Unpacking Community Care vs. the Wellness Industry with Millana Snow & Dr. Valerie Rein
What do we mean when we talk about "Wellness" today? We know that it’s a multi-billion dollar industry built on products and services centered on “self-care”, and we also understand that to be "well", means much more than purchasing the latest greens powder.
Over the course of the next three episodes, we’ll be speaking with several guests to unpack the nuanced and complex layers of what it means to work, take part, and profit from the (capital W) Wellness industry.
This week’s episode features interviews with Millana Snow of Wellness Official, and Dr. Valerie Rein, author of Patriarchy Stress Disorder.
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“…You got to look good. You got to be patriarchy perfect. And that creates such a deep wound in our psyche, even if we don’t consciously buy into that, most women I know don’t consciously buy into that. We know it’s bullsh*t, but subconsciously, it still torments us. It still creates this distance between us and our bodies, where the bodies are still not our friend. We may still have this relationship with our body trying to get it to some kind of patriarchal perfect state. And it’s all the more painful because we don’t want to have that relationship. We want to love ourselves deeply and unconditionally, and it’s super frustrating…”
“Well-being is holistic. Everything contributes to our well-being.”
“There was a vacuum for a long time in the wellness space… it’s kind of wild to recognize that.”
“Women have been oppressed for thousands of years. Our bodies did not belong to us. Our lives did not belong to us. We didn’t have sovereignty over our decisions, didn’t have parental rights to our children, we could not love who we loved. We could not marry for love, we could not get a divorce, could not make our own money, could not show up in our wisdom, in our genius, in our sexuality in the world.”
“Nobody cared about diversity when I was talking to them about it in major press, interviews, or podcasts. In fact, they’ve cut that out. And I would insist that they include my tirade about how important diversity and inclusion were in wellness and culture in general.”
“What’s really behind this thing that we’re calling ‘the industry of wellness’ is spirituality based on community and real connection. And there’s no amount of capitalism that’s going to wash that away for that core base of who makes this industry what this industry is.”
“Women are wired for nurturance. But that’s not the only thing that we’re wired for. We’re also wired for pleasure. We’re also brilliant in every way. Our intelligence is very multifaceted.”
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Anchor, Breaker, Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Pocket Casts, and RadioPublic
Show Notes
Tips to being 10 steps ahead of everybody else
The evolution of the wellness space
The wellness zeitgeist
How the idea of self-care progressed over time
When opportunity meets repression
Innate ways of dealing with being in this world of privilege but also being oppressed at the same time
Living through the era of Instagram and wellness online
Wellness as an industry vs. well-being as a lifestyle
What's next for the way that power structure exists?
What really is behind wellness
The Patriarchy Stress Disorder
How wellness might be viewed as an unthreatening profession for women under patriarchy
What your body is saying versus your response to the buttons and the stories that your mind creates
The disintegration of the changing wellness industry
Understanding the meaning of inclusion and diversity, and its importance in our culture
How tormenting it is for women to trying to get their body into some kind of a patriarchy perfect state
In what ways does the recent messaging of the wellness industry has failed us?
So much intergenerational trauma activated due to pandemic
Resources and People Mentioned
Patriarchy Stress Disorder: The Invisible Inner Barrier to Women's Happiness and Fulfillment by Valerie Rein
This podcast is edited by Softer Sounds Studio! Check ‘em out.