"I wasn’t the fastest, strongest, or bravest."

Reflections on my Labor Day Weekend, plus the wellness news of the week...

There is still dopamine coursing through my body after three days of effort, awe, and unforgettable connection on the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica at GORUCK’s first-ever women’s retreat.

Peaking with my girls on a very muddy rainforest ruck.

Eighteen guests and five of us from the GORUCK team (including me!) arrived as strangers at the Botánika Resort. It had been a very long day of travel, dusk had already fallen, the rain was coming down in sheets—so we did the thing that always works: we moved. Yoga mats unfurled, thunder clapped overhead, monkeys chattered in the trees. And just like that, the weekend began.

By dawn the next morning, the place revealed itself—jungle on one side, the endless Pacific on the other. The perfect setting for what we came to do: push ourselves, test our strength, and chase some endorphins. Costa Rica delivered! Steep and muddy rucks, waterfall rappelling, swimming in the ocean with packs on, sandbag beach workouts, surfing, climbing a 90-foot-high tree.

Yes, there was awe—dolphins leaping beside our boat, whales breaking the surface, breathtaking views. But for me, the women themselves were even more moving: the chorus of voices cheering each other on, the collective grit of them carrying not just their rucks but also holding space for their new friends, the laughter that made our abs as sore as our legs. As Jordan, an attendee, put it afterward: “I think I walked into the jungle as one person, and walked out a better, happier, more at peace version of that person.”

I wasn’t the fastest, strongest, or most fearless. Often, I am! And yet, I loved being in the middle of the pack during every adrenaline-fueled adventure. It was a humbling, beautiful reminder to myself that I don’t have to be the best, but I can choose to be all-in.

And yes—we’re doing it all over again in 2026. Stay tuned, I’d love for you to join the next GORUCK women’s retreat! And now, let’s get into the news of the week…

Across The Wellness World…

• Erewhon is coming to NYC.

• Alo is selling a $3,000 handbag, whaaa.

• This Raquet Mag x GSCT handbag in tennis ball green that dropped for the U.S. Open is a zinger.

• Also at the U.S. Open? Dogs! More players are bringing their pets on tour for emotional support.

• The NYT makes the case for adding weights to your stretching routine.

• Vuori taps Kaia Gerber (Cindy Crawford’s daughter) in a new capsule collection.

• Ulta’s sales climbed beyond Wall Street expectations, and new CEO Kecia Steelman emphasized wellness as a core strategy during the earnings call.

• Wired has entered the creatine chat. My deep dive is more robust, just saying. :) I’ve removed the paywall for a limited time.

• Fitness influencer/trainer (and WH cover star, during my tenure!) Katie Austin rebranded her fitness app. The new KA Daily expands with recipes and meditation.

• Tone House, one of my favorite workout spots in NYC, partners with supplement brand Hone Health, per Athletech.

~HALFTIME~
Pura Vida: “Pure life.” In Costa Rica, it’s an ethos…hello, goodbye, gratitude, joy, ease, savoring the moment. It’s about living fully and appreciating life’s beauty.

• Abercrombie is now an official fashion partner of the NFL.

• Doctors’ offices for men are starting to look more like members’ clubs—think foosball tables and big-screen TVs.

• The rumors were true: Starbucks has a cold foam protein matcha on its menu.

• Pitcher Odicci Alexander-Bennet played most of her games in the professional Athletes Unlimited Softball League while pregnant. Get it, girl.

• Via Fitt Insider: Pilates participation is up 40% since 2019, according to mid-year Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) data.

• Adults are going solo to sleepaway camps to make friends, per the WSJ. (I get it; see GORUCK women’s retreat above!)

• Move over Sambas, these are the sneakers my 14-year-old daughter and her friends are drooling over.

• Khloé Kardashian shared about getting stem cell treatment in Mexico for her chronic back pain.

• ASMR is alive and well. Axios reports that back scratches are the hot new wellness trend.

Tree climbing, ocean rucks, sandbag workouts—all of that effort felt so good. What’s the hardest thing you’ve done lately, on purpose?