Meet Amina Kurbanova, Winner of the RX Female Youngster Award 2026

The Longevity Beauty Playbook: What Works, What Doesn't & What's Coming Next

The Longevity Playbook | Beyond Botox: Peptides, Exosomes & What Actually Works The conversation around longevity has moved far beyond diet and exercise. Today it includes skin health, regenerative medicine, hormones, aesthetics, and a growing list of treatments that promise to help us look and feel younger for longer. But which ones are backed by science, which are simply trends, and where should you actually spend your money? In this episode of Connecting the Dots: The Longevity Playbook, Jennifer Halsall sits down with aesthetics expert Maaike Dorsteen. After more than 15 years working alongside cosmetic doctors and clinics around the world, Maaike has become one of the industry's best translators—turning complex medical terminology into practical advice that everyday consumers can understand. Because Jennifer and Maaike are close friends, the conversation feels less like an interview and more like sitting at the table while two girlfriends compare notes on everything happening inside the longevity and aesthetics world. Together they discuss: * Why the conversation has shifted from anti-ageing to longevity * The difference between Botox, fillers, skin boosters and polynucleotides * Why exosomes are generating so much excitement * The growing hype around peptides and why patience may be wiser than impulse * How aesthetics and lifestyle medicine increasingly work together * Which treatments Maaike believes are worth investing in—and which are a waste of money * How she would spend €1,000 on her own longevity strategy * The future of longevity clinics and regenerative medicine Injectable treatments, typically based on hyaluronic acid, that improve skin hydration and quality rather than adding volume. They stimulate the skin to look smoother, healthier and more radiant. Injectable regenerative treatments derived from purified DNA fragments that stimulate fibroblasts—the cells responsible for producing collagen and elastin. The goal is improved skin repair, texture and overall quality over time. The skin's natural "builder" cells. Fibroblasts produce collagen and elastin, helping maintain firmness, elasticity and healthy skin structure. Tiny biological messengers released by cells that carry signals between cells. They are being researched for their potential to support skin repair, regeneration and collagen production, making them one of the most talked-about areas in regenerative aesthetics. Often called the "vampire facial," PRP uses a sample of your own blood. The platelets and growth factors are concentrated and then applied or injected to support healing, collagen production and tissue repair. Short chains of amino acids that act as signalling molecules within the body. Different peptides are being investigated for applications including muscle growth, recovery, metabolic health and skin regeneration. Many remain investigational or are subject to varying regulatory approval depending on the country. A next-generation investigational metabolic therapy currently in clinical trials. Unlike current GLP-1 medications, it targets three hormone pathways involved in appetite regulation, blood sugar control and energy expenditure. Guest: Maaike Dorsteen Instagram: @furrownl Clinic discussed in this episode: KVIG Clinic – https://kvig.nl [https://kvig.nl/] Disclaimer: This episode is intended for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Many treatments discussed are emerging technologies or may have different regulatory status depending on your country. Always consult a qualified medical professional before undertaking any treatment.

Meet Amina Kurbanova, Winner of the RX Female Youngster Award 2026

From Solo Flight to Fit-Tech Founder: Amina Kurbanova on Building Through Resistance At 22, Amina Kurbanova boarded a plane to Kuwait alone, against her entire family's wishes, to build a career in women's fitness. Today she's the Fitness Director of four mega gyms and the founder of Move Mentor, a fit-tech startup bridging human coaching and technology. In this episode of Connecting the Dots, Amina sits down with Jennifer Halsall to trace the journey from professional athlete to intrapreneur to founder, the hard lessons about leading people through change, and why she stopped seeing her youth as a liability and started treating it as her edge. A raw, generous conversation about courage, building quietly, and refusing to listen to anyone who isn't where you want to be. ⏱️ Timestamps 00:45 — Welcome & intro01:18 — Connecting the dots: from childhood sports to the Gulf02:56 — Moving to Kuwait alone at 22 against her family03:36 — Why Kuwait? Choosing opportunity over saturation06:49 — "Building through resistance" as a personality08:00 — Don't take advice from people who aren't where you want to be09:25 — Inside a women's-only mega gym11:20 — Starting as a coach and spotting the gap12:09 — A brand-new market for women's fitness in 201813:16 — The two problems: lost members, misaligned coaches16:21 — The Fitness Map is born19:51 — Borrowing the NASM OPT model: green, yellow, red zones20:38 — Pitching the CEO before she was "ready"24:38 — The hardest lesson: no product works without your people27:12 — Leadership as a constant feedback loop30:55 — Insiders vs. outsiders in fitness leadership31:29 — Introducing Move Mentor33:33 — The member experience: 100% personalized navigation36:02 — Keeping the human element while tech does the admin37:17 — What setup looks like for club operators39:00 — Unlocking a secondary revenue stream: talk to members & staff, then test42:04 — Member journey from intake to workout, with coach support44:55 — Founder, director, mother, partner — managing without "balance"48:25 — Winning the RX Female Youngster Award at FIBO49:23 — Flipping age and imposter syndrome into a superpower54:15 — Why women so often feel "off" in systems not built for them55:28 — Shout-out: every woman building quietly (and her friend Inez)57:15 — Closing reflections on saying it out loud

SelfPowered: Understanding the Inner Shift for High-Achieving Women

SelfPowered: Understanding the Inner Shift for High-Achieving Women 📖 Get the book: https://www.amazon.com/SelfPowerment-Inner-Shift-High-Achieving-Success/dp/1636989985 [https://www.amazon.com/SelfPowerment-Inner-Shift-High-Achieving-Success/dp/1636989985] 🌐 Deb's website: https://www.selfpowerment.com/ [https://www.selfpowerment.com/] 🔗 Connect with Deb: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deb-smallwood/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/deb-smallwood/] Most careers look clean from the outside. The promotions, the titles, the wins. But what about the costs? The doubts, the mistakes, the undernourished parts of yourself, your relationships, and your life? This week, Deb Smallwood joins us, a 40-year veteran of technology, strategy, and insurance, and author of SelfPowerment: The Inner Shift For High Achieving Women Who Want More Than Just Success. Drawing on decades of career wisdom and groundbreaking research with over 52 senior women and 10 male executives, Deb unpacks the silent struggles, the self-doubt, and the moment she stopped asking for permission and started owning her power. Deb's journey is anything but linear. From joining Liberty Mutual in 1978 and earning 13 promotions in 19 years, to making partner at KPMG in just 18 months, to rebuilding after 9/11, to founding and selling her own advisory firm, Strategy Meets Action, in 2020, she has lived the full arc of what it means to be a high-achieving woman in corporate America. And she's done the work to understand what it really costs. Her research will challenge what you think you know. She went in expecting things to be better for women today. What she found was sobering. Discrimination is subtler, the glass ceiling is stickier, and the McKinsey Lean In report says gender parity is still 50 years away. But Deb also found something else: women have more choices than ever, and the real shift starts from within. This is an honest, warm, and deeply practical conversation about redefining success, reclaiming your identity, and making bold choices, whether that means staying, leaving, or simply deciding to stop proving yourself and start being yourself. In this episode: [01:05] Introducing Deb Smallwood, from Liberty Mutual to KPMG partner to thought leader to author [06:06] Empowerment vs. SelfPowerment and why the difference matters more than you think [08:13] The three-year journey to writing the book, coaches, publishers, and why self-publishing wasn't an option [10:13] What "unfiltered" really means, the dips, the pain, and the stories we never put on our resumes [11:40] The research and what Deb found after interviewing 52 senior women executives [13:36] Why Deb assumed things had gotten easier for women and what the data actually showed [15:41] Subtle discrimination, the ambition gap myth, and why women are exhausted not apathetic [19:12] What the 10 male executives revealed and what was strikingly absent from their stories [21:46] The invisible cycle, self-doubt, overperforming, and why women go inward when men move on [25:30] Flipping the script: from "will they choose me?" to "do I choose this?" [26:54] Inside the SelfPowerment framework, your power comes from who you are, not what you do [28:30] Hustle culture, identity, and the moment you realise you've lost yourself in your career [32:24] Bold choices, staying, leaving, and two powerful stories of women owning their path [33:42] Why women don't ask for help and why that has to change [35:02] The other side of asking: can we actually receive help when it's offered? [39:14] Where to get the book, the free workbook, and how to access Deb's resources [40:44] Women to watch, Gina Hardy, CEO of NC JUA, and Marissa Buckley

Recovery Has a Sequence: Inside Cryotech Nordic’s R&R Concept

🔗 Jon Nasta on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonnasta90210/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonnasta90210/] 🌐 Cryotech Nordics (Recovery Studio): https://ctn.fi/en/recovery-studio-product/ [https://ctn.fi/en/recovery-studio-product/] In this episode of Connecting the Dots, Jennifer Halsall sits down with Jon Nasta (Cryotech Nordics) to unpack one of the fastest-growing areas in health, fitness, and longevity: recovery. From elite sport to everyday consumers, recovery is shifting from a “nice to have” to a structured, science-backed system. Jon shares why order matters, how Cryotech’s R&R (Restore & Recharge) concept works, and why recovery may be the missing link between fitness, performance, and longevity. ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 Introduction & Jon’s journey into fitness, data, and recovery 02:30 From retention data to human behaviour insights in fitness 05:00 The “eureka moment”: discovering oxygen therapy 07:00 What longevity actually means (beyond the buzzword) 10:00 Where Cryotech Nordics fits in the longevity ecosystem 13:50 Introducing the R&R concept: Restore & Recharge explained 15:30 Why outcomes matter more than complexity in recovery 18:00 Cryotherapy: what it is and how it works 20:30 Magnetic muscle stimulation & pelvic floor health 24:30 Red light therapy: performance, ATP, and practical use 28:20 Hyperbaric oxygen: why it sits at the start of the sequence 30:00 The importance of order in recovery protocols 32:00 Additional tools: targeted cryo, compression & recovery stack 34:00 Case studies: grip strength, frozen shoulder, real outcomes 37:00 Who is R&R really for? Expanding beyond gym users 39:00 The ideal operator: education, values, and customer outcomes 41:30 Is longevity a trend or the future of fitness? 43:00 Why longevity could reshape the fitness industry 44:30 Dream partners, elite sport, and celebrity adoption 46:00 Recovery vs performance: language matters 47:30 Closing thoughts 🎧 What you’ll learn: * Why recovery is not random — it’s a sequence * How oxygen, red light, and cryotherapy work together (not separately) * The commercial opportunity of recovery for fitness operators * Why longevity is bigger than fitness — and what that means for the industry If this changes how you think about recovery, follow the podcast and share it with someone still jumping straight into a cold plunge.

The Missing Pillar in Your Business: How Nutrition Drives Member Results, Retention & Engagement

In this episode of Connecting the Dots, Jennifer Halsall sits down with three guests at the forefront of a major shift happening inside fitness clubs — the integration of sports nutrition as a strategic pillar of the member experience. Roberto Coda-Zabetta, who spent a decade in expert systems and AI before launching Spinning globally in 1995, brings his journey full circle with Enervit's new fitness ecosystem project. He explains why the gym is not where you buy nutrition — it's where you learn how to use it — and walks us through the four pillars of Enervit's integrated approach: continuous education, app integration, a dedicated portal, and smart vending. Simone Bisello, sports nutritionist and member of Equipe Enervit, makes the case that everyday athletes and professional athletes have far more in common than people think. He breaks down the pre, during, and post nutrition strategy that applies to every gym goer regardless of age or goal, and explains why consistency — not spot solutions — is what actually drives results. Maurizio Taruggi, club owner and digital business consultant, brings the systems perspective. He explains how operators can integrate sports nutrition into their existing digital infrastructure without adding operational complexity, using data they already have to deliver personalised nutrition suggestions at exactly the right moment in the member journey. Together they paint a picture of a fitness industry that's ready to evolve — from a place where people train, to a system where people get results. 🔗 Learn more about Enervit: https://www.enervit.com/it/ [https://www.enervit.com/it/]🔗 Connect with Roberto: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roberto-coda-zabetta-3a77b251/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/roberto-coda-zabetta-3a77b251/]