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Meet the Inspiring Founders Behind Well+Good
I recently had a chance to catch up with my friends Alexia Brue and Melisse Gelula, co-founders of the groundbreaking and crazy-popular healthy-living website Well+Good. We talked about everything from how they started their company in the midst of a recession to their favorite kitchen gadgets and smoothie ingredients. I’m grateful for their friendship and the inspiration they provide every day through Well+Good. I hope you enjoy our chat as much as I did!
Sadie Lincoln: How did Well+Good get started? What drove you to ditch your secure, high-powered careers and go out on your own?
Alexia Brue: We saw the wellness scene starting to percolate in New York City in 2009, and we were so excited about the huge groundswell of juice bars and boutique fitness studios, and a new era of cool businesses devoted to the healthy lifestyle. We didn’t see other media companies covering the burgeoning fitness and wellness scene—and it really is a scene—so we decided to create one ourselves. This was during the depths of the recession. The media landscape was really changing, and it was a great time to strike out on our own and take a risk.
As a public figure in the fitness industry, one of the things I value most is keeping it real. Your #iamwellandgood campaign on social is SO refreshing and cool! Can you tell me more about what inspired this movement?
Melisse Gelula: Well+Good has always been about an authentic, super-positive approach to wellness. We wanted to give readers an easy, very real way to share their truth, which is our truth too: not-so-pretty breakfast bowls and smoothies, what we really look like after a workout, and imperfect (but seriously fun) yoga poses. So it stemmed from our core belief that life and wellness is sweaty, messy, and imperfect, and also served as a way to add this message into the mix of those perfect social media projections that have become so common.
I love how you refer to your wellness empire as “your healthiest relationship.” What does a healthy relationship mean to you? Can you explain a few defining qualities?
Alexia: Our tongue-in-cheek tagline was honestly just our way of saying we’re that healthy friend who tips you off on the next must-do workout or a healthy new restaurant before it’s a thing. We’re definitely having a cultural moment in the United States right now, where we talk about printed leggings, kale-salad hacks, and favorite fitness instructors over dinner with friends. Having recognized and honored that so early, I guess you could say we’re also your long-term workout buddy.
What fitness and/or nutrition trends are you loving right now?
Alexia: I’m loving adding adaptogens to my smoothie. Moringa, Ashwagandha, and maca make a smoothie so much better! I’ve also started making my own nut milks.
Melisse: I’m obsessed with my spiralizer and turning anything into a noodle that I can. Here’s my latest concoction, which uses zucchini. I now have a very solid plan for all the summer CSA veggies about to come my way.
What’s next for Well + Good?
Melisse: More stories than ever before! Our white-hot topics are trend-spotting fitness and wellness pieces, recipes (I swear our articles have the most drool-worthy photos and simple approach to healthy cooking), fitness fashion, and natural beauty. But we’ve been adding new categories like body positivity, confidence, careers, and healthy home coverage—plus we now have a Wellness Council of experts like Dr. Frank Lipman, Gabrielle Bernstein, and Elle Macpherson who write for us. It’s becoming really hard to decide what amazing pieces make it into our daily newsletters! We’re also really excited about our Healthy Summer Hot List, our Fall Fitness Preview—essentially all these cool “special issues.”
Who do you look to for inspiration?
Alexia: I get inspiration from a lot of print magazines, whether it’s Vogue or Kinfolk. Print is still such a terrific, immersive, tactile experience. And Melisse and I are both TED talk junkies.
Melisse: I’m of the school of “inspiration is everywhere” and you don’t know where it will find you. Often an inspiring fitness or yoga instructor will say something I need to hear, or someone at MNDFL or MediClub—two places I go for social group meditation in NYC. I also listen to a ton of podcasts, from Tony Robbins’s show to Food 52’s Burnt Toast.
What are you reading right now?
Alexia: Sweat Equity: Inside the New Economy of Mind and Body by Jason Kelly. It’s a really smart, in-depth business book about the exploding field of fitness.
Melisse: I’m reading a proof of Gabrielle Bernstein’s forthcoming book called The Universe Has Your Back: Transform Fear to Faith. She’s such a thought leader with a cool message and vibe.
Are you a fan of Well+Good? What articles have inspired you? Tell us in the comments! And if you’re not already addicted to Well+Good, check it out.
I recently had a chance to catch up with my friends Alexia Brue and Melisse Gelula, co-founders of the groundbreaking and crazy-popular healthy-living website Well+Good. We talked about everything from how they started their company in the midst of a recession to their favorite kitchen gadgets and smoothie ingredients. I’m grateful for their friendship and the inspiration they provide every day through Well+Good. I hope you enjoy our chat as much as I did!
Sadie Lincoln: How did Well+Good get started? What drove you to ditch your secure, high-powered careers and go out on your own?
Alexia Brue: We saw the wellness scene starting to percolate in New York City in 2009, and we were so excited about the huge groundswell of juice bars and boutique fitness studios, and a new era of cool businesses devoted to the healthy lifestyle. We didn’t see other media companies covering the burgeoning fitness and wellness scene—and it really is a scene—so we decided to create one ourselves. This was during the depths of the recession. The media landscape was really changing, and it was a great time to strike out on our own and take a risk.
As a public figure in the fitness industry, one of the things I value most is keeping it real. Your #iamwellandgood campaign on social is SO refreshing and cool! Can you tell me more about what inspired this movement?
Melisse Gelula: Well+Good has always been about an authentic, super-positive approach to wellness. We wanted to give readers an easy, very real way to share their truth, which is our truth too: not-so-pretty breakfast bowls and smoothies, what we really look like after a workout, and imperfect (but seriously fun) yoga poses. So it stemmed from our core belief that life and wellness is sweaty, messy, and imperfect, and also served as a way to add this message into the mix of those perfect social media projections that have become so common.
I love how you refer to your wellness empire as “your healthiest relationship.” What does a healthy relationship mean to you? Can you explain a few defining qualities?
Alexia: Our tongue-in-cheek tagline was honestly just our way of saying we’re that healthy friend who tips you off on the next must-do workout or a healthy new restaurant before it’s a thing. We’re definitely having a cultural moment in the United States right now, where we talk about printed leggings, kale-salad hacks, and favorite fitness instructors over dinner with friends. Having recognized and honored that so early, I guess you could say we’re also your long-term workout buddy.
What fitness and/or nutrition trends are you loving right now?
Alexia: I’m loving adding adaptogens to my smoothie. Moringa, Ashwagandha, and maca make a smoothie so much better! I’ve also started making my own nut milks.
Melisse: I’m obsessed with my spiralizer and turning anything into a noodle that I can. Here’s my latest concoction, which uses zucchini. I now have a very solid plan for all the summer CSA veggies about to come my way.
What’s next for Well + Good?
Melisse: More stories than ever before! Our white-hot topics are trend-spotting fitness and wellness pieces, recipes (I swear our articles have the most drool-worthy photos and simple approach to healthy cooking), fitness fashion, and natural beauty. But we’ve been adding new categories like body positivity, confidence, careers, and healthy home coverage—plus we now have a Wellness Council of experts like Dr. Frank Lipman, Gabrielle Bernstein, and Elle Macpherson who write for us. It’s becoming really hard to decide what amazing pieces make it into our daily newsletters! We’re also really excited about our Healthy Summer Hot List, our Fall Fitness Preview—essentially all these cool “special issues.”
Who do you look to for inspiration?
Alexia: I get inspiration from a lot of print magazines, whether it’s Vogue or Kinfolk. Print is still such a terrific, immersive, tactile experience. And Melisse and I are both TED talk junkies.
Melisse: I’m of the school of “inspiration is everywhere” and you don’t know where it will find you. Often an inspiring fitness or yoga instructor will say something I need to hear, or someone at MNDFL or MediClub—two places I go for social group meditation in NYC. I also listen to a ton of podcasts, from Tony Robbins’s show to Food 52’s Burnt Toast.
What are you reading right now?
Alexia: Sweat Equity: Inside the New Economy of Mind and Body by Jason Kelly. It’s a really smart, in-depth business book about the exploding field of fitness.
Melisse: I’m reading a proof of Gabrielle Bernstein’s forthcoming book called The Universe Has Your Back: Transform Fear to Faith. She’s such a thought leader with a cool message and vibe.
Are you a fan of Well+Good? What articles have inspired you? Tell us in the comments! And if you’re not already addicted to Well+Good, check it out.
