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The Brief

Welcome back, Wellworthy readers.

Building something meaningful demands tradeoffs. Your time, your habits, your sleep.

So what does balance actually look like when everything is competing for your attention?

This week, we asked the co-founder of one of the country’s most recognizable beverage brands.

Here’s what’s inside:

• How the co-founder of poppi balances ambition, fitness, and health

• A 24,000-square-foot gym just opened in Austin

• FRESH THIS WEEK: A round-the-clock blood pressure tracker, prescription skincare for menopausal skin, and a trail collection with a camo pattern pulled from alpine granite
  

Here we go!

— Jake & Joana

The Health Stack: Stephen Ellsworth

Poppi co-founder Stephen Ellsworth spent years as a competitive bodybuilder before launching one of the country’s most recognized beverage brands. But his approach to health was shaped long before the company existed.

The background: Competing taught Ellsworth that small moments compound. That mindset became the foundation for poppi: creating a better-for-you drink people actually enjoy. 

The habit: Through the toughest stretches of building the business, Ellsworth refused to sacrifice training. "Regardless of how busy life is, it was the one constant that would allow me to blow off some steam," he says. His advice? Find something that forces you to be fully present. "Leave all the pressures of the outside world behind, if only for a brief moment. It will change your life."

The philosophy: Ellsworth doesn't believe in perfect balance. He thinks in seasons. "In some seasons the business will need more, in others the marriage or family will need more," he says. "The important thing is to never let either slip for too long, and that includes your health." His rule: give on everything, but never all at once, and never for too long. "We're humans, not robots."

His stack:

• For better sleep, Ellsworth swears by Orion's temperature-controlled mattress topper.

• For strength workouts, Tonal is his go-to at-home training device.

• For recovery after his workouts, he uses Therabody Compression boots.

• On longer runs, he relies on Waloco's Base Layer Running Shorts.

• To unwind and refuel, he pairs daily sauna usage with Jesse and Ben's better-for-you fries.

Hear more from founders and wellness experts on our Health Stacks page.

A wellness market is coming to Runningman. 🛍️

This September, we're taking over a corner of Runningman Festival with a free wellness market. 

Here are just a few things you'll discover inside:

• 🍎 Better-for-you food and drinks

• 🍹 A protein smoothie bar

• 🎟️ Custom scratch-off tickets

• 🧴 Body care and recovery products

And if you're already grabbing tickets, make sure to use code WW10 for 10% off.

Just Dropped

New products and drops spotted → 

Supplements & nutrition

Creia is a sparkling water built with 5g of creatine monohydrate and electrolytes per can. The brand bets the reason creatine doesn't stick for most people isn't the science, it's the format. So it built a can that's 40 calories, caffeine-free, and sweetened with organic cane sugar and fruit juice. It comes in Peach Ginger, Watermelon Lime, and Yuzu. Shop the lineup.

Hopkind is entering the non-alcoholic beer aisle later this summer with functional IPA and lagers. The brand says they’ll be dosed with Senactiv and L-citrulline (ingredients typically found in sports recovery supplements) aimed at muscle recovery and hydration rather than just cutting the buzz. Learn more.

Smyle launched ROX, its plant-based functional candy designed to protect tooth enamel between regular brushing sessions. It's sugar-free and powered by xylitol and arginine, which starve the bacteria behind acid attacks and reset your mouth's pH after eating or drinking. Shop ROX.

Performance & gear

Mountain gear brand La Sportiva just dropped its Spring 2027 collection, built on one idea: no need to swap layers from trailhead to summit. The standout is the Endure Short, with built-in compression tights that stabilize muscles on long efforts. It's joined by an ultralight 7 oz waterproof shell and a seamless anti-odor tee. Check out more here.

Beyond Yoga just launched glowzone, its first high-sweat performance line. It wicks moisture, stretches four ways, and skips the heavy compression most gear defaults to. Standouts include a seamless midi legging and a bounce-tested sports bra. Shop glowzone.

Nike ACG announced Chamo Camo, a trail collection with a custom camo pattern pulled from the granite, limestone, and light of Chamonix. It spans the brand's race kit and a retail lineup including the Ultrafly Trail, Zegama Trail, and Pegasus Trail. Shop the collection.

JANUARY just launched its debut shoe, Scignal, built by a team of BIPOC runners aiming to make performance running more inclusive. Instead of a typical carbon plate, it's built with a nylon shank to trade elite-pace edge for a safer ride across more runners. Pre-order here.

Wellness tech & self-care

Garmin introduced CIRQA, its first screen-free smart band for people who want the health data with less distraction. It tracks heart rate, sleep, training readiness, and menstrual cycles around the clock, no subscription needed, and runs up to 10 days on a charge. Shop CIRQA.

K18 dropped FutureIQ, a nightly scalp serum built to catch hair aging before it shows up, not after. It targets shedding, early graying, and scalp health all at once, and in testing, users kept up to 19,000 more hairs and a majority saw fewer grays after three months. Launches August 5th.

Hilo just launched Hilo Core in the US, a system built to catch blood pressure trends instead of one-off readings. A screen-free wristband takes optical readings around the clock, no cuff, and syncs with an FDA-cleared cuff once a month to stay calibrated. Get it here.

Midi Health is expanding into prescription skincare built for hormonal skin changes that speed up through menopause. The lineup pairs a new Copper Peptide Repair Cream, aimed at restoring skin's natural repair process, with a Hydroquinone Even Tone Cream for dark spots and hyperpigmentation. Book your visit.

On Our Radar 

What's moving in wellness this week → 

Bandit is stepping in for unsponsored runners. Many athletes at the USA Outdoor Championships train at an elite level with no shoe or apparel deal to show for it. Bandit's Unsponsored Project, now in its fourth year, covers their competition costs, gives them an unbranded kit to signal they're a free agent, and includes a release clause for when a real sponsorship comes through. Since 2023, it's backed nearly 100 athletes, five of whom made Team USA.

Austin gets an all-in-one club. THIS Gym just opened, founded by trainer Tim Riley, packing 24,000 square feet of turf, cold plunges, and saunas under one roof. Members also get on-site sports medicine, chiropractic care, and PEMF therapy, built on the idea that training and recovery shouldn't live in separate buildings. 

The mile record finally fell. Josh Kerr ran 3:42.66 at the London Diamond League, breaking a 27-year-old world record set by Hicham El Guerrouj in 1999. He trained the entire buildup wearing Amazfit, tracking sleep, recovery, and heart rate variability to time the effort down to the second. 

Culture as a longevity habit.  Per a new study tracking nearly 1,900 adults over time, older adults who regularly hit museums, theaters, or movies had physiological ages about three years younger than those who stayed home. And if we want to talk about anti-aging hacks, researchers say it could even rival regular exercise.