Goals, Grit, and Some Woo Woo Sh*t
"BREAKING NEWS: Your dream life (and your dream bod) isn’t just going to happen because you made a vision board. Join Oonagh Duncan (fitness expert and bestselling author of Healthy As F*ck/Ditch The Diet) to examine the habits of kicking ass every day - so you can create a life of no regrets. Whether you want to lose weight, get rich, or save the whales while writing bestselling mystery novels- get ready to be inspired. This isn’t about incantations and putting the right crystals in your bra. This is about having the courage to take responsibility for your life, the grit to do the actual work and—most importantly—constantly training your brain to be your b*tch. Here’s what you can expect: Sometimes you’ll get the most tender loving b*tch slap in your ear about why you need to exercise - even when you don’t f*cking feel like it. Sometimes you’ll get a sleep expert teach you the exact steps on how to fall back asleep at 3am so you don’t feel like a zombie all day. Sometimes you’ll hear from someone who ran the marathon, kicked the addiction or manifested their dream threesome on the beach and you’ll think “If they can do it, so can I” And when you start thinking thoughts like that… you will be inspired to stop drifting and being a victim of your circumstances - and start actively creating the life you want. It takes Goals. It takes Grit. And it takes some Woo-Woo Sh*t."
Goals, Grit, and Some Woo Woo Sh*t
Mental Health Pseudoscience Alert with Dr. Jonathan Stea
You ever scroll through Instagram and see someone claiming to “treat the root cause” of depression with green juice and moonlight? Yeah, me too. And today, we’re calling BS (politely but firmly) with my guest, Dr. Jonathan Stea, a clinical psychologist and actual scientist who’s made it his mission to expose mental health pseudoscience for what it is: dangerous, seductive, and everywhere.
We get into how pseudoscience sneaks into our feeds wearing yoga pants and using words like “functional” and “integrative.” Dr. Stea breaks down the nine red flags to spot bad science before it grifts your wallet and your well-being. We also talk about why “food is medicine” isn’t the slam dunk it sounds like, what makes “natural” such a sneaky marketing term, and why even really smart people fall for this stuff.
And because it’s not all doomscrolling and debunking, we dig into how to build your own mental health literacy so you can tell the difference between evidence-based care and snake oil with a side of affirmation cards. We even time-travel back to the 1800s to meet Dr. Kellogg (yes, the cereal guy), who, no joke, used to serve his own poop at dinner parties in the name of wellness. The wellness industry’s always been wild, folks.
If you’ve ever side-eyed a wellness claim but didn’t quite know why, or if you’ve bought the collagen powder anyway, this one’s gonna be eye-opening. Let’s get science-y (without the snooze).
What’s Inside:
- How to spot mental health pseudoscience and why it’s so damn convincing
- The “root cause” and “natural cure” tropes that keep the wellness grift alive
- The surprisingly bonkers history of Dr. Kellogg and early wellness quackery
- Why you can have mental illness and mental health at the same time
- How to boost your mental health literacy and protect yourself from bad info
Quick gut check. What kind of wellness advice are you still hanging on to that might be total nonsense? The one that feels true, even if it’s not? We’ve all been there. I’d love to hear your “wait, was that pseudoscience?” stories. Come hang with me on Instagram and tell me what you’re questioning lately. Let’s get curious, not cynical.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Dr. Jonathan Stea’s book The BS Detecting Guide to Mental Health
Dr. Stea’s free newsletter
Dr. Jonathan Stea’ website
Dr. Jonathan Stea on Instagram
Oonagh’s TEDx Talk: Losing Weight Is All In Your Head
Oonagh Duncan on Instagram
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