Lunar New Year always carries a certain electricity. The Year of the Fire Horse feels bold, restless, forward-moving. It is the kind of energy that makes people declare, “This is my year.” In this episode, Stephen and I used that moment to ask a harder question: what should wellness in 2026 actually look like, beyond fads, filters and clickbait headlines? The industry swings wildly. One decade it is “never touch meat or dairy.” The next it is “full-fat everything.” Trends are loud. Balance is boring. And yet balance is the only thing that has consistently worked: adequate protein, diversity on the plate, fibre, real food, and a healthy skepticism toward anything promising miracles in a tub.
We also spoke about how confusing “healthy” has become, particularly with Australia’s mandatory Health Star Rating system. I am not anti–Health Star Rating. It was designed to help consumers compare packaged foods. But that is the flaw. It only applies to packaged foods. An ultra-processed drink can be reformulated to score more stars than plain milk. A fresh apple, one of the most researched whole foods on the planet, receives no stars at all. The unintended message becomes: packaged food with a high rating must be better than real food without a label. My view is simple. Keep the stars if they help, but add a clear processing traffic light: green for fresh, yellow for minimally processed, red for ultra-processed. Busy parents and time-poor shoppers deserve clarity, not algorithms that can be gamed.
From there, we zoomed out. Why are we chasing wellness in the first place? It is not just about living longer. It is about capacity. It is about walking the hills of Athens at 80, carrying your own bags through an airport, taking that cruise you worked decades for, and actually enjoying it. Health is not an aesthetic project. It is freedom. But there is no silver bullet. Not the “world’s most potent antioxidants.” Not the best skincare. Not the perfect biohack. You cannot outsource your biology to a supplement while your lifestyle remains chaotic. You cannot undo 20 years of neglect in 20 days.
So the real invitation in 2026 is not a 12-step overhaul. It is awareness. Do not wait for a diagnosis or for a brick to fall on your head. Notice the early sprinkles of sand: the fatigue you keep brushing off, the niggle in your back, the poor sleep you normalise in the name of hustle. Stephen shared how, in high-performance engineering teams, unaddressed stress always surfaces eventually. The body keeps the score, whether you are a CEO, a parent, or both. Question claims. Even government ones. Look past marketing. Favour real food over ultra-processed options. And this week, pick one thing. An earlier night. A proper walk. A less-processed lunch. Think of it as a vote for the older version of you who still wants to be out there exploring the world, not watching it from the sidelines.
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PS: This session was recorded LIVE, thank you to everyone who tuned in!
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