Juicing, biohacking, mindfulness apps, collagen supplements: the wellness industry has exploded into a $4.4 trillion movement. On January 12 wellness industry journalist Rina Raphael comes to Intelligence Squared to argue 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 will show 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 will show us how we can find evidence-based, personalised solutions to our problems and get ourselves onto the path of genuine wellbeing. 

Praise for Rina Raphael’s The Gospel of Wellness: Gyms, Gurus, Goop and the False Promise of Self-Care 

‘Excellent … I’m so grateful for this book’ – Jameela Jamil

‘The intimate balance she strikes between her skeptical, curious investigation and her honest relationship with consumerism gives The Gospel of Wellness its intelligent, emotional punch’ – Salon.com

‘You’ll never hear the phrases “natural,” or “free from harsh chemicals,”‘ “detox,” “clean eating,” or “cleanse” the same way again’ – Katherine Goldstein, journalist and creator of The Double Shift podcast