The Business of Wellness Jaclyn London, MS, RD, CDN

Welcome back to this week’s REPLAY episode of The Business of Wellness! 
Before we get into some exciting trend forecasting content for 2024 (my favorite kind of content), I thought we’d take a moment to look back at the biggest food, nutrition & wellness trends of 2023. 
What did I get right? Where did I go awry? Which trends did you see everywhere this year, and which ones of these were a total miss?! Don’t be shy….I’d really love to hear your feedback in the form of a review, listeners! 
Today’s episode is a replay of part one of my two episode series on 2023 trend forecasting in food, nutrition & preventative health, which originally aired in December, 2022.
This episode specifically deep-dives on three key areas of opportunity for consumer wellness brands. I get into why I think doing each of these three things can help brands, businesses, products, and services to not only survive the forthcoming economic downturn, but actually thrive during a challenging & competitive period. 
We discuss: 
What is "wellness" and why is it so difficult to define? Our current healthcare model (& why it's more closely aligned with "sickcare") Trepidation among health professionals to discuss weight in a conversation about preventative health The relationship between food and health (and how this impacts everything else we do in the name of "self-care.") Redefining our current understanding of self-care  Plus, three ways to recession-proof a wellness brand, including: 
Focus on your unique value proposition (intentionality) vs. ideology Provide services and/or products that eliminate barriers to behavior change Provide opportunities for customers to build meaningful connection 
Thanks for listening to The Business of Wellness with Jaclyn London, MS, RD. 
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*Advice provided on this podcast should not replace medical advice provided by your physician.

Kathrin Hamm is the CEO & founder of Bearaby, a sustainable, beautifully crafted  & hyper-functional weighted blanket that’s designed to promote better sleep quality & longer sleep duration. 
We discuss: 
A personal quest for better rest: How it led her to exploring the world of textiles & consumer products, and how Kathrin’s role at the World Bank influenced her founder’s journey
The triumphs and challenges of developing a DTC product: What she wished she’d known sooner, and where she found small wins along the way
Product design & technology vs. brand & marketing: Kathrin’s preference for one vs. the other, and what she’s learned about both in launching Bearaby
Defining sustainability & functional design for today’s consumer: What she’s learned thus far, and what every/all founders in similar spaces and sectors of the wellness industry  should know about developing and scaling a consumer product in 2023 and beyond
Trend forecasting: What’s ahead in the wellness industry for 2024+
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🎙️Hire me to consult before you invest in or get to work on that “better-for-you” product  
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**Advice provided on this podcast should not replace medical advice provided by your physician. 

Today I’m deep-diving on all things GLP-1 agonist medications and forecasting their impact on the CPG food and beverage industry for 2024 and beyond. Specifically, I discuss: 
How GLP-1’s change individuals’ food preferences, overall intake, and alter taste perception 
How the rise of GLP-1’s as the pharmaceutical industry’s “blockbuster” might affect the food industry in the short and long-term, and how food companies could start to approach this topic as they prepare their product roadmaps for the future
What are some specific concerns among individuals taking GLP-1’s as it relates to food and beverage products, and their own personal tolerance to specific foods in light of medication side effects?
GLP-1’s and early satiety: We discuss how the medications create feelings of early satiety– what this means for practitioners, how this affects individual patients, and how the MNT for GERD and early satiety may be beneficial when considering / seeking to understand this patient population more effectively
Alcohol, coffee, single-serve convenience foods, sugar-sweetened beverages, tomato-based products, eggs, veggies and fruit, and high saturated fat, high refined carb food products– what do all of these products have in common, and which ones of these will be better tolerated by individuals taking GLP-1’s vs. not
Side effects of GLP-1’s that affect diet and lifestyle, and how these translate to CPG foo and beverage industries and product roadmaps/financial forecasting 
My most fascinating finding of all: How tolerance to GLP-1 medications may be promoted through nutrition education & adopting diet & lifestyle shifts BEFORE STARTING the medication vs. referring to a dietitian/receiving nutrition education AFTER starting a GLP-1. I talk about why the lack of nutrition education & counseling may be affecting medication tolerance and ultimately, affecting a patient’s ability to adhere to the medication long-term due to diet-related side effects.
The foods & beverages NOT AFFECTED by GLP-1’s that still demand attention for the sake of helping individuals achieve better cardiometabolic health. 
 
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🎙️Hire me to consult before you invest in or get to work on that “better-for-you” product  
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🎙️Krispy Kreme article from Forbes
🎙️Are GLP-1’s the root cause of consumer shopping shifts? WaPo thinks so (but I’m not sold)
 
Advice provided on this podcast should not replace medical advice provided by your physician. 

I’m running it back this week to one of your all-time favorite episodes from January, 2022 with the brilliant & talented Kate Lemere. Kate is a Chief Instructor and Founding Trainer at Barry's Chicago. She sat down with me for a proper smackdown of all things diet culture (and so much more). 
 
 We discuss: 
How to get (and stay) informed from credible sources 
Fitness questions she's asked the most (and her answers to all of 'em)
How to approach finding a routine that works for you
Why Bala Bangles are kinda stupid (!!!)
 
I also cover a listener q+a in this episode on the topic of Dry January– my thoughts on this phenomenon, what to know if you’re considering trying it in 2024. 
 
🎙️Follow The Business of Wellness on Apple Podcasts & leave a 5-star rating & review 
🎙️Hire me to consult before you invest in or get to work on that “better-for-you” product  
🎙️Follow me @jaclynlondonrd
 
**Advice provided on this podcast should not replace medical advice provided by your physician. 

Ali Wing is the CEO of Oobli, a new line of food & beverage products sweetened with sweet proteins in place of sugar and traditional non-nutritive sweeteners that are ubiquitous on the market today. We discuss: 
Ali’s background in healthcare & CPG: How she became interested in this product/technology, the opportunity at the intersection of biotech and CPG food & beverage, and what makes Oobli a different company to work for vs. others throughout her career. 
What are sweet proteins? A deep dive on this new biotechnology, commercial/chemical application, and the possibilities for use, including what makes them different vs. other types of sweeteners designed to mimic carbohydrate metabolism.  
Brand storytelling: The challenges & breakthroughs Ali’s experienced as CEO of Oobli in telling the story of the products and the technology behind them in ways that empower healthcare professionals and consumers to get curious about (and ultimately become brand champions of) Oobli. 
Trend forecasting 2024: What does Ali think is new & next in food, beverage & biotech? What she’s excited by, and what puts her to sleep when it comes to nutrition & wellness trends. 
🎙️Follow The Business of Wellness on Apple Podcasts & leave a 5-star rating & review 
🎙️Hire me to consult before you invest in or get to work on that “better-for-you” product  
🎙️Follow me @jaclynlondonrd
 
**Advice on this podcast should not replace medical advice provided by your physician? 

Martin, Mathias & Mads Klarborg are the sons of Etly Klarborg, founder & designer of Klarborg, a Danish design brand with the primary goal of spreading joy, happiness, and hygge through its whimsical cast of characters. On today’s episode, we discuss: 
Growing up Klarborg: The trials & triumphs of working for a family owned & operated company– how this helps achieve business objectives, how it (sometimes) gets in the way, and what each Klarborg brother values most about their role within the Klarborg empire. 
Holiday 365: What it means to work for a company that’s primarily focused around the holiday season; how this impacts business strategy & planning throughout the year, and what the Klarborg brothers see as their primary advantage to working for a company that's rooted in togetherness,  celebration, love & cherishing the  holiday spirit above all else. (I’ll be honest, I’m imagining their work life a bit like Santa’s Workshop…)
Hygge for Improving Mental Health: What this word really means, what it does NOT mean, and how it’s been commercially applied to-date in the United States. Plus, how the concept has evolved in the U.S. for American brands &  consumers, and what we’re getting right (and wrong) about bringing this concept to life with more authenticity  in our everyday lives.
Exporting Hygge: How do you export a mindset/vibe/feeling/practice that’s built around community in an increasingly digital world? The Klarborg brothers debunk hygge myths & discuss the concept of exporting Danish wellness for U.S. consumers.
🎙️Follow The Business of Wellness on Apple Podcasts & leave a 5-star rating & review 
🎙️Hire me to consult before you invest in or get to work on that “better-for-you” product  
🎙️Follow me @jaclynlondonrd
 
**Advice provided on this podcast should not replace medical advice provided by your physician.