Welcome to The Nudge

An Introduction

To whom it may concern,

Welcome to the start of something I’ve been considering for a while. Think of The Nudge as an amalgamation of my findings, thoughts, and opinions on how to live a slightly healthier — and hopefully far more informed — lifestyle.

As many of you already know, the past year of my life has included an almost nonstop obsession with some combination of fitness, health, wellness, nutrition, technology, and how they all collide.

In early September last year, I had one of those often romanticized and rarely understood lightbulb moments (while in the shower of all places (I know, the clichés never end)), and decided to pitch a market entry strategy for China to the CEO of WHOOP.

Me, a fresh grad with 0 full-time work experience, WHOOP, the world’s largest fitness wearable company, and China, the world’s second largest consumer market, and a country I certainly understood nothing about, all coalescing, awesome.

What could go wrong?

In the months that followed, I spent dozens of hours pouring myself into a pitch for WHOOP’s Chief of Staff (didn’t quite make it to Will Ahmed, yet….). User interviews, market research, TAM/SAM/SOM calculations, everything. Although this was purely a passion project, fueled by my desire to buy a friend a birthday gift and facilitated by the amazing lack of serious academic commitments during the first module of my Master’s Program, it turned out to be so much more.

Although I *shocking disclaimer here* didn’t convince WHOOP to enter China (yet….), the process turned out to be so much more than a pitch.

Here’s a line I scribbled in my journal right after delivering it:
“Chase the work that makes you feel the way you feel right now. This excited. This alive. Moments like this are rare. Don’t waste them.”

That experience unlocked something for me. It pulled together a set of interests I’d never seen connect so clearly before. Fitness, technology, business, and health, all wrapped into one project. For the first time, I understood what people mean when they say find work you love, and it won’t feel like work. This felt professional, academic, rewarding, and genuinely fun.

Fast forward to today, I’ve spent nearly every minute since chasing that feeling. Researching new projects, exploring ideas, and obsessing over one question.
How can we democratize access to fitness, health, and wellness while pushing the frontier forward?

That rabbit hole of questions and curiosity has been exciting, energizing, and wildly humbling.

And if there’s one thing I’ve learned? It’s that I basically know nothing at all.

The more I’ve researched, the more optionality — and therefore confusion — I’ve uncovered. Nevertheless, somewhere along the way, a few important insights have emerged.

Amongst them, lived experience has given me a pretty decent BS meter when it comes to health and wellness. My goal here is to use that to succinctly inform (and ideally improve) your life.

Before I lay out what this Substack will look like, an important disclaimer: I am not a doctor. I barely have a master’s degree (jury's still out on whether I earned it). I’m certainly not Andrew Huberman or Peter Attia. What I am is someone who loves to ingest information, digest it, and deliver it as short, interesting, actionable content.

Here’s what you can expect:

(Still workshopping the format, so bear with me.)

1. Quick, digestible deep dives
   Each week, I’ll tackle a specific topic within the world of fitness, nutrition, or recovery. Think:

   • Understanding Glucose: A beginner’s guide to CGMs

   • VO2 Max: What it is and why you should care

   • The Truth About Alcohol: Drinking in your 20s
     You get the idea.

2. Occasional product reviews
   For those of you who know me, I love wearables and health tech aimed at helping us live better. From WHOOP to Eight Sleep and everything in between, I’ll break down what’s worth your time — and what’s just marketing fluff.

3. A consistent structure you can count on
   Every newsletter will include:

   • One actionable tip: Something simple you can implement to improve your health or longevity.

   • One fun fact: An interesting nugget related to the week’s topic.

   • One healthy item to check out: A food, product, or tool that might help upgrade your routine.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you. You either had nothing better to do, or I guilted you into reading because you’re my family or friend. Either way, I appreciate you.

You might be wondering: What makes this any different from all the health content on Instagram or other newsletters?

The answer is simple:

1. Everything I discussed, I’ve personally tested. I will always be guinea pig number 1.

2. It’s filtered through my personal BS meter (which, frankly, I trust more than most influencers).

3. It’s tailored for people like me — health-conscious young adults who believe in striking a balance between optimizing your body and enjoying your life.

So, for those of you interested, thank you for sticking with me. Consider this your warm-up. The first real Nudge comes next.