The Cult of Celebrity Wellness Brands

The Cult of Celebrity Wellness Brands

From Sounds Like A Cult by Studio71

August 25, 2026 · 1h 8m

About this episode

Reese discusses the intersection of celebrity culture and wellness brands with marketing critic Dr. Mara Einstein.

This week, Reese dives into The Cult of Celebrity Wellness Brands, where skincare, mental health, spirituality, supplements, and good old-fashioned celebrity worship have melted together into one extremely Instagrammable belief system. From Goop and Rhode to Rare Beauty, Kardashian supplements, children's skincare, and the spectacularly messy rise and fall of Selena Gomez's mental health startup Wondermind, Marketing critic and Hoodwinked: How Marketers Use the Same Tactics as Cults author Dr. Mara Einstein (@drmaraeinstein) joins us to unpack parasocial trust, brand cults, wellness grifts, scarcity marketing, and why the most effective sales pitch is just convincing you that something is wrong with you first. Enlightenment is only a 12 step skincare routine, GLP-1-adjacent supplement, and celebrity approved app away. The Cut: What Happened at Wondermind by Angelina Chapman Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube! Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles, @imanharirikia.  Pre-order Iman's new book, Once in a Timeline, here! Your pre-order helps make more books…

People in this episode

Host: Reese

Guest: Dr. Mara Einstein

Topics covered

Keywords

Sponsors

Quince, MINT MOBILE

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Goop, Rhode, Rare Beauty, Kardashian, Wondermind

Books & works: Hoodwinked: How Marketers Use the Same Tactics as Cults, The Cut: What Happened at Wondermind

Places: The Elysian

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