Podcast
Episode 37: Building the Business of Wellness with Wellist
Wellness is the industry. Well-being is the outcome we’re all trying to achieve.
When Myk Likhov founded his first yoga studio nearly two decades ago, wellness wasn’t the cultural force it is today. It was a niche interest, often viewed as a luxury reserved for a select few. Today, it’s reshaping industries, redefining luxury hospitality and influencing everything from real estate to technology. As founder and CEO of Wellist, Myk has had a front-row seat to that transformation—and, increasingly, he’s helping lead it. And during today’s episode, I had the pleasure of discussing with him why wellness is no longer an amenity, but rather becoming an expectation.
His journey into wellness wasn’t exactly conventional. After beginning his career in finance, working at a hedge fund and later in venture capital before attending Wharton Business School, Myk took an unexpected turn by opening Green Monkey Yoga in Miami. At the time, Miami wasn’t known as a wellness destination. In fact, it was still largely considered a vacation city built around beaches, nightlife and second homes. But Myk saw something different.
Having grown up in Los Angeles, he recognized familiar patterns between the two cities and believed Miami offered the same lifestyle appeal without the saturated wellness market found in California at the time. After opening the first studio in Coral Gables because of its proximity to University of Miami, Green Monkey quickly expanded across several neighborhoods, helping establish what would eventually become one of Miami’s earliest wellness communities. Looking back, the timing couldn’t have been better.
As the conversation turned toward Miami itself, Myk reflected on just how dramatically the city has changed over the past twenty years. What was once a seasonal resort destination has evolved into one of the country’s most dynamic centers for entrepreneurship, investment, and innovation. While the pandemic accelerated that momentum, Myk believes the groundwork had been laid years earlier through investments in the local startup ecosystem. COVID simply became the catalyst that convinced people to stay. Today, Miami has become a magnet for entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders from around the world. Yet what continues to set the city apart isn’t simply the concentration of wealth or opportunity—it’s the sense of community that exists alongside it.
Unlike cities where professional success can often feel transactional, Myk describes Miami as deeply connected. Its diverse population, entrepreneurial spirit and neighborhood culture create an environment where relationships are built organically. From local cafés to wellness communities and networking events, people engage with one another in ways that extend beyond business. That sense of belonging, he argues, has become one of the city’s greatest competitive advantages. It’s also what made Miami the natural home for Wellist.
Although Miami had become known for hosting major events—from Art Basel to Formula 1 and Bitcoin Week—Myk realized there was one glaring omission: wellness. At the same time, he recognized another opportunity. Despite wellness growing into a multi-trillion-dollar global industry, there wasn’t a single event bringing together every corner of the business. Fitness companies gathered separately from longevity experts. Hospitality leaders met independently from wellness real estate developers. Investors, entrepreneurs and clinicians all operated within their own verticals. Wellist was created to change that.
Rather than simply launching another conference, Myk envisioned something closer to South by Southwest for wellness—a gathering that combines the business of wellness with the culture surrounding it. Industry leaders, investors, brands, healthcare professionals and hospitality executives all come together while the broader city embraces a week dedicated to wellness experiences.
For a first-year event, the response exceeded expectations. Executives from Equinox, Eight Sleep, Sha Wellness and numerous other industry leaders joined nearly one hundred speakers exploring where wellness is headed next.
For years, luxury hotels treated wellness as something additive. A spa, a fitness center or a yoga class helped elevate the guest experience. Today, guests increasingly expect wellness to be woven into every aspect of their stay, from sleep quality and nutrition to movement, recovery and personalized experiences. That evolution extends well beyond hospitality.
Wellness is influencing product development, workplace design, residential communities and even industries that historically sat on the opposite end of the spectrum. Myk pointed to the rise of non-alcoholic beverages and the ways traditional alcohol brands are now adapting to changing consumer preferences. As wellness becomes more mainstream, it’s no longer confined to dedicated wellness brands—it is quietly reshaping every category around it.
At the same time, the industry’s rapid growth has created new challenges. With countless supplements, wearable technologies and wellness products entering the market, consumers are navigating an increasingly crowded landscape filled with competing claims and influential voices. Myk believes the next phase of wellness won’t simply be driven by innovation, but by credibility. Rather than chasing the loudest personalities or latest trends, the industry will increasingly prioritize scientific validation, transparency and measurable outcomes. It’s one of the reasons Wellist intentionally focused on bringing together clinicians, researchers and respected industry leaders rather than simply amplifying social media influence. As wellness continues to mature, trust may become its most valuable currency.
Technology, of course, will continue to play a major role. Artificial intelligence, personalization and connected devices are already changing how individuals monitor their health and well-being. But perhaps nowhere will that transformation be more visible than in travel. As hotels gain greater ability to understand guest preferences, personalization can move far beyond remembering a favorite room type or pillow preference. Future stays may anticipate everything from wellness routines and fitness habits to sleep preferences and dietary choices before a guest ever checks in. Rather than creating one exceptional guest experience, hospitality will increasingly create thousands of individualized ones.
Yet for all the discussion surrounding AI, data and innovation, Myk returned to something remarkably simple. Many of the most powerful drivers of well-being don’t require expensive technology at all. Walking outside. Spending time in nature. Building meaningful relationships. Feeling connected to a community.
Referencing the research behind the Blue Zones (regions of the world known for exceptional longevity) Myk noted that while nutrition and movement certainly matter, one of the strongest common threads is genuine human connection. Wellness isn’t simply about optimizing biomarkers or buying the newest device. It’s about creating lives where people feel engaged, supported and connected to something larger than themselves.
Perhaps that’s why Miami has become such fertile ground for the wellness movement. Beyond the luxury hotels, innovative brands and world-class events lies something much harder to manufacture: a city built around community.
“Community may be the greatest wellness innovation of all.”
We ended our conversation with LTI’s signature rapid fire questions. For personal travel, Myk will be traveling for friends’ weddings in London and Ibiza. Looking back at travel in the past, he remarks on missing the mystique – difficult to come by these days with virtual room tours and extensive research available pre-trip. Looking ahead, he hopes to see personalization at-scale, not just within the luxury category.
Thank you, Myk, for joining me on this episode of Luxury Travel Innovators. The full episode is available to listen to and watch on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Youtube.
