Boundaries, Burnout and the ‘Goopification’ of Self-Care
Labor & workPolitics & democracyGender & feminismMental health & psychologyMental health & psychology
About this episode
Guest host Tressie McMillan Cottom interviews psychiatrist Pooja Lakshmin, author of 'Real Self-Care,' on the chasm between the multibillion-dollar wellness industry and genuine well-being. Lakshmin distinguishes 'faux self-care' — candles, cleanses, bullet journals, productivity systems — from real self-care built on four practices: setting boundaries, practicing self-compassion, aligning with one's values, and exercising power. Drawing on her perinatal psychiatry practice, she reframes burnout as a form of societal betrayal rooted in broken structures such as the lack of paid leave, and argues that individual boundary-setting — especially for women, mothers, and caregivers — can plant the seeds of broader collective change.