Not every health coaching program starts or ends with an eating disorder — but that doesn’t mean that most forays into wellness entrepreneurship leads to fame, fortune, and a cookbook deal.In this episode, we’ll look at how, branding becomes a performance and, as Pace Smith puts it, a “cage with the bars labeled freedom.”Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/bodybrandpod. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Your Body, Your Brand

A Cage with the Bars Labeled "Freedom"

Women are dropping out.They’re dropping out of the workplace to become yoga teachers. Leaving behind careers to sell essential oils and fitness programs. Opting out of STEM to focus on their Paleo diet cookbook.And even when they stay in, they’re spending their lunch hours talking about their latest diet, getting up from their desks to do burpees or add a few more steps to their FitBit, waking up early or staying out late to beat their bodies into submission at hot yoga or Crossfit. They’re giving the money they earn to the women who have dropped out.We're making dangerous investments.We’re bought into the idea that health and fitness is where the money is, and if we could just spend or make a few more dollars and hit the next PR, all of our problems will be solved, we’ll improve our relationships, and finally stop hating our bodies. But though the Internet seems bullish on optimizing your health, no one ever talks about the real reason we’re feeling so bad in the skin we’re in: money.And it’s time that we had a conversation about it. In our increasingly branded and visual online world, we need to talk about how capital —both social and financial — affects the ways in which we hold onto damaging beliefs about our body image, fitness, and nutrition.And getting rewarded for disorder.The things we invest in often control us. This podcast isn't about eating disorders, though it does touch on how we're buying and selling disordered eating, fitness, and body image. But really, it's about the pervasiveness of brand, the difficulty of selling something authentically, and the sad fact that it's easier to sell something you can control (your body) than trying to control corporate America.This podcast will introduce you to marketing psychology and behavioral economics and tell the story of how we gave up our sense of embodiment, empowerment, and participation in the workforce in exchange for a few “likes” and the veneer of a “healthy” personal brand. The Your Body, Your Brand podcast brings experts in sales, marketing, branding, feminism, and coaching into conversation with coaches, entrepreneurs, and diet consumers to ask: Why do women keep dropping out of the workforce to sell diet/fitness/body image coaching?Why do people keep getting invested in following "solopreneurs" with fitness/diet/body image brands? Is becoming a brand based on your body ever a good thing?Visit the website to read show notes, meet the guests, and learn more about each episode: bodybrandpod.com.Support the podcast and receive exclusive extended audio interviews through our Patreon-only podcast feed: patreon.com/bodybrandpod.Reach Kaila Tova at yourbodyourbrand@gmail.comSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/bodybrandpod. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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Your Body, Your Brand