Podcast Summary: Call Her Daddy

Episode: "The Wellness Industry Is a Scam"

Host: Alex Cooper
Date: January 18, 2026

Episode Overview

In this solo Sunday Session episode, Alex Cooper tackles the New Year’s pressure to self-optimize, the toxic side of the modern wellness industry, and our collective obsession with "fixing ourselves." Using personal anecdotes, recent think-pieces, and signature raw humor, Cooper breaks down how “wellness” has become less about self-care and more about self-rejection. She explores the psychological impact of endless self-improvement—particularly on women—and challenges her audience to redefine wellness on their own terms. Later, Alex answers listener questions on money in relationships, family dynamics, career burnout, and how to set boundaries with critical parents.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. January Pressures and the "New Year, New Me" Trap

Timestamps: 02:00 – 10:00

• Alex opens with a candid reflection on how stressful January can feel because of pressure to make big life changes.
• She admits to falling into the cycle herself, buying a journal for the new year but immediately feeling behind.
• The societal obsession with resetting and optimizing every January leads many—including Alex—to be overly self-critical.
• Quote [05:22]:

  “This hyper fixation on self-improvement can slowly over time just be a form of self-rejection.” — Alex Cooper

Notable Moment:

• Alex reads from an article by Leila on Medium ("You’re Allowed to Be Happy Even Before You’ve Fixed Everything"): Quote [08:50]:

  “You don’t have to be in your final form to deserve joy. You’re not an app update. You’re a human being.” — Leila (read by Alex)

2. Toxicity and Contradictions in the Wellness Industry

Timestamps: 10:00 – 19:00

• Wellness culture has shifted from stress relief to relentless self-optimization, marketed as a never-ending to-do list.
• Product after product (cold plunges, red light masks, Pilates, etc.) are sold as ‘fixes’ for every possible insecurity.
• Alex pokes fun at the impossible standards and constant barrage of advice on what we should do or buy to “fix ourselves.”
• Quote [12:12]:

  “We are called unwell over here, okay? It’s because that stuff is literally impossible to keep up with.” — Alex Cooper

Key Insight:

• Not every insecurity needs to be solved; some are just parts of who we are.
• The commodification of self-care can actually be self-punishment.

3. Reframing Wellness and Self-Acceptance

Timestamps: 19:00 – 23:30

• Alex argues that authentic wellness is simple, personal, and free: enjoying a coffee, stretching, reading a book.
• Emphasizes that waiting for life to be “fixed” before allowing happiness is futile.
• The internalization of online “wellness” rhetoric makes us perpetually postpone happiness, constantly “moving the goalpost.”
• Quote [23:09]:

  “You do not need to constantly strive to attain being the best version of yourself. You don’t. And the reason you’re doing it is because of the Internet and all of these things that are marketed towards you to tell you to do it.” — Alex Cooper

4. The Myth of Needing to Be "Healed" Before Dating

Timestamps: 23:30 – 33:30

• Drawing from her own life and conversations with friends, Alex challenges the idea that you must be fully healed before entering a relationship.
• She calls out avoidant rationalizations in dating (“I just need to work on myself”) and pokes fun at both men and women for using this as an excuse.
• Quote [28:00]:

  “If it was the right fucking person, Jeremy would be in your fucking pants, okay? Trust me.” — Alex Cooper

Memorable Segment:

• Shares “Do We Really Have to Be Healed to Date People?” by Lois Shearing (Cosmopolitan): Quote [32:05]:

  “You can’t think, journal, or meditate your way into trusting people again after you’ve been betrayed. You have to take the plunge...” — Lois Shearing (read by Alex)

• The argument: Real healing happens through interactions and relationships, not in isolation.

5. Social Media, Comparison, and the Wellness Aesthetic

Timestamps: 33:30 – 39:00

• Alex recounts her own struggle with buying a “cottagecore” journal for the aesthetic, realizing it wasn’t authentic to her.
• Warns against letting “cool girl” online trends redefine who we are; doing things just for the aesthetic is “a waste of time and a waste of money.”
• The curated perfection of influencers is often inauthentic, but the psychological impact is real—especially in January.

Listener Q&A Highlights

Question 1: Financial Imbalance in Relationships

Timestamps: 39:10 – 43:20

• Listener struggles as the higher earning partner always covering costs.
• Alex’s Advice: Set clear boundaries and communicate honestly. Know what you want from the conversation—gratitude, 50/50 split, or something else.
• Quote [42:11]:

  “Finances are... it’s harder. It’s sex and finances. That’s the—I feel like those are the two hardest things to ever talk about.” — Alex Cooper

Question 2: Parental Projection Before Marriage

Timestamps: 43:20 – 46:30

• Engaged listener deflated by parents’ negative marriage comments.
• Alex suggests setting a loving but firm boundary, asking parents to let her have her own experience.

Question 3: Career Burnout and Losing Empathy

Timestamps: 46:30 – 52:00

• Caller feels career ambition is making her "meaner" and less empathetic.
• Alex discusses the challenge of balancing ambition with personal happiness, encourages compartmentalizing work and intentionally making time for pleasure/friends.
• Suggests self-reflection: Is it burnout or is the “rat race” just not for you?

Question 4: Mothers’ Comments About Weight

Timestamps: 52:00 – 59:30

• Listener challenged by mother’s constant negative comments about her weight.
• Alex delivers an extended and impassioned rant about transgenerational trauma and the difficulty of parent-child boundaries—even as adults.
• Advice: Set boundaries if possible. If not, work to protect your own mental health and recognize parental behaviors that may never change.
• Quote [56:33]:

  “Mama bear over here, she’s known you for 32 years. She is the master of all masters when it comes to toxic manipulation.” — Alex Cooper

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Self-Acceptance:

  “You don’t need to be the most perfect version of yourself to get to that place... there is not an end date where everything is just magically perfect. So stop delaying your own happiness because you think you need to change yourself first.” — Alex Cooper [37:50]

• On Doing Things for ‘Aesthetic’:

  “Doing things just for aesthetic is a waste of time and a waste of money.” — Alex Cooper [35:02]

• On Internet Influence:

  “Most of it’s all fake, okay? I know a lot of these people. Trust me, it’s all fake.” — Alex Cooper [59:05]

Tone, Style & Delivery

• Candid, unfiltered, and humorous—full of self-deprecating jokes and expletives.
• Alex frequently breaks the fourth wall, addressing the “Daddy Gang” as friends.
• She uses sarcasm and exaggeration (mocking "Jeremy" and "Martha" for classic dating and parental sins).
• Offers supportive “tough love” to listeners, consistently reminding them to disregard perfectionist pressures and prioritize their own happiness.

Final Message

“2026 is the year of growth—if you want it. If not, totally regress, totally text him back, totally unblock all the exes... Do whatever the fuck you want, okay? Ignore social media. All those people... most of it’s all fake... Enjoy your 2026. Don’t put a lot of pressure on yourself and pop the puss and happy New Year. Love you. Bye.”

(Alex Cooper, 59:20)

This summary captures the episode’s essence, major talking points, and Alex’s signature tone. Skip the wellness scam, forget perfection, and “just be who the fuck you are.”