Wellness, Choices, & the Toxic Ideology of Overwork

In this episode, Professor Mika Lavaque-Manty, Director of the Literature, Science and the Arts Honors Program and Faculty member in the Political Science Department at the University of Michigan, joins for a discussion on the student crisis of well-being and anxiety on college campuses, the toxic ideology of overwork, becoming an athlete as an adult, the positives, negatives, and false dichotomy of wellness narratives, “fitspiration” and the role of looks in wellness, safely and meaningfully channeling competitiveness, acknowledging uncertainty, identifying reasons for hope, senior cat and pit-mix adoption, becoming a pet parent for the right reasons, our choices as sources of meaning, and more. In this conversation, I share personal experiences with overwork, competitiveness (with others and self), addiction to fitness metrics, doping, finding empowerment and coping with anxiety through vegan/plant-based food choices and caregiving, animal adoption, and more.