Chris Hemsworth aka Thor, the Avengers’ hammer-welding god of Norse Mythology, and founder of health and fitness platform Centr, and Andrew Sugerman, former Executive Vice President at Disney and new CEO of Centr, are feeling inspired— with a capital I.
The duo tells me that they are feeling more Centr’d than ever following unification with at-home strength equipment brand, Inspire Fitness, and they can’t stop gushing about the platform’s newly launched lifestyle focus that connects multiple threads of wellness, including nutrition, fitness, and mental health— what Sugerman refers to as “a user’s go-to life coach that is there to help them make the best choices.”
The new CEO says he can’t wait to begin to enhance and expand Centr’s portfolio of digital content, equipment and wellness products.
“Throughout my career I have had the opportunity to build some of the world’s largest franchises spanning Star Wars, Marvel, Disney and Pixar for global audiences through award-winning content and quality consumer products,” Sugerman explains. “Combining this experience in partnership with Chris to build the Centr brand into the global platform for a healthier and happier world was something that I just couldn’t pass up.”
Hemsworth is similarly enthusiastic, sharing that “Andrew’s experience and vision are a perfect fit for Centr and I’m very excited for him to help us continue to grow in a dynamic way.”
It is plain to see that a world-renowned storyteller joining forces with the strongest Avenger would make for a partnership of the fitness world’s dreams. I myself would love to be a fly on the wall in content strategy meetings.
And while Sugerman did not meet Hemsworth during his time at Disney, his teams crafted stories that brought the actor and the Thor universe to readers and consumers around the world, and as fate would have it, their paths were destined to cross.
“Since that time [at Disney] I have appreciated Chris’ perspective on health and wellness, not just for fitness but more broadly for nutrition, mental health and longevity. This holistic approach embraces the interconnected nature of the multiple pillars of wellness in living a fuller and happier life. And through it all and most importantly, I respect how Chris makes everything fun,” says Sugerman.
Chris Hemsworth, on the set of Thor
As not just the founder, but the poster child of Centr, and one of Hollywood’s leading men, Hemsworth’s body transformations have become a thing of Hollywood legend, with countless online guides devoted to diet plans and workouts that help regular folks to emulate his results.
And now they can.
“We all need support,” says Hemsworth. “This is the team that unlocked my potential and helped me live my happiest, healthiest life. Now my team is yours.”
And speaking of team, Centr nutritionist, Angie Asche has brought her out-of-the-box dietary approach to the platform, reinforcing that it is important to view dietary objectives from a perspective of wellness rather than restriction.
Centr nutritionist, Angie Asche
Asche, in addition to her role at Centr, is the founder of Eleat Sports Nutrition and has worked with hundreds of high school, college, and professional athletes nationwide in MLB, NFL, and NHL— and knows a thing or two about helping people to meet their nutrition goals.
“Learn how to incorporate the foods and methods that work best for you personally, rather than with the idea that ‘you’re on a diet now,’ which will surely backfire,” she advises.
With recent developments, Centr will enter a new category of health and launch state-of-the-art fitness equipment, powered by Inspire Fitness, and later this year Centr will release the Fitness Essentials Kit, the brand’s first-to-market product, with continued expansion of digital content and equipment planned through 2023.
Subscribers will have access to what Hemsworth refers to as “the tools and knowledge to live healthier, happy lives” and Sugerman, who will oversee the integration and global growth of Centr and Inspire Fitness, which were acquired by HighPost Capital, will no doubt be adding a brush of vivid color to what is looking to be the beginning of a fresh new lifestyle movement in health and fitness.
“We will look to bring this ideology to even larger audiences around the world through new audio and episodic content, storytelling and health hacks to help everyone move forward on their individual journey,” says Sugerman, who has worked on a number of socially impactful projects since he left Disney, and prior to joining Centr.
It is clear to see that the new CEO of Centr is particularly excited about this most recent body of work— quite literally. On some level for him, it is personal…
Ten years ago, Sugerman began a journey which he refers to as “reclaiming my life,” when he committed to running a half marathon.
Since then, he lost thirty pounds and changed his entire outlook on life. He has run more than 30 half marathons, marathons, triathlons and ironman events and says that he has “never felt better” and has learned in the process that “fitness isn’t about how you look but rather how you feel.”
This ethos has been particularly important to him while raising a family amid all the “trappings” of a Hollywood lifestyle.
“It is challenging living in Hollywood where surface appearance seems to be the only thing that matters,” he says.
“Raising a family in this environment, I saw first-hand the impact this can have on children that are figuring out their own self-identity while fitting into what feels like an appearance over substance environment. This is why the mission at Centr is so important to help people understand that holistic wellness is about happiness as opposed to surface appearance.”
With Centr, members can transform their health, fitness and mindset with Chris Hemsworth’s team of … [+]
In the coming months, Centr says that it will be rolling out new consumer products in major retailers and is working to expand its platform across digital content, fitness accessories, and wellness products to deliver exceptional value to Centr’s fast growing community.
The vision for the future, as supported by Hemsworth’s commitment to making health and fitness accessible and achievable to all, is to support an engaged community of members to further their health and fitness objectives and upgrade their lifestyles as they continue to learn and attain their goals— through a holistic approach.
And Sugerman is up to the challenge.
“Although the two parts of the business (physical products and digital content) have achieved phenomenal success, the Centr story is still in its infancy,” he says.
“With a foundation of millions of Centr downloads and Inspire Fitness strength training units sold to consumers around the world, we are extremely well positioned to augment the Centr digital experience, innovate new fitness products all while expanding into new wellness categories spanning food and nutrition, mindfulness, and fitness. As we look to the future, we will continue to build a life program that connects the multiple threads of wellness into a singular approach.”