Wellness Loud: Could this be the future of podcasts?

Earlier this week I sat down with Drake Peterson, co-founder of Wellness Loud, the first wellness media and podcast network of its kind. Many here in town might know Drake from his Isla Vista formed band, Iration, but lately his focus has been on spreading the word of health, one podcast at a time.

Incorrectly assuming he had a background in wellness, I asked Drake how he got his start. 

During Covid, he convinced his friend and neighbor, Courtney Swan, an integrative nutritionist, to start a podcast. He helped her create and launch it, and as the guests would come on each week, Peterson began to take note. Having faced his own health challenges (including a diagnosis of Lyme Disease) he realized, “I had been gaslit by my medical team,” meaning that he was never even offered changing his diet as a potential treatment.

As he began to learn more about the power of food, he started eating healthier and realized, “I started feeling so much better in my body from this change. I wanted others to experience the same thing.”

Swan, who still hosts Realfoodology – which is often cited as one of the top 10 health podcasts – is on a mission to help change the way we eat and the way we feed our bodies. Her goals are as lofty as Peterson’s. He told me she plans “to take on Big Food.” And he intends to support her every step of the way. “People are starting to learn that the food in the U.S. is basically poisoning us,” he said. “We need to look at what is actually inside of this food – or these food-like products – before we eat it.”

Focusing on four areas – Mental Health, Nutrition and Diet, Fitness and Exercise, and Alternative Health – Peterson and his Carpinteria-based partner, Gary Binkow, now receive over one million downloads each month on their network. 

The voices of their 12 podcasts are diverse and varied but all share the one commonality he seeks: authenticity. The podcasts are informative, fun, quirky and ethical. Being a novice in the world of endorsements and branding, I asked Peterson how they prevent a conflict of interest when a podcast host sells a product they are recommending to their listeners. “At Wellness Loud, every single brand is vetted by each host individually, so they don’t promote anything that they themselves don’t use or believe in.”

From The Dr. Tyna Show who “speaks the truth” about wellness to Heal Thy Self with Dr. G, which focuses on empowerment, to Dogs are Individuals with Rita Hogan, a show about canine herbalism and how to keep your pet healthy, the network covers everything from your teeth to your toes. 

We talked about how 90% of chronic illnesses can be reversed with lifestyle changes. I asked him if he wasn’t perhaps “preaching to the choir,” as most of their listeners are already more aware of or engaged in their health than the average American, just by virtue of the fact that they are seeking out this wellness-based information. 

“A lot of people still don’t know that many of their health issues are reversible … so what we are going up against is Big Food and the U.S. Food Pyramid. Honestly,” he passionately shared, “I don’t know how to target the people who need it most. But I am determined to do it.”

We began to wrap up our conversation. Drake’s enthusiasm being contagious, it had gone much longer than I had anticipated. I asked him what his advice would be to those who often feel anxious, given the onslaught of information now at our fingertips. Even as a health coach, I can get overwhelmed with the various food changes I am making as I get older. Are lentils lifesaving forces of nature or lectin-carrying demons of the underworld? Should I put berries in my green smoothie or never mix fruit with anything other than air? You get the idea. 

His answer was a wonderful closure to our interview. “My biggest advice is that you don’t have to make all these changes at once, or even do all of them at all if you don’t want to. Just realize you can make them over time and start small.” For him, first steps were about eliminating all the toxins in his home, which made a huge difference in his environment, and ultimately in how he felt.

He also mentioned that he is always looking for new talent, so if you have something to say about wellness and reach out to Drake – say it well and say it loud.