Rethinking Wellness

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit rethinkingwellness.substack.com Writer and linguist Amanda Montell joins us to discuss “magical overthinking” and the cognitive biases that make us vulnerable to misinformation, celebrity culture and its intersections with wellness culture, how to deal with panic headlines, cultish language to watch out for in wellness spaces, and more....

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit rethinkingwellness.substack.com Christy shares the story of a woman who came to believe a “leaky gut” was behind all her health issues, and discusses the nuanced facts about this supposed diagnosis. (Adapted from The Wellness Trap .) This episode is for paid subscribers. Listen to a free preview here, and sign up for a paid subscription...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit rethinkingwellness.substack.com Dr. Mara Einstein joins us to discuss how cult-like marketing tactics have taken over the wellness and diet industries. She explains how Weight Watchers and other diet programs operate on cult-like principles, why food noise might be a kind of internalized cult leader, the many problematic aspects of how...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit rethinkingwellness.substack.com Christy answers an audience question about whether magnesium is really the panacea it’s made out to be—or whether it’s just another example of wellness-culture hype. The full version of this episode is for paid subscribers. Listen to the first question here, and sign up for a paid subscription to hear the...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit rethinkingwellness.substack.com Registered nutritionist, author, and friend of the pod Laura Thomas joins us to unpack the problematic notion that you need to eat a ridiculously large number of plants per week for gut health, and what we actually know about how plant foods affect the gut microbiome. We also get into how to distinguish g...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit rethinkingwellness.substack.com Christy answers an audience question about what to do if you’re wary of buying supplements but want to listen to your doctor’s recommendations.  The full version of this episode is for paid subscribers. Listen to the first question here, and sign up for a paid subscription to hear the rest!  Get full show...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit rethinkingwellness.substack.com Body image scientist and researcher Charlotte Markey, PhD returns to the show to discuss the many factors that impact body image and how parents can help their kids develop a positive sense of self. Christy and Charlotte both share examples from their own parenting, including how to handle tricky conversa...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit rethinkingwellness.substack.com Christy answers an audience question about going autoimmune diets and celiac disease, and there’s a bonus one for paid subscribers about going gluten-free for an autoimmune thyroid condition. Become a paid subscriber to hear the whole thing! Get full show notes and references here . Ask a question of your...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit rethinkingwellness.substack.com New York Times bestselling author and former CNN political analyst Kirsten Powers joins us to discuss her history of chronic fatigue and illness, her experience with dubious diagnoses and wild wellness treatments, what she discovered about the true causes of her issues, how disordered eating helped mask a...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit rethinkingwellness.substack.com Christy delves into the science to answer several questions she’s gotten (and asked herself) about pregnancy. We discuss whether the sex of the baby predicts nausea levels, whether methylated folate is better than folic acid (in pregnancy or otherwise), whether dates (the fruit) have really been shown to...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit rethinkingwellness.substack.com Pharmacist and Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor Sarah-Jane Garcia joins us to discuss how smart people get caught up in wellness culture. She shares her path from the realities of being a pharmacist experimenting with elimination diets to how getting certified in integrative medicine exacerbated her o...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit rethinkingwellness.substack.com In this bonus episode, Christy discusses the science (or lack thereof) behind the wellness-culture slogan “sunlight before screen light.”  This episode is for paid subscribers. Listen to a free preview here, and sign up for a paid subscription to hear the full episode! Get full show notes and references h...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit rethinkingwellness.substack.com Writer, speaker, and weight-inclusive health/fitness professional Ragen Chastain joins us to discuss the potential side effects and other downsides of using GLP-1 drugs (like Ozempic and its ilk) for weight loss, the massive influence the manufacturers of these drugs are having on the public discourse abo...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit rethinkingwellness.substack.com Christy answers an audience question about creatine, with a deep dive into the scientific literature to see if the supplement is really worth the hype. The full version of this episode is for paid subscribers. Listen to the first question here, and sign up for a paid subscription to hear the rest! Get ful...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit rethinkingwellness.substack.com Researcher Maxine Ali joins us to discuss how wellness micro-influencers and practitioners construct “authentic” online personas to spread misinformation. We explore the ways that creators with smaller platforms build trust in seemingly less commercial ways than macro-influencers, including: personal stor...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit rethinkingwellness.substack.com A critical look at the evidence on hair analysis, DUTCH testing, and heavy metals in chocolate—and why it’s worth being skeptical of tests positioned as “new science.” Get full show notes and references here . The full version of this episode is for paid subscribers. Listen to the first question here, and...

Anti-diet dietitian Leah Kern joins us to discuss how struggling with anxiety made her susceptible to a wellness diet that promised safety and longevity, how that diet quickly spiraled into full-on disordered eating, how being eco-conscious and “earthy” can easily lead into wellness traps, the connection between spirituality and wellness culture, why she finally stopped trying to fix her anxiety w...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit rethinkingwellness.substack.com Christy answers an audience question about anti-inflammatory diets: the hype, the science, and what the best available evidence really shows. The full version of this episode is for paid subscribers. Listen to the question here, and sign up for a paid subscription to hear the rest! Get full show notes and...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit rethinkingwellness.substack.com Social media researcher, professor, and author Renée DiResta joins us to discuss how anti-vaccine messaging spreads online – including ways we can combat the rise of wellness misinformation in 2026 and beyond. We also discuss how viral rumors spread on social media, why wellness influencers have become in...

Christy discusses her upcoming maternity leave and shares a preview of what we’ll be covering here in 2026. Support the show and get 30% off an annual subscription to Rethinking Wellness if you sign up before January 1! Get full show notes and references here . Christy's second book, The Wellness Trap , is available wherever books are sold! Order it online or ask for it in your favorite local book...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit rethinkingwellness.substack.com Journalist and professor Mallary Tenore Tarpley joins us to discuss her new book Slip and the realities of life in the middle of eating disorder recovery. She shares how losing her mother as a young girl led to disordered eating, why residential treatment was beneficial (and not), and how the pressures of...

Christy reads letters to the editor about “food addiction” and menopause hormone therapy. Get full show notes and references here . Subscribe to Rethinking Wellness to get all our content, including subscriber-only Q&As and essays, extended interviews with our guests, commenting privileges, and more. Christy’s second book, The Wellness Trap , is available wherever books are sold! Order it online o...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit rethinkingwellness.substack.com Christy answers an audience question about the food rules she stopped following—and shares four food-related principles she tries to practice. The full version of this episode is for paid subscribers. Listen to the first question here, and sign up for a paid subscription to hear the rest! Get full show no...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit rethinkingwellness.substack.com Katja Rowell, M.D. joins us to discuss responsive feeding, picky eating, and how to parent without passing diet culture norms on to your kids.  We also explore the science behind a few common misperceptions from parents and doctors including: why playful or gamified tactics to change eating habits can be...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit rethinkingwellness.substack.com Philosopher, podcaster, and our producer Amelia Hruby, PhD returns to the show to discuss the many perils of the attention economy. We explore the nuanced relationships between attention and productivity, social media and mental health, and algorithms and agency. Amelia also shares her critiques of digita...