33: Green Beauty, Big Tech & The Future Of Athleisure: mbg Founders Discuss 2018 Wellness Trends

The mindbodygreen Podcast

This special edition episode is a reflection on mindbodygreen's 2018 wellness trends! Every year in December, we release a report of our biggest trends and predictions for next year, and this time we have a sneak peek into the thought process behind the trends with our founder and CEO, Jason Wachob, along with co-founder and chief brand officer, Colleen Wachob.

"It is a really exciting time to be in wellness," Jason said, as he reflected on mbg's track record for setting and predicting trends. In 2015, we were one of the first to call out supplement startups and telomeres as a trend. Two years ago in 2016, we accurately predicted guac would become a healthy staple, wellness tourism would go mainstream, and foretold the wellness world's now long-standing obsession with succulents. Last year, we reported that women's spaces and circles would grow, and from a food standpoint, we pegged personalized nutrition, medicinal mushrooms, and ketosis as wellness trends too.

In this special, abbreviated episode, Jason and Colleen discuss four of our biggest and buzziest trends this year, and they're asking the questions no one else wants to ask: Will technology be the next tobacco? And when will we as consumers start to move the needle for big tech, the same way we did this year with big food? Healthy food startups are being acquired left and right—they discuss why that's a really good thing.

In that vein, accessibility in wellness is another trending theme that resonates strongly with mindbodygreen's new mission. Breathwork will join meditation as a practice people use anytime, anywhere to change their energy. Similar to big food, green beauty is experiencing a surge of financial interest, acquisitions, and support from big-box retailers, who are stocking naturals now more than ever.

And a question: Where will athleisure and boutique fitness go? They both are becoming more diverse and less exclusive, with at-home workouts like FlyWheel's new stationary bike and Peloton's rumored treadmill. Tune in to hear their points of view and get a behind-the-scenes look at the thinking behind these trends.

To contact Jason with comments, questions, or speaker ideas, please e-mail [e-mail].

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