Have we become a little too obsessed with wellness?

From green powders and cold plunges to therapy talk, mindfulness apps and self-care routines, wellness has gone from a niche interest to a multi-trillion-dollar industry. But is it actually making us healthier and happier, or just giving us more things to worry about?

In this episode of The Gen X/Z Exchange, Chris and Lily explore the rise of modern wellness culture and ask whether we've reached a tipping point. Looking at the issue through both Gen X and Gen Z eyes, they unpack what's genuinely helping us live better lives and where wellness might be doing more harm than good.

You'll learn:

• How wellness became one of the biggest industries in the world

• Why the 2010s and the COVID pandemic changed the way we think about health and wellbeing

• Whether therapy talk and self-diagnosis have gone too far

• The surprising downside of chasing the perfect body and perfect lifestyle

• Why corporate "wellness washing" often misses the point

• How wellness can become isolating instead of bringing us together

• Why community and strong relationships may be more important than expensive wellness trends

• What Gen X and Gen Z can learn from each other's approach to living well

Chris and Lily also discuss the uncomfortable truth that many of the people who could benefit most from wellness support are often the least able to afford it, and explore how we can build healthier lives without buying into every new trend.

Listen in and you'll discover that real wellbeing might have less to do with optimisation and more to do with connection, balance and belonging.

Hit play now and join the conversation.

0.58 What wellness means

2.44 The global wellness industry

5.56 Mental health goes mainstream and the COVID effect

8.49 the wellness response

9.55 has wellness got toxic?

10.33 therapy talk is now normalised

11.52 The focus on body image

13.48 Self-diagnosis culture

15.52 The dark side of wellness

17.32 Wellness washing

22.24 What the two generations can offer each other to make sense of wellness culture

23.38 The importance of community & relationships to our health

25.22 How wellness culture can be isolating

27.43 Our takeaways

The Gen X/Z Exchange is a UK podcast exploring career change, purpose, wellbeing and modern life through honest conversations between a Gen X dad and his Gen Z daughter - helping you navigate life’s transitions with perspective across generations.

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https://www.linkedin.com/in/lily-perkins-8446a82bb/