THE STORIES BEHIND THE NEWS
HFA and Livelong Media Join Forces to Advance Women’s Health
New partnership will connect the fitness industry with one of the fastest-growing audiences in wellness: women seeking science-based longevity guidance.
The health and fitness industry has long understood something that medicine is only beginning to embrace more fully: Exercise is one of the most powerful tools for preventing disease and increasing health span. Now, HFA is partnering with Livelong Media, marking a new front in the association’s push to connect the fitness industry with the fast-growing longevity movement.
Founded by veteran media entrepreneur Brad Inman, Livelong Media positions itself at the intersection of scientific research and practical health guidance, reaching more than 300,000 readers a month across its digital platforms, while producing in-person events with top thought leaders and medical professionals.
Livelong’s marquee event is the Livelong Women’s Health Summit, which is being held this year on September 25-26 in New York City. Organizers expect more than 2,000 attendees and 100 experts in medicine, research, and technology. Speakers will include Jane Fonda, Dr. Mary Claire Haver, Dr. Jessica Shepherd, and Manoush Zomorodi, among others. The schedule includes more than 40 roundtable discussions, including:
• “When Estrogen Leaves the Building”
• “The Longevity Roadmap Every Woman Needs”
• “All Things GLP-1s: The Landscape and What It Means for You”
For HFA, the collaboration with Livelong is an opportunity to position health clubs and studios as essential partners in preventive health at a time when consumers are increasingly searching for trustworthy guidance amid an overwhelming amount of wellness information—and sometimes misinformation.
Meeting Consumers Where They Are
Katie Gaudu, COO and executive co-founder of Livelong Media, has worked alongside Inman for a decade and has led Livelong full time since 2024. She says the company’s mission is straightforward: make evidence-based health information accessible.
“Our mission is to democratize all of the health information that’s out there and bring it to the public,” she says. “Women’s health has been underserved and underrepresented for a very long time.”‘
That mission, Gaudu says, responds directly to the frustration many women feel navigating a healthcare system built more around treating illness than preventing it. Patients often leave the doctor’s office with lab results and no clear direction, she says, even as they’re bombarded with conflicting advice from influencers, supplement marketers, and self-proclaimed wellness experts.
Livelong’s answer is to root everything in “scientific and journalistic integrity,” pairing physicians with researchers from institutions such as the Buck Institute, and Stanford, Yale, and Columbia universities.
A key part of that integrity is keeping commercial interests off the stage. Sponsors support the business model, but “people can’t pay to be on our stage,” Gaudu says, and no one delivers a sales pitch from the podium. Livelong instead relies on TED-style talks, fireside chats, panel discussions, and roundtables that let attendees ask physicians questions directly.
For Gaudu, it’s important that it’s not a one-way conversation.
“We really like to listen to our audience instead of just talk at them,” she says. “We have surveys in every single one of our newsletters where we’re hearing what questions they have, especially as it relates to hormone therapy and strength training.”
Gaudu
“The fitness industry is sitting on a huge opportunity. Strength training and longevity-focused programming is where the demand is right now. There’s definitely a narrative shift.” • Katie Gaudu
HFA: A Natural Partner to Livelong’s Mission
Gaudu believes that exercise is the common denominator behind nearly every conversation surrounding longevity—from cardiovascular health and cognitive function to bone density, metabolic health, menopause, and GLP-1 therapies.
“The fitness industry is sitting on a huge opportunity,” Gaudu says. “Strength training and longevity-focused programming is where the demand is right now. There’s definitely a narrative shift.”
Gaudu says Livelong is looking for ways to bring HFA’s perspective to its audience, including potential thought-leadership contributions to its newsletter and events. Livelong will also share its viewpoint with HFA’s membership, beginning with an appearance from Inman on the HFA Pod, scheduled for mid-August. The goal is to connect consumers with credible, science-based guidance on the role physical activity plays in nearly every dimension of long-term health.
Gaudu cites the rise of DEXA scans and blood-panel testing at fitness facilities as evidence that fitness and healthcare are converging. She sees an opportunity for gym and studio operators to take on a more active educational role, particularly around bone density, hormonal transitions such as perimenopause and menopause, and the broader case for exercise as preventive healthcare.
“It all comes down to movement,” she says.
Building an Evidence-Based Future
As consumers become more interested in longevity than aesthetics alone, operators have an opportunity to redefine their value—not simply as places to exercise but also as trusted partners in lifelong health.
For HFA and Livelong Media, that’s precisely where the collaboration begins. Both organizations believe the future of wellness isn’t about chasing the latest trend. It’s about helping people make informed decisions, embrace movement as medicine, and build healthier lives grounded in science.
The Livelong Women’s Health Summit takes place September 25-26 in New York City.
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Health & Fitness Business (HFB) is the leading health and fitness industry publication. Published monthly by the Health & Fitness Association (HFA) and distributed free to the industry, HFB offers analysis of the opportunities, challenges, issues, and news that impact the industry.
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