Gwyneth Paltrow

Summary

Podcast Summary: The goop Podcast with Gwyneth Paltrow

Episode: Gwyneth Paltrow | Date: November 11, 2025
Host: Gwyneth Paltrow
Guest: Zanna Roberts Rassi (highlighted in guest introduction and conversation)

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Episode Overview

This episode of the goop podcast, hosted by Gwyneth Paltrow, centers on curiosity, authenticity, and the ongoing journey of self-care, purpose, and wellness. Set during a retreat celebrating Audemars Piguet’s 150th anniversary, Gwyneth is joined by journalist and entrepreneur Zanna Roberts Rassi for a candid conversation. From time management and self-reflection, to the evolving landscape of wellness, technology’s role in health, managing nervous system challenges, and the importance of intuition and vulnerability, the episode dives deeply into the modern female experience, embracing imperfection, and always “becoming.”

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Spirit of Curiosity & Partnership

• Gwyneth reflects on goop’s origins: rooted in her personal curiosity and desire to share exceptional discoveries with women.
  • "At goop, so much of what we create begins with curiosity, my own search for the things that truly make life feel richer, more resonant, more alive." (00:02)
• The episode’s retreat is in collaboration with Audemars Piguet, whose quest for innovation and tradition resonates with goop’s philosophy of “always becoming.”
  • "Their family-driven maison has pushed the boundaries of what’s possible... while staying rooted in timeless sophistication." (00:16)

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2. Embracing Self-Care and Setting Boundaries

• Building self-care into daily routine: Gwyneth discusses deliberately carving time out in her mornings for meditation, exercise, and phone-free time.
  • "I used to feel like my day kind of dragged me by the neck through it... I started to take ownership of my day, starting with myself and how I feel..." (03:20)
  • "I get overwhelmed quickly ... so I've become pretty rigorous about like time in the morning for me to meditate and exercise and shower with no phone around." (03:35)
• Sticking With Rituals:
  • Gwyneth checks emails early with coffee but puts the phone away for 90 minutes thereafter to create uninterrupted time. (04:07)

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3. The Perils of Over-Productivity & Facing Uncomfortable Emotions

• Discusses being “busy” as a way to avoid uncomfortable feelings:
  • "When we don't want to feel our uncomfortable feelings, we become very busy. We do as an act of not feeling." (04:37)
  • "I came to start seeing this doing as a really detrimental act of like self-harm in a way." (05:33)
• The challenge of untangling identity from achievements and productivity, especially with aging:
  • "We get really hardwired to do and to get the Praise. That starts to feel like part of our identity... And am I worth anything?" (05:52-06:30)
• Recognizes over-doing as a signal there’s something she’s avoiding feeling. (07:04)

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4. Self-Awareness, Relationships, and Learning from Others

• Gwyneth credits her husband for helping keep her accountable during moments of overwhelm.
  • "I also have a husband that's like, what's going on here?... he does." (07:20-07:25)
• Importance of surrounding oneself with supportive people and recognizing behavioral patterns. (07:24)

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5. Time, Presence, and What Really Matters

• Reflection exercise prompted by retreat facilitator Jennifer: If time were infinite, what would you do differently?
  • "I think I would try to focus on not doing the things that make life feel stressful... and hard." (08:04)
• Gwyneth’s husband’s experience (Famous Last Words Netflix series) confirms the universal regret about not spending enough time with loved ones:
  • "Every time he comes home... he says, everybody says the same thing. I just wish they had more time with the people they loved, more time with their kids. Not one of them has said... I wish I had won that award..." (09:04)

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6. Exploring Wellness: New Practices and Letting Go

• Wellness Trends:
  • Loves the Heart Math gadget for nervous system support. (10:22)
  • Less rigidity around diet, enjoying occasional indulgences. (11:01)
  • Excited about the popularization and accessibility of personalized/functional medicine and calls for a more individualized approach to health.
    • "The idea that one diet or one vitamin D is right for everybody is just not true." (12:08)
• Letting Go:
  • Not every wellness trend sticks: can't get into the cold plunge.
    • "I really struggle with the cold plunge... I just. I feel like I'm being tortured." (16:36)

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7. The Intersection of Wellness & Technology

• Finds AI, particularly large language models, immensely helpful for managing complex health data:
  • "I build these GPTs... and I have the most incredible conversations with this GPT that I built around my health." (13:03)
  • Advises using de-identified data and paid versions to protect privacy. (13:28)
  • Sees AI increasing the value of artists, philosophers, and those who bring “soul” to the world.
  • "Now that AI is probably going to take a lot of these jobs. We need artists and we need to counterbalance the machines with soul." (14:20)

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8. Reflection, Goal Setting, and Regeneration

• Not a fan of formal year-end goal-planning; prefers to reflect on hard-earned lessons:
  • "I like to sort of reckon with the year and what the lessons were... especially the harder lessons because I like to make sure I've heard the universe and I understand them, so I don't get them again." (17:28)
• Champions mandatory company downtime during Christmas and August:
  • "Every year I close the whole company in kind of a European style and let everybody have the same time off... it's the only way you can really." (17:52)
• Goal for 2026: Be more intentional about time, stay less reactive to stress.
  • "I would love to try to not do that so much and feel more grounded throughout the day..." (18:43)

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9. Self-Compassion, Anxiety, and Nervous System Support

• Discusses her own heightened anxiety due to life stresses, hormonal changes, and public scrutiny:
  • "I have a lot of anxiety for the first time in my life... I get in bed exhausted and my heart will start to race and then I'll have intrusive thoughts, which I've never had in my life..." (20:31-21:01)
• Support system:
  • Two therapists—one for nervous system, plus close friends and family, including Jen Freed.
    • "If I can be with everyone... under one roof, my nervous system calms down." (22:07)
• Cherishes family, especially during holidays that blend Jewish and Christian traditions (Boxing Day included—see fun cross-cultural exchange at 23:07).

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10. Trusting Instinct and Intuition

• Age and experience have reconnected her with her gut:
  • "Now that I’m old and I don't give a fuck, I can feel myself so much more... I can feel my opinion. I can hear my thoughts. I can feel in my cells when something is wrong or immediately. I mean, almost immediately." (24:05)
• Distinguishes between instinct (a learned, informed reaction) and intuition (a deeper, more connected internal signal). (24:27-24:57)

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11. Returning to Filmmaking & Reinvention

• Recent return to movies after years away was prompted by a new life phase (empty nest), not longing.
  • "I hadn't missed it at all. I hadn't really thought about it." (25:28)
  • "It was really, really fun. I loved the director so much. He's a brilliant guy. Josh Safdie and Timothee Chalamet, star of the movie." (27:13)
• Her career’s greatest risk: giving up a successful film career to start goop, at a time when celebrity entrepreneurship was rare.
  • "People thought I was really nuts for doing it." (27:49)

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12. On goop: Origins, Mission, and Passion

• goop began as a kitchen-table recommendations newsletter; became mission-driven around non-toxic beauty and wellness:
  • "I wanted to create it for myself and for my friends and for women... There was no clean skin care at all... there was nothing for a woman who wanted a high performance skincare without literally antifreeze in it, which is in a lot of expensive moisturizers..." (28:25-29:43)
• The journey was organic, fueled by personal dissatisfaction with status quo products and a desire for health-driven alternatives.
  • "There's never a right time... if you feel something, like you really want to put something into the world, just do it. There's no right time. You just have to take the leap." (31:01)

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13. Rapid Fire Questions & Holiday Inspiration

• Holiday Gift Recommendation: goop’s legendary gift guide, with a nod to “very cool mahjong tiles.” (31:40)
• Favorite Way to Waste Time: Wandering, Pinterest, pottering around—valuing purposeless, agenda-free days. (31:56-32:27)
• Go-to Lunch: goop kitchen’s salmon bento box and healthy, allergen-free food. Food is central to goop's ethos:
  • "The fastest way to feel a difference in how you feel is what you eat, period." (33:02-33:18)

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14. Grief, Culture, and Community

• Gwyneth shares her struggles with grief, cultural failures around death, and the importance of community:
  • "I find our culture right now very difficult to understand and very difficult to process... we're terrible in our culture at dealing with grief and death..." (34:19-35:16)
  • Emphasizes the healing power of empathy, female friendships, and vulnerability.
    • "If we can be vulnerable and get out of that old fashioned, like, competition paradigm and be in communion with one another and be vulnerable, like, it fills me." (36:55)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Nobody changes until they change their energy. And when you change your energy, you change your life." – Gwyneth Paltrow (01:45)
• "When we don’t want to feel our uncomfortable feelings, we become very busy. We do as an act of not feeling." – Gwyneth Paltrow (04:37)
• "Every time [my husband] comes home... he says, everybody says the same thing. I just wish they had more time with the people they loved, more time with their kids." – Gwyneth Paltrow (09:04)
• "The idea that one diet or one vitamin D is right for everybody is just not true." – Gwyneth Paltrow (12:08)
• "Now that AI is probably going to take a lot of these jobs. We need artists and we need to counterbalance the machines with soul." – Gwyneth Paltrow (14:20)
• "Now that I'm old and I don't give a fuck, I can feel myself so much more." – Gwyneth Paltrow (24:05)
• "Food is such a cornerstone of goop...the fastest way to feel a difference in how you feel is what you eat, period." – Gwyneth Paltrow (33:13)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening Reflections on Curiosity & goop’s Philosophy: 00:02–01:18
• Self-Care Rituals & Managing Overwhelm: 03:15–04:22
• Busy-ness As Avoidance: 04:37–05:33
• Accountability in Relationships: 07:17–07:25
• Infinite Time Thought Exercise: 07:30–09:41
• Wellness Gadgets & Personalization: 10:09–13:03
• AI, Health, and the Future of Arts: 13:25–14:33
• Reflection & Intentions for the Year: 16:53–19:37
• Nervous System Challenges & Support Systems: 19:46–22:19
• Family/Holiday Traditions: 22:35–23:41
• Instinct vs. Intuition: 24:27–24:57
• Return to Acting: 25:04–27:29
• Founding goop, Clean Beauty, and Taking Risks: 27:41–31:01
• Rapid Fire: Gifts, Time-Wasting, Food: 31:15–34:19
• Grief, Connection, and Community: 34:19–36:55

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Conclusion

This episode offers listeners a layered, intimate look at what it’s like to continually question, grow, and nurture oneself—spiritually, emotionally, and physically—as a woman, mother, and leader. Gwyneth’s openness about anxiety, aging, family, and the lifelong journey of “becoming” weaves through topics of wellness, technology, purpose, and community. For fans of goop or seekers of insight into intentional living, this episode is filled with wisdom, humor, and human connection.

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Transcript

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

At goop, so much of what we create begins with curiosity, my own search for the things that truly make life feel richer, more resonant, more alive.

Over the years, we've tested, tried and.

Shared what feels exceptional with the hope of becoming a trusted companion for women as they continue to evolve. This spirit of authenticity and exploration is also at the heart of our partnership with Audemars Piguet as they celebrate their 150th anniversary. For generations, this family driven maison has pushed the boundaries of what's possible in design and craft, while staying rooted in timeless sophistication. Like goop, they believe in honoring tradition while continuously shaping the future. A pursuit I am deeply inspired by and by those who dare to live with intention and imagination. Our philosophy, always becoming is an invitation to pause, to step outside the noise of the everyday, to meet the parts of ourselves we haven't yet discovered. It's about embracing beauty, agency and creativity at every age.

When you are pioneering anything or introducing new ideas to the culture, you get criticized. You do. Yeah. Did you hear about that?

[Unknown Guest 1]

I didn't find the one. I found someone I respected and we made it the one.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

In the sort of longing kind of view of love, people understand each other as if by magic.

[Unknown Guest 1]

Nothing in itself is addictive on the one hand. On the other hand, everything could be addictive if there's an emptiness in that person that needs to be filled.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

I now know that nobody changes until they change their energy. And when you change your energy, you change your life.

I'm Gwyneth Paltrow. This is the GOOP Podcast, bringing together thought leaders, culture changers, creatives, founders and CEOs, scientists, doctors, healers and seekers here to start conversations. Because simply asking questions and listening has the power to change the way we see the world. Here we go.

Welcome to the GOOP Podcast. I'm Gwyneth and today I am joined by Zanna Roberts Rassi. She's a journalist, entrepreneur and founder of Milk Beauty who has helped shape the conversation around beauty, style and identity. I would like to thank Audemars Piguet for making this retreat possible, providing a beautiful moment for all of us to reflect and reset and reconnect with things that really matter.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Well, before that, I've got plenty of questions to fire at you. Thank you for sitting here and let me just fire questions at you.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Thank you. Thank you so much.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

So we are all here in this amazing place for amazing retreat to talk about how we can actually find time for ourselves. How can we can carve out time for self Care and wellness. And as one of the busiest people I think we all know, you know, CEO, mother, wife, entrepreneur. How do you find time for yourself?

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Well, I've gotten really good at building it into my day.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Right.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

I used to feel like my day kind of dragged me by the neck through it. And at a certain point, I think maybe five years ago, I started to take ownership of my day, starting with myself and how I feel, and I get overwhelmed quickly. And to your point, I've got a lot of different areas to manage and if I'm trying to do two things at the same time, I kind of fall apart. So I've become pretty rigorous about like time in the morning for me to meditate and exercise and shower with no phone around.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Do you stick with this?

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

I stick with it.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Do you really. I really do have the temptation though, or it's just not. Is it just an absolute. No, cannot even.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Look, I just, I. I do emails in the morning when I wake up with coffee and then I put it down for like probably 90 minutes to two hours.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Very.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

To meditate and to do all the stuff. Yeah. Do you.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

So spending time. I think there's something about taking time out and I think a lot of us feel overachievers. But then you almost feel guilty for not doing it. Do you ever feel that? And if so, how do you kind of combat that when you're not producing all the time?

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Well, I used to feel, you know, I think that we. So there are a couple, couple of points here. So I think when we don't want to feel our uncomfortable feelings, we become very busy. We do as an act of not feeling. And that's kind of the most fundamental issue and one that I was very guilty of, like really not wanting to look at the harder aspects of my childhood or parts of myself or difficulties in relationships. So the, the longer my to do list got, the more and wow, wasn't I productive and couldn't I be proud of myself and all the things. But I sort of came to start seeing this doing as a really detrimental act of like self harm in a way.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Sure.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

So. So that's, that's one thing. I think I've had to really put it in its place and understand that all of that doing is coming from a broken place.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

I'll relate to that.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Yeah, I think probably we all can too.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

There's a lot of nodding happening, you.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Know, and I think as well, you know, we have to be careful too because then we get really hardwired to do and to get the Praise like, oh, you work so hard and you're doing it, and it's so great. And it's like, that starts to feel like part of our identity and starts to feel really good. So then we start to question, well, what if I wasn't doing and I wasn't successful, or if I wasn't impressive, then what's left? And am I worth anything? Which has also been an interesting thing around aging, to reckon with that for so much of our lives as women. The way we look, our sexuality, our reproductive viability is such a part of our identity in this ego sense. And we don't realize that. We don't realize that underneath we are this. Just like, we are beautiful souls. And we don't need to do anything. We just need to. To be so this has been really this unwinding that I've been trying to work on in the last. I mean, it started when I was 40, so it's been, you know, but I was pretty scared. So this has been an evolving, evolving process. But now when I notice myself doing too much, I know that there's just stuff that I don't want to be feeling.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

You recognize it instantly and shift behavior.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

I try. And I also have a husband that's like, what's going on here?

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Does he keep you accountable?

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Yeah, he does.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

That's great.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Very much so.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Do you keep him accountable?

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

I do.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

So we had an amazing session early with Jennifer, and she asked us all a really interesting question, and it really made me think, and I saw a lot of people in the room feeling the same. So she asked us to close our eyes and think about if time went on forever, if we had no limits, infinity. What would we change about what we're doing today and how we're using time differently?

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

That's so interesting.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Isn't it a great question?

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Leave it to Jen. Free to.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

I know.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

She made us all ask the great questions.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

What would you do? Infinity. Time goes on forever.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Oh, that's so. That's like, such a scary thought in a way. You know, like, I mean, I think I would try to focus on doing. On not doing the things that make life feel stressful. Yeah. And hard. And that's, again, goes back to the same thing of trying to bifurcate parts of yourself and, you know, trying to push certain things down, trying to, you know, achieve things.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Yeah. Be in the moment more, be more present. Right. Would allow us all to be that way.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Definitely. Yeah.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

I went straight to spend more time with my kids.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Yeah. Yeah. My husband just did this very Cool show on Netflix that premiered where he interviewed Jane Goodall. And he's interviewing these amazing people who are. He interviews them and they know it will be their last ever interview and it doesn't air until they die. It's called Famous Last Words.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Excellent. Excellent.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

And I'm obsessed with this show. And every time he comes home from doing it, you know, he says, everybody says the same thing. I just wish they had more time with the people they loved, more time with their kids. Not one of them has said, you know, I was supposed I wish I had published that book or I wish I had won that award, or I wish. No, no, it's all about just, I wish I had slowed down. I wish I had just savored time with the people that I love. I wish I hadn't gone on that trip and left my, miss my kids play, stuff like that.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

It's interesting because then Jennifer said to us, if you only had a month left, what would you do then? But actually it was the same thing, the same answer.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Right.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

For me personally, I was like, well, I'd do the same things. If I didn't feel that pressure, I'd.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Have a lot of sex.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Okay. Last night, Brad, it is your life. He is here. It's great. Okay. As the self confessed guinea pig switching gears slightly.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Yeah.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Self guinea pig of all things. Treatments, wellness, what is new? What is happening? What are we really into at the moment? Grand Paltrow.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Wow.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Okay, we want a list that we're all going to shop straight after that.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Okay.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

From the good website, by the way.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Some of. Yeah, well, we don't sell. The first thing that is that I was going to tell you about, which is there's a, a very cool little gadget that I got recently called Heart Math. Oh. And you, you clip it to your ear and it's an app and it just helps you kind of downregulate your nervous system.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Oh, good Lord. And you see a result on the.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Yeah, yeah.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Oh, God. I don't know if I want to watch that.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

No, it's good. It's, it's, it's very good. It just helps, you know, I, I, my nervous system's kind of messed up, so I'm, I'm trying to do some work on my nervous system. So I really like that. I, I recently have actually started being less strict with my anti inflammatory diet, which I was, which I had to be for a few years for, you know, some specific reasons. But it's felt really well to sort of relax a little around, you know, like, having a drink once in a while. Like, not, you know, having some. Yeah, you know, hot fudge sundae once in a while. Like, so that's been kind of great. And then I'm really interested in, of course, kind of the popularization of functional medicine, which is something that I was banging on about at GOOP for a long time. And it's fantastic to see, you know, because there's so many. So many of us are chronically ill to varying degrees. You know, it could just be chronic inflammation or it could be autoimmune or. And Western medicine is actually. Actually not that great with anything chronic. They're great with acute, but less great with chronic. And so it's been so inspiring to see. I've seen so many friends have access to that kind of care now. There are all kinds of new companies doing it, and it's becoming much more accessible. So I'm. I feel very excited about that. And also this kind of, like, the democratization of the personalization of medicine because we're all so unique. And the idea that one diet or one vitamin D is right for everybody is just not true.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

It's interesting. I interviewed you a couple of years ago. It's for the Today show. And you sat there and I asked you about what would be the next wave in wellness, and you said exactly that, and you talked about the personalization of wellness.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

See that? Nobody listens to me.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

No one listens. Then how do you think AI is affecting wellness?

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Affecting wellness? I think it's incredible. I mean, so, I mean, I'll caveat that by saying I think that there is a, like a machinization of culture, which is probably not so good, but in terms of having this personalized, like, I build these GPTs where you can de. Identify your health data and you can put it all in. And I have the most incredible conversations with this GPT that I built around my health. Wow.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

We need this prompt so I can.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Show you how to build it. It's so easy. It's just you kind of make a project and you just take your name off your documents and then upload them and. But use the paid version so that it doesn't train off your data. Yeah, but like, so for things like that and for solving medical mysteries and ongoing things, I think it's going to be amazing. I also think it's going to be great for us because we will need artists, philosophers, thinkers, human. We will need that more than ever. So I think before AI, I used to worry about my kids going into the arts. Which they both want to do. And I used to think, oh my gosh, it's such a tough career and it's unstable and who knows? And all the things. And now that AI is probably going to take a lot of these jobs. We need artists and we need to counterbalance the machines with soul.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Absolutely. The human first.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Absolutely.

One of the greatest gifts of this podcast is the chance to sit down with extraordinary people and ask about the paths they've taken, the pivots, the leaps, the lessons. It reminds me that progress is never linear, but a dance between heritage and innovation. The very spirit embodied in Audemars Piguet's 150th collection and why we chose to partner with them on today's episode. Since their beginnings, Audemars Piguet has reimagined the very idea of watchmaking, creating pieces that not only keep time, but also remind us to step back and see our place in the universe. From perpetual calendars to celestial designs, each one is both timeless and boundary pushing. Together, we wanted to honor the idea of. Of living a life of possibility, of asking what else might be true, what else might be beautiful, what else might be possible? Like goop, they are dedicated to inspiring dreams, to reminding us that we're part of something larger. So as you listen, maybe allow yourself a little timeout, a pause from the noise, a moment to reflect on the power each of us has to shape the future and to become always a little more ourselves.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Okay, so with wellness, then, what is something that you may be letting go of or you just haven't got the time for, or it's just crap?

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Well, let's see. I'm trying to think what I've let go of recently. I mean, I usually don't implement something if it's that crap. Right. If it doesn't work. But I mean, I've tried certain things that I have a hard time getting into.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Such as make us feel better about ourselves. And all these things we start, don't finish.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

I really struggle with the cold plunge.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Oh, God, yes. Oh, horrific.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

I hate it.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

I understand the benefits.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

It's hard. I really have tried and I just. I feel like I'm being tortured.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Okay, so switching gears. We're winding down for 2025.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Yes.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

How do you create space to reflect, to think about next year, to set goals and intentions?

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Yeah, I really admire those people and CEOs who like, sit down and they, you know, they kind of like have these company wide PDFs they send out around like next year's all the like the inspirational, you know, I don't do that. I mean I, I wish I was that person.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

But you do it in your personal life.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

No, I don't, I don't flip through.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

The album photo album, be like, that was cute.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

I think I, I think I, I like to sort of reckon with the year and what the lessons were.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Yeah.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

And especially the harder lessons because so I like to try to make sure I've heard the universe and I understand them so I don't get them again. But I don't know other than that. I, I, you know what I, every, what I do love is every Christmas, that week between Christmas and New Year and there's like that real old school holiday, you know, where, where nobody's working and I, that's like always we do it, I do it as well for two weeks in August every year I close the whole company in kind of a European style and let everybody have the same time off screen concert because it's the only way you can really.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Otherwise there's not, there's always going to be someone sneaking in with an email.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

There's always. And so I think it's, I think we all need to be better collectively at work around deciding to take time so that everybody can really have downtime and rest. And that's when I really regenerate and that is the time where I kind of reflect on the year the most.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

What are the goals for 2026? One goal.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Oh my gosh. I think I would, I, I would really like to, I would like to be more intentional about how I spend my time. I, I, I, I'm, I think I have a bit of ADD and I can really get sort of pulled in lots of directions. I think I would love to try to not do that so much and feel more grounded throughout the day because I feel like going back to the nervous system and doing all the things. Sometimes I'll get an email or some work thing or there's a problem or an issue and I really take it like it's sort of a slap in the face. So I would really like to rewire myself so, so that medium or bad news doesn't feel so terrible.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

How did you recognize, you said your nervous system is shot. How did you recognize that asking for a friend?

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Well, I think there were a lot of signs. I've lived a very intense life in the public eye for a really, really long time. And so I think whenever we're at the mercy of people's opinions and all the energy behind the opinions, that is I'm very sensitive, as most of us are, and so I. I feel that. And it kind of frays my nervous system, I think also my hormonal phase of life. Like, I have a lot of anxiety for the first time in my life.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Interesting.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Which is a, you know, like just a symptom of hormonal changes. Oh, yeah.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Oh, interesting.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Oh, yeah. I think it's an estrogen dominance thing. It makes you really anxious. Yeah.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Goodness.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

So there's all kinds of great things for you to look forward to. So part of it is physiological, part of it's psychological, part of it's emotional. And I think it's. And part of it's, you know, a public life. So I think. I don't know why it is that this. In the past couple of years, it's hit me so hard, but I. I know it's. I know that there's something wrong because my cortisol is all met. Like, I'll get in bed exhausted and my heart will start to race and then I'll, like, have intrusive thoughts, which I've never had in my life, ever.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Is it interrupting sleep as well?

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

My sleep is still pretty okay, but it's like, you know, sometimes I wake up first thing in the morning and I filled with dread and I, you know, so this is like, not. I wouldn't say it's, you know, it's. It's never been sort of who I am, so there's a lot of parts to it, but definitely there's a big nervous system component.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

With that said, who's on team support for gp? Like, who's on your personal team? Do you have a coach, a therapist?

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

I have two therapists.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Excellent.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

One is a nervous system specialist. I have amazing friends. Amazing, amazing, amazing women in my life. Like, incredible. Whom I can call if I, you know, need help. Jen Freed is one of those people. Incredible friend, mentor, teacher. And then I. I get a lot of healing from my family, from my. From my kids and my husband.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

That's your phone. A friend.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

That's my. If I can be with everyone, especially if I. All four kids, my step kids and my kids and my husband and I, if we're under one roof, my nervous system calms down.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

So holidays are going to be great.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

I know most people, stress goes up.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

All going to be chill.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

I don't know, because we have some other people coming for holidays too.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

No, I want to get into what are the traditions? Tell us, what are the traditions in the household?

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Well, during the holidays proper. So I'm Half Jewish and half Christian. So we do everything, which I love. Right. So we have, like. I really. I love Christmas. I love the tree. I love the presents. I love Hanukkah. I love the togetherness. I love the meals. I love the family. I just love everybody. I think what it is, is I love that collective thing of everybody agreeing that it's a special time. Right. Like a holy time. Totally. I love Boxing Day, which doesn't happen.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

In America, but see, everyone needs to know what Boxing Day is. We do. Take it from a Brit.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Right. Will you explain Boxing Day, please?

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

It's the day after Christmas Day, which is essentially you all sit there in your pajamas, eat more food, watch more bad tv, open more gifts again and drink more.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

That's it. That's it.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

It's fantastic.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

But it's a national holiday.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Yes. There's no shops open. There's no shop. Like, you literally just sit there and fest.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

It's heaven.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

It's wonderful. And eat turkey sandwiches from the table.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

That's right.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Okay, so you have built a brand around trusting your gut. What was the last time you trusted your gut?

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

I think I trust my gut more and more and more. I think that also when you come from a place of, like, wanting to please, which I did for the first at least half of my life, it sort of cuts you off from your instincts.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Sure.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

And now that I'm old and I don't give a fuck, I can feel myself so much more, you know, like, I can. I can feel my opinion. I can hear my thoughts. I can feel in my cells when something is wrong or immediately. I mean, almost immediately. Usually immediately. Sometimes it takes me longer.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

What's the difference between instinct and intuition? Is the one.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

So I think intuition is like the. That deep vibration in your cells and that's leading you. And I think instinct is a more. Is more a reaction, but coming from, you know, everything that you've learned in your life. Right. So it's a very informed reaction.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

And the other is more primal.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Yes, I think so. Or more psychic or more, you know, connected or something.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Switching gears again. Okay, just keep changing up on you. You recently went back to the big screen. Thank God. Marty Supreme.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Yes.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

How did this experience of returning back into that world change from doing it in your 20s?

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Oh, my gosh. It was interesting. You know, I had not done a movie in, I think, seven years.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Wow. And you hadn't missed it?

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

I hadn't missed it at all. I hadn't really thought about it.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

What made you do this one?

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Well, so the last time I was in a movie where I was in every scene of the movie, I was pregnant with my daughter, Apple.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Which one was that?

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

It was called Proof. It was an adaptation of a play that I did in London, actually. And when I had her, I just thought, okay, I need to downshift. And I was burnt out and I was, you know, running all over the world, doing and having a great time and, you know, but I needed to slow down. And then I had my son. And then I just thought for me, you know, I didn't want to go back to it. In the same way. It's, you know, when you're doing a film, you're away from home a lot. And even if you're shooting in the same city where you live, you leave before the babies are awake and you come home when they're asleep. It's not a regular work day.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

And even if you're there, your probably mind is elsewhere.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

It's just very. For me, it was very hard to think about doing that with having kids. So I did a few supporting parts here or there where I could, you know. Like When I did Ironman 1, it was like three days a week or, you know, it was like. Felt more manageable, but very selectively. And then they all left me and went to college. So I thought, okay, well, I got this very nice phone call for this very cool movie and nobody was home anymore. So I thought, did you enjoy it? I did enjoy it. It was really, really fun. I loved the director so much. He's a brilliant guy. Josh Safdie and Timothee Chalamet, star of the movie.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Yeah. I'm not going to let you off this one very easily. We are going to. From what I've read, I believe it is a little raunchy.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

I mean, there's a lot of making out and a lot of, you know, there's a few sex scenes and that kind of thing.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Gwynne has taught him a thing or two. He's only in his 20s. When you think about when you were in your 20s, what was that? Shakespeare in Love. Probably the same age as he is now.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Oh, my gosh. That's so crazy. Yeah.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

What is the biggest risk Gwyneth Paltrow has ever taken in her career? Don't know why I'm asking you in third person, by the way.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

I think essentially stopping. Stopping my film career and, you know, taking this crazy leap to start goop. And, you know, this is. Was like before Instagram, before people like me were doing businesses and it was A big risk, you know, and people thought I was really nuts for doing it.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Thank God you wrote that first newsletter from the kitchen table is all I can say. Well, with that said, you actually started. It was recommendations. Right, right. You were telling people like, you know, where to go, what to eat, what to buy.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

I think just shortcuts, you know, like for, for women with, who are discerning and who are busy and who just want like the quickest road to the best thing. And, and I, and at the time there was nothing like that on the Internet. And so I wanted to create it for myself and for my friends and for women. You know, then everyone was like, what are you going to do with this? And I was like, I don't, I don't know. I, I'd like to make it a business. But I, you know, I'm not sure exactly what road to take and I'm really passionate about product. Like I, I think it's because I really, it's, it's same, it's, it's like stems from the same ethos. It's like I want to try to find the best of the best thing. And when we were starting to think about it, there was no clean skin care at all. Like there was, there were a couple of brands that were like really granola y sort of health food store, you know, brands. But there was nothing for a woman who wanted a high performance skincare without literally antifreeze in it, which is in a lot of expensive moisturizers or you know, carbon black and mascara which you know, you know all about these things that are incredibly toxic to us and that we put on our bodies and in our hair and our eyes all day long. And so I got very passionate about that. And so I just, you know, thought we should try to do this. Like we, this is something that women need and you know, when you look at all of the increase in all of these diseases that we have that are downstream impact of inflammation and we're, we're all inflamed because we, we have so many environmental toxins. So few of us are able to detoxify everything that we're assaulted with every day. So it was a very mission based thing. I didn't know if it would work or not. But you know, and I'm also a real perfectionist which also comes from not such a healthy place sometimes. But because of that I think, you know, I wanted to make the absolute best thing that I could and just have very high standard and then it sort of started to catch on. And the business grew. And then, you know, we started close, which is my real passion. And, you know, the, the business line sort of followed, but it was very, very organic. And I. And there's never a right time. Like I was, you know, I think it's. It's always a bit scary. And you always think, oh, is there room for this? Or why am I doing this? But if you feel something, like you really want to put something into the world, just do it. There's no right time. You just have to take the leap.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

And that you did. What is the one thing that we all need to be buying for the holidays? How do you choose gifts for people?

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Oh, well, we have a gift guide at Goop that's legendary. Legendary.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

One thing from it. What are we all going to be? What's going to be on backorder by the time we get to it?

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

I don't know why this has popped into my head, but there's this very cool set of mahjong tiles which. Yeah. Which I don't play mahjong. Okay. Let's just be clear about that.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

What is your favorite way to waste time?

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

I love to just sort of fritter away the day, you know, like on a Sunday, just sort of potter around and I'll go on Pinterest. I'll think, oh, you know, what was that thing that I wanted to look up? Or what was that Swedish vase place that I found? You know, and then I'll make some food and then I'll read a book and I just like, I love just frittering that, you know, I love that when it's just one day aimlessly, no agenda. I love it.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Apart from a boyfriend breakfast.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

That's true. Yes.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Which we do need to make into a book.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Do you think so? 100%. Right. But it's all breakfast.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

It's like I have books on just cheese sandwiches. Oh, yeah, they're specialized.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Okay, well, maybe, please tell me, so.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

What'S your go to power up lunch?

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Oh, my gosh. So you mean if I'm exhausted.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

You're ordering from Goopkitch? We all order.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Oh, wow. Well, it depends. My favorite. We have this like salmon cooked salmon bento box.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

I think I've had it.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

It's so good with like lots of little. And we made this cute box and has all these compartments and it's got all kinds of little bits and salady things and pick a mix bits. Yeah, it's just. It's really delicious. But we have amazing salads and the whole thing is Gluten free. There's, you know, so we have the superfina. We have rotisserie. It's also to help, like, moms who are busy and don't want to feed their kids shit at the end of the day. So there are no. There's no. There's no corn. There's no peanuts. You can avoid soy, so it's very easy to avoid allergens. It's organic and just really beautiful. You know, it's funny, my first newsletter was Recipes. Food is such a cornerstone of goop and also of, like, the. Whenever anybody says to me, like, I don't feel well, I feel sluggish. Like, you know, I always say, what are you eating? The fastest way to feel a difference in how you feel is what you eat, period. So to me, it's, you know, there's this inextricable link between obviously, what we're eating and how we're feeling, our energy levels, et cetera. Jennifer was saying that she knows that I have a Pisces rising because she's a psychologist and an astrologer.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

That's why I'm scared of her.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

I know. And she knows my chart very well. And I don't really understand it, but she does, thank God. And she said, I have a Pisces rising. Is that what you said? Which means I'm a channel and connected to the collective. I think there's. So is part of my anxiety from that, and I think that's probably pretty accurate. I'm really unsettled. I find our culture right now very difficult to understand and very difficult to process because I think I've been having trouble connecting this more cosmic idea that's very palpable and real right. To my own experience or, like, drawing them in or connecting them. And I've been. You know, it's so funny. This year, around my birthday in September, I was so overcome with grief. I. For the first time in years, I curled up on the bed and sobbed on my birthday, like, heaving sobs. And I was thinking, oh, must. Because. Be. Because my father died around this time. And, you know, but it's 23 years ago that my father died. And yes, there was a part of that, but I think you're right. And I also think we're terrible in our culture at dealing with grief and death and feeling like we have no tools to process these. We're not taught how to bring in and feel and process these terrible feelings that we have and that are so human. So. And I think so we do suppress them. And then we do have anxiety and we do have, you know, like grief comes out these, these other places. I think, like in the, the optimism of my children about their own lives and their own paths, you know, in that amazing way, like before life really kicks the shit out of you and you have this optimism about, you know, and, and nothing's decided yet. You don't know who you're going to marry and you don't know where you're going to meet them and you know, you don't know what path you're going to, where, what city you're going to live in. And are you going to live in Paris for two years? And there's such a, like a strong human spirit and that kind of optimism. And so I really like being around that. And also it's just so simple, like being in community with people who care. Like, you know, you're saying like people. When people have empathy and can sit with one another and you can share in grief or you can share in the more complex or difficult things and you know, especially this is why women are so, why we're so important to each other. It's like we understand each other's experience and if we can be vulnerable and get out of that old fashioned, like, competition paradigm and be in communion with one another and be vulnerable, like, it fills me. I'm like, oh, this, you know, I feel so bolstered by like the empathy and understanding of another woman.

[Interviewer (Possibly a Goop Podcast Host or Producer)]

Yeah. Spending time.

[Gwyneth Paltrow]

Thank you so much.

Thanks for tuning in. This has been a presentation of Cadence 13 Studios. I hope you'll listen, follow rate and.

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