The goop Podcast

“Our relationships are the foundations on which we build everything else,” says Vivek Murthy, MD. And when they’re strong, he believes there’s nothing we can’t face together. The former surgeon general of the United States joins Elise Loehnen from the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic to share what we need to prioritize right now. He outlines the three things hospital systems require to function well (space, equipment, and people) and how to best support them. He traces the expected impact the coronavirus pandemic will have on adults, children, and the economy. He explains the importance of testing and how it guides our public health efforts. And he also shares a few moving stories that remind us of ways we can be present, connect, and show up for others who need help. (For more, see The goop Podcast hub.)

“We don’t deal with grief enough,” says Jhené Aiko. Today, the LA-born-and-raised singer and songwriter plays GP new tracks from her album Chilombo (which she translates roughly to “wild beast”). They talk about the ways sound healing—specifically, singing bowls—have aided in Aiko’s grieving process. And how we can find different ways to make space for our emotions and move through trauma. Aiko tells GP how she’s learning to live as herself, fully. “I’ve always been a little wild,” says Aiko. When making Chilombo, she wanted to be unafraid to express all parts of herself—confidence, grace, a peacefulness, and a wildness, too. (For more, see The goop Podcast hub.)

In this special episode, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Matt Richtel highlights what he learned about the immune system while researching his latest book, An Elegant Defense. Host Elise Loehnen asks him how these lessons apply to us today as we try to slow the spread of the coronavirus and stay healthy. Our immune system, says Richtel, doesn’t need a boost as much as it needs balance. “Stress, sleep, and nutrition are the three ways we best understand to keep our immune system in balance,” says Richtel. Listening to him made us feel a little less stressed and convinced us that staying present right now and using tools (like, say, a daily meditation practice) could help pull us through this time. (For more, see The goop Podcast hub.)

The Vagina Monologues author and playwright Eve Ensler joins Elise Loehnen to share her heartbreaking, honest, and hopeful story of healing her personal trauma. Ensler wrote her new book, The Apology, as a letter from the perspective of her late father, who sexually and physically abused her throughout her childhood. She describes her deeply transformative writing experience, how it felt like she was channeling, and why she believes the imagination is sometimes more accurate than anything else. She talks about how our culture would change if we received the apologies we were owed and how we all carry some kind of wound. Facing our trauma, Ensler says, is worth it, because on the other side are the love, the pleasure, the freedom we deserve. (For more, see The goop Podcast hub.)

Award-winning investigative journalist and New York Times–bestselling author Gerald Posner is telling the wild, true, and urgent story behind America’s now trillion-dollar-a-year pharmaceutical industry. In Pharma, Posner begins with the Sacklers: Before they became the family driving the rise of Oxycontin, they orchestrated the birth of medical advertising and all the monetization that came after it. Moving forward in time, Posner tells us how menopause became medicalized for profit in the ’70s—with devastating health consequences for women. And in the present day, Posner reveals the underbelly of health care, including the ways bribery can interfere with patient care. It’s not all doom and gloom, though: Heroes emerge, and Posner reveals that even dark, complex figures like Arthur Sackler did some good. And after all he’s learned, Posner is able to look at the scope of our current health care and offer solutions for a better future. (For more, see The goop Podcast hub.)

“There is always something one can do,” says former UN ambassador Samantha Power. The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Education of an Idealist shares her extraordinary story: As President Obama’s former foreign policy and human rights advisor, she’s spent time both in war zones and in the situation room. She knows the internal struggle of feeling that the world should be different than it currently is. Power teaches us the strategy she’s used to slice outsize problems into bite-size pieces by “shrinking the change.” She talks about the universal sensation of feeling small (and what to do about it), the power in fear (and rejecting fearmongering), and why it’s so important for women to be involved in political issues. (For more, see The goop Podcast hub.)

“When we see a woman who stepped out of line, we want to put her back in her cage,” says Glennon Doyle. The New York Times–bestselling author of Untamed and founder of Together Rising joins Elise Loehnen for a conversation about the moment she decided to stop abandoning herself. Like many of us, Doyle spent the majority of her life feeling that she had to be “good.” And then she quit pleasing so that she could be free. Today, Doyle shares a recipe for bravery and a new definition: Being brave is not being afraid and just doing the daring thing anyway, says Doyle. Being brave cannot be judged by anyone else. It can only be felt by you. “Being brave,” says Doyle, “ is hearing your inner voice on the inside and speaking it on the outside.” (For more, see The goop Podcast hub.)

“We’re fighting ourselves to get to a goal instead of getting into a flow state to get there,” says holistic nutritionist and author of Body Love Every Day Kelly LeVeque. As a health coach, LeVeque is familiar with the uncomfortable pendulum swing many of us feel we’re stuck in. She helps her clients make peace with—and celebrate—their food choices. In the process, they let go of guilt and shame, create healthy lifestyle habits that last, and follow a way of eating that’s nutritious and doable and never about deprivation. In this episode, LeVeque also shares her “fab four” smoothie formula and answers questions about weight loss, hunger, hormones, and supplements. For more, see The goop Podcast hub.)

“Ibogaine made them ready for change,” says researcher Deborah Mash, PhD. Mash has been studying the effects of ibogaine since 1992. A psychedelic compound derived from the bark of a shrub native to western central Africa, ibogaine is being used as a potent addiction disruptor (specifically for opioid use). Ibogaine may have the power to reset opioid tolerance and bypass many of the withdrawal symptoms that people endure when coming off of these drugs. Mash shares the extraordinary stories, people, and challenges behind the science, the studies, and the funding. And: what the future of ibogaine as a treatment for drug addiction might look like. (For more, see The goop Podcast hub.)

“The trauma was playing out in my decisions because it hadn’t healed,” says spiritual writer Lalah Delia. The author of Vibrate Higher Daily joins Elise Loehnen to share her journey out of survival mode and back to herself. Today, they talk about knowing your energetic worth, rediscovering circles of healing and ways to hold communities together, and what happens when we allow our energy to express itself freely. (For more, see The goop Podcast hub.)

“The thing all great ideas have in common,” says Kevin Systrom, “is that they all seem crazy at the beginning.” The cofounder and former CEO of Instagram joins GP to tell her how he created one of the most popular companies in the world—and what we can learn from it. They talk about mistakes, taking chances, what you don’t know you don’t know, being a leader, and leaving room for creativity when you’re trying (hard) to achieve a mission. (For more, see The goop Podcast hub.)

“Why do I have to be super sweet to get something done?” asks Issa Rae. The actor, writer, and producer of Insecure joins Elise Loehnen to talk about owning our power as women. Rae admits that she used to avoid speaking up—but now recognizes how important it is to use her voice to make change. She is honest about how much power she feels she has in our current culture and the progress we still need to make. Rae shares her passion for telling stories and her goal to “stay grounded and relatable.” Rae and Loehnen talk about insecurities and being awkward—and what that even means and how it affects us. (After you listen, be sure to see Rae’s newest project, The Photograph, in theaters now. And for more info, head to The goop Podcast hub.) 

“The fear is kind of like the gas in your tank,” says Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The actor and producer sits down with GP to talk about motherhood, family life, how she looks back on her career (Second City, SNL, Seinfeld, Veep), and where she’s going next. They talk about marriage and what makes a relationship get “cozy” over time. They talk about acting, humor, laughter. And they talk about their experiences with post-partum depression. Louis-Dreyfus shares the mindset she cultivated when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. And, she tells us about her newest project Downhill, which she produced and stars in, and which comes out on Valentine’s Day. (For more, see The goop Podcast hub.)

“This generation of women has worked very, very hard,” says writer Ada Calhoun. “And yet, not everyone has what they want.” The author of Why We Can’t Sleep joins Elise Loehnen to talk about the pressure to be perfect. They talk about the ways women—particularly Generation X women approaching midlife—have taken on the stresses of caregiving, building a successful career, and having enough money. They talk about why many of us live in a state of fear and anxiety, and how we can support ourselves and others to shift out of this space. It’s okay to be frustrated, Calhoun reminds us. It’s okay to start putting ourselves first. And knowing that we “can do anything” doesn’t mean we have to do everything. (For more, see The goop Podcast hub.)

The good news, says New York Times–bestselling author Seth M. Siegel, is that we know how to fix our water systems and we can afford to do it. The bad news is there’s a lot wrong with the water we’re drinking right now: We still use the same water technologies that were put in place a century ago. Lead contamination in water pipes is still affecting the majority of our water lines. Remnants of medicines and pills can make their way into our water. To fix a problem, we have to know there is a problem. But information on the safety of our water, and water testing, is kept from the general public. And parallel solutions like bottled plastic water tend to cause more harm. According to Siegel, we have both the capital and the technology to save our water for good—we just need to demand change. Head to Siegel’s website to get involved and if you’re in Los Angeles, come see him at goop Lab the evening of February 26. (For more, see The goop Podcast hub.)