Global Women’s Leadership Programme
International Women’s Day event
The Bayes Global Women’s Leadership Programme is pleased to welcome Stephanie Alice Baker (City, University of London) and Daniella Isaacs (award-winning writer and actor) to discuss the ‘Wellness Trap’ - the power of misinformation and the sociological, emotional and physical impact it has on women’s careers. The event will be moderated by Global Women’s Leadership Programme EMBA Scholar, Natalie Bonnick.
Wellness is a hot topic, part of a seemingly positive self-love narrative. However, there are concerning aspects to the wellness industry, with misinformation, coercion and pressures to conform. Convincing facts and figures are hugely effective in influencing women from all walks of life to invest in supposedly miraculous cures, procedures and products. Social media is incredibly powerful in spreading misinformation, with limited regulation. It is also becoming increasingly apparent that wellness culture is starting to have a detrimental impact on women’s careers.
In this talk, Stephanie and Daniella present their critiques of the wellness industry, the importance of policy to regulate information circulated online and open a debate about the future of modern wellness culture and its impact on women’s careers.
More about our speakers
Stephanie Alice Baker
Stephanie is Reader in sociology at City, University of London, UK. Her research studies online health and wellness cultures, particularly social media influencers and the spread mis/disinformation online. In 2021, she was invited by the UK Parliament to provide evidence on influencers, radicalisation and extremism and she continues to assist policymakers in their efforts to reduce and respond to mis/disinformation online.
She is the author of Social Tragedy: The Power of Myth, Ritual, and Emotion in the New Media Ecology (2014) and Wellness Culture: How the Wellness Movement Has Been Used to Empower, Profit and Misinform (2022), and co-author of Lifestyle Gurus: Constructing Authority and Influence Online (2019) and Cults (2024).
Daniella Isaacs
Daniella is an award-winning writer and actor. She is fascinated by the world of ‘Wellness’, the spreading of misinformation and the messiness of being human. She recently wrote, directed and co-starred in PEOPLE WHO KNEW ME (Merman/BBC Sounds/Eone). The 10-part podcast drama is an adaptation of Kim Hooper's novel starring Rosamund Pike and Hugh Laurie and was #1 in thirteen countries in the Apple Charts (including US, Canada, Australia, UK) and received incredible reviews.
Daniella’s first solo stage theatre show HEAR ME RAW took a deep dive into the contemporary obsession with Wellness, tackling body-image, addiction, social media and anxiety. It was nominated for the Mental Health Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and had several sell-out runs at Soho Theatre, Hackney Showroom and the Arcola. Daniella will direct and act in an adaptation for Audible/Amazon. Daniella contributes to publications such as Vogue, The Observer and Psychologies.
Natalie Bonnick – Moderator
Natalie joined Bayes Business School on the Executive MBA Programme in September 2023, a recipient of the Global Women in Leadership Scholarship. She is a Commercial Manager at Jacobs and currently holds the position of Head of Supply Chain Development at the Lower Thames Crossing (National Highways). Natalie specialises in the supply chain management of major infrastructure projects, building resilient supply chains that work collaboratively to achieve a myriad of project ambitions.
Natalie is the Chair of the Women’s Network at the Lower Thames Crossing, proactively working to transform the construction industry, challenge ingrained stereotypes and diversify the workforce to address gender disparity.
The event will be followed by drinks and networking.
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