Inside The Two-Trillion-Dollar Business Of Feeling Better

February 14, 2026

When life feels overwhelming, wellness offers answers, or at least something to buy. We look at how self-care turned into a multi-trillion-dollar industry, and why the promise of feeling better so often comes wrapped in marketing.

Guests:

Rina Raphael, journalist, author, The Gospel of Wellness: Gyms, Gurus, Goop, and the False Promise of Self-Care
Amy Larocca, journalist, author, How to Be Well: Navigating Our Self-Care Epidemic, One Dubious Cure at a Time

Last year, Americans spent two trillion dollars chasing better sleep, skin, nutrition, focus, you name it. But before examining how big the industry has become, we start with something simpler and harder to define. What does wellness even mean anymore?