Why I No Longer Use the Word “Expert”
Secrets of this industry revealed: If we can’t trust the wellness “experts,” who can we trust?
Don’t support me because I was featured in an article like this:
https://www.laweekly.com/top-15-content-creators-influencing-the-world-with-their-fantastic-talent/
It looks fabulous, right?
I paid for this. If it’s any online publication similar to this, all the participants paid for it.
At the time, I believed it was an honour to be asked. Since then, I learned that these articles are a dime a dozen, and if you, as an expert, have at least some relevance to the title of the article being released, you’ll qualify. And you’ll likely have to write it yourself, about yourself. I get numerous similar requests every day from different online publications. Product reviews, expert reviews, etc., are mostly all bought now. This last week, I could have been entered into a draw to win a Rolex watch if I spoke about a collagen powder I knew nothing about. I get emails, DMs, and requests constantly to test my ethics and integrity as someone in the wellness industry.
The big question is: If everyone pays to be seen as an expert or gets paid, who are the real experts? This will be my thesis for this article, and I’ll return to it at the end.
Will the real experts please stand up?
I was recently quoted $1500 USD to have my podcast listed and included amongst a supposed group of experts. It felt like an elite clique I wasn’t yet a part of when I saw many colleagues and podcasters I know in this industry who were a part of this group. There were many ways I could be included and be considered an expert if I paid to play. This same group produced their own documentary about themselves as experts, held their red carpet, and these experts, at least the ones I am aware of, paid a whopping $33,000 USD to be a part of this documentary.
People might pay you when they value your expertise, creativity, or original thought. However, getting paid to speak can be tricky, especially regarding wellness. This may be illegal for some medical professionals, especially if paid to speak on a specific topic or say something specific.
Nevertheless, there is a fine line between “ick” and ethical regarding how we are seen in this wellness space. It can be very “ick” if you pay to speak on a podcast or at an event so you can dominate the space and be seen in a particular light. Then again, money talks more than ever in big pharma and now, in biohacking, functional health and alternative wellness.
If you have true talent, creativity, and goodness to share, you are a light in the world. But in today’s society, talent alone is no longer enough to be seen and heard. The world is dominated by those who shout the loudest and pay to drown out the rest.
Many public figures get paid to speak for their original work and thoughts. This can be ethical. But it can also be ego-, greed-, and power-driven. Many of these speakers start with a hero’s journey message, then turn to greed and power. They lose their purity, and their messages are often compromised.
I know a podcast host I genuinely respected many years ago who now charges guests upwards of $10,000 to appear on his show, and I know he’s not alone. I get numerous requests from booking agencies to book their clients for my show. On a few occasions, they’ve asked me how much I charge. This shocked me because I had never thought of charging people I interviewed.
To my knowledge, podcast greats like Joe Rogan or Steven Bartlett do not charge guests to appear on their shows, nor do they pay the expert guests they interview.
I will not charge guests for being guests. I bring guests on because they have something valuable to offer my listeners in the wellness space. They also don’t pay me. Often, I get to try their product and become an affiliate with them, but I only become affiliated if I like and am familiar with their product. Otherwise, for integrity purposes, I will not affiliate with a product I don’t know and align with. My policy has evolved over the last five years. I have numerous guests with no products to sell, just their desire to share their wisdom with my audience.
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I am not saying there is no vetting that happens with the exchange of money to be on these pay-to-play podcasts, appear in a wellness documentary or other, but it’s evident that money talks. In modern-day life with social media, almost everything related to wellness is pay-to-play. This goes for everything, including those ads you see on social media, boosted posts, podcast guests, speakers at wellness conferences, and more.
The big question is: Is this a negative thing? It can be because the audience looking for wellness education may not know if the education from this so-called expert is honest, pure, and passionate about helping others. I know of complete crooks in this industry, but of course, some honest industry leaders aren’t driven by ego, power, or greed and are trying to do good but are left with no choice but to pay-to-play to be seen in this crowded industry. Some very big names in wellness and biohacking have shockingly dark histories, yet they are revered because of their social media following. Honestly…wtf??
I’d be kidding myself if I said I am not resentful that it’s almost impossible to grow or gain organic exposure in this industry because I don’t have the money to pay-to-play. Would I pay-to-play if I could afford it? Maybe. But…
My driving force? It’s to be seen for my knowledge, exposure to this wellness space, education, experience, and hero’s journey to inspire your wellness journey. I am not an expert on you and never will be. I am not the expert in you.
The world is changing, and you are the true expert in your wellness, no matter what all these experts say or what I say. We are so busy looking outside ourselves for the answers that we no longer pause to turn inward.
This constant need for external validation is a part of growth and learning in this new age of technology, where we find so much information at our fingertips. We are constantly looking for answers outside of our bodies.
Maybe it’s time for a change, and I like being part of this change where you will find external inspiration to learn more about a topic that relates to you, but you don’t look to experts to get all the answers about your own wellness. Maybe we can return to having a few trusted wellness supports who genuinely know us and can help us with answers we may need when we can’t find the answers within ourselves. Maybe we can have a hybrid that works with health advocates who know us to help us in our wellness journey. We have our doctors. We have our wellness influencers. We have the research. We have other incredible practitioners like chiropractors, osteopaths, and more who actually know us. We have our internal compass to decipher it all. This is my proposed new Pillar of Wellness.
According to this New York Times article (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/23/upshot/do-you-trust-the-medical-profession.html),
“In 1966, more than three-fourths of Americans had great confidence in medical leaders; today, only 34 percent do. Compared with people in other developed countries, Americans are considerably less likely to trust doctors, and only a quarter express confidence in the health system.”
I would argue that it’s even less now, as this article was written in 2018, before the pandemic. The research is conflicting, as is most, but the consensus is that many gain their wellness knowledge and, shockingly, health advice through social media.
So, to answer my thesis, let’s establish this new Pillar of Wellness. In the western medicine model, we’ve seen massive imbalances, a lack of authenticity and integrity, and greed and power. Now, this is often the case with the “opposite” side of wellness of expert biohackers and integrative health experts, even spiritual advisors and more who pay-to-play to gain exposure and the limelight who, in many cases, also hold ego, greed and power as their internal compass.
All balance is lost in wellness.
My proposed New Pillar of Wellness includes a little bit of everything: a beautiful medley to include western medicine, alternative health and a sprinkle of this and that. Still, the cocktail is your cocktail for wellness, depending on your bio-individuality and resonance. Your radar is your internal compass, which we all need to get better acquainted with in this vast world of wellness information coming at us at rapid speed.
Here are a couple of beautiful documentaries for you to get inspired by:
It’s Time Documentary I have a recording coming out with the filmmaker on February 3, 2025 you can follow me on any podcasting platform here:
Inner Worlds Outer Worlds Documentary — this is the link to the full documentary on YouTube. I bought the documentary which you can find on numerous platforms.
I have nothing to gain by sharing these documentaries (except more views/listens to my podcast). I desire to improve the world’s collective consciousness and your own inner compass to become more refined and help this wellness industry overall.
