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Volume 78 | Mind First
Nike's new neuroscience footwear, DeSean Jackson bets on red light therapy, and the world's first circadian gym.
Alec Grawe
January 15, 2026
📰 The Pulse
DeSean Jackson Joins Kala as Red Light Therapy Goes From Fringe to Foundational
Former NFL Pro Bowl wide receiver DeSean Jackson has partnered with Kala Therapy, reinforcing what elite athletes already know: light-based recovery is no longer experimental — it’s essential.
Kala has become a trusted name in high-performance environments, including its role as the Official Wellness Recovery Partner of Team Canada, where recovery margins are razor thin. The partnership signals a broader shift as photobiomodulation moves from niche biohacker circles into the everyday training stacks of pros focused on longevity, tissue health, and consistent output.
The Playbook Take — Red light therapy has crossed the credibility gap. When Olympic programs and veteran NFL athletes align around the same recovery tools, the signal is clear: recovery is infrastructure, not a luxury. (More)
FLO Unleashed Enters the NBA With Houston Rockets Pilot
Performance training startup FLO Unleashed has launched a pilot partnership with the Houston Rockets, embedding its hands-free FLO 360 resistance harness directly into NBA training workflows.
Built for unrestricted, multi-directional movement, FLO’s belt system allows athletes to train acceleration, deceleration, and force production without compromising natural mechanics. For FLO, this isn’t just brand exposure — it’s real-world data, coach feedback, and elite validation feeding straight back into product evolution.
The Playbook Take — The smartest performance brands don’t just sell to athletes — they co-build with them. FLO Unleashed isn’t marketing to athletes; it’s being validated by practitioners inside the league. (More)
Equinox Is Taking Performance Hospitality to the Caribbean
Equinox Hotels is expanding its performance-first hospitality model with Equinox Hotels Resort Anguilla – Port Nimara, its first Caribbean destination.
Located on Anguilla’s southwest coast between Cap Juluca and Altamer, the property blends private beachfront access, a 118-berth marina for superyachts, and Equinox’s signature focus on training, recovery, sleep, and longevity. This isn’t leisure wellness — it’s infrastructure for high-performers who don’t pause their routines while traveling.
The Playbook Take — Wellness tourism is maturing. The future isn’t spas and smoothies — it’s environments designed to preserve performance under real-world conditions. (More)
Momentous Goes National With The Vitamin Shoppe
Performance nutrition brand Momentous announced its largest retail expansion to date through an exclusive nationwide rollout with The Vitamin Shoppe.
Momentous products will now be available in 640+ stores (including Super Supplements) and online, marking a major milestone for science-first supplementation. What once lived primarily in elite and clinical circles is now accessible to everyday consumers — without compromising formulation integrity.
The Playbook Take — Clean, evidence-based supplementation is officially mainstream. Retail is catching up to how top athletes have been fueling for years. (More)
Hytro and Jonah Rosner Are Making Strength Training Runner-Proof
Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) is giving runners a new way to build strength without sacrificing mileage — and Hytro is leading the charge alongside performance coach & sports science wizard Jonah Rosner.
By partially restricting blood flow during low-load training, BFR creates high metabolic stress that drives adaptation fast. The result is meaningful strength and aerobic gains at just 20–30% of max load — with less soreness, less joint stress, and faster recovery between runs.
The Playbook Take — Durability is the new performance edge. For runners and hybrid athletes, smarter load — not heavier load — is how longevity is built. (More)
🧬 The Shop
Shoes Built for Focus, Not Speed
Nike is pushing performance beyond muscles and into the mind with Nike Mind 001 (mule) and Nike Mind 002 (sneaker) — footwear designed to sharpen pre-game focus and support post-game downshifting.
Each shoe features 22 independently articulated foam nodes per foot, creating subtle underfoot pressure patterns that stimulate sensory receptors and improve grounding. Think mindfulness cues built directly into footwear.
Developed by Nike’s Mind Science team using mobile brain-imaging labs, Nike Mind targets nervous system state — not propulsion.
Satellite Connectivity, Now on the Wrist
Garmin’s quatix 8 Pro is a premium marine smartwatch built for athletes and explorers operating beyond cell service.
It combines inReach® satellite messaging, LTE voice calling, SOS emergency access, and enhanced boat controls — all in a rugged, titanium-cased wearable with up to 15 days of battery life.
More than a marine watch, it includes 100+ activity profiles, full health tracking, and onboard system control.
The At-Home Longevity Station
Withings’ Body Scan 2 transforms a 90-second weigh-in into a cellular- and cardiovascular-level health assessment.
Using Bioimpedance Spectroscopy (BIS) and Impedance Cardiography (ICG), it measures 60+ biomarkers, including cellular age, visceral fat, metabolic risk, and early cardiovascular stress — insights typically reserved for clinics.
Its Health Trajectory™ model goes beyond tracking, showing how daily behavior impacts future healthspan.
Rebuilding Meal Prep for Performance, Not Convenience
Locale positions food as infrastructure, not willpower. The personalized meal service delivers 40–60g protein per meal, no seed oils, no refined sugar, and zero ultra-processed shortcuts.
Meals are matched to performance goals, delivered weekly in reusable glass jars, and designed to stabilize energy and blood sugar — not spike it.
The World’s First Circadian Gym
Opening March 2026 in Copenhagen, LUMÉ Gym is built entirely around human biology. No artificial lighting. No noisy machines. Just full-spectrum circadian lighting, functional movement, outdoor training, cold exposure, sauna, and red light recovery.
Founded by biomechanics and longevity researcher Mads Tömörkènyi, LUMÉ caps membership at 200 — already sold out.
The Playbook Take — Fitness spaces are becoming biological systems. LUMÉ shows what training looks like when the environment does half the work.
A next-gen recovery pod combining salt therapy and immersive design to support respiratory health, relaxation, and post-training recovery.
🔍 Your Gut, Finally Measured
Think of it as the Oura Ring for your gut.
Meet Gutsi — the first consumer-grade, AI-powered gut health monitor that sits in your toilet and analyzes your stool in real time.
For the first time, gut health gets objective data.
Using computer vision and on-device AI, Gutsi tracks four core signals:
Consistency
Hydration
Discomfort
Routine
Each use is assessed against the Bristol Stool Chart, then synced to the app to surface patterns over time.
No images stored. Just private, actionable data.
Your gut influences energy, immunity, mood, and recovery — yet it’s been a total blind spot. Gutsi brings gut health into the same measurable category as sleep and steps, making internal health visible for everyday life.
The future of you starts on the loo. Use code PLAYBOOK for 10% OFF here.
🎙️ On The Podcast
Kilian Korth didn’t just win the Triple Crown of 200-mile races—he earned it the hard way.
After years of DNFs, injuries, and a near-fatal battle with pulmonary edema, Korth finally broke through in 2025, sweeping Tahoe 200, Bigfoot 200, and Moab 240 while setting the fastest combined time ever recorded.
In our conversation, Korth breaks down why endurance—not speed—became his edge, how “delusional self-belief” carried him through repeated failure, and why running remains one of the most powerful tools for building clarity, resilience, and meaning in a chaotic world.
We also dive into his coaching philosophy, recovery stack, and why doing less—more intentionally—often leads to better results, both in sport and life.
This one’s about more than running.
It’s about staying in the fight long enough to earn the outcome.
📰 Full article here.
💰 The Boardroom
Tom Brady Joins eMed Population Health as Chief Wellness Officer
Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady is stepping into his most clinical role yet as Chief Wellness Officer at eMed Population Health, an employer-focused platform delivering medically supervised GLP-1 and GIP therapy.
Unlike consumer-first prescription models, eMed partners directly with employers to provide clinician-led eligibility screening, precision dosing, biomarker testing, and ongoing medical oversight. Brady’s involvement reflects a shift away from hype-driven access toward accountability, adherence, and long-term outcomes. (More)
Arnold Schwarzenegger Partners With Momentous
Defining a New Standard for Performance for Life
Momentous announced a multi-year partnership with Arnold Schwarzenegger, introducing The Arnold Stack—a stripped-down, science-backed supplement lineup focused on the fundamentals: protein, creatine, and vitamin D3.
The collaboration unites two authorities built on the same principle: do what works, do it consistently, and cut through industry noise. Every product in the stack meets NSF Certified for Sport® standards and reflects Momentous’ clinical-first formulation philosophy. (More)
Pulsetto Partners With Spike API
Seamless Wearable Integration for Stress Management
Pulsetto, the neck-worn vagus nerve stimulation device for stress and recovery, has partnered with Spike API to unlock seamless integration across major wearable platforms—including Apple Health, Oura, Garmin, WHOOP, and Fitbit.
By using Spike’s unified Wearables API, Pulsetto eliminated months of custom engineering while giving users real-time visibility into how stimulation sessions affect heart rate, HRV, sleep quality, and recovery. Since launch, the platform has powered tens of thousands of wearable connections across 12 providers. (More)