Metabolic health is the foundation of our bodies; it’s what turns the food we eat into the energy we need to live. But despite playing a huge role in our energy levels, athletic performance, and weight loss goals, metabolism remains little explored as a health topic. 

That’s why David Flinner decided to co-found the glucose monitoring product Levels. With the help of a wearable armband, Levels users get real-time insights on their unique metabolic processes so they can take action. And as David & Christian explore, Levels is using the power of information to help the public see what’s at stake if metabolic health continues to be ignored.

Takeaways

• Metabolic health remains an unsolved health crisis.
• Real-time, continuous feedback on health encourages faster change.
• Startups should value transparency in building products.

Things To Listen For

• [0:30] How Levels helps people see how food affects their health in real time
• [1:30] Why metabolism is at the heart of fixing an “unspoken [health] epidemic”
• [1:50] Only 12% of the U.S. population is considered “metabolically healthy”
• [2:10] The difference between real-time health feedback and reactive feedback
• [3:30] How Levels explores user insights to develop its product
• [4:45] Explaining metabolism as the process that turns food into energy, and why this process gets less efficient over time
• [5:30] Why metabolism represents an “upstream” health issue
• [6:45] Why you can improve metabolism over time, but it takes work
• [7:50] The difference between weight scales and real-time products like Levels
• [9:30] How Levels educates users so they can get more out of their journey
• [9:50] The challenge of simultaneously building a health product and a movement
• [10:30] The power of Levels’ blog content & telehealth program in educating users
• [11:40] How Levels introduces “challenges” tailored around improving metabolism
• [12:40] Why learning from members is driving Levels’ current growth
• [14:30] Why Levels employs small changes to its product by testing hypotheses
• [15:30] Exploring David’s background in product at Google
• [18:00] Why startups should value transparency in their product
• [19:50] How the Levels team balances what they do know with what’s not known
• [22:00] How Levels can help you see the many factors that impact metabolism
• [22:50] The challenge in understanding how your body might react to food
• [24:00] How Levels’ CEO made a personal discovery around metabolism, and why these discoveries can be different from person to person
• [26:00] Suggested strategies for managing blood glucose spikes
• [28:30] How Levels is exploring the breadth and depth of its health product