"Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another.”   ~ Napoleon Hill  I am excited for this conversation today because you know we love ourselves some health, wellness, and leadership on T&T, but we also love the truth! Today we will unpack “The Wellness Trap: How Fitness Influencers Can Do More Harm Than Good”! New research suggests that many fitness influencers and fitness themed social media can actually have a harmful impact on your mental health (New York Times, 2023). It’s estimated that there are over 50,000 fitness influencers in the wellness industry, most claiming to have secrets to a healthy lifestyle, but what are they really saying (and/or selling)? We will breakdown some of the good, bad, and ugly on the fitness influencer culture, focusing on how we can protect ourselves and our young people from misleading tales.  Here’s how to find #fitspiration you can trust.   Full Article: The New York Times: Most Fitness Influencers Are Doing More Harm Than Good   Highlights: Influencers, authenticity and sales. Preaching health or thinness? Consuming food, media, power, and the negative effects of fitfluecers. Comparing yourself/life to others. The filter, highlight real, and actual reality- a distorted body image. Unhealthy fitness trends. Body image ideals and misguided advice. The mental health impact and unsustainable practices. Protecting yourself, trusting your gut, and digging in (doing homework) where needed. Side eye everything.   Time Stamps: 1:27- KO Alliance (my business) and influencers, ho we specialize in strategic partnership (influencers) and why! 3:00- Fitness influencers are followed more than any other category of influencers out there 4:10- KOA fitness influencers, intentionality and responsibility 5:47- The New York Time article, Most Fitness Influencers Are Doing More Harm Than Good 6:35- Are they really promoting thinness? 7:27- How to find the good influencers and unfollow the bad 10:40- the cost of comparison and the negative impact on mental health 11:20- Be weary of before and after photos 13:30- be a conscious consumer, do your homework 15:14- the importance of diversity 17:26- lean into the core values 19:00- we are all different, embrace your body, mind, and spirit   Related Articles: The National Library of Medicine: The Impact of Fitness Influencers on a Social Media Platform on Exercise Intention during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Parasocial Relationships The Gateway Online: Fitness influencer culture promotes unhealthy body image Men’s Health:  Are Fitness Influencers a Force for Good?   Kristen M. Olson: Creative. Coach. Leader. Athlete. Entrepreneur. Pup Mom. Former D1 athlete, CrossFit Games Athlete, and current podcaster, Turmeric & Tequila™.  20+ year in marketing and branding in the fitness/lifestyle industry, specializing strategic partnerships, influencers/community building, and creative strategy. Uniting mission driven humans everywhere.  Connect with T&T: IG: @TurmericTequila Facebook: @TurmericAndTequila TikTok: @TurmericTequila Website: www.TurmericAndTequila.com    Host: Kristen Olson IG: @Madonnashero Website: www.KOAlliance.com