S2 E2: A New Kind of Party

Hey, dream listeners, there's now an ad-free version of the dream that you can subscribe to, the dream plus at thedream.supercast.com.

Five bucks a month gets you every single episode of this show with zero ads, which you love and I love.

And we're hoping that this will help us pay the bills.

And the main goal being that we can keep making this show.

Go to thedream.supercast.com and subscribe.

To make it easy, we have put the link in the show description.

Just look down underneath this episode.

It says thedream.supercast.com and just click on that easy peasy you're gonna get a lot of extra stuff too we're working on all that another thing you need to do please subscribe to our instagram it's the dream x the letter x jane marie see you over there

ready to elevate your skincare introducing medicate a clinically proven dermatologist recommended british skincare brand known for age-defying results.

You may have heard about growth factors as the must-have anti-aging ingredient, and that's why Medicaid is excited about their latest innovation, the Liquid Peptides Advanced MP Face Serum.

This serum harnesses the power of Growth Factor Mini Protein, a cutting-edge technology that mimics natural growth factors but goes deeper, delivering visible, transformative results.

Studies show immediate improvement in expression lines in just 10 minutes and a significant decrease in deep-set wrinkles after eight weeks of use.

The liquid peptides advanced MP Face Serum not only reduces wrinkles, but also gives a filler-like effect, smoothing out your skin's appearance dramatically.

Visit medicate.us.

That's M-E-D-I-K and the number 8.us.

Use code podcast20 for 20% off your purchase today.

You buy a pair of socks, that's two socks.

You buy a pair of bombas socks, that's four socks.

Because one purchased is one donated.

Socks are the number one most requested clothing item in homeless shelters.

So when you buy a pair of super comfortable bombas socks, you're also donating a pair.

Bombus customers have powered over 150 million donations.

So Bombus would like to thank you 150 million times, but we only have like 30 seconds.

Go to bombas.com and use code audio for 20% off your first purchase.

That's B-O-M-B-A-S.com and use code audio at checkout.

Dan and I have been in Los Angeles for about 10 years each now.

And at times, both of us have had stints living in the neighborhood our office is located in.

And we've watched it change over the years.

It's called Atwater, and it used to be a working-class family neighborhood.

Lots of little jewelbox homes, a hardware store, a couple gas stations, some dive bars, a few local gangs.

But over the past decade, the neighborhood has changed a lot in the direction of wellness.

You know how when you don't see a little kid for a few months, and then you see them and it feels like they've grown afoot and turned into a completely different person, but their parents don't notice it.

We lived here, watched it happen, and still, it's shocking, even to us.

As mom and pop shops close down here, a florist, a clothing store, and a five-and-dime have all shuttered in recent months.

Atwater is becoming a sort of microcosm of the wide world of wellness.

And if the industry continues on its current trajectory of a 7% annual growth rate, it's only going to get worse.

Or better, depending on, you know, if you're me or not.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about this trend is that it's not just happening in the rich part of town.

We're not in Beverly Hills or Malibu and we don't have any local Kardashians to keep wacky businesses afloat.

Here it feels scrappy and truly experimental.

The rents are still cheap enough to take a chance on some new weird wellness product or service.

And if it fails, it seems like there's an endless line of folks waiting to try their hand at becoming the next neighborhood wellness guru.

It's gentrification and cultural appropriation on all natural steroids.

Let's take you on a little tour.

We're walking out of our office

and what I wish is that we were walking out and taking a right

because down that way is where the good stuff is.

What's the good stuff?

Gold Star Diner.

Kentucky fried chicken I think.

That way?

No.

Wait, what?

Or like a Kentucky fried chicken Taco Bell?

It's just Taco Bell.

Oh.

Doesn't need to be anything else.

else.

So you're feeling awkward about this because we're going to walk through our hipster neighborhood and we look like a Portlandia sketch.

It's just mom hipster and dad hipster.

Which is us.

No.

All right.

As soon as you come up from under the train tracks,

is where kind of where it starts.

Oh, I want to go into the copper keg because the copper keg has a real robust CBD business going.

If you don't come in here to scrutinize the ingredient list on each pastel colored canned beverage, the copper keg looks pretty much like any other convenience store.

Where I grew up in Michigan, the copper keg would be called a party store.

Maybe you had a corner store or a bodega, same difference.

They sold the usual stuff, cigarettes, beer, candy, chips, pop.

In mid-Michigan, there was also always a wide array of schnapps, Peach and peppermint being the most important, but a good party store also had cinnamon and apple and cherry and a lot of other stuff I never tried.

Party stores stock what the neighborhood wants, and our neighborhood in LA clearly wants a new kind of party.

So I just want to show you their CBD biz.

Here's, um,

is that what that is?

No, but that's a non-GMO sparkling something or other.

There's a whole bunch of matcha stuff.

Yeah, the matcha bar stuff.

But here.

That looks good.

It's got 20 milligrams of hemp extract.

All of these are CBD things.

You want one?

That turbo I want?

Hold on, those are expensive.

Do you have the kombucha?

Like the

but the beer kind.

You do?

Yes.

There we go.

This stuff.

Bootsch craft.

But this one's this is good.

Here, hard kombucha grapefruit.

That's 4.5% alcohol, and that's 7% up there.

You're going for the 7, aren't you?

Yep.

You're gonna drink your CBD?

Oh man, that's weird tasting.

I kind of like it though.

Okay, it begins.

It already began at Copper Keg,

but we're about to enter the zone, the wellness zone.

Yep.

Past Life Regression Pop-Up.

This is a pop-up.

It's a meditation and wellness pop-up shop.

Friday, November 1st, join us on All Saints Day for an evening of recalling former pasts and releasing ancestral trauma.

And then next door.

Hot yoga.

For those making a mental map at home, the copper keg is on the corner.

Next door is an empty lot that will probably become like a giant sensory deprivation tank or something.

Next to that is the pop-up and then two doors down.

So this is the crystal shop.

That's where I get all my, well, a lot of my crystals and I absolutely love it there.

And in the back, they also do, hold on, meditation for your kids, working with master crystals, living your 5D life.

I don't know what that is.

Soul Retrieval.

Give me my soul back.

Experiential Kabbalah.

I should probably go to soul retrieval though.

But right there in the windows on the shelf is doTERRA,

the MLM essential oil company.

They sell it inside Crystal Matrix.

Okay, so here's a coffee shop.

Do you want to go in and see what they have in the fridge?

So far in our walk, we've seen a party store with alcoholic kombucha, an echo-conscious salon, a psychic, a farmer's market, a crystal shop that doesn't open till noon, a past life regression pop-up, a sound bath place, hot yoga, and a cafe with lots of vegan options.

Right next door to that cafe, there's another cafe with lots of vegan options, but they lead more with food than with coffee.

That's pretty much the same place twice.

Back to school is a time when routines reset, and so does screen time.

With all the pickups, practices, and after-school logistics, kids need a way to stay connected.

But handing them a phone designed for adults with internet access and social media, that's where the real concern begins.

Teens already spend an average of nine hours a day on screens outside of school.

That's basically a full-time job just scrolling.

The U.S.

Surgeon General says that kids who spend more than three hours online daily are twice as likely to experience depression and anxiety, and most of that time is spent on social media.

It's staggering.

Nearly half of teen girls and a third of boys say social media causes overwhelming stress.

A quarter of teens say it makes them feel worse about their own lives.

Here's the good news.

Gab is doing something no one else is doing.

Their approach, called Tech in Steps, offers safe, age-appropriate phones and watches with no social media, no internet browsers, and GPS tracking built in.

From young kids to teens, each device grows with the child and helps build healthy tech habits.

Bottom line: you don't have to give a kid an adult device.

This school year, give them Gab, safe connection, no distractions.

I can't recommend Gab enough.

Use our code to get the best deal on something that gives peace of mind, whether you're a parent, a guardian, or just someone who cares.

Visit gab.com/slash the dream and use the code the dream for a special back-to-school offer.

That's Gab, G-A-B-B.

ready to elevate your skincare?

Introducing Medicaid, a clinically proven dermatologist-recommended British skincare brand known for age-defying results.

You may have heard about growth factors as the must-have anti-aging ingredient, and that's why Medicaid is excited about their latest innovation, the Liquid Peptides Advanced MP Face Serum.

This serum harnesses the power of Growth Factor Mini Protein, a cutting-edge technology that mimics natural growth factors but goes deeper, delivering visible, transformative results.

Studies show immediate improvement in expression lines in just 10 minutes and a significant decrease in deep-set wrinkles after eight weeks of use.

The Liquid Peptides Advanced MP Face Serum not only reduces wrinkles, but also gives a filler-like effect, smoothing out your skin's appearance dramatically.

Visit medicate.us.

That's M-E-D-I-K and the number 8.us.

Use code PODCAST20 for 20% off your purchase today.

Hey, I'm Paige DeSorbo, and I'm always thinking about underwear.

I'm Hannah Burner, and I'm also thinking about underwear, but I prefer full coverage.

I like to call them my granny panties.

Actually, I never think about underwear.

That's the magic of Tommy John.

Same.

They're so light and so comfy, and if it's not comfortable, I'm not wearing it.

And the bras, soft, supportive, and actually breathable.

Yes, Lord knows the girls need to breathe.

Also, I need my PJs to breathe and be buttery soft and stretchy enough for my dramatic tossing and turning at night.

That's why I live in my Tommy John pajamas.

Plus, they're so cute because they fit perfectly.

Put yourself on to Tommy John.

Upgrade your drawer with Tommy John.

Save 25% for a limited time at TommyJohn.com slash comfort.

See site for details.

With the Wealth Front cash account, you can earn 4% annual percentage yield from partner banks on your cash until you're ready to invest.

The cash account grows your money with no account maintenance fees and free instant withdrawals whenever you need it.

Money works better here.

Go to WealthFront.com to start saving and investing today.

Cash account offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC member Fenra SIPC.

Wealthfront is not a bank.

The APY on cash deposits as of December 27, 2024 is representative, subject to change, and requires no minimum.

Funds in the cash account are swept to partner banks where they earn the variable APY.

So here's the tarot

truck.

You gonna get your cards read?

Sure.

Yeah.

So it's three cards or 25 bucks, five cards or 30 bucks, and 10 card Celtic cross is 65 bucks.

She charges by the card.

Oh, she's busy.

Okay, then we have a record store, a teeny tiny record store, and then we have a popular...

I'm talking so quietly, but then there's juice.

What's it called?

The juice, right?

Organic juice, nut milk.

Smoothies, vegan ice cream, and raw snacks.

I like just saying nut milk.

And there's the jewelry that loves you back.

There's a necklace for clairvoyance, a necklace for protection, a necklace for reflection.

You want to get a CBD hemp shot mimosa real quick?

A CBD hemp shot mimosa?

Sure.

Okay, let's go and

sit at the bar.

All right, cheers.

These are beautiful.

She put a little strawberry.

Okay, I smell it.

You smell it.

No, not at all.

Okay, I taste it and smell it.

The CBD.

Dan is a much nicer person than I am, so it's not out of the ordinary for him to withhold snarky comments until we're behind closed doors.

But his politeness during this walk was remarkable.

He seemed genuinely curious about the past life regression, and he said something to the effect of rats when we saw that the crystal shop wasn't open.

Even after the CBD mimosa, or maybe because of the CBD mimosa, I couldn't get him to shit talk the neighborhood with me the way I wanted to.

So I think you have a more favorable view of wellness in general in that if you walked into a room and you were like,

I'm vegan.

I enjoy smooth jazz.

I have crystals all over my house and macrame.

I have a tarot reader in my very close family who I respect their readings.

For sure.

Yeah, and I'm from the Pacific Northwest.

Yeah, I mean, and I'm a hippie, and I can't wait to move back there someday and live on the Oregon coast

with my tarot cards and my tea.

You have so much, you have more tea in your house than anyone I've ever met in my life.

You have like a hundred tea.

I love tea.

I know.

And you also have like air plants, I have beads, you have prayer beads on the wall.

You have the moon cycle poster on the wall.

I have tapestries.

I have the moon cycle.

I have prayer beads on all adorning my walls.

I'm vegan.

I like to smoke grass.

And you call it grass too, by the way.

I do.

This isn't a joke for the show.

No, no, no.

I've seen some stuff in your fridge that I've like not seen in someone's refrigerator since maybe the late 80s, early 90s.

Like what?

Well, the nutritional yeast for one.

Oh, I love nutritional yeast.

And then there's other seeds.

That's a very polarizing topic, I think.

By the way, all of your condiments are in baskets in your refrigerator.

Well, that's because

my fridge is old and grumpy and doesn't have good shelves and stuff.

So I have to put baskets in there so I can separate.

But it's pretty messy right now, to be honest.

My family is pretty new agey on my mom's side

and then my sister, of course,

who

does tarot readings is a yoga teacher a life coach and makes soaps and candles and all kinds of stuff and I do I love it I'm not laying myself on the line from a like

personal opinion standpoint the same way that you are right because I'm looking at the FDA and stuff like that it's it's a little also because you're a believer

I think when confronted with science, I don't, you know, depending on how it's researched and

studied and pieced together and published and all that, like

it's hard to argue, you know.

Okay, here's a genuine two-parter.

Genuine.

Do you believe your crystals do anything other than look pretty?

Oh my God.

No.

No.

No.

I'll say this.

No.

Dan,

they're rocks.

Yeah.

What they do for me, what they do for me, I know for sure.

And we've talked about this.

I mean, this is like it's the same thing with essential oils.

I love aromatherapy.

I love essential oils.

I love all of that.

But I don't necessarily think that they carry a frequency and that my frequency has to be a certain, you know.

You don't sit there and hold a crystal and hope that it does the thing that the paper the paper said it was going to do.

No, but see, here's where it gets tricky.

I have crystals in my house because I think they're beautiful and they are very peaceful to me.

Same with plants.

But with the crystals, I will say that I shop for crystals based on the advice of the person at the crystal shop or

from one of my three

crystal books.

So I will read them and then look at

how different crystals are supposed to be.

You're really up in the air about this one.

I look at it like, if I'm going to buy a crystal, I might as well buy the one that matches what I'm looking for, you know, as far as

the way I feel.

And if it doesn't work, which I think they probably

don't,

probably,

maybe, I don't know.

From the outside, Dan and I appear to be of the same ilk.

If you're picturing him as some barefoot, hippie, Matthew McConaughey type character, stop.

The outside of Dan Gallucci looks like a tough guy.

He's tall and brooding, and he has knuckle tattoos and neck tattoos.

My favorite tattoo of his is a crappily drawn electric guitar with the words rock and roll scrolled above it.

I look like a manic pixie dream mom.

But the fact that Dan has himself tied in knots about whether or not crystals actually work highlights just how different we are.

It's something we kind of avoid talking about in our relationship because we know deep down we just disagree about this stuff.

The only time we really dig into how different we are is at restaurants and there our annoyance is directed at others.

Not once in any restaurant have we gotten handed the correct order.

He always gets my cheeseburger and fries every time and they give me his kale salad every time.

So the crystal makes you think about happiness by reading about it bringing you happiness and you see the word happiness a bunch of times,

and then you talk to the person at the crystal shop after you've read your book about how to seek happiness and which crystal is going to make you the most happy, it's going to

harmony, right?

It's going to, but it's going to activate those parts of your brain that are thinking about those things, which is just as good as journaling.

Yeah, but there's something that's really important that I believe in firmly, which is the placebo effect.

I really believe in it for all of these things.

I'm saying that's what I'm talking about.

Supplements, I believe in it for my crystals.

If I determine from reading and from talking to someone at the crystal store that um

something could uh

you know i don't know balance out my

chakras

yeah whatever you know i i look in the book i see oh well that that i could use that and then i go to the crystal shop and if they have that crystal and it's cheap enough then i'll buy it now i'm feeling protective of you and i don't think we should put this on the show why

I'm not feeling protective of me.

I am.

Why?

Because this is hard wash.

Oh, because people are going to make fun of me?

No, I don't know because you're talking like a crazy person.

Okay, raise your hand if you're making fun of Dan right now for believing in crystals.

Like, I'm not putting money on whether or not a crystal works.

But you're saying the same thing I'm saying is setting an intention can actually make that intention happen.

And I'm saying you can do the same thing with journaling.

And you're saying, why not make it look like a crystal?

And that's fine.

I think that you totally can.

Yeah.

I agree with everything you said.

And I think it just looks a little less, it looks a little more sane if it's like a daily to-do list

don't you think no

well now we know that Dan does not believe in daily to-do lists but crystals I think it's important I mean I think that

your face I think that surrounding yourself with

with elements from the earth you know like like beautiful rocks and and plants and all that kind of stuff I think it's nice I think it's important

Ready to elevate your skincare?

Introducing Medicaid, a clinically proven dermatologist-recommended British skincare brand known for age-defying results.

You may have heard about growth factors as the must-have anti-aging ingredient, and that's why Medicaid is excited about their latest innovation, the Liquid Peptides Advanced MP Face Serum.

This serum harnesses the power of Growth Factor Mini Protein, a cutting-edge technology that mimics natural growth factors but goes deeper, delivering visible, transformative results.

Studies show immediate improvement in expression lines in just 10 minutes and a significant decrease in deep set wrinkles after eight weeks of use.

The Liquid Peptides Advanced MP Face Serum not only reduces wrinkles, but also gives a filler-like effect, smoothing out your skin's appearance dramatically.

Visit medicate.us.

That's M-E-D-I-K and the number 8.us.

Use code Podcast20 for 20% off your purchase today.

Bombus makes the most comfortable socks, underwear, and t-shirts.

Warning.

Bombas are so absurdly comfortable, you may throw out all your other clothes.

Sorry, do we legally have to say that?

No, this is just how I talk, and I really love my bombas.

They do feel that good, and they do good, too.

One item purchased equals one item donated.

To feel good good and do good, go to bombas.com and use code audio for 20% off your first purchase.

That's bombbas.com and use code audio at checkout.

I think I thrive on stress

or something.

You for sure 100%

thrive on stress.

And wellness is the opposite.

It's supposed to be the opposite.

Yeah, like you want food that's going to get in your body in a tasty way quickly while you're in the middle of a lot of shit that you have to deal with.

Yeah.

I like fast food.

Is that what you're talking about?

Fast food?

Yeah, absolutely.

I love fast food.

Yeah, you like it.

It's fast and it's food and it's great.

This is not an ad for Taco Bell, but Taco Bell is the greatest fast food of all time.

It's reliable.

You know exactly what you're getting no matter which Taco Bell you're going to, and you don't need any utensils to eat it, and it's filling and it's spicy and there's lots of beans and beans are great for you.

Plus, I don't personally have any tummy troubles with Taco Bell.

Yeah, well, yeah.

I think a lot of the wellness stuff is like, just take a chill pill, man.

And I'm like...

What?

What if I chilled out?

What would I even be like?

I would be be like...

But you make it sound like it's a switch and you turn it on or off.

No, no, no, no.

I'm just saying if I suddenly...

It would have to be for me.

I'd have to like fall on my head again.

I make this joke a lot that any major shift in my personality would have to come as a result of a traumatic brain injury.

And I know it makes people uncomfortable, but it's funny because it's true.

I did fall on my head when I was six and it did change me.

Let's talk about that.

You sure?

Yeah, I mean, you had a pretty significant brain injury when you were younger.

So what happened?

I fell out of an open staircase onto a cement floor on my head from the top of the stairs, which is like a ceiling height.

They called it a diving accident.

A diving accident.

Yeah, typically when somebody shows up with that injury at the hospital, it's from diving into shallow water headfirst.

And where were you?

I was in the Upper Peninsula in Michigan.

You were pretty pretty isolated when it happened.

Yeah, so it took us a while to get out of the UP into a trauma center in lower Michigan.

And it was like pretty traumatic for your parents as well, because that ride took a long time.

We had to drive from the UP.

It took us, well, like overnight, basically, from where we were, where there weren't trauma centers, to the University of Michigan Hospital, where they had CAT scans and MRIs and things like that.

What happened?

What did they say say when you went in?

I mean, what internally?

Just that I had a severe concussion.

It's called a contra-cou lesion.

The contra-cou is just like the way your brain shakes inside your head, where you get a bruise on one side of it, but it's not the side where you hit.

I mean, I remember it was all black and blue on this one side of my face

and head, but I don't, I can't remember the exact angle of the injury.

I probably, I honestly have like not in my adulthood followed up on this neurologically, like with a doctor.

And I probably should get a CAT scan at some point.

I just stopped getting them at a certain, I don't, I maybe, I just don't want to go in for it, but I probably should.

But for you as a kid.

Yeah.

And if anyone wants to listen to all of the details, there's a This American Life episode where you talk about it, right?

Yeah, with my parents.

They're on it too.

Yeah, it's good.

What did you notice?

after that?

I mean, how long did it take you to feel the effects of that?

Not it hurting or, you know, the immediate effects of what a, you know, how a brain injury would feel, but, but more psychologically and, you know, otherwise.

It never went back to normal.

What was normal?

Not having migraines all the time.

Right.

You know, not

my daughter was asking me about it, Goldie was asking me about this the other day, about kindergarten.

Sorry.

And I don't remember it really.

I know what my school kind of looked like,

but

I don't remember my teacher's name i don't remember any class any um of my classmates i remember stories my parents told me but i don't remember actually like being there

so i couldn't i don't know if anybody else does do you remember kindergarten i remember some things about it and i remember my teacher's name for sure you know i don't have any idea who that was i just remember being sick after that

What kind of sickness?

And also it like, I'm sorry, I'm crying.

I need to talk more reasonably.

No, it's okay this is really i mean this is this is a huge traumatic thing that happened to you you know well i didn't find this out until much later first of all like having really

i'm just gonna say this i hate it when people refer to migraines while they're having one because the kind of migraine that i would have you can't even talk to people right

you can't like you're i go blind the pain is really really severe there can't be lights on no television don't I just can't form a thought other than out, ow, ow, you know, like this hurts.

And then it becomes really overwhelming over the course of a few hours and you end up vomiting from the pain.

You're just puking and puking.

And

I remember like going back to school the next day, and I would have like, my eyes would be all swollen and black and blue, not black and blue, but those capillary, like purple spots all over my eyelids from dry heaving.

So that's a thing that went on until adulthood, but luckily it's not happening now.

But the other thing I learned when I got much older is that people who had a TBI, traumatic brain injury, something crazy, like 70 or 80% of them deal with depression and anxiety for the rest of their life.

And I already have a genetic predisposition for that.

So I mean, sometimes I wonder, like, if I hadn't fallen on my head,

just would I be a happier person?

Would Would I, would my schooling have been different if I hadn't been the kid that's like racing out of the room because my parents sent me to school with a migraine and I'm racing out of the classroom because I'm going to puke all over the desk again and spending so much time in the nurse's office and my parents having to leave work to pick me up and like them deciding every time I had a headache if I was old enough yet to stay home alone and

just

I often missed the fun days of school too, because the causes of my or like the triggers of the migraines could be anything and the main one was like excitement or stress so I would get them on Christmas morning often but yeah

anyway so it's not just about the physical effects because it

there were changes to what happened socially there were changes with how you were dealing with your parents

they're asking if you can stay home by yourself yeah you know when you're pretty young yeah you've talked about being kind of fatalistic and I wonder

well I think that having an injury like that, like an accident, any kind of accident, but one that isn't a broken arm or something, which I understand is also traumatic.

But when you break part of your brain,

did you think this is going to last forever?

Yeah.

That's what they told me.

They didn't say you're definitely going to suffer from this, these migraines and stuff forever, but there's a good chance that when you go through puberty, that could trigger it.

They told me, you know, becoming pregnant could trigger trigger it.

So that was like a really scary prospect, and I put that off as very, very long as possible.

And my doctors and my parents kind of started training me for like, how are you going to live your life as an adult on your own if you are just completely out of commission?

How are you going to have a job?

How are you going to go to work?

Like, you're going to have to learn how to power through these episodes.

And

that was like a

real shitty prospect.

It did not feel hopeful.

Luckily, my first job, I was in high school still.

So by afternoon, when I would have to show up at my job, I wouldn't, I'd have some time, because I always get my migraines in the middle of the night.

I'd have some time to figure out how much I'm going to be puking by that time.

Do you think that this whole experience kind of informed some of your skepticism and

my fatalistic view of the world?

Yeah.

And first of all, what does that mean to you?

What does that actually...

My fatalistic view is that something will kill all of us

and it seems self-indulgent and frankly classist

and otherists to believe that you can buy your way out of that inevitability or meditate your way out of it or some shit you can't you're gonna get sick and die there was never any medication that i could take when i had a migraine because i'd just throw it up immediately i kept a food chart mozzarella was off the list for years because I had a migraine one night after I had mozzarella sticks.

I don't even know if that's what caused it, you know.

But we would go down the list: Oh, did you what did you have yesterday?

What did you have yesterday?

What did you have, you know, and checking off things on this?

There was an actual list from the neurologist, and it didn't matter.

I kept getting the headaches, it really didn't matter.

And then they just went away miraculously,

also as a surprise, you know.

And I don't feel like that has any meaning either

to me it seems natural that you would as an adult

have a skepticism around

someone saying like this is gonna align your blah blah blah or this you know yeah i mean i don't yeah i call

i also think if that stuff is working for someone again

That's great for now.

Something horrible could happen to you tonight.

And then what good was all that shit?

Do you think that feeds a little bit into the why bother?

Like, why bother with all this wellness if you can get hit by a bus?

You can get hit by a bus tomorrow.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I mean, yeah, definitely.

Definitely.

Like, I definitely feel

like I have other stuff to do while I'm here.

Right.

And while I'm upright.

I do not want to be spending my time picking out my powders.

You know?

Well, partially because you just fundamentally believe that there's no way that those powders are really doing anything.

Yeah, no, that's totally right.

But also, yeah, I don't want to spend my time on anything that has like a sliver of inefficiency.

I don't want to spend my time on anything inefficient.

If it's inefficient, if it's something that might not be doing something.

Push it aside and let's do the stuff that actually gets shit done or is like a real experience in the world.

I don't enjoy the wishful thinking, the time wasted on wishful thinking.

I also wonder, because I feel like this is something that I've seen you.

It's like, if you're going to do something that's,

that even could be somewhat frivolous, then you want to be having fun.

Right.

Yeah.

Yeah.

A lot of fun.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I want it to be funny or fun

or crazy or whatever.

I don't want it to be chill.

You know, no.

If I'm going to waste time and money on something, like I want to come out with a good story.

Oh, there goes my alarm.

I have to go to therapy next door right now.

Yeah.

Your therapist is literally next door to our office.

The weirdest.

Anyway.

Okay.

Yes, my therapist is right next door on Wellness Row.

And yes, their office is filled with crystals and macrame and there's a bowl of Palo Santo that sits on the table right in front of me.

But for me, therapy is a basic need.

As I said earlier, I've fought with depression and anxiety for as long as I can remember.

Sometimes it's debilitating, other times it's not.

These conditions reduce life expectancy by about 10 to 25 years.

There are a lot of factors at play there, not just the potential for suicide.

We treat ourselves poorly and we're treated poorly by the medical establishment because of our diagnoses.

Talk therapy is one of the few treatments that's proven to reduce mortality and improve quality of life.

We don't really do lobotomies or a steady diet of qualudes these days for a reason.

So I invest in therapy.

I go religiously, one might say.

Therapy is a wellness practice, yes.

For some people, they can get the same benefits, that tuned-in mindfulness that keeps one active and engaged in their own well-being, from other wellness practices.

Do I think they'd work for me?

I don't know.

Am I going to try to keep an open mind and explore it?

Yep.

I wish with all my heart that Crystals could say to me, hey, it seems like you haven't been sleeping or are you remembering to eat?

I would spend every last dime on them if that were the case, believe me.

Because Dan is right.

They are very pretty.

Next time on the dream.

And the irony is that it started with an effort by the FDA to have more control over the dietary supplement industry, to try to have some standards standards for what the products could or couldn't contain and at what levels.

And it backfired to the point that by the end of this in 1994, there was great deregulation of the industry to the point that it was less regulated than it had been before the FDA started its efforts.

The Dream is a production of Little Everywhere and Stitcher, written and reported by me, Jane Marie, and Dan Gallucci.

Editing by Peter Clowney and Tracy Samuelson, with production by Stephanie Karayuki and Lyra Smith.

The Dream is executive produced by me, Dan Gallucci, Peter Clowney, and Chris Bannon.

Our mixing engineers are Casey Holford and Brendan Burns.

Please rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and thanks for listening.

Ready to elevate your skincare?

Introducing Medicaid, a clinically proven dermatologist-recommended British skincare brand known for age-defying results.

You may have heard about growth factors as the must-have anti-aging ingredient, and that's why Medicaid is excited about their latest innovation, the Liquid Peptides Advanced MP Face Serum.

This serum harnesses the power of Growth Factor Miniprotein, a cutting-edge technology that mimics natural growth factors but goes deeper, delivering visible, transformative results.

Studies show immediate improvement in expression lines in just 10 minutes and a significant decrease in deep-set wrinkles after eight weeks of use.

The Liquid Peptides Advanced MP Face Serum not only reduces wrinkles, but also gives a filler-like effect, smoothing out your skin's appearance dramatically.

Visit medicate.us.

That's M-E-D-I-K and the number 8.us.

Use code PODCAST20 for 20% off your purchase today.

Hey, I'm Paige DeSorbo, and I'm always thinking about underwear.

I'm Hannah Berner, and I'm also thinking about underwear, but I prefer full coverage.

I like to call them my granny panties.

Actually, I never think about underwear.

That's the magic of Tommy John.

Same, they're so light and so comfy, and if it's not comfortable, I'm not wearing it.

And the bras, soft, supportive, and actually breathable.

Yes, Lord knows the girls need to breathe.

Also, I need my PJs to breathe and be buttery soft and stretchy enough for my dramatic tossing and turning at night.

That's why I live in my Tommy John pajamas.

Plus, they're so cute because they fit perfectly.

Put yourself on to Tommy John.

Upgrade your drawer with Tommy John.

Save 25% for a limited time at TommyJohn.com/slash comfort.

See site for details.

And now, a next level moment from ATT Business.

Say you've sent out a gigantic shipment of pillows and they need to be there in time for International Sleep Day.

You've got ATT 5G, so you're fully confident, but the vendor isn't responding.

And International Sleep Day is tomorrow.

Luckily, ATT 5G lets you deal with any issues with ease, so the pillows will get delivered and everyone can sleep soundly, especially you.

ATT 5G requires a compatible plan and device.

Coverage not available everywhere.

Learn more at ATT.com/slash 5G network.

Hey, dream listeners, it's finally here.

The dream plus, where you can get every single episode of our show with no ads.

It's $5 a month.

It's the only tier.

No commercials.

Plus, bonus content.

This helps keep us independent.

And your contribution will help change the way every listener hears the dream.

We'll be able to take out the ads that we don't even know are getting put into this show, which is annoying to both you and us.

We're also going to have an amazing discussion board.

The interface has it cataloged under AMA, Ask Me Anything.

But I don't love rules.

So, what I did is started a bunch of threads like ask Dan and I questions, general chit chat, just to make friends and stuff.

And every time I've been in charge of a discussion board, I've made a tab called Women Be Shopping, and it's there.

And we're just going to talk about what we bought.

It'll be fun.

That's the dream.s-u-p-e-r-ca-st-t dot com.

Supercast.

Please, please go subscribe.

It's five bucks.

It's less than a latte if you live in Los Angeles.

See you there.