Meet our 2025 Trends Writers

Olivia Houghton
Deputy Creative Foresight Editor, LS:N Global (The Future Laboratory), United Kingdom

Olivia Houghton is widely recognized as The Future Laboratory’s leading expert in consumer trends within the beauty, health, and wellness sectors. With over seven years of experience, she has a profound understanding of the evolving market dynamics and consumer behaviors. Her expertise is evidenced by her authorship of significant beauty and wellness reports for The Future Laboratory’s trend intelligence platform, LS:N Global. Her reputation in the industry is extensive, regularly contributing insightful articles to publications such as Vogue and the Financial Times. 

Jane Kitchen
Editor at Large, Spa Business, United Kingdom

Jane Kitchen has a 20-year career in journalism, specializing in the spa and wellness industry. She is editor at large at Spa Business magazine and has traveled the world in the name of wellness, writing first-person features on the latest spa openings, interviewing some of the most influential people in the business, and examining trends in the marketplace. She is also the editor of the annual Spa Business Handbook, a resource for all in the wellness industry, co-author of its annual Spa Foresight, and a regular contributor to the Global Wellness Summit’s annual trend report. 

Claire McCormack
Senior Editor,  Beauty Independent

Claire McCormack is a senior editor at digital publication Beauty Independent, covering the beauty, wellness and personal care industries. She is a respected voice in the beauty and wellness startup space, known for her trailblazing editorial coverage of “taboo” verticals, including sexual health, CBD, psychedelics and psychedelic-adjacent wellness. She has an extensive track record for being the first to identify, crystallize and cover trends. Claire has been a featured beauty industry expert in The Washington Post, Adweek, Business of Fashion, WGSN, Stylus, the HBO documentary Not So Pretty and more. She has an MBA from Fordham University.     

Beth McGroarty
VP, Research & Trends, Global Wellness Summit & Global Wellness Institute, United States

Beth McGroarty is VP of research and forecasting for the Global Wellness Institute (GWI) and the Global Wellness Summit (GWS). She has been the director of the GWS’s annual Wellness Trends Report for over a decade. She also authors the Trendium, a monthly look at trends unfolding across the global wellness market. She is editor of the GWI’s research-focused Global Wellness Brief and oversees the organization’s WellnessEvidence.com, the first online resource dedicated to the medical evidence for dozens of wellness approaches. She is frequently quoted in major global media on the wellness industry and trends.  

Thomas Morris
Senior Partner, Middle East, Finn Partners, United Arab Emirates

Leading FINN Partners’ office in the UAE, Thomas Morris provides strategic counsel and a full array of PR and marketing services to global clients seeking to access local markets, as well as those in the region looking to improve awareness and reputation abroad. With over 15 years of experience in strategic marketing communications, Thomas has had the privilege of planning and executing comprehensive marketing campaigns and communication strategies for nations, multinational companies, and innovative startups. He is co-leading FINN Partners’ Global Intelligence team in EMEA, utilizing research and big data analysis tools to drive strategy. 

Kate O’Brien
Author and Journalist, Ireland

Born in Galway, Ireland, Kate is a seasoned wellness expert, author and advocate for youth mental health with over 30 years of experience. She is an honors science graduate, a qualified dietician with a post-graduate diploma in cosmetic science and an accredited yoga teacher. Kate continues to write in global publications, and she is the author of nine lifestyle books including Your Middle Years, and GLOW: Your complete four-week plan to healthy radiant skin. Her latest book Un:Stuck: Helping Teens and Young Adults Flourish in an Age of Anxiety is out January 2025 (Sheldon Press).
Instagram: @kateobrienwellness

Jessica Smith
Brand Consultant & Wellness/Beauty Expert, Rennie Creative

Jessica Smith is a strategic brand consultant and beauty and wellness specialist who has worked with top companies such as LVMH, Nike, Beiersdorf, Estée Lauder, lululemon, Dornbracht, PUIG Group and Remedy Place. With over a decade of experience in brand strategy, trend forecasting and creative direction, Jessica has a deep understanding of the consumer and brand landscape. Jessica’s upcoming venture, MAYA, is a self-care retail destination curated for mothers navigating the transformative stages of pregnancy through postpartum. Drawing upon her extensive background, Jessica aims to redefine motherhood self-care. 

David Stewart
Founder, AGEIST and Super Age, United States

David Stewart is the founder and face of AGEIST and the founder of Super Age. He is a passionate champion of the modern over-50 lifestyle, and a leading authority on the mindset and aspirations that drive this influential demographic. As the go-to reference on people in this age group, he frequently shares his expertise and insights with major media publications including The Wall Street Journal, The Times, CNN, South China Morning Post, Forbes and Fortune. Before he launched

AGEIST, David was an award-winning photographer whose work includes multiple magazine covers and global advertising campaigns.

Jane Wilson
Wellness & Travel Journalist, United Kingdom

As a freelance writer, Jane Wilson is drawn to immersive and cultural travel experiences which appeal to the solo and mature traveler who value quality, authenticity and sustainability. Her focus is on slow, reflective travel, luxury wellness and cruising.

With a background in wellness, she is the founder and editor of The Wellness Traveller which features wellness destinations, resorts and therapies, adding a healthy twist to her travel features. She is a regular contributor to several publications and contributed to the recent book, The Wellness Bucket List. She writes travel and wellness features for national consumer magazines, travel companies and inflight publications.