My [Unpopular] Opinions About Wellness Culture

As a registered nurse with my doctorate, here's where *I* disagree with the idea of "wellness" often promoted on social media.... (kinda nervous to post this, tbh)

^^believe it or not, “wellness” doesn’t HAVE too look like this ;) WHO KNEW?!

Okay I’m getting *spicy* today!

My unpopular opinions about wellness culture is something I've wanted to write about for a long time, but I didn't quite know how to go about it.

This may seem a bit funny coming from me because I think many of you may identify me as a ~wellness influencer~, but today I want to break down where I do (and more accurately where I DON’T) resonate with this culture of self-care and fancy face masks and goji berry smoothies and exotic supplements and all-natural this and nontoxic that…

Now don’t get me wrong. I think there is merit to this movement. Like, why wouldn’t I support things that promote health, make us feel good, and inspire us to take care of ourselves?!

And, to be honest, I do genuinely enjoy a lot of things I am kind of mocking in this post (hot yoga, delicious smoothies, natural remedies, and matching sets, oh my!), but I also don’t think you need them.

So, while I may never fully denounce any movement that intends to promote health, wellbeing, & self-love….

I do think there’s nuance to this movement on a smaller level, and there are certain aspects of the ~wellness~ industry that just simply do NOT resonate with me.

So buckle up — this is a long one. (Let’s just say I had a lot of thoughts.)

Let’s dig in.

Unpopular Opinion #1: You don’t need to BUY wellness

The wellness and self-care movement has rapidly become this multi-billion dollar industry (some estimates it may even be a TRILLION dollar industry?!) where the message is to “take care of yourself”, but often delivered in a way that health and self-contentment are found in the cold-pressed juices and silk pajamas and matching athleisure sets and the fancy red light therapy sessions and all this stuff.

And while these CAN be tools that boost wellness, there are soooooooo many things that can promote health and self care and a sense of peace…

that don’t come wrapped in a branded tote bag. 

You can walk outside barefoot, you can get the sun on your face, you can call a friend, make a cup of tea – sometimes the basic things you don’t have to buy are some of the foundational practices that actually move the needle on your wellbeing.

While yes it is fun & important to treat yourself (we could do a whole deep dive on this topic alone) by investing in your health, one thing I personally struggle with in the wellness industry is how consumeristic it has become when in actuality the essentials and boring basics really CAN make such a difference!

Unpopular Opinion #2: There’s no such thing as a “quick fix”

You know what I’m talking about here—

• “This ONE morning celery juice recipe that cleared my skin”,

• “This ONE specific supplement that healed my gut”,

• “This ONE meditation that solved everything for me right away…”

While there may be power in green juices and meditation and certain supplements on a consistent basis, I don’t believe there’s one magic supplement, formula, diet, therapy, or integrative modality that will instantly solve everything. 

Instead of a quick fix approach, I’m much more about doing the basics with consistency and intention. (How boring, right???? But also– how impactful). 

How are you eating? How are you sleeping? Are you moving your body? How are you managing your stress? If those big picture things aren’t in alignment, quick fixes are not going to make any sustainable difference. 

Again, there might be merit to some of these quick fixes, they might help a little bit, and they may be a great tool or stepping stone– but I think that so often in the wellness world influencers overstate the benefit of things and make it seem like this ONE thing can solve everything—

Where in reality I would argue that doing the big things more gradually, more consistently, (and, um, less glamorously) is really where true health comes about.

Unpopular Opinion #3: Wellness is NOT a competition (say it louder for the people in the back)

It almost feels this way in the wellness world where it’s like “Oh you meditate for 10 minutes? Well I meditate for 20 minutes.” “You go to pilates twice a week? Well, I go four times a week.” [Insert metaphorical *hair toss* here]

It’s like people have brought metrics to something that’s supposed to be intuitive and specific to the individual person???

And if that’s the status quo, it becomes SO easy to compare your 10-minute morning routine (that you ENJOY) to someone who takes two hours and wakes up at 5:30 AM for hot yoga and a 20-minute cold plunge and guzzles 150908801284 ounces of water a day. 

Don’t let the other person’s 2-hour morning routine steal the joy from YOUR 10-minute morning routine, k?

When we quantify too much, it becomes this place of comparison, where actually I firmly believe that your version of wellbeing will look unique to you. 

It doesn’t matter what other people are doing – maybe someone else DOES meditate for a half hour a day, but for you meditation is a bit harder to squeeze into your schedule and you’re doing a 3-minute meditation on your lunch break.

Both of those things count.

You don’t have to compare what you are doing to someone else. It’s about cultivating your own definition of wellness.

Unpopular Opinion #4: It doesn’t have to be ~fancy~ to make a difference

Our current wellness culture will tell you that self-care has to be this one exotic herb or this one supplement or this one green juice when in reality — a plain ol’ apple with peanut butter is a perfectly healthy and nourishing (and, um, normal) snack. 

Believe it or not– it doesn’t have to be a goji berry acai bowl topped with bee pollen and reishi mushroom powder. Whole (and what some may call boring) foods like apples, rice, spinach, olive oil, broccoli, and carrot sticks, can be SO effective for your overall health.

(In fact, I’d argue that it’s sometimes the basic things that really move the needle more because they are more easily accessible)

And that goes for everything! 

So with skincare for example, maybe your Tiktok FYP is full of people have a 25-step skincare routine and are doing all of these innovative treatments and expensive active ingredients and lasers and micro-facials… when really if you just TRULY simplified it, showed up for a few basic steps in your skincare routine ,and really did it consistently, and intentionally, you probably would still see progress (not to mention, be more likely to stick with it, *wink*)

What if you just took care of the basics with intention and didn’t feel the need to overcomplicate it or make it fancy?

Unpopular Opinion #5: Having a healthy life doesn’t have to take a lot of time 

Ooooooof. I’m so passionate about this.

I don’t know about you, but when I listen to podcast interviews where a wellness influencer shares their morning routine and you know it’s like they wake up AT LIKE 4 AM OR SOMETHING (like, babe. i don’t know how to tell you this. but that’s still night-time)., and then they immediately drink their apple cider vinegar tonic, write in their manifestation journal, do 30 minutes of meditation, put on a matching workout set and go to Pilates, drink their green juice, submerge their face in a bowl of ice water, do a 15-step skincare routine, make a 25-ingredient smoothie, red light therapy, cold plunge, sauna…

and you’re just like — by the time I did all these things it would be time for bed again????? 

Now, are these things beautiful? Yes. 
Are they realistic for most people? No. 

So for me, a two-hour morning routine or going to hour-long workout classes every day just isn't realistic during this stage of my life. But that doesn’t mean I can’t move the needle in less time! 

The truth is, I DO a lot^ of the things I just mocked. But in much more bite-size, realistic, time-friendly ways.

• Meditating for 5 minutes instead of 20. 

• Going for a 20 minute walk instead of trying to hit 10,000 steps. 

• Doing a 10 minute yoga flow in my living room instead of going to a long class.

• Making a simple, straightforward dinner of chicken and quinoa instead of making a 50-step complicated recipe. 

Don’t let perfection be the enemy of progress.

It doesn’t have to be time-consuming for it to count. It doesn’t have to be 30+ minutes to make a difference. Doing *something* is better than nothing at all. You CAN be efficient with your wellbeing.

^^PSSST: I promise MOST of my journal sessions are absolutely NOT done with perfectly curled hair, amazing lighting, and a cute outfit. more like sleepy eyes, an old sweatshirt from highschool, and a 5-minute power writing session while I guzzle my coffee.

Unpopular Opinion #6: A diagnosis or symptom doesn’t always have to get the last word

I know it doesn’t always feel this way, but…

at a fundamental level, our bodies WANT to seek health.
Our bodies quite literally evolved to seek homeostasis.
Our bodies WANT to thrive. 

And, of course, I know this can be complicated and nuanced — you may face illness, stress, a certain diagnosis, mysterious symptoms, etc., and I TRULY want to validate that. 

But what if we strengthened our TRUST in our bodies? And even if there is no “cure”, what if we truly believed that things *could* get better?

Of course, not all healing can “come from within”. Some situations require outside resources (the guidance of a doctor, specific supplements, a personal trainer, medication, surgery, therapy, etc.), but what if you believed in YOUR body and YOUR path, in YOUR healing. 

In many cases, if we give our bodies the right tools, environment, nutrition, sleep, etc., it will naturally work towards healing. 

(Now that doesn’t always mean a CURE, or that our symptoms will magically disappear– but it could even mean an improvement in how we feel.)

Here’s an example– one of my health coaching clients had a diagnosis of chronic osteoarthritis, particularly in her knees. She had dealt with this pain, stiffness, and inflammation for years. It was significantly impacting her quality of life. But, we didn’t just have to “accept” that (even if there is no cure.)

Together, we brainstormed to see how we could improve the reality of her diagnosis. With time, we realized that when she was adequately hydrated (helped to lubricate the joints) and when she attended yoga (helped to reduce stiffness by stretching and strengthening leg muscles) her pain significantly lessened. We didn’t “get rid of” her arthritis. It will always be there, but we did learn to take an empowered approach and seek improvement. and THAT is a form of “healing” all on its own.

You don’t just have to accept a diagnosis, sit there, suffer, and let it take over. Instead, what if you approached it from a place of empowerment & did the things within your power to make the most of the situation? (This can be easier said than done, I know!)

So, big picture– I encourage you to do your best to take care of yourself given the situation (notice I didn’t say perfectly take care of yourself), and trust that your body can (and often will!) work towards healing.

Unpopular Opinion #7: Your “external” health habits don’t matter if your internal state is overly obsessed

Being too focused on being “healthy” isn’t healthy. There I said it. 

If you are constantly worried about every single thing you eat being clean, pure, free of industrial seed oils, or keto, or paleo, or pro-metabolic, or vegan… that isn’t healthy! 

While I absolutely encourage you to be intentional with the foods you eat, products you use, etc…

To me, true health has a level of adaptability, nuance, flexibility, and trust that your body can handle something that isn’t 100% perfectly clean, nontoxic, organic, etc.. 

If you are so strict with this that going out to eat stresses you out, traveling worries you because you’re so scared to be out of your routine, you’re worried about every single ingredient, frightened by EVERY toxin, or if choosing the ~perfect~ supplement, skincare item, etc., gives you analysis paralysis, that isn’t healthy either. 

To me, the end goal of health should be MORE joy. MORE energy. MORE adaptability.

Think bigger than just your physical body — if it’s consuming your mind, it may be taking away from your health, not adding to it.

Unpopular Opinion #8: Individual health depends on a LOT of external factors

Wellness culture makes everything involving health seem SO individual. 

Like you have the power, you do this, just eat this way, just go to the gym… when there are so many systemic and bigger picture failings within the whole industry. 

Liiiiike, I CRINGE at some wellness advice out there. Would you really tell the single, overworked, underpaid mom who’s just trying to make ends meet that she needs to be better about the toxins & artificial colorings in her food???

Because when you take a step back and look at the big picture, maybe she’s eating processed food because she lives in a food desert without access to fresh groceries and the fresh groceries she does have access to are out of her budget because her pay is too little. Maybe your “lazy neighbor” suffers from chronic illness and is limited in his movement capability. Maybe your patient that no-shows for his appointment didn’t come because he didn’t have transporation or didn’t have the insurance coverage to afford a medical appointment. Maybe your friend who always turns down yoga and brunch has limited finances so she’s budgeting for the therapy or medication that’s a higher priority to her than taking a fitness class.

There are so many systemic things like lack of access to health care, racism, sexism, ableism, lack of adequate maternal-child care, stigma around mental health, etc. that can impact someone’s individual wellness. 

So I try to strike that balance of controlling the things in your power, but as a wellness society, we NEED to recognize that there are so many bigger forces that are out of people’s control. Access to fresh food, living in a stressful environment, not being able to go on a walk outside because the neighborhood is unsafe…

I just always try to acknowledge that I want people to do the best THEY can do given THEIR situation.

While it’s great to take self-accountability and “control the controllables”, it’s much more complex than that. As a wellness culture, we need to acknowledge that it’s not always that straightforward and that many people are dealing with external factors inhibiting them from living their healthiest lives. 

Unpopular Opinion #9: You don’t have to “label” EVERYTHING.

People in the health world love to attach to labels. Keto, paleo, pro-metabolic, vegan, western medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, yoga, etc., etc., etc. 

While there is absolutely BEAUTY in clarity in what you do and don’t like, you don’t have to be “one thing.” You are allowed to take the bits and pieces that resonate with you.

TBH, this approach has kind of been my magic sauce & why my business has grown. The thing that kind of sets me apart in the wellness industry is that I DO understand and respect modern medicine (I am a registered nurse with my DNP, after all). But, do I prefer to start with natural remedies, lifestyle changes, and nutrition to improve my health? Yes.

So, honestly, I have found myself kind of in a ~combo platter~ situation where I take the bits and pieces of DIFFERENT FORMS OF medicine, health, nutrition, self-care, exercise, etc. and combine them into what works for me.

For example— I see my classically trained medical doctor for my physical, but I also see my naturopath annually, too. I visit the chiropractor, but I also work with a physical therapist. I have no issues seeking out a specialist, harnessing the aspects of of Ayurveda that work for me, of traditional Chinese medicine that work for me, of functional nutrition that work for me, etc.

There’s a gray area within wellness where each of our definitions of health is going to vary. I’m such a big advocate of cultivating YOUR unique definition of health.

Even though I live my life one way, that may not resonate with my health coaching clients and that’s okay! 

You don’t have to put yourself in a box. You don’t have to label the food you eat or the workouts you do. You can do a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and you don’t have to be so strict on what you “are” and “aren’t.” You’re an individual, and your wellness practice can be as unique as you are.

Unpopular Opinion #10: Modern, Western medicine has a place! It is NOT the root of all evil, ok???

Okay, to piggy-back off of the previous one…. we don’t have to FULLY dissociate from modern medicine as many wellness influencers proclaim.

Because, while, yes, there are A LOT of shortcomings to modern medicine and the way our for-profit system is set up (*resists stepping on soapbox*), it also can be so. dang. valuable. and important.

Liiiike…. if I break my arm, ya better believe the last thing I’m going to be using is a lavender essential oil to ~cure~ it (ha!). Modern medicine is so great for emergency care, life-saving medications, highly-specialized providers, etc. that sort of thing. 

But in my opinion, where it does drop the ball is preventative, proactive, and lifestyle medicine.

But, again, you don’t need to denounce ALL of modern medicine simply because you’re seeking a natural, more holistic life. There are pros and cons to everything and you don’t have to be all one way or the other.

Yes I’m a crunchy, holistic person, but I do understand the value of modern medicine. And while it is definitely not perfect (*nervous laugh*), it can be very beneficial & we don’t need to completely denounce it.

Unpopular Opinion #12: If you’re sharing health/wellness information, you should have credentials that support you

I believe you can be self-taught in so many things.

Business, photography, home interior design, all these things, buuuuut with health topics it can feel a bit different. Unfortunately, so many people on the internet make bold claims without the training to back them up, and I do think there is value in seeking out people who have credentials for your health and wellness information. 

Am I saying people who aren’t trained don’t understand health? No, of course not!

Am I saying that you NEED credentials to be knowledgeable about a topic? No, no, no!

Because, SO many people are incredibly knowledgeable about their health, different treatment options, supplements, etc. even if they never went to school for those things. Which is great! I think it’s important for people to take agency and learn health basics for themselves!

But, moreso, I just encourage you to take a lot of the internet’s health recommendations with a grain of salt, and offering a word of caution for people who DO NOT have credentials and who DO share health information really *irresponsibly* online.

I’m a registered nurse, I have my doctorate in integrative health, and I’m a board-certified health coach (trained by The Mayo Clinic). I’m proud of these credentials. I worked hard for them and it allows me to sort through the data and share health hacks that are responsible. I really take how I share health information online seriously, and I just wish other online voices did the same.

Unpopular Opinion #12: It CAN be soooo much more simple than people make it seem

Big picture— we need to stop overcomplicating & over-glamorizing & over-selling it. That’s my take-home point.

At the end of the day, while it’s tempting to make wellness seem like it’s only found in fancy foods, expensive supplements, cryotherapy, acupuncture, integrative therapies, holistic providers, all these things…

and while these things can have value & bring joy, I just want to remind you that the things that promote health on a more “everyday” level can be a LOT more simple.

Making a cup of tea in a mug that you love. Journaling for five minutes in the morning. Going for a walk outside. Standing barefoot in the grass. Reading and putting your phone down. Taking a few deep breaths. Adding a serving of veggies to your meal. Having a night with loved ones. 

To me, these simple “everyday” things are a form of health care! They improve your mind, body, and spirit and deserve to be prioritized just as much as the treatment or wellness fad of the moment. (Not to mention, they are a LOT more accessible, time-friendly, and cost-effective, *wink*)

In closing — why I still love the wellness world

Here’s the thing– I never have (and probably never will) completely denounce ~wellness culture~ because I do think the origins are coming from the right place.

Like, of course, there is VALUE in showing people the ways they can better take care of themselves, invest in their own self-care, healing, and well-being… heck. yes.

Buuuuut…..

I just prefer to teach “wellness” in a different way—

• In a way that is more simple.

• In a way that is more time-efficient.

• cost-effective.

• straight-forward.

• AKA… one that is more realistic.

Because, In an age of information overload, groundbreaking treatments, quick fixes, and wellness fads, “health” seems pretty complicated these days *le sigh*

and, amidst the noise, I strive to make "being healthy" feel simple, realistic, and *empowering* for you

(yes, YOU)

Because, health CAN be found in the in-between—

not being overly obsessed, but also not being passive or willing to settle. It's a COMMITMENT to health- but with a lot of flexibility & fluidity & JOY mixed in

…because what's the point of being healthy if you aren't ENJOYING it and *living* your life??? ;)

Cheers to a life of VIBRANT, flexible health, yes?

Whew. That was fun. And cathartic. And alsooooo kind of felt like a therapy session. (Y’all should charge me a co-pay.)

Okay. That’s a wrap on first REAL substack post! Any thoughts? Comments? New perspectives? Drop me a line in the comments below!

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