Juicing, biohacking, mindfulness apps, collagen supplements: the wellness industry has exploded into a $4.4 trillion movement. Wellness industry journalist Rina Raphael says that the self-care movement has taken sound ideas about nutrition and fitness and packaged them up into exploitative offerings with questionable claims. Drawing on her new book, The Gospel of Wellness: Gyms, Gurus, Goop and the False Promise of Self-Care, Raphael discusses how women in particular are targeted and pressured into a cycle of sacrifice and performance, encouraged to purge their bodies of excess fat, rid their minds of negative thoughts and cleanse their organs of ’toxins’ – in order to maintain an illusion of control. In conversation with journalist Nelufar Hedayat, Raphael shows us how we can find evidence-based, personalised solutions to our problems and get ourselves onto the path of genuine wellbeing. ...Did you know that Intelligence Squared offers way more than podcasts? We’ve just launched a new online streaming platform Intelligence Squared+ and we’d love you to give it a go. It’s packed with more than 20 years’ worth of video debates and conversations on the world’s hottest topics. Tune in to live events, ask your questions or watch back on-demand totally ad-free with hours of discussion to dive into for just £14.99 a month. Visit intelligencesquaredplus.com to start watching today.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Journalist Rina Raphael discusses the wellness industry's response to skeptical consumers, the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gen Z's rebellion against productivity-driven wellness, and the concept of science washing.