Conspirituality – Bonus Sample: "Overwelled"

Date: January 12, 2026
Hosts: Derek Beres (main speaker, journalist)
Featured voices: Gwyneth Paltrow, Andrew Huberman, Mel Robbins, Nutrition Expert (brief clips, satirical context)

Episode Overview

In this bonus episode, Derek Beres humorously and critically unpacks the latest trends and pseudo-problems fabricated by wellness influencers at the start of a new year—specifically the contrived "war on protein." Drawing from recent collaborations between major wellness and self-help figures (Gwyneth Paltrow, Andrew Huberman, and Mel Robbins), Derek exposes how charismatic personalities manufacture health "crises" to market products and perpetuate misinformation, especially as the conspirituality and wellness movements become increasingly entwined.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Wellness Influencer Collaborations—Marketing Masquerading as Science

• Gwyneth Paltrow's collaboration dreams: Gwyneth recounts how she "prayed" for a partnership with Andrew Huberman at Goop Kitchen, beginning with a detailed discussion on protein and chili recipes.
  [00:03] Gwyneth Paltrow: “We were first ideating this, praying, thinking, I wonder if Andrew Huberman would ever consider doing a collaboration with us at Goop Kitchen. The first thing I thought of was the chili because of the density of protein. Some kidney beans, but not overly starchy.”
• Andrew Huberman agrees: Andrew emphasizes the critical “meat to bean ratio” in chili as a marker of scientific input—a tongue-in-cheek example of the faux-scientific approach to food in influencer circles.
• Mel Robbins launches her first product: Mel makes a big reveal about her new protein-focused product, highlighting months of work with “world-renowned experts” and how now is the time to prioritize “complete protein” for health.
  [00:45] Mel Robbins: “Holy cow. This is the first product I’ve ever launched...I partnered...with world renowned experts in medicine, in nutrition...”
• The fabricated ‘protein gap’: Mel relays supposed expert advice that most people struggle to get enough protein, setting up the need for more supplements.

2. Satire and Skepticism—Derek Beres Responds

• Calling out the nonsense: Derek jumps in, wry and exasperated, poking holes in Mel’s and the others’ claims. [01:34] Derek Barras: “Well, Mel, that’s because you’re not picking foods with the right density of protein. Is there a reason you didn’t launch your new guava protein shot with Andrew Huberman? It’s been a long week.”
• Overwhelm and fatigue: A tired Derek recaps the relentless churn of “New Year, New You” influencer marketing and the manufactured problems that crop up every January for eager self-improvers.
  [02:21] Derek Barras: “Are you tired yet? I’m tired, but it’s no time to sleep. January is here. Wellness influencers have an entire line of New Year New You products to churn out once again. And problems that aren’t, problems that need to be solved are here.”
• Misinformation's consequences: He connects the spread of pseudo-health problems to broader trends of disinformation and cultish behavior in wellness and spiritual communities, paralleling political accelerationism.

3. Conspirituality’s Role and Motivation

• A promise to dissect disinformation: Derek frames this bonus episode as an attempt to document and debunk the fast-moving pseudoscience within the conspirituality ecosystem—where influencers use jargon, manufactured urgency, and community trust to sell solutions to artificially created public health "issues."
• Timeline parity: He notes the alignment between the speed of wellness marketing schemes and the escalation of high-stakes political disinformation. [02:51] Mel Robbins (in a satirical insert): “Maha is speeding up its actions as well.”
• Warning about long-term impact: Derek warns some pseudoscience circulating in these spaces could have lasting repercussions.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Derek Barras (satirical tone, nudging Mel Robbins’s logic):
  “Well, Mel, that’s because you’re not picking foods with the right density of protein. Is there a reason you didn’t launch your new guava protein shot with Andrew Huberman? It’s been a long week.” [01:34]
• Derek Barras (wellness fatigue):
  “Are you tired yet? I’m tired, but it’s no time to sleep. January is here. Wellness influencers have an entire line of New Year New You products to churn out once again. And problems that aren’t, problems that need to be solved are here.” [02:21]
• Derek Barras (concluding the satirical overview):
  “Like the invented notion that Americans don’t get enough protein, we’re going to go through those today. Just like MAGA appears to be accelerating as the midterms rush at us, Maha is speeding up its actions as well.” [02:38]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:03] Gwyneth Paltrow & Andrew Huberman: Protein ruminations and influencer collaboration wishcasting
• [00:45] Mel Robbins: Pitching her new protein product and “expert” advice
• [01:34] Derek Barras: Satirically dismantling influencer logic; “density of protein” commentary
• [02:21] Derek Barras: January’s wellness marketing blitz and manufactured health fears
• [02:38] Derek Barras: Linking wellness influencer “wars” to political conspiracism
• [03:13] Outro & subscription information (not content, skipped here)

Episode Tone & Style

The tone is incisive yet playful, using direct citations from wellness celebrities to underscore the absurdity and the commercialization of wellness advice. Derek Beres’s exasperation comes through in the commentary, matching the podcast’s “skeptical journalist” ethos and inviting listeners to both laugh at and question the sincerity and expertise of wellness industry figureheads.

Summary

"Overwelled" delivers a brisk, critical, and darkly comic review of the pseudo-crises churned out by the wellness-industrial complex every New Year as influencers like Gwyneth Paltrow, Andrew Huberman, and Mel Robbins manufacture urgency (and new products) around supposed health needs. Derek Beres peels back the layers of this marketing machinery, calling attention to the blend of scientific jargon, spiritual posturing, and conspiracy-friendly thinking that undergirds modern "conspirituality." The episode serves as a timely reminder: skepticism and critical thinking are the best remedies against the latest batch of wellness fads.