Podcast Summary

Episode Overview

Podcast: This Is Woman's Work with Nicole Kalil
Episode: The Connection Cure: Social Prescribing, Loneliness, and Why Belonging Is Medicine with Julia Hotz | Episode 373
Date: December 24, 2025
Host: Nicole Kalil
Guest: Julia Hotz (Journalist, TEDx Speaker, Author of The Connection Cure)

This episode explores the concept of social prescribing—using non-medical interventions like art, nature, service, and community to address health and well-being. Host Nicole Kalil and guest Julia Hotz examine why genuine connection is vital for health, discuss the science behind social prescriptions, and give practical guidance for listeners who want to reconnect with what truly matters.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Modern Disconnect and the Value of Connection

• Nicole reflects on being an introvert and discusses the paradox of craving real connection while often avoiding it.
  • “We’ve traded community for convenience, real life relationships for likes… we’re ignoring one of the most powerful contributors to our health and longevity. And that’s each other.” (Nicole, 02:10)

2. Definition and Framework of Social Prescribing

• Julia Hotz outlines what social prescribing is (and isn’t):

  • Not about forcing socialization, but about addressing the “social determinants” of health, which account for up to 80% of overall health. (04:06)
  • Social prescriptions are “any non-medical resource or activity that seeks to address our social determinants of health—anything from an art class to cycling lessons to child care.” (Julia, 04:50)

• Focuses on what matters to the person:

  • “Flipping the script from ‘what’s the matter with you’ to ‘what matters to you.’” (Julia, 05:41)

3. Five Categories of Social Prescriptions

• Julia summarizes the main types:
  1. Movement (e.g., walking, sports)
  2. Nature (spending time outdoors)
  3. Art (music, writing, creating or experiencing art)
  4. Service (volunteering)
  5. Belonging (intentional social connections, such as dinner parties or conversations)
  • “More often than not, the social prescriptions involve a combination of those five things.” (Julia, 07:52)

4. Real-Life Example: Nature Prescription

• Julia tells Heather’s story: a busy caregiver prescribed a 10-week nature program (nature walks, poetry, park cleanups) led to reduced symptoms of stress and improved sleep.
  • “In those 10 weeks, Heather… has her—some of her symptoms are still there, but many disappear. She’s able to sleep better through the night. She’s made friends… and she’s reconnected to herself and to this habit and hobby that she loved as a kid.” (Julia, 09:40)
• Highlights science behind nature’s effect: lowers cortisol, improves attention, can rival effects of ADHD meds. (11:05)

5. Discovering What Truly Matters to You

• Nicole: "How do we figure out what we want to do?... Is that an important element of figuring out what our social prescription might be?" (12:32)

• Julia’s suggested questions for self-discovery:

  • If you had two more free hours in a week (not for sleeping), what would you do?
  • What did you love as a child but haven’t had time for?
  • When did you last feel “flow”—completely absorbed and content in an activity? (13:45)

• Reframes the “shoulds” and “supposed tos”: Social prescriptions must be desires, not obligations.

  • “It’s not about what you should do; it’s about what you want to do. The conversation changes.” (Julia, 13:04)

6. Tailoring Movement and Joyful Activities

• Nicole connects movement and travel: Walking, discovery, and companionship make movement enjoyable for her abroad, but at home she turns movement into an obligation.

  • “I think the discovery part of it or the with-a-friend part of it is a key mental shift.” (Nicole, 23:14)

• Julia suggests:

  • “I would socially prescribe you walks to places near you that you’ve never been before, trying to get some of that wonder and allure of travel while sneaking in the walking bit, the working out bit.” (Julia, 21:30)

• Bringing back fun and accessibility to movement:

  • “It used to be so natural for us to move our bodies. It used to be easy, accessible, free—and fun. Forces of capitalism… have made it become this undesirable thing.” (Julia, 24:23)

7. Healthcare System, Capitalism, and Resistance

• Nicole: “Pharmaceutical companies make more money when drugs are prescribed. What are you seeing in other parts of the world?” (25:03)
• Julia:
  • Many countries fund social prescriptions (e.g. through national healthcare) because data shows health and cost benefits.
  • U.S. obstacles: reliance on pharmaceuticals, lack of universal healthcare, profit motives.
  • Emphasizes that Big Pharma isn’t “the bad guy,” but “we’ve relied on Big Pharma to solve a lot of problems that historically have not been solved by pills.” (Julia, 27:50)
  • Private insurers in the US are beginning to see value (“It’s cheaper to cover 10 weeks of Zumba than a lifetime of blood pressure medication.”) (Julia, 28:55)
• Solution: Social prescriptions shouldn’t replace meds, but be “another option on the menu.”

8. Radical Responsibility and Cultural Change

• Nicole: “We all have to be part of the solution… shared responsibility and shared ownership.” (29:50)
• Julia: “There have been… ethical breaches, but we also can’t ignore the way that it has revolutionized health and healthcare for so many of us and how we ourselves are part of the problem.” (30:38)

9. Practical Steps to Find Your Social Prescription

• Julia reiterates guiding questions and introduces the “Awe, Flow, Glimmers” framework:

  • Awe: Moments that transcend your typical experience—concerts, stunning nature.
  • Flow: Activities that make you lose track of time and distractions.
  • Glimmers: Small moments that spark joy, like puppies playing or favorite songs.
  • “Whether it’s… watching puppies play in a park or hiking or going to a concert, try to reflect on that and ask yourself, what can I prescribe myself that’s gonna bring myself closer to that thing?” (Julia, 35:16)

• Nicole underscores: “Maybe what you need is less fixing and more connecting to what matters to you… Connection isn’t a luxury. It’s medicine.” (36:36)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On redefining connection:

  • “We’ve traded community for convenience… while we’re out here chasing supplements and superfoods… we’re ignoring one of the most powerful contributors to our health and longevity. And that’s each other.” (Nicole, 02:10)

• Social prescription isn’t just socializing:

  • “A social prescription… is any nonmedical resource or activity that seeks to address our social determinants of health… focused on what matters to you.” (Julia, 04:50)

• Reframing exercise:

  • “Moving our bodies used to be a fun thing. It used to be a free thing... Now, the places that most people culturally today do that, such as in gyms, there’s so much stigma… not that fun, right?” (Julia, 12:57)

• Walking as super drug:

  • “So many doctors I spoke to said walking is like the super drug of all super drugs. If there’s one thing you could universally prescribe, it would be more walking.” (Julia, 21:50)

• On responsibility and healing:

  • “We are all contributing to where we are and therefore we all have to be part of the solution of where we are.” (Nicole, 29:50)
  • “I think it starts with us. I think we don’t have to throw it all out or everything overnight… but I am trying to prescribe myself these five things more so that I could sort of be part of the change.” (Julia, 31:37)

• Closing Reflection:

  • “Maybe what you need is less fixing and more connecting to what matters to you… Connection isn’t a luxury. It’s medicine. And maybe, and by maybe, I mean abso-fucking-lutely, connection is also woman’s work.” (Nicole, 36:36)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:10 — Introduction and Nicole’s reflection on connection vs. introversion
• 04:06 — What is social prescribing? The science explained (Julia)
• 07:52 — The five categories of social prescriptions
• 08:49 — Real-world example: Heather’s nature prescription
• 12:32 — Self-discovery: Finding what truly matters
• 13:45 — Suggested questions to help reveal personal social prescriptions
• 21:30 — Tailoring movement to joy (Nicole and Julia’s “walking prescription”)
• 25:40 — Social prescribing vs. capitalism and US healthcare; what’s possible?
• 29:50 — On responsibility: The need for shared ownership
• 33:02 — Julia’s “Awe, Flow, Glimmers” framework
• 36:26 — Conclusion: The medicine of connection and redefining “woman’s work”

Useful Resources

• Julia’s book: The Connection Cure
• Website: socialprescribing.co (resources, self-guided questions, and activity suggestions)

Final Thought

This conversation compassionately challenges the “shoulds” around health, offering permission for joy and authenticity as the real medicine. Social prescribing invites each of us—women especially—to reconnect with what lights us up, not merely for self-care, but as a radical act of community and well-being.
“Connection isn’t a luxury. It’s medicine.” (Nicole, 36:36)