Despite the growing ubiquity of GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) medication use, there is still quite a bit of confusion, stigma and misinformation surrounding injections like Ozempic. There’s also a major lack of access for many patients who stand to benefit from the meds; Fitish founder Jenna Owens is hoping to remedy that.
She initially launched the brand as a CBD-infused skin-care line geared toward active working women, but is now evolving the business to keep it relevant and meet the changing needs of the wellness market. The new-and-improved Fitish business focuses on a telehealth clinic that offers GLP-1 medications for weight loss, as well as peptides to support “healthy aging,” hormone levels and fatigue management.
Photo: Courtesy of Fitish
Before this pivot, Owens never imagined moving in this direction, she tells Fashionista. She began her career as a radio host before committing to her beauty brand full time. Upon launching Fitish in 2017, “there was nothing on the market for someone like me who was a working woman working out, wanting products to get me from here to there,” she recalls. “Everything’s meant to be very anti-inflammatory and [at the time], it worked really well. It ended up being a fun creative outlet for me to make a product [the Fitish Tone Down Spray] that worked for a personal need.”
Because of the founder’s public presence on the radio, her first hero item took off. While the spray was meant to act as a cooling post-workout mist, fans also noticed it dramatically improved issues like razor burn and rashes due to its anti-inflammatory ingredients like CBD and aloe. “It kind of became this all-purpose healing spray that exceeded my expectations,” Owens says. “It’s really what allowed me to transition, after a few years of straddling both radio and the brand, to quit radio and put everything into the brand.”
While Fitish may have started as a skin-care venture, Owens views it as so much more than that. “When I talk about growing the brand, [I think about] what else fits under the Fitish umbrella that’s really complimentary to this wellness journey and lifestyle,” she explains. “That’s kind of where the [clinic] started coming into play.”
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The idea to offer telehealth services was born of her own health struggles. “When I turned 40, I was only a year postpartum and not feeling great,” she shares. “When I went and got a full blood panel done, it was life-changing for me. That’s why this wasn’t even a business opportunity for me, this was more of a natural progression of my own wellness journey [dealing with] inflammation and being postpartum.”
Owens had also gone through IVF treatments and realized her hormones weren’t where they should be. She decided to give synthetic peptides like Sermorelin and Tirzepatide (available in the Fitish Clinic) a try. She began to feel better and more energetic; in fact, she says she now feels better at 41 than she did at 30. “I do attribute that to exploring some of these GLP-1s and peptides,” she says. “I just decided that maybe there’s a way that I could bridge this gap.”
This organic, personal approach is what helped build out Fitish’s clinic offerings. To help support weight loss, the business offers synthetic peptides like compounded semaglutide, compounded Tirzepatide, Wegovy and Ozempic. While this category is one of the clinic’s most popular in terms of interest, Fitish also offers ingredients that boost energy and support “healthy aging” like NAD+ and Sermorelin, which is said to help the body produce more of its own growth hormones.
“I believe that these peptides are the future of wellness,” Owens explains. “I think we’re only seeing the beginning of it because there are so many great compounds. I think people are scared [of them], but peptides are naturally produced in our body. It’s like collagen, and we’re just putting more of them into our bodies.”
To make use of the Fitish Clinic, clients speak to a physician through its partnered telehealth platform and go over their specific wellness goals and which offerings might be right to help meet them. Orders are then shipped to a local pharmacy before they are delivered directly to clients’ homes.
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Owens stresses that the most important part of offering services like this is making sure there’s support for the brand’s customer base throughout each individual wellness journey — something she thinks is lacking in many other telehealth services. Specialized physicians are available for each category and they’ll be there to help if anyone experiences side effects, she notes.
“The medications are reliable and good, but how do you build trust with the consumer?” Owens asks. “There’s different layers to that to make sure that people feel very taken care of and get the feedback they desire. You want to speak with a doctor [for things like this] and I think that’s a pain point for a lot of companies.”
Photo: Courtesy of Fitish
When asked if she sees this becoming a larger beauty industry trend, Owens says she’s very hopeful it will, given what these medications have done for her own health. She believes that taking a “safe and realistic approach to health” is how we move forward in a constantly evolving space. And, she adds, brands shouldn’t be afraid to pivot or expand what they offer.
“We [live in a] rapidly changing world of technology,” says Owens. “I think it’s great when what you’re doing is working, but I’ve changed as a woman from when I [first] started a business. My needs have changed as a woman — from what I ingest, what I put on my body, to what I’m interested in. My hope is that, as long as it’s still under the Fitish wellness umbrella, I’m creating a reflection of what I’ve gone through as a changing woman. And I think that the same can be said for anyone pivoting in their life. I think we’re all evolving. There’s beauty in embracing the change of not only the world, but in ourselves.”
Please note: This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making any changes to your health regimen, especially if you have a medical condition or are taking medication.
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Source: Fashionista.com
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