At LMNT, we recognize that freely-shared information is a key component of debate in supporting optimal, meritocratic outcomes. We especially advocate for open dialogue on health information: we need diverse participation and perspectives in support of a scientific process where each individual can find their own health sovereignty.
We’ve seen how power and influence (particularly through bias) have resulted in poor public health recommendations and outcomes, from tobacco and sugar, to salt and fat (to name a few). As a result, many of us have lost trust in our traditionally believable institutions, such as government and academia.
Credibility has shifted to health-seeking individuals, which in today’s digital paradigm often means individuals with a digital platform. We work with many such voices. LMNT is born from a rebellion against misguided salt recommendations. And many of our partners have a similarly rebellious nature as they’ve re-claimed their own health. However, there’s a delicate balance for us to hold when a rebellious and provocative nature outside of nutrition and fitness can deviate LMNT from its core mission to restore health through hydration.
For us to go far on our mission, we need to be focused, highly credible, and buttoned up with our messaging. It’s often when you’re carrying a torch that bucks the status quo that you’re subject to more scrutiny. Big Beverage has hardly been held to task for the adverse health effects caused by the sugar-laden, stimulant-pumped beverages omnipresent in our society. Meanwhile, a pinch of salt gets a magnifying glass, even when the latest science supports it.
So, when the provocative and rebellious content of our sponsored hosts moves too far afield from our mission, we find it can materially detract from the impact we can make. When this happens, we shift course – humbly acknowledging that our organization is not most credibly able to facilitate the many diverse (and meaningful) conversations that are worth having in today’s world. Individuals’ interests and platforms change, and so we have an evolving set of relationships with our sponsored health leaders.
We are in a time of “rage culture” on social media. We see this dynamic as a chronic stressor, disconnecting us from our fellow humans and painting a biased, toxic picture of the world.
We choose a different path. Not one that reverts to our lowest form of “sound-bite” digital argument, but one that aims to connect, to see and learn across differences, and does not shy from nuance as we grow in our mutual paths to health. We go for phone calls over a retort in DMs, we go above and beyond in our customer experience engagements, and we both hold and ask to be held accountable to a higher standard. We look to our community for this feedback as well – to call us out and to build our own resilience through stressors that help sharpen our focus.
To our partners, we honor your rights to share information freely and the microphone these digital platforms provide. We also honor our freedom to focus where we are best suited to make an impact. We aim to bring forward the most robust information related to hydration and electrolytes, deliver on an exceptional product that meets a core biological need, and foster a committed community of health seekers on a no-BS rebellion to restore health through hydration.
In health and in salt,
James and the LMNT Team
