Is gentle wellness on its way out? Is health AI ready to preempt our needs? And can gynaecology recover in the face of a potential second Trump presidency? In this chapter of Expert Outlook 2025, we speak to three experts about the innovations and challenges set to shape health and fitness.
Rina Raphael is a journalist who covers health, wellness, tech, and women's issues. She contributes to publications such as The New York Times, L.A. Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Men's Health, New York Magazine, and more. Her industry newsletter, Well To Do, examines the latest wellness trends. She's the author of The Gospel of Wellness, an exploration and critique of the wellness industry, its role in women's lives, and the forces that gave rise to the phenomenon – which could ultimately bring it down.
Anna Butterworth is a femtech pioneer with over ten years of industry expertise. Since working at Elvie, she has branched out to create the world’s first femtech-focused trend forecasting and creative agency, Ultra Violet, which combines industry knowledge, contacts, and experience to provide insightful and accurate forecasts within the field. Butterworth writes the FemTech Futures & Future Female Consumer series, the only trend forecasts looking exclusively at women's health innovation and what the future consumer wants. She's also a mentor and advisor to femtech-focused accelerators Femtech Lab, Tech4Eva, and Station F, coaching numerous start-ups on their launch communications strategy.
Dr. Melody McCloud is a Distinguished Alumna of Emory University School of Medicine. She is an obstetrician-gynaecologist, published author, public speaker, and media consultant with interviews on CNN, as well as network affiliates of ABC, NBC, and CBS. On Court TV, she analyses medical testimony. She has been published in USA Today, The Washington Post, Boston Globe, Health, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and more. Dr. McCloud is a member of the Atlanta Press Club, Leadership Atlanta, the American College of OB-GYNs, and a CDC Advisory Council. She's a graduate of Boston University, Boston University School of Medicine, and Emory University Hospitals and is an Emory University Ambassador.
Bailey Bellingy is a behavioural analyst at Canvas8. After completing a BSc in social sciences, she joined the world of cultural insights. Throughout her degree, Bailey gained experience across social research methods, focusing on sociology, gender, and race studies. With experience on a range of qualitative projects, her practice focuses on incorporating diverse narratives. Outside of Canvas8, she can be found stocking up on Glossier or browsing Jane’s Patisserie for recipes.