Rethinking Wellness

How to Raise Critical Thinkers in the Age of AI

Author and pediatric surgeon Dana Suskind joins us to discuss her new book, Human Raised: Nurturing Connection, Curiosity & Lifelong Learning in the Age of AI. We get into why true caring is what makes us unique from machines, how human parenting instills critical thinking and empathy, the role of governments and regulators in dealing with AI harms, her HOPE framework for raising kids in the age of AI, and more. For paid subscribers, we do a deeper dive into the importance of “good enough” parenting—and how it compares to the gentle parenting and intensive parenting approaches. We also discuss Christy’s response as an eating-disorders specialist to the comparison between AI and ultra-processed foods.   To hear the full episode including the deeper dive, upgrade to paid at 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.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

5 Ways to Cope with Body-Image Challenges This Summer

Christy discusses what she’s been going through with IVF and how it’s affected her body image, plus 5 things she’s trying to keep in mind as she navigates a changing body amid the pressures of diet and wellness culture. This episode originally aired in June 2025. Check out the written version on our website for updates.This episode is for paid subscribers. Listen to a free preview here, and sign up for a paid subscription to hear the full episode!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.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Is Your “Healthy” Diet Actually Harmful? 6 Signs to Check Now

Christy discusses how to make sure a “healthy” dietary change doesn’t spiral into disordered eating—and how to know your desire to change your eating is driven by health and not diet culture.  The full version of this episode is for paid subscribers. Listen to the first half here, and sign up for a paid subscription to hear the whole thing!Get full show notes and references on Substack.More from Christy: Books: Anti-DietThe Wellness TrapThe Emotional Eating, Chronic Dieting, Binge Eating & Body Image WorkbookCourses:Intuitive Eating FundamentalsIntro to Intuitive EatingAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Beyond Wellness: Restoring the Religious Roots of Spiritual Practices

Religious-ethics scholar Liz Bucar, author of Beyond Wellness, joins us to discuss the religious roots of wellness practices, why bringing religion back into “spiritual” wellness spaces might be the key to promoting true well-being (even for non-religious people), and how the very human need for control shows up in diet and wellness culture. For paid subscribers, we do a deeper dive into how religion has contributed to Americans’ troubled relationship with food and how religious foodways can also help us heal from diet culture, with some detours into the longevity movement, GLP-1s and the thin ideal, and more.   Liz Bucar is a religious ethicist and professor of religion at Northeastern University, as well as a certified intenSati and Kripalu yoga instructor and the author of the new book Beyond Wellness. Her popular writing has appeared in The Atlantic, the Los Angeles Times, Teen Vogue, and The Wall Street Journal, and she is the author of four books, including the award-winning Stealing My Religion and Pious Fashion. She lives in Brookline, Massachusetts. For more about how religion shapes us all, even if we don't believe, subscribe to Liz’s newsletter at LizBucar.com. To hear the full episode including the deep dive, upgrade to paid at 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.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Exciting Changes Ahead: Discover What's New on the Pod

Christy shares some exciting announcements about the podcast! Upgrade to paid for access to all our content: Subscriber-only Q&As and essays answering your burning questions about wellness/diet culture, with critical and rigorous reporting on the science (something you’ll never get from ChatGPT, which we don’t use for research or writing)Extended interviews with our guests, including all the juicy bitsMonthly office hours on Substack LiveAccess to our full archive, including posts about gut health, seed oils, supplements, weight-loss drugs, perimenopause, autoimmune diets, thyroid health, and lots moreCommenting privileges and a place to connect with other subscribersOther cool perks, like special access to occasional livestreams, workshops, and coursesHere are the dates of the first three office hours:Wed, Aug 19 at 1pm ET (Download the Substack app and then click here)Thu, Sep 24 at 1pm ET (Download the Substack app and then click here)Thu, Oct 22 at 1pm ET (Download the Substack app and then click here)Free ad-supported episodes: please email us if you hear any advertisements that are out of alignment with our brand (e.g. diet programs, GLP-1 meds, supplements, etc.)Ask a question of your own for a chance to have it answered in a future episode!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy