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Has “Competitive Wellness” Gone Too Far?
FORUMS

Has “Competitive Wellness” Gone Too Far?

Protein Protein May 22, 2025 16 min read
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Watch the recording or read the highlights from our recent FORUM on the rise of competitive wellness – and what it means for brands.

Has “Competitive Wellness” Gone Too Far?

Wellness has evolved from grassroots practice to a $5.6 trillion global industry — driven in part by what we’re calling competitive wellness, where rest becomes performance, health is branding and the goal is to optimise, gamify and win. 

This mindset is showing up in many areas of life. But lately it feels like we’ve reached a tipping point. First, we wrote a SEED about it. Then we held a FORUM. Both explored the same questions: 

Our Panellists

Grace Cook is a freelance journalist covering fashion, food, fitness, wellness, culture and travel, and the intersection between these sectors. Her bylines appear internationally in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times. Her new weekly newsletter is called Salty.

Jules Miller is Founder and CEO of health and wellness brand The Nue Co, founded in 2017, with products ranging from functional fragrances to supplements that support gut, skin and hair health. The company is B Corp Certified and a Climate Positive Business. 

Tyler Williams-Green founded The Outrunners, an inclusive running club based in London, in 2015. His aim was to build on his long-standing experience in the charity and youth sectors, and give run clubs a strong social purpose. In 2020, The Outrunners became a registered charity and, a couple of years ago, partnered with Nike’s social impact team.

Read on for the highlights, edited and condensed for clarity, or click below to watch the recording: 

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