Willpower Weekly: Issue No. 04
Wellness Is Booming.. But at What Cost?
The wellness economy is thriving. Packaging has become an art form, SKUs are multiplying, and brands are contradicting themselves left and right.
And yet, more people are burned out, skeptical, and overwhelmed, standing in endless supplement aisles, tracking their stress levels on wearable tech, and chasing "better" without ever feeling good.
We’re tapping into Fitt Insider’s “Wellness 2.0” playbook, a reminder that wellness was never supposed to be about perfection, pressure, or performance.
It’s not about the perfect routine. It’s about building resilience. Not closing your rings. But grounding yourself.
To put it simply:
Actualization > Aspiration. Hype is out, hands-on help is in.
Meaning > Metrics. A purposeful life trumps a perfect recovery score.
Positive-sum > Zero-sum. Wellness isn’t elite optimization — it’s shared growth.
Hope > Fear. If wellness increases anxiety, division, or discontent, we’re doing it wrong.
It’s time we put the “human” back at the center of human performance.
🚕 Sephora x Lyft Take On Prime Day
While most brands were busy slashing prices for Prime Day, Sephora took a different route — literally.
Through a partnership with Lyft Media, they launched “Delivered to Beauty”, offering free rides to Sephora stores in select cities. The goal? Shift the focus from convenience to connection, and remind customers that the buy now button isn’t the only way to engage.
Why it matters: In a world of affiliate codes, DTC promos, and algorithm-led shopping, the brands gaining real traction are the ones getting on the ground, crafting experiences, not just conversions.
It’s the kind of thinking we’re exploring back in Austin at our next Catalyst Series in August: how partnerships can drive growth, build brand equity, and create the kind of connection you can’t fake.
📦 Big Brands Are Thinking Small
We grew up in the era of party packs, family size, and “more for your money” wholesale hauls.
Now, brands are just hoping for any purchase at all.
As consumers get more selective with their wallets, the definition of value is shifting. Smaller formats, once reserved for convenience stores or on-the-go snacking, are now showing up across shelves in nearly every category.
From single sleeves of Oreos to downsized bottles of Don Julio, major brands are rethinking their approach. It’s not just about cost-cutting, it’s about meeting people where they are: buying less, more often, with less waste and lower commitment.
For younger and emerging brands, it’s not a trend to ignore. Adapting to this moment doesn’t mean lowering your bar; it means adjusting your format to fit the realities of how people are actually shopping in this economy.
🍦 Brand of the Week: FroCo by Smearcase
With Whole Foods doing 50% off ice cream for Amazon Prime members, it only felt right to shout out one of our favorite frozen brands making serious moves: FroCo by Smearcase.
Founder Joe came out to our last NYC event at Padel Haus and handed out samples — and let’s just say the hype is real.
💥 Meet Smearcase's FroCo:
A frozen cottage cheese ice cream that somehow manages to taste amazing and solve for real protein needs.
They spent over a year developing the formula, and it shows. We love brands that tackle a real problem and get creative with how they do it — and Smearcase fits the mold.
One to watch (and stock up on).
🧊 Padel & Plunge: Brands Meet Wellness & Community
At Willpower, everything we do is rooted in the belief that growth happens through community, and nowhere is that more clear than in Austin. People are skipping the late-night binge drinking and looking for more alternative approaches to spend their weekends, with communities that align with their values and ambitions. People change best when they’re not alone.
A few weeks ago, we partnered with Padel39 to host Padel & Plunge, and the turnout blew. us. away. Over 400 people signed up for run club, padel play, cold plunges by Plunge, and plenty of connection along the way.
We're constantly inspired by the energy of this community, the way people show up, stay curious, and support what others are building. And we loved being able to highlight a few vendors doing just that:
🍧 GoodPop kept everyone refreshed with electrolyte-packed frozen fruit pops (David Goetz, founder of GoodPop, was also our esteemed speaker for our April Catalyst Series)
🌿 Restart CBD + Soul CBD helped attendees unwind and recharge
💪 David Protein Bar + Noble Origins fueled recovery with high-quality protein
🍖 Carne Shabu brought the flavor
🍦 Off Day Ice Cream Club added a perfect cooldown moment
People change best when they’re not alone. Community isn’t a nice to have. It’s the multiplier. And that is Willpower.
Thanks to everyone who came through, supported one another, and reminded us what real community looks like.
🎤 Catalyst Series Recap: Product First, Always
At last month’s Catalyst Series in Austin, this time focusing on customer-centric scaling, Albert Matheny, founder and CEO of Promix, brought the kind of perspective that makes brand leaders pause and look inward. His message? In a landscape flooded with flashy marketing and trend-driven launches, your product, not your content calendar, should be your loudest asset. [recap video below]
Albert shared how Promix was built as a product-first company, rooted in transparency, science, and real efficacy. He drew inspiration from farmers’ markets where customers want to know where something came from, how it was made, and why it matters. Every Promix formula starts with a clear question:
What problem are we solving, and does it actually work?
“People often buy a product because of the marketing, but they stick around if it actually helps them. If it makes them feel better.”
In a time when many brands have figured out how to generate clicks, Albert reminded us: real staying power comes from building something that speaks for itself — even when the ad budget doesn’t.
Next up?
We’re bringing this conversation to NYC later this month for Catalyst Series: Cutting Through the Noise — a deep dive into what it really takes to stand out in oversaturated markets like protein, wellness, and beyond.
(Hint: it’s not just your branding — it’s what’s inside the package that counts.)
