BALANCING HEALTH & WELLNESS
IN 2025
Why Experiments Work For a Better You
It is well-known that most people get the bulk of their health and medical information from media sources, NOT their actual human physicians. Let that sink in for a second. While the implications of that are clearly significant, and while it reflects a complex web of issues and opportunities for our collective and individual health, it has been my professional life for nearly the past 20 years.
As the former Chief Medical Correspondent for ABC News and the former co-host of the third hour of Good Morning America, GMA3, it was my job to deliver and interpret the medical headline du jour for millions of people every single day on live national television. After covering everything from the pandemic to perimenopause, I decided to step away from this role at ABC News after 12 years at the network so that I could focus 100% of my bandwidth on the medical issues that matter most to me (and that I am board-certified in): Women’s Health and Weight Management/Nutrition.
HOW IT STARTED
In July 2024, I launched Ajenda, a free weekly newsletter dedicated to these very topics. At the same time, as I was transitioning from 18 years of waking up at 4 or 5am every day for my job in television, I decided to take a minute to do something for myself. I wanted to embark on a six-month wellness experiment in which I would try to achieve the best fitness, nutritional and overall health of my entire life. As the saying goes, if you want something you’ve never had before, be prepared to do something you’ve never done before.
SELF ACCOUNTABILITY
I wanted to make sure I was holding myself accountable, which can be difficult for a lot of people. One of the best ways to do that is to tell your friends and family, tell your butcher, or, since nothing is official until it’s “Instagram official” (haha), I announced this experiment to my half a million followers on the social platform. It went viral. I was genuinely surprised by the volume of likes but figured it must have been a slow news cycle, or maybe it was a fluke. However, as the six months progressed, and I continued to post updates of my daily fitness program that I was doing with professional trainer, Korey Rowe, more and more comments really sunk in. “Inspired”, “I can’t wait to see all of this”, “take me with you”, “I am so looking forward to this. This is exactly what I need.
Thank you.” etc., etc., etc. The positivity was infectious and inspired to me to keep going. By the end of the six-month journey, my body was dramatically different, but so was my spirit. My scientific data endpoints had all improved: body fat percentage down, muscle mass (and overall weight) up slightly, resting heart rate the lowest it had ever been, sleep better, alcohol intake almost non-existent, skin tighter, back pain gone.
I felt like a new person. And the comments had evolved into more of a calling/request: “Your inspiration is helping many women.” “Love following your journey! Thank you for your inspiration” “Excited about your new platform Dr Jen!” That’s when I knew I had to figure out a way to share my whole experiment with everyone. After all, my job as a physician and a medical correspondent had always been to educate, inform and motivate, and there was no way I was going to cease doing those things just because I wasn’t on national TV everyday anymore!
LAUNCHING THE EXPERIMENT
In response to the requests of thousands, and also in light of the significant void in the health and wellness space for credentialed and credible experts, I designed a three-part wellness offering that recently launched with an overwhelmingly popular response. I called it the “8-Week Wellness Experiment.”
I deliberately chose the word “experiment” over “challenge” for several reasons. One, you can fail a challenge, you can’t fail at an experiment. Two, challenge puts the emphasis on the end result, and experiment focuses on the process. And lastly, challenges are about doing, experiments are about learning. Designed by Ajenda, my women’s health and wellness brand, in partnership with trainer Korey Rowe, the 8-week Wellness Experiment provides daily workouts, meal plans/recipes/shopping lists and weekly wellness themes in both video and PDF formats. As a physician who is double board-certified in OBGYN and Obesity Medicine, who also has a Master’s Degree in Nutrition, I devised the nutrition program and wellness philosophy, and Korey Rowe designed the workouts
I present the science behind each week’s themes, and then provide a system by which the participant can follow along. The meal plan follows the latest, evidence-based literature on high protein, high fiber, largely plant-based eating, and Korey’s workouts focus on progressive overload, compound movements and unilateral, polarized training protocols. Together, it is a powerful approach that can be utilized by women or men, of any age, at any fitness level. Because cost is an issue for many, I wanted to make sure that it was within reach of almost everyone: $59 for the 8 weeks. For less than $1 a day, participants get the information, content and analysis to follow the same program that I followed at the start of my six-month experiment, the same steps I took to be more fit and stronger at the age of 55, than I was at 35.
No gimmicks, no excuses, no smoke and mirrors. The response was more than I could have expected! Thousands of people enrolled in the first cohort, and the waiting list is currently open for the second cohort, starting in Spring of 2025. The sense of community and support within the platform has been incredible and the vibe of dedication and curiosity is powerful.
Join the next 8-week wellness experiment
at experiment.joinajenda.com
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THE EIGHT WEEK
WELLNESS EXPERIMENT
How It Helps Change Your Life
After over 12 years of waking up at untold hours to help the ABC Good Morning America audience navigate the ins and outs of health issues, Dr. Jennifer Ashton left ABC News as the Chief Medical Correspondent not exactly sure where destiny would take her next. Over the next six months, she performed a hard reset, so to speak. Thankfully, that led her to the next chapter of not just her life, but that of the millions of women who have followed her for years.
Throughout her six-month reset, Dr. Ashton had shared on Instagram everything she was doing, including her workouts with trainer Korey Rowe. The comments she was getting from followers was not only inspiring, but also had her thinking of ways she could help them. Once her health/life reset was complete, Dr. Ashton realized how healthy, happy and in tune with her body and spirit she had become. More than ever in her life. Meanwhile, thousands of followers kept asking for her to put together the same program that she follows herself. The rest, as they say, is history!
Dr. Ashton was committed to having three pillars in this program: nutrition, wellness and fitness. The experiment provides eight weeks of her nutritionist/doctor-designed daily meal plans, recipes, grocery lists, Korey’s workouts and nutritional/medical scientific information. Dr. Jen and Korey Rowe do live weekly Q&A’s that have thousands of people on the RSVP lists with a community that are engaged to the max. Here are a couple of examples of what fans have been saying:
Tara L: “Week 2 in the books and I’m feeling great! I decided I would take measurements every 2 weeks throughout the experiment. Happy to report I’ve lost 2.5 inches with the majority from around the waistline. Thank you, Dr. Jen, for such an awesome, easy to follow program!”
Kim S: “I’ve tried so many meal and exercise plans over the years, but this by far is my favorite! I love the organization, the variety of foods, the ease and time it takes making the meals, and of course, the workouts, community, and information sessions. This is just what I needed - this kind of plan is sustainable for me. Thank you so much. I’m so grateful!”