Seizing the Years with Cassandra Birrittier
I had the pleasure of first meeting this month’s guest in person this year. We had a sunny outdoor meeting in Barcelona, and I knew I had to get her on the blog before the end of the year.
When Cassandra Birrittier talks about fitness “saving her life,” she doesn’t say it for dramatic effect. She says it the way someone states a fact, plainly, calmly, and with the kind of certainty that only hindsight can allow.
“I can’t point to an exact day,” she tells me. “There wasn’t a cinematic turning point. But I know with absolute certainty that the way I was living would have killed me far earlier than I ever would have wanted.”
Her honesty lands with weight, and I quietly let her continue sharing her story without interrupting. Not because the story is extreme, but because it’s familiar. A successful career, a young daughter, a life that looked fine from the outside and a body moving through the world without a care in the world. Like many women, Cassandra’s fitness journey started for one simple reason. She wanted to change her body’s physical appearance.
But the transformation she got was actually everything but cosmetic.
“My sleep changed. My confidence changed. My relationships changed. My relationship with alcohol, food, priorities… all of it. Every lift, every mile was pulling me away from a broken version of myself and towards the woman I wanted to become.”
During my interview with her, I came to learn that it didn’t happen quickly or even loudly. And it didn’t happen perfectly either. Instead, it happened by compounding effect. Actually, the kind of slow, almost invisible shift that becomes apparent only when you look back and realize you barely recognize the person you once were.
By the time Cassandra figured this out, she was in her mid-30s, raising a young daughter. The math became painfully simple. Every year she shaved off her life was a year her daughter wouldn’t get with her. “That realization changed everything,” she says with a genuine smile on her face. “Every run stopped being about exercise. It became about staying alive longer and living better while I’m here.”
Throughout her fitness journey (which sounds so cliche, but this truly is one!), her approach wasn’t really about deprivation. “Some people may say the way I live is hard,” she admits, “but I don’t feel like I’m making tough choices. I enjoy what I eat. I enjoy what I drink. I enjoy what I do.” The difference, she notes, lies in choosing habits that serve long-term wellness over short-term gratification. That requires a mindset shift.
And alcohol? That was the best example of the trade-offs she faced. Once a heavy social drinker, Cassandra decided that continued consumption simply didn’t align with the life she wanted to lead in any way, shape, or form. Losses in her broader circle (friends and colleagues succumbing prematurely to health complications) became a wake-up call.
“It was scary,” she told me with a sense of conviction. “These were people in their 30s and 40s, mothers like me. Seeing that, I realized I needed to choose differently.”
This moment of reckoning sparked a full-scale lifestyle reset. Sleep, nutrition, fitness, and focus all became non-negotiables, not obligations. And in that discipline, she found something unexpected: real freedom. What was once a daily grind became a source of joy and empowerment, an actual practice of living deeply rather than merely existing.
Take her running adventures, for example. Cassandra began just three years ago with the famous Couch to 5K program, unable to run a single mile without stopping. At the time of our interview, she was merely a week away from running another marathon in Las Vegas! And she now defines healthspan not by numbers or medals, but by her ability to move, achieve, and engage at any age, inspired by those around her who have aged with vitality. She reflects on her 92-year-old aunt, still setting goals despite mobility challenges, as an enduring inspiration.
“I strive to share that mindset as I continue to age, beyond simply surviving to an advanced age.”
As part of her marathon preparation routine, Cassandra was, of course, taking a daily dose of creatine, but I was also curious to find out more about her POV on the topic as an industry insider.
As a professional in the supplement industry, Cassandra has witnessed a growing recognition of creatine beyond its use in athletic performance. Once narrowly viewed as just a “muscle-building” supplement, creatine is now known for longevity, cognitive health, energy, and resilience, particularly for women facing muscle and bone density loss, hormonal shifts, plus the increasing demands of daily life. “It’s becoming a foundational wellness supplement,” she notes, emphasizing its role in holistic health strategies rather than just pre- or post-workout rituals.
Yet despite growing awareness, Cassandra identifies a gap between science and consumer understanding. Regulatory frameworks and inconsistent ingredient storytelling often leave consumers confused. “Brands frequently list ingredients without explaining the precise purpose, mechanism, or evidence,” she stated. Even with her insider knowledge, Cassandra has relied on trusted industry peers to guide her choices, highlighting the need for clearer and more engaging outbound education.
She points to an example from her marathon training: facing a grueling downhill course, she sought guidance on preventing delayed-onset muscle soreness. Creatine was part of the solution, of course, but she had to ask around to get some tips on what else to take leading up to the event.
“Not every consumer has access to knowledgeable people in the industry,” she observes. “They’re looking to brands for that guidance.”
Looking ahead, Cassandra sees exciting shifts in functional nutrition. Fiber, long overlooked, is potentially emerging as the “next protein,” offering gut health support, satiety, metabolic benefits, and holistic wellness. For her, these trends reflect a growing demand for nutrient-dense, scientifically validated solutions that align with real-world health goals.
Her day-to-day professional work mirrors this personal outlook very well. At GRA Nutra, she’s busy working together with CarobWay to bring their first ingredient to market, CarobBiome. That’s going to be a clean-label and minimally processed natural prebiotic fiber, which is sourced from totally upcycled carob pulp. It’s already shown to support wellness on more than one level, covering digestive comfort, enhancing satiety, and even contributing to healthy metabolic function. To boot, the ingredient is also extracted using a proprietary method which applies just water and heat!
Functional nutrition, she added, is increasingly blending real, nutrient-dense foods with science-backed supplements. Natural sweeteners, like honey, agave, or cane sugar, are making a comeback as millennials and Gen Z push back against artificial sweeteners like sucralose and high-fructose corn syrup.
“I prefer to consume naturally sourced sugar,” Cassandra explains. “It’s very difficult to find sports nutrition products without sucralose and Acesulfame potassium, but I seek them out because realness matters more than restriction.”
Cassandra is excited about other future launches with GRA Nutra and their partner CarobWay, including a carob-based sweetener designed to slow sugar absorption, reduce insulin spikes, and also support long-term metabolic health. Sounds like a winner to me. She connects this evolution in the industry with her broader mission, which is to make nutrient-dense choices accessible, even in processed or travel-friendly foods.
“It’s really a testament to what is in the food we consume,” she says, reflecting on her own journey with digestive health, which is all too relatable to the average millennial if you ask me! Even as a highly conscientious eater, she still sometimes needs to supplement with flaxseed or other fiber to hit her daily goals; however, she emphasizes a “food first” approach.
At the middle of it all are 3 strong roles that keep her committed to both her personal health, but also that of others; being a mother, athlete, and wellness professional all at the same time. Cassandra describes living strong for life as maintaining physical strength, emotional resilience, plus mental balance, which we definitely can’t leave out of this conversation. It’s about giving the body rest when it needs it, nourishment when it craves it, and movement that excites rather than punishes. (The word punishment really hit me when she said that. Relatable.)
At the end of the day, Cassandra’s ultimate goal is to pass on this lifestyle to her daughter, giving her the option to understand and ENJOY wellness early rather than learning lessons the hard way later in life. “Even yesterday, she asked, ‘When am I going to start running with you?’” Cassandra shares with excitement all over her face. In that simple moment, the past, present, and future of true healthspan really become one.
She exists both in and outside of the industry bubble, giving her a unique outlook on the reality of where the supplement category really sits right now. Her personal story seriously shows us that longevity, healthspan, and resilience are not just aspirations, but they are daily practices, informed choices, and commitments that compound over time. Which is something millions of other people are waking up to at the moment as well.
Thank you so much, Cassandra, for sharing your story with us!
If you would like to be featured or know someone who would be great to feature, please don’t hesitate to email rachael@jenerise.com 😊
We all rise together,
Rachael Jennings | Co-Founder + CBO, Jenerise
