ Become an Aescape Partner: https://www.aescape.com/partner -   The Fitt Insider Podcast is brought to you by EGYM. Visit EGYM.com to learn more about its smart workout solutions 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 (01:22) Why AI robotics and massages? (03:21) Challenges in developing Aescape  (08:10) How the robotic massages work (12:26) Designing the robotic arms   (17:05) Safety and user comfort   (19:25) Business model  (22:15) Rollout and partnerships (25:27) Future of human-robot interactions   (27:11) Roadmap  (28:34) Conclusion

Cheryl Sew Hoy, Founder & CEO of Tiny Health, discusses the company's family-focused approach to gut health, the impact of the gut on infant well-being, future plans for pet microbiome tests, and the relationship between daily environment and microbiome. The episode explores microbiome testing for babies, Cheryl's personal journey founding Tiny Health, challenges in developing the microbiome test, democratizing access to health data, measuring gut health improvements, and timing/frequency of testing.

Today, I’m joined by Krystal Zell, CEO of Tonal. After raising $130M last year, Tonal is recalibrating. Doubling down on hyper-personalized at-home fitness, it's leveraging AI to make its hardware smarter than ever. In this episode, we discuss the company’s intelligent strength training system in depth. We also cover: Bringing strength training to new audiences Building a profitable and sustainable business Creating and scaling truly personalized workouts Subscribe to the podcast → insider.fitt.co/podcast Subscribe to our newsletter → insider.fitt.co/subscribe Follow us on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/fittinsider Tonal’s Website: https://www.tonal.com/ Krystal’s Email: kyrstal@tonal.com Tonal’s FB: https://www.facebook.com/TonalStrong Tonal’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/tonal -   The Fitt Insider Podcast is brought to you by EGYM. Visit EGYM.com to learn more about its smart workout solutions 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 (02:05) Krystal’s experience at Tonal (03:27) Balancing growth and profitability (08:47) Motivation for joining Tonal (12:39) Expanding into new audiences (16:29) Partnerships and distribution strategy (18:16) Messaging and branding evolution (20:43) Changing perceptions about strength training (24:12) AI, personalization, and data-driven experience (28:34) Interoperability and data integration (30:38) Future roadmap (32:31) Consolidation in the industry (35:06) Building a profitable and sustainable business (37:58) Conclusion

Today, I’m joined by Samantha Citro Alexander, co-founder & CEO of bitewell. Streamlining food as medicine, bitewell combines nutrition education with insurance-subsidized grocery shopping and delivery. Partnering with employers and providers, the company is on a mission to make healthy eating healthcare’s first line of defense. In this episode, we talk about the company’s digital food “farmacy.” We also cover: • Food insecurity vs. nutrition insecurity • bitewell’s approach to making food as medicine mainstream • How employers, health plans, policymakers, and startups can transform well-being Subscribe to the podcast → insider.fitt.co/podcast Subscribe to our newsletter → insider.fitt.co/subscribe Follow us on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/fittinsider bitewell’s Website: https://www.bitewell.com/ Samantha’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthacitro/ -   The Fitt Insider Podcast is brought to you by EGYM. Visit EGYM.com to learn more about its smart workout solutions 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 (01:57) bitewell’s origin story (04:05) Employer and health plan involvement (08:36) Food as medicine (16:56) Customizable engagement program (20:29) Food Insecurity vs. Nutrition Insecurity (25:24) Logistics and infrastructure (27:22) Challenges with the food system and healthcare (30:28) Influencing change and bitewell’s mission driven work (33:23) Shifting incentives and teaming up as an industry (35:59) Future Plans and Partnerships (37:36) Conclusion

Today, I’m joined by Brian Kirkbride, co-founder & co-CEO of FitLab. An experienced founder, Fortune 500 exec, and investor, Brian oversees the company’s 11-brand portfolio of studios, equipment, and experiences — including Assault Fitness, XPT, Ragnar, and McGregor FAST. Scaling up FitLab is pushing expansion. In this episode, we discuss the company’s integrated lifestyle platform. We also cover: • Acquiring vs. building companies  • Partnering with Nike to launch boutique studios • Uniting memberships and experiences across portfolio brands Subscribe to the podcast → insider.fitt.co/podcast Subscribe to our newsletter → insider.fitt.co/subscribe Follow us on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/fittinsider FitLab’s Website: https://www.fitlab.com/ -   The Fitt Insider Podcast is brought to you by EGYM. Visit EGYM.com to learn more about its smart workout solutions 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 (00:40) The FitLab state of the union (02:04) FitLab’s vision (11:53) Decision-making processes for acquiring, partnering, or building new brands (16:53) Progress towards achieving a fully integrated system (19:05) Fitness industry future and challenges (24:02) Consolidation, integration, scaling, and execution (27:36) Partnership with Nike (34:15) Nike's training and running studios (37:31) Nike's digital fitness initiatives (40:12) Wearable data and integration (43:52) Holistic health and preventative care (46:11) Future roadmap (48:47) Conclusion

Amanda Rees, co-founder of Bold, discusses personalized fitness for healthy aging, fall prevention for seniors, and Bold's partnership with Medicare. They focus on tailoring fitness for older adults and the challenges of healthcare business models. Additionally, they explore engagement strategies with health plans, the importance of movement as medicine, and the shift towards healthspan in the fitness industry.

James McMaster, CEO of Huel, discusses how his brand revolutionizes healthy eating with convenient, nutritionally complete meals. He highlights the transition from a single powdered shake to a diverse product range, focusing on customer obsession and sustainability. McMaster also emphasizes the importance of creating a lifestyle brand, overcoming retail challenges, and harnessing organic marketing strategies. The brand's mission to replace junk food and promote healthier options is at the core of their innovative approach.