Reflections from the NYT Well Festival: Wellness Beyond Diets and Exercise

At Manna Tree, we are always on the lookout for new insights that can guide our investment strategy and help us support the future of health and wellness. Recently, Grace Zuncic, Managing Director, Human Talent, had the privilege of attending The New York Times’ inaugural Well Festival in Brooklyn. The event provided a wealth of thought-provoking conversations and insights on the evolving landscape of wellness, and we believe it’s an important conversation for everyone invested in the future of health. 

For those who aren’t yet following @NYT_Well, we highly recommend it. The festival highlighted a critical takeaway: while diet and exercise are still foundational to wellness, there is an increasing emphasis on the intangibles—that have a significant impact on how we live and thrive. 

The Big Takeaway: The Intangibles of Wellness 

Grace’s biggest takeaway from the festival was clear: wellness is about more than just optimizing our bodies; it’s about nurturing the intangible elements that contribute to a truly fulfilling life. These include: 

• The nutritious food we enjoy, ideally not alone 

• Consistent, supportive relationships 

• Inner joy and emotional resilience 

• Time in nature and green spaces 

• Screen-free living and digital boundaries 

While discussions around diet and exercise were certainly present, they were surprisingly secondary to these deeper aspects of well-being. At Manna Tree, we are thinking about how we can invest in companies that help people embrace these intangible values and make them part of their daily lives. 

Reinforcing the Intangibles in People’s Lives 

In our work as investors, we often think about wellness in terms of the products and services that help consumers live better, longer lives. However, the festival made us reflect on a critical question: How can we invest in brands that help people truly live in alignment with these core wellness principles, like connection, joy, and resilience? 

We’re more committed than ever to finding companies that are enabling these deeper aspects of wellness—companies that are not just selling products but also promoting a more holistic approach to health in their community building, brand messaging, mission, and purpose. 

Key Takeaways from the Festival 

The NYT Well Festival featured a wide array of insightful sessions, many of which resonated with us and our mission at Manna Tree. Here are some key takeaways: 

1. Building a Life of Joy – Tracee Ellis Ross 
   Tracee spoke about using joy as a compass and reset in life, offering practical tools like journaling to foster happiness. Each day offers a chance to pause and notice the good that’s already there. She also shared her reflections on beauty standards – a topic of increasing importance in consumer health and wellness. 

2. Protecting Your Happiness in the Age of Social Media – Lisa Damour & Gabriela Nguyen 
   The conversation about digital busyness and its impact on mental well-being was eye-opening. “In every phone check, we open a new mental tab,” a powerful reminder of the hidden costs of constant connectivity. 

3. How to Fix Your Relationships – Terry Real 
   Terry explained why all relationships cycle through “harmony, disharmony, and repair.” Relationships are in fact living ecosystems — protecting and nurturing them is a team sport. 

4. Food as Nourishment, Community & Happiness – Samin Nosrat & Dacher Keltner 
   Did you know that 25% of U.S. adults eat every meal alone? This discussion reminded us that food isn’t just fuel—it’s about connection. We were inspired to think more deeply about how the brands we invest in can create meaningful food experiences that bring people together. True Food Kitchen being a standout example.   

5. What We’ve Learned From 80 Years of Happiness Research – Dr. Robert Waldinger 
   Dr. Waldinger’s talk was a standout, with one key message: Long-term, happiness is most strongly linked to relationships. He shared that even casual, everyday interactions— with coffee baristas, train conductors, TSA agents, etc.—are the building blocks of social connections that make us happier over our lifetimes. 

6. Movement for Joy – Robin Arzón and Kelly McGonigal 
   Exercise isn’t just about health; it’s about moving our bodies to foster joy. Robin and Kelly discussed how movement primes our minds and bodies to embrace a positive, joyful outlook on life. 

7. Finding Joy in an Anxious World – Dan Harris, Dacher Keltner, Sara Bareilles 
   The conversation around rising anxiety was both raw and insightful. One of the key takeaways? Movement and action are powerful antidotes to anxiety. Their openness on this topic normalized the conversation around mental health and offered reassuring solutions. 

A Shared Journey Toward Holistic Wellness 

The festival reinforced the idea that wellness is far more than a physical or nutritional pursuit alone. Consumer wellness is increasingly about creating a way of life that enables consumers to live with greater joy, resilience, and connection.  

Here at Manna Tree, we’re excited to continue exploring opportunities that bring these principles to life and help create a world where wellness is accessible, meaningful, and sustainable. 

For those who want to explore the full recap of the NYT Well Festival, you can find it here.