HX25 Review: Healf

★★★★

Conference Review:HX25, 3-5 October. Information on HX26 will be here.

[Disclosure: I attended HX25 on Saturday 3 October for free, courtesy of Healf]

HX25, curated by the online health and wellness retailer Healf, positioned itself as something more than a standard conference. Hosted at the exclusive 180 Studios in London, the slick marketing promised a transformative experience, with headline speakers, practical workshops, and a brand village showcasing the latest in evidence-based wellness.

Tickets ranged from £75 per day at the entry level to £2,500 for a full weekend VIP pass. Even before setting foot in the venue, the message was clear: wellness is money, and money is wellness.

I attended the first day and it was enough to understand the ambition. The event was staged with slick branding, dramatic lighting, and an energy that channelled American entrepreneurial culture. The main stage hosted the headline talks, breakout rooms offered breathwork and biomechanics, and the exhibition hall — rebranded as the “brand immersion” — was crowded with companies eager to capture the wallets of a privileged audience. Wellness here wasn’t just about health; it was presented as an aspirational lifestyle and a career path.

Money sat at the heart of it all. Everyone had something to sell, and those most celebrated were the ones who sold best. Bryan Johnson — the entrepreneur who spends millions annually on health optimisation — wasn’t present, but his influence hung over the event as a symbol of this entrepreneurial ideal.

HX25: The Talks

The talks were the true strength of the day. Among an already strong line-up, Dr Kristen Holmes, VP of Performance Science at Whoop, was outstanding – one of the best speakers I’ve ever seen live.

Holmes’ topic was leadership, and she delivered it through a compelling mix of hard science and personal insight – a masterclass in engaging public speaking. Her central thesis was simple: the most effective thing a leader can do for their team is rest properly.

Drawing on a WHOOP–McKinsey collaboration, she highlighted research showing that accumulating just 45 minutes of sleep debt can lead to a measurable 5–10 % decline in mental control the following day — impairing executive function, attention, and decision-making (WHOOP summary). Crucially, the same research links leaders’ lack of sleep with a decline in psychological safety within their teams – the sense of trust and openness that underpins innovation and performance.

Listen here.

She also referenced broader McKinsey research on the organisational cost of insufficient sleep (McKinsey study). She challenged the outdated myth of the “hard-driving” leader, insisting that compassion and rest are not weaknesses but essential, evidence-based strengths for sustainable leadership.

Find this study here.

I was privileged to speak to Holmes privately afterwards, and I was impressed that she raised the “sleep privilege gap”. This is the reality that restorative rest is structurally out of reach for many people: shift workers, families in overcrowded housing, children without secure bedrooms. Wellness conversations rarely acknowledge this, but Holmes did, and her compassion gave me hope.

HX25: The Brand Village

Walking through the brand village felt like stepping into a masterclass in marketing. The most effective marketers — often the American companies — had clearly invested heavily in understanding their audience and catering to it.

One stand-out was Momentous, a US supplement brand. By sponsoring Kelly Starrett’s superb movement workshop, offering generous samples from a sleek stall, and staffing their stall properly with knowledgeable experts, they created coherence that felt both persuasive and memorable. Their presence showed what slick, glamorous wellness marketing could look like. Our UK audience, starved of this type of glamour from our wellness retailers (think Holland and Barrett) loved it.

Some other brands didn’t quite get it – and at times the contrast between those that got it and those that didn’t was comical. I felt sorry for one stall, “showcasing” their powdered electrolytes – next to the Momentous stand, but with zero samples and only a 20% off code. The two staff members were embarrassed and eventually opened one of the display packets of around 12 samples (contrasting with the thousands of samples on offer next door) – which went immediately. It was hard not to wonder if the staff had to cover the cost themselves.

HX25: The Glitches

For all its polish, there were some strange missteps. The single café (for those not on the VIP ticket) couldn’t cope with demand, and queues for food and coffee stretched endlessly. Toilets were poorly signposted, and the workshop booking system was confusing and inconsistent. I spoke to several people who had no idea what was happening with sessions and whether they’d be able to attend or not. Having received my ticket late, I ended up on workshop waitlists I never heard back from — yet could stroll into the one “sold out” session I wanted to attend with relative ease. Similarly, the main stage, supposedly oversubscribed, was equally accessible to anyone who wanted to hear the talks. These details didn’t spoil the day, but they clashed with the event’s high-end positioning.

HX25: Sum Up

HX25 was polished, and ambitious. It was also a vivid reminder that wellness has become an aspirational product, available only to those who can pay for it. That tension between access and aspiration was impossible to ignore

I want to close with gratitude. Healf provided Ark-T staff with complimentary tickets – without hesitation.

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 If you enjoyed this post, you might enjoy reading my other posts about health and wellness here.