Fitt Insider

Today, I'm joined by Benjamin Nazarian, CEO of Therabody – a wellness technology company. In this episode, we discuss the rise of the recovery category. We explore Therabody's evolution from a single product—the Theragun–into a platform for pain management, as well as the company's transition into the consumer market. Plus, we look at emerging and adjacent verticals, including breathwork, contrast therapy, mental fitness, and more. More from Benjamin Benjamin Nazarian is the Chief Executive Officer of Therabody. Under his leadership, Therabody evolved from a single device - Theragun, which pioneered the percussive therapy category - into an ecosystem of products and solutions that help people perform better, recover faster, and manage pain as an alternative to traditional medicine. Benjamin spearheaded Therabody's global expansion to 10,000 retail locations in more than 60 countries. His commitment to creating cutting-edge products and solutions that are available to everybody has been integral to Therabody's rapid growth and has established Therabody as a leader in the wellness industry. Prior to Therabody, Benjamin spent much of his career as a Managing Partner of Omninet Capital, where he still serves on the investment committee. Benjamin graduated from the University of Southern California (USC), with a Bachelor of Science in accounting and received his Juris Doctorate from the Law Center at USC. He currently resides in Los Angeles. More from Fitt Insider Fitt Insider is a platform for entrepreneurs, executives, and investors redefining the business of fitness and wellness. From our newsletter and podcast to our industry-specific jobs board, we create content and resources to drive the industry forward. We also invest in early-stage health and fitness companies. For more, visit: https://insider.fitt.co/

Today, I'm joined by Jordan Fliegel. An experienced entrepreneur and investor, we talk about Jordan's role at Techstars Sports, his investment fund, Founders First, and his time as founder of CoachUp and co-CEO of Draft.com. The conversation also covers emerging opportunities in the Sports Tech category, as well as Jordan's framework for evaluating companies and founders. More from Jordan Jordan Fliegel (born 1986) is an American tech entrepreneur and investor, focused on the sports industry. Techstars Sports - Fliegel is currently Managing Director of the Techstars Sports Accelerator, which he launched in 2019. Techstars Sports invests $120k/company in 10 startups annually and provides mentorship, office space and hands-on support. The consortium of strategic partners backing the accelerator includes the Next Level Fund, Pacers Sports & Entertainment, NCAA, Indiana Sports Corp, Indianapolis Colts, and Indianapolis Motor Speedway/IndyCar. The accelerator has 30 portfolio companies, including Ergatta, which raised $30M at a $200M valuation in 2021. Founders First - Fliegel is an investor in over 150 startups as Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Founders First, a vertical-agnostic early-stage angel fund and syndicate. Portfolio companies include Carta, Dapper Labs, Ramp, Fight Camp, MMHMM, Mparticle, Digits, Botkeeper, Merit, HqO, etc) Draft.com - Fliegel was previously co-CEO of Draft.com ("DRAFT"), a venture-backed fantasy sports company headquartered in NYC. In 2017, he sold DRAFT for $48M to Paddy Power Betfair. CoachUp.com - Fliegel was Founder and CEO (now Chairman) of CoachUp.com, the leading sports coaching platform with over 20,000 coaches, backed by $14M in venture capital and headquartered in Boston. NBA MVP Stephen Curry is Fliegel's partner and the lead spokesman at CoachUp. Pro Basketball – Fliegel played professional basketball in the Israeli Premier League, Israeli National League and EuroCup league, and in 2018 led a group that bought a double-digit minority stake in the ANBL 4X Champion New Zealand Breakers. Author - Fliegel writes and lectures on entrepreneurship, investing, and leadership and is the author of "Coaching Up!" (Wiley & Sons, 2016, with a foreword by NBA Champion Shane Battier). Awards - Fliegel and his companies were named Inc "30 under 30", Forbes "30 under 30", BBJ "40 under 40", and Finalist for Ernst & Young "New England Entrepreneur of the Year". Personal: Fliegel grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He earned a B.A. in Philosophy & Government from Bowdoin College, and an M.B.A. from Tel Aviv University. More from Fitt Insider Fitt Insider is a platform for entrepreneurs, executives, and investors redefining the business of fitness and wellness. From our newsletter and podcast to our industry-specific jobs board, we create content and resources to drive the industry forward. We also invest in early-stage health and fitness companies. For more, visit: https://insider.fitt.co/

Today, I'm joined by Phil Southerland, founder and CEO of Supersapiens — a company using continuous glucose monitoring to help athletes manage their energy levels. In this episode, we discuss advancements in glucose monitoring. Phil explains why the company is focused on endurance athletes and high performance. And he shares his vision for using sports as a platform to change the health of the world. More from Phil Phil Southerland was born in Tallahassee, Florida, and was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was only seven months old, the youngest case of diabetes on record in the world at that time. His parents were told that he would be dead or blind by 25. Fortunately, they were stubborn, and Phil had access to insulin, a knowledgeable medical team, and the latest in blood glucose monitoring tools. At six, he had the dream not to go blind and a drive to reach the A1C results needed. He discovered his love of the bike when he was 12. While attending the University of Georgia, he dreamed of combining his passion for cycling and his personal mission to raise awareness around diabetes. In 2005, Team Type 1 was founded, and by 2007 an all-diabetes cycling team not only won but set the world record in the 3,000-mile Race Across America. Under Phil's leadership, the dynamic squad rapidly grew from an amateur team to more than 100 athletes spanning the globe to inspire and unite people affected by diabetes and ranked in the top 25 professional cycling teams in the world in 2012. In late 2012, Phil and the team partnered with Novo Nordisk to create Team Novo Nordisk. The team is spearheaded by the world's first all-diabetes pro-cycling team and features a development team, elite team, and one female professional track star, Mandy Marquardt. Now in his late-thirties, Phil has dedicated his life to redefining what it means to live with diabetes and is driving a global movement to show the world how exercise can save the health of the world. "Exercise is the billion-dollar drug that rarely gets prescribed." Throughout his career, professional highlights include speaking at the United Nations on World Bicycle Day, leading a session at SXSW, and addressing audiences at ADA and AADE to speaking to one person at an event in Boise, Idaho. For Phil, the value isn't based on prestige as much as it is on impact. He is driven to make a difference in people's lives and approaches it one person at a time. To Phil, the bike has kept him alive for the past 25 years. While retired from professional racing, Phil regularly rides and still credits the bike for providing him with his continued health and sanity. Phil is a dedicated and proud father to three boys with wife, Dr. Biljana Southerland. In addition to the bike, Phil is a passionate skier and deep-water scuba diver. He calls Atlanta, Georgia home, and is a supporter of the High Museum. Phil is a former board member of Camp Kudzu, Hope Sports, and JDRF. He is a voracious reader and enjoys collecting rare wines and watches. Phil is the author of the book 'Not Dead Yet', which chronicles his life from early diagnosis of diabetes to professional cyclist and his mission to change the face of diabetes on a global scale. Southerland currently serves as the CEO and co-founder of Team Novo Nordisk, the world's first all-diabetes professional cycling team, and the founder and president of the non-profit Team Type 1 Foundation. More from Fitt Insider Fitt Insider is a platform for entrepreneurs, executives, and investors redefining the business of fitness and wellness. From our newsletter and podcast to our industry-specific jobs board, we create content and resources to drive the industry forward. We also invest in early-stage health and fitness companies. For more, visit: https://insider.fitt.co/

Today I'm joined by Ara Katz, co-founder & co-CEO of Seed Health — a microbial sciences company. In this episode, we discuss the microbiome and the many ways it impacts well-being. Ara explains Seed's approach to building a platform around studying and commercializing probiotics. And we talk about the differences between wellness, healthcare, and consumer life science. More from Ara A serial entrepreneur, advisor and angel investor, Ara Katz has eclectic experience at the intersection of health, tech, environment, media and design. She founded Seed Health to pioneer applications of microbes for both human and environmental health. Her work encompasses the translation of breakthrough science for a pipeline of probiotic innovations from discovery through commercialization across product, brand, insights, design-thinking, delivery technologies, industrial design, international DTC, new retail strategies, community, fundraising, channel expansion, business development and science communication. She spearheaded the company's $40MM fundraising to accelerate R+D and accelerate the company's pipeline beyond gut microbiome into microbial applications across dermatology, oral hygiene, pediatrics, women's health, infant health and nutrition. She brought the company carbon negative, to profitability, and led the acquisition of digital health ML company, Auggi. Ara is also a co-founder of Seed Health's environmental division, SeedLabs, and its first partner biotech company focused on women's health, LUCA Biologics. Their first therapeutic for rUTI enters the clinic in September 2021 followed by interventions for BV and Preterm Birth. Previously, Ara co-founded mobile commerce startup Spring, where she helped launch ApplePay on iPhone, and has invested in and advised companies across consumer, health and tech such as: RXDefine (TeleMed), C16 Biosciences (Sustainability), MindBodyGreen (Wellness), Mahmee (Maternal Care), Stadium Goods (Consumer / Marketplace), and Unicycle (Ed Tech). Ara was a Visiting Fellow at the MIT Media Lab, where she helped create the Center for Future Storytelling and CCA's Design Thinking MBA program. She has appeared on numerous podcasts like Rich Roll, Girlboss Radio, Welltodo, Commune and Broken Brain. She has been named in Marie Claire's 'The New Guard: The 50 Most Influential Women in America,' Business Insider's Silicon Alley 'Top 100' and '36 Rockstar Women in NYC Tech,' Create + Cultivate's '100 List for STEM,' and Women We Admire's 'Top 100 Women CEOs of 2021.' Her work has earned accolades such as Fast Company's World Changing Ideas 2019, 2020, and 2021,TIME's Best Inventions 2018, and a Webby Award for Best Use of Stories in 2020. She lives in Venice, California with her husband and five-year-old son, Pax (the reason Seed Health exists). She is passionate about the communication of science, the interplay of the environment and physical space, and the connecting of never before connected dots. Lastly, she's the proud owner of several tardigrades who live at Harvard's Museum of Natural History. More from Fitt Insider Fitt Insider is a platform for entrepreneurs, executives, and investors redefining the business of fitness and wellness. From our newsletter and podcast to our industry-specific jobs board, we create content and resources to drive the industry forward. We also invest in early-stage health and fitness companies. For more, visit: https://insider.fitt.co/

Today I'm joined by Tom Aulet, co-founder and CEO of Ergatta — a game-based connected rower. In this episode, Tom lays out the opportunity in creating fitness offerings that go beyond instructor-led, boutique-style classes. We talk about the company's approach to designing game-based content. And we discuss the potential for Ergatta to enter new categories in addition to rowing. More from Tom Tom is a teacher, turned economic analyst, turned enterprise software revenue leader, turned tech entrepreneur. After graduating from Vanderbilt with a degree in Spanish & Economics, Tom spent a year teaching English to high schoolers in Spain and then two years as an economic consultant at Cornerstone Research. Wanting something completely new, he then jumped to marketing software platform MediaMath where he did global enterprise deals, ran an EMEA & LATAM revenue team out of London, and eventually built and ran a global sales team. While struggling to find a practical and enjoyable fitness routine with a demanding job, Tom got the idea for Ergatta, partnered with his two favorite ex-colleagues and built the world's first game-based cardio machine. More from Fitt Insider Fitt Insider is a platform for entrepreneurs, executives, and investors redefining the business of fitness and wellness. From our newsletter and podcast to our industry-specific jobs board, we create content and resources to drive the industry forward. We also invest in early-stage health and fitness companies. For more, visit: https://insider.fitt.co/

Today I'm joined by Joey Gonzalez, the CEO of Barry's — a premium boutique fitness brand. In this episode, Joey shares his experience with the company, from customer and instructor to chief executive. We talk about Barry's X, the company's new digital platform, as well as Joey's vision for an omnichannel offering that includes partnering with connected fitness brands. Plus, we discuss the importance of building a values- and mission-driven company culture. More from Joey Joey Gonzalez is the CEO of Barry's, the original cardio and strength interval workout that began a global boutique fitness movement. His Barry's journey started in 2003, as a client in the iconic Red Room. He became an instructor soon after working his way up the ranks before finally taking the helm of the business as CEO in 2015. Since then, Gonzalez has dedicated his life to expanding the Barry's brand across the country and around the world, fostering diverse communities across 4 continents. Barry's now has 80 studios in 30 cities and 14 countries across the US, UK, France, Italy, Scandinavia, Mexico, Australia and South East Asia, and welcomes 150,000 people globally through its doors each week. In 2020, Gonzalez oversaw the creation of Barry's At-Home, an innovative virtual concept that allowed Barry's members to experience a digital workout with Barry's instructors from around the world, from the comfort of their own homes. Since launching, Barry's At-Home has held over 20,000 digitally streamed classes and seen over 800,000 faces on the screen. He also oversaw the opening of 18 outdoors studios in select markets across the country including New York City, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Boston, DC, Mexico City, and Miami. Under Gonzalez's stewardship, the brand has become known for its values of diversity and inclusivity, celebrating every member of Barry's global community through weekly diversity, inclusion and belonging workshops and initiatives such as United We Sprint, an annual celebration of World Pride month. In 2018, Gonzalez was named to Fast Company's Most Creative People in Business list and received CEO Award of the Year from North Castle Partners. He sits on the board of the Family Equality Council and is currently studying at Harvard Business School to earn his OPM degree. In 2020, Gonzalez was named EY Of The Year Greater Los Angeles' Entrepreneur of the Year. He currently resides in Miami, FL with his husband, daughter and son. More from Fitt Insider Fitt Insider is a platform for entrepreneurs, executives, and investors redefining the business of fitness and wellness. From our newsletter and podcast to our industry-specific jobs board, we create content and resources to drive the industry forward. We also invest in early-stage health and fitness companies. For more, visit: https://insider.fitt.co/

Today I'm joined by Jonathan Wolf, the co-founder and CEO of ZOE — a personalized nutrition company. In this episode, we talk about the gut microbiome, at-home test kits, and how ZOE helps people understand the impact different foods have on their well-being. We also discuss the benefits and challenges of a direct-to-consumer model versus seeking FDA approval for companies in the health diagnostic or wearables space. More from Jonathan Jonathan is the cofounder of health technology company ZOE. ZOE teaches you how your own body responds to food, based on personalized tests, AI and the largest in-depth nutritional study in the world carried out with Mass General Hospital, Stanford Medicine and King's College London. He is also the cofounder of ZOE's COVID Symptom Study, the largest study of COVID in the world with over 4 million users. The study is now funded by the UK government and provides real-time monitoring of COVID cases, support for vaccine trials and crucial scientific research with KCL such as papers in Nature Medicine on which symptoms predict COVID, the importance of anosmia and the first systematic study of long COVID. Previously he was Chief Product Officer at Criteo which was a 30 person start-up when he joined. Seven years later when he left it was public on NASDAQ, with over 2,000 people and over $1Bn revenue of revenue. In that time Jonathan built the product organization, created the publisher and midmarket sales organization, and opened the New York office. Prior to this Jonathan worked at Yahoo! Jonathan attended Oxford University where he received the Gibbs prize for Physics and was President of the Oxford Union, and was then at Harvard. He has been a Foundation Fellow at Corpus Christi College Oxford since 2015. More from Fitt Insider Fitt Insider is a platform for entrepreneurs, executives, and investors redefining the business of fitness and wellness. From our newsletter and podcast to our industry-specific jobs board, we create content and resources to drive the industry forward. We also invest in early-stage health and fitness companies. For more, visit: https://insider.fitt.co/

Today I'm joined by Echelon Fitness CEO Lou Lentine. In this episode, we discuss the company's growing connected fitness platform — including smart bikes, treadmills, rowers, and interactive workout mirrors. Lou explains how Echelon was able to build partnerships with 12K retailers, including Walmart, Target, and Costco. Plus, he talks about the company's plan to release gaming-inspired content and strength training equipment in an effort to become the hub for at-home fitness. More from Lou Lou Lentine embodies the very definition of an entrepreneur. By the age of thirty, he built a $30 million dollar consumer products business. Today, he stands as the CEO of Echelon Fitness and President and founder of Viatek Consumer Products Group. Echelon Fitness, is raising the bar on at-home connected fitness by making wellness accessible and affordable for everyone. From state-of-the-art indoor cycling bikes to first-in-class touchscreen fitness mirrors, auto-folding treadmill and smart rowers, Echelon incorporates thoughtful design and smart innovation into personalized workouts that fit into your active life, when it's convenient for you. Members can join a variety of live and on-demand classes led by down-to-earth personal fitness instructors who are there to help you stay balanced and reach your wellness goals. You can even track your performance against Echelon's live leaderboard and beat your personal best while cycling, boxing, strength training, cardio, yoga and more. Viatek Consumer Products Group is a company that has developed solution-oriented merchandise that has attracted major retailers and TV Shopping Networks. His high level of corporate citizenship and exemplary talent within the sales industry has allowed Viatek to establish partnerships around the globe and distribute products in seventy countries spanning five continents. Some of his numerous honors and recognitions include: the World Trade Book of Honor Award, Exporter of the Year Award, Deloitte & Touche Fast 50 for Central Florida & Fast 500 USA, University of Central Florida Alumni of the Year, and a Nomination for the Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young. Lou Lentine believes that the frontier of innovation starts with an idea. Developing products that make sense or solve a common problem is one of his biggest passions. In his opinion, watching a product blossom from an idea to a reality, to ultimately landing in the hands of a happy customer is the biggest success any inventor can reach. No stranger to direct response TV, Lou Lentine developed some of the most popular items on TV including the Hurricane Spin Mop, a revolutionary mopping system that cleans floors throughout the home without the use of harsh detergents which then landed on the shelves of major retail giants including Walmart, Target, Walgreens, and CVS. The Hurricane went on to be distributed in over 30 countries. Among his other notable inventions, the patented Renu-it Battery Regenerator, a Home Shopping Network's special, sold nearly 2 million units worldwide; Mighty Jump — an emergency car jump starter sold millions of units globally. Lentine and his affiliated companies have been developing and inventing products since 1992. He began promoting his products on television in 1996, including on HSN, the Shopping Channel Canada, QVC, USA, QVC UK, QVC Germany, and Shop TV Japan. He moved his business to Chattanooga in 2011. He has filed for more than 100 patents. More from Fitt Insider Fitt Insider is a newsletter and podcast on the business of fitness and wellness. Join industry-leading operators and investors by subscribing: http://insider.fitt.co

Today I'm joined by Juliet and Kelly Starrett, the husband and wife team behind The Ready State – the company that pioneered mobility training. In this episode, we talk about the evolution of their business, from a CrossFit gym to a Youtube channel and a variety of coaching products, including a digital subscription, educational courses, speaking, and consulting. We also discuss the fitness industrial complex as it relates to the booming fitness industry but widening health gap — along with how Juliet and Kelly think about increasing access and improving outcomes. More from Kelly and Juliet Kelly Starrett: Kelly is the co-founder (with his wife Juliet) and Chief Creative Officer of The Ready State Inc., which pioneered musculoskeletal self-care and recovery. Kelly is also the co-author of the New York Times bestsellers Becoming a Supple Leopard and Ready to Run and the Wall Street Journal bestseller Deskbound. Kelly was also the co-founder of San Francisco CrossFit, the 21st CrossFit affiliate. Kelly consults with athletes and coaches from the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB the US Olympic Team and CrossFit works with elite Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard forces, and consults with corporations on employee health and well-being. Dr. Starrett's work is not limited to coaches and athletes; his methods apply equally well to children, desk jockeys, and anyone dealing with injury and chronic pain. He believes that every human being should know how to move and be able to perform basic maintenance on themselves. Juliet Starrett: Juliet Starrett is an entrepreneur, attorney, author, and podcaster. She is the co-founder and CEO of The Ready State Inc, which has pioneered musculoskeletal self-care and recovery. She is also the former co-founder and CEO of San Francisco CrossFit, one of the first 50 CrossFit affiliates. Juliet is the co-author of the Wall Street Journal Bestseller, Deskbound and co-host of The Ready State Podcast. Before turning her attention to The Ready State and San Francisco CrossFit full-time, Juliet was a professional whitewater paddler, winning 3 World Championship and 5 national titles. She also had a successful career as an attorney, practicing complex commercial litigation at Reed Smith for nearly eight years. More from Fitt Insider Fitt Insider is a newsletter and podcast on the business of fitness and wellness. Join industry-leading operators and investors by subscribing: http://insider.fitt.co

Today I'm joined by Chip Hawkins, Founder and Chairman of Wahoo Fitness — a fitness technology for indoor cycling and endurance training. In this episode, we discuss Wahoo's evolution from a single product used to track cycling stats to an indoor bike trainer and now a variety of devices and accessories for endurance athletes. Chip also talks about his approach to product development and the importance of staying innovative. Plus, we look at the opportunities and challenges in content, software, and building a fully integrated platform. More from Fitt Insider Fitt Insider is a newsletter and podcast on the business of fitness and wellness. Join industry-leading operators and investors by subscribing: http://insider.fitt.co