A New Common Ground: Willpower’s F1 Week Put the Real Builders in the Same Room

During Formula 1 Week, Willpower hosted two back-to-back gatherings with leaders across sport, science, and brand to compare notes on what’s changing in consumer behavior, human performance, and how culture is being shaped in real time.

Willpower, based in Austin, sits at the intersection of performance, wellness, and brand. We create environments where the people building in this ecosystem can meet, share what they’re learning, and push the work forward together.

The Willpower Performance Collective is part of our performance pillar, a continuously evolving group of scientists, sports organizations, and performance tech operators working together to identify common challenges and test new approaches in real time. It’s where people compare training methods, recovery systems, mindset development, and the experiments they’re running day-to-day.

Across the two days, 16 speakers — from pro athletes and neuroscientists to product builders and brand leaders — shed light on real experiences and breakdowns of what’s working right now. 100+ people were in the room asking questions, challenging assumptions, and defining where this is headed.

The week opened with Catalyst Series: Winning Cultural Tentpoles, hosted at The Malin East Austin, where marketers and brand builders unpacked how today’s most authentic brands are showing up inside culture. Speakers included Courtney McHugh, VP of Marketing at Kendra Scott; Greg Reintjes, SVP of Marketing at LALO Tequila; and Kyle Turadek, Sr. Director of Growth & Ecommerce at Caraway Home.

“What made these two days meaningful was the honesty,” said Bill Murphy, Founder & CEO of Willpower. “Athletes were sharing how they actually train and recover. Founders were open about the real struggles they have faced. Scientists were breaking down the parts of performance that get misunderstood online. People weren’t just listening, they were comparing notes, finding collaborators, and leaving with real next steps.”

Across industries, the blueprint is shifting. Relevance isn’t built through ads or algorithms anymore, it’s earned through presence. Whether it’s Kendra Scott turning stadiums into brand experiences, LALO bridging wellness and nightlife, or Caraway Home bringing out the cast of Mamma Mia, the brands making the biggest impact are the ones rooted in real communities, not mass appeal.

Guests experienced Willpower’s signature gifting suite featuring limited-edition Willpower F1 Week tote bags and curated products from emerging CPG, wellness, and lifestyle brands, setting the tone for what followed the next day.

The Willpower World of Sports & Human Performance

The following morning, the energy shifted to Padel39, Austin’s premier performance padel facility, for an immersive full-day experience at the intersection of sport, science, and innovation.

Nearly 100 athletes, neuroscientists, performance innovators, and brand leaders gathered for a full day, split into two back-to-back tracks: one exploring how brands and culture shape performance, and the other focused on the science and systems pushing it forward.

In between panels, attendees connected through padel play, live demonstrations, and hands-on sessions in Willpower’s Recovery & Recharge Zone, featuring Rally, Evolve, Neuronic, Shiftwave, Winback, Higher Prana VR, Hyperice, Neurable, Arctop, Audicin, and Hytro.

Highlights from the Stage

Track One: Culture in Motion opened with The New Brand Blueprint, featuring Divya Goel (Williams Racing, FanCapital), Craig Lyon (Nutrabolt), and Seth Hart (FloSports) discussing how wellness and performance brands are earning their place inside sports culture through authenticity and connection.

“I was excited to participate to learn from leaders across performance, innovation and brand building during an exciting week. I left inspired about new ways to partner and gain insights on how we blend performance and marketing.

The event reinforced how purpose driven experiences and clear goals can drive real business and audience impact on a global scale.”

— Divya Goel, Williams Racing / FanCapital

The conversation continued with The Performance Platform, where University of Texas Volleyball Coach Jerritt Elliott (a three-time national champion), Natasha Van de Merwe (Raw Nutrition), and Casey Toohill (Houston Texans, ret.) explored the evolving relationship between athletes, data, and brand partnerships in the NIL era.

Midway through the day, gears shifted to Track Two: Pushing the Limits, diving into the future of performance through neuroscience and technology. High-Stress Cognitive Performance brought together Dr. Thomas Wood (Neuroscientist for F1 Drivers, University of Washington), Antti Kontsas (Hintsa Performance), Dr. Sten Stray-Gundersen (University of South Carolina), and Lauren Betzing (Evolve) to unpack how the world’s top performers train their minds under extreme conditions, and the psychological weight of leading teams where milliseconds define success.

The closing panel, American Performance, brought together Siu-Anne Gil (Drive Flow AI), Rob Insinger (Ammortal), Bill Powell (Anthropy Partners), and Steve Tidball (Vollebak) for a thought-provoking look at how data, consciousness, and human ingenuity will shape the next generation of performance and wellness innovation.

A more detailed breakdown of each conversation, including themes, takeaways, and speaker insights, is available in our full LinkedIn newsletter recap.

Read the full recap