The rush of endorphins, the competitive high, the lean physique and picture-perfect image of wellness felt luxurious, exclusive and entirely worth the money. According to the Global Wellness Institute, the wellness economy hit $6.8 trillion in 2024 and is projected to reach a value of $9.8 trillion by 2029. We’re often sold the fantasy that to spend on wellness is to invest in ourselves. Even women at the very heart of the wellness world – those who have established successful careers and enormous online followings within it – are openly reexamining their relationship with the industry. “We are simultaneously the group most aggressively targeted to spend and the group that most needs to save,” writes Shaw.