Rethinking Wellness

Christy Harrison, MPH, RD, CEDS
  • 4.4 (222)
  • NUTRITION
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Rethinking Wellness offers critical thinking and compassionate skepticism about wellness and diet culture, and reflections on how to find true well-being. We explore the science (or lack thereof) behind popular wellness diets, the role of influencers and social-media algorithms in spreading wellness misinformation, problematic practices in the alternative- and integrative-medicine space, how wellness culture often drives disordered eating, the truth about trending topics like gut health, how to avoid getting taken advantage of when you’re desperate for help and healing, and how to care for yourself in a deeply flawed healthcare system without falling into wellness traps. **This podcast feed shares generous previews and very occasional full-length episodes. To hear everything, become a paid subscriber at rethinkingwellness.substack.com.** rethinkingwellness.substack.com

  1. 2D AGO

    The Rise of Micro-influencers: Wellness Misinformation and Parasocial Relationships with Maxine Ali

    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 stories of illness, medical encounter memes, and hyper-simplified straw man formats. Then Maxine explains why these ways of sharing can lead to powerful parasocial influence that undermines the perceived expertise of medical professionals worldwide. Behind the paywall, Christy and Maxine unpack what influencers are doing when they’re “truth-telling,” why conspirituality and conspiracy theories thrive online, and how the rise of “mythbusting” has warped into insidious platitudes. Paid subscribers can hear the full interview, and the first half is available to all listeners. To read the full post and upgrade to paid, go to rethinkingwellness.substack.com.  More from Christy: Christy's second book, The Wellness Trap, is available wherever books are sold! Order it here, or ask for it in your favorite local bookstore.  If you're looking to make peace with food and break free from diet and wellness culture, check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course. Subscribe on Substack for full interviews and more! Support the podcast by becoming a paid subscriber, and unlock great perks like extended interviews, subscriber-only Q&As, full access to our archives, commenting privileges, and a place to connect with other listeners.

    35 min

  2. JAN 26

    Hair Analysis, DUTCH Testing, and Heavy Metals in Chocolate (Best Of)

    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 sign up for a paid subscription to hear the rest! Christy's new book, The Wellness Trap, is now available wherever books are sold. Order it online or ask for it in your favorite local bookstore.  If you're looking to make peace with food and break free from diet and wellness culture, check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course.

    9 min

  3. JAN 19

    Anxiety Dieting, Disordered Eating, and the Crunchy-Granola-to-Wellness Pipeline with Leah Kern (Best Of)

    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 with food and started taking meds, and more. Leah Kern is an anti-diet dietitian and certified intuitive eating counselor who specializes in helping people heal their relationships with food and body. Her approach to coaching is firmly evidence-based, rooted in the Health At Every Size (HAES®) & Intuitive Eating frameworks. In her private practice, Leah teaches her clients to harness their body’s innate wisdom to govern how they eat and live. Leah believes that the work involved with unraveling years of conditioning in diet culture and learning to come home to one’s body is deeply spiritual work and she treats it as such. It is Leah’s mission to help her clients make peace with food and body so they can unlock their most aligned and fulfilling lives. Learn more about her work at leahkernrd.com. If you like this conversation, subscribe to hear lots more like it! Support the podcast by becoming a paid subscriber, and unlock great perks like bonus episodes, subscriber-only Q&As, early access to regular episodes, community threads, and much more. Learn more and sign up at rethinkingwellness.substack.com. Christy's new book, The Wellness Trap, is now available wherever books are sold! Order it online or ask for it in your favorite local bookstore. If you're looking to make peace with food and break free from diet and wellness culture, come check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rethinkingwellness.substack.com/subscribe

    58 min

  4. JAN 12

    Anti-Inflammatory Diets: the Science and the Hype

    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 references here. Ask a question of your own for a chance to have it answered in a future episode! Christy's second book, The Wellness Trap, is available wherever books are sold. Order it here, or ask for it in your favorite local bookstore.  If you're looking to make peace with food and break free from diet and wellness culture, check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course.

    3 min

  5. JAN 5

    Rumor Mills, Propaganda Machines, and Debunking Anti-Vaccine Misinformation with Renée DiResta

    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 invisible rulers, the difference between moderating “good” and “bad” information, and how algorithms become propaganda machines. Behind the paywall, Renée offers advice on how to defend science in our local communities, simple ways to amplify good information online, what appropriate skepticism looks like, and why she still uses and recommends Reddit. Paid subscribers can hear the full interview, and the first half is available to all listeners. To read the full post and upgrade to paid, go to rethinkingwellness.substack.com.  More from Christy: Christy's second book, The Wellness Trap, is available wherever books are sold! Order it here, or ask for it in your favorite local bookstore.  If you're looking to make peace with food and break free from diet and wellness culture, check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course. Subscribe on Substack for full interviews and more! Support the podcast by becoming a paid subscriber, and unlock great perks like extended interviews, subscriber-only Q&As, full access to our archives, commenting privileges, and a place to connect with other listeners.

    36 min

  6. 12/15/2025

    New Year, New Baby: My Maternity Leave and What's In Store for This Podcast

    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 bookstore. If you're looking to make peace with food and break free from diet and wellness culture, come check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rethinkingwellness.substack.com/subscribe

    5 min

  7. 12/08/2025

    The Elusiveness of “Full Recovery” from Disordered Eating with Mallary Tenore Tarpley

    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 maintaining “full recovery” led to years of struggle. Behind the paywall, Mallary and Christy discuss the many definitions of “full recovery,” the challenges of writing a book about disordered eating that’s honest without being activating, and how Mallary talks to her kids about food. Paid subscribers can hear the full interview, and the first half is available to all listeners. To read the full post and upgrade to paid, go to rethinkingwellness.substack.com.  More from Christy: Christy's second book, The Wellness Trap, is available wherever books are sold! Order it here, or ask for it in your favorite local bookstore.  If you're looking to make peace with food and break free from diet and wellness culture, check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course. Subscribe on Substack for full interviews and more! Support the podcast by becoming a paid subscriber, and unlock great perks like extended interviews, subscriber-only Q&As, full access to our archives, commenting privileges, and a place to connect with other listeners.

    35 min

  8. 12/01/2025

    Food Addiction and Menopause Hormone Therapy: New Insights from Listeners

    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 or ask for it in your favorite local bookstore. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rethinkingwellness.substack.com/subscribe

    8 min
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4.4
out of 5
222 Ratings

About

Rethinking Wellness offers critical thinking and compassionate skepticism about wellness and diet culture, and reflections on how to find true well-being. We explore the science (or lack thereof) behind popular wellness diets, the role of influencers and social-media algorithms in spreading wellness misinformation, problematic practices in the alternative- and integrative-medicine space, how wellness culture often drives disordered eating, the truth about trending topics like gut health, how to avoid getting taken advantage of when you’re desperate for help and healing, and how to care for yourself in a deeply flawed healthcare system without falling into wellness traps. **This podcast feed shares generous previews and very occasional full-length episodes. To hear everything, become a paid subscriber at rethinkingwellness.substack.com.** rethinkingwellness.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Christy Harrison, MPH, RD, CEDS
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    166
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Food Psych Programs, Inc. | Artwork by Tara Jacoby.
  • Show Website
    Rethinking Wellness

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