Kerri Kelly: American Detox
The last time Russell saw Kerri Kelly they were getting robbed together on Chamundi Hill outside of Mysore, India. For Russ it was the best trip he ever had to India. Imagine an episode of West Wing where one of the communications staffers working for Josh Lyman took a yoga side-trip while on an important diplomatic tour, and got stuck in India with no money, passport, or visa. No way to leave the country and no way to stay. “DONNA!!!” Listen to this #funnynotfunny tale, as Kerri and Russell pulled every string and lever they knew to get this staffer out of the country!
Ten years later, Kerri has written an amazing book that speaks to our times Part of our self-care is how we talk care of one another. American Detox: The Myth of Wellness And How we can Truly Heal.
What we understand to be wellness now, has become divorced from it’s origin, commodified, and sold as a luxury items that even the 99% struggle to afford.
Wellness isn’t just self-care rituals, like yoga or meditation, but it’s a living wage, a home, food, and basic human needs. It’s not just what you buy in lululemon, it’s all the ways we fight and advocate for healthy living conditions, so that all can get what they truly need.
“The myth of wellness is a lie. And until we learn to confront and dismantle its toxic systems, we can’t ever be well.” -Kerri Kelly
Better, stronger, healthier, whole--the wellness industry promises us that with enough intention, investment, and positive thinking, we’ll unlock our best selves and find meaning and purpose in a chaotic and confusing world.
The problem? It’s a lie.
The industry soars upwards of $650 billion a year, but we’re still isolated, insecure, and inequitable. “Wellness” isn’t making us well; it’s making us worse!
It diverts our attention and holds us back from asking the questions that do help us heal: Who gets to be well in America? Who’s harmed--and who's left out? And what’s the real-life cost of our obsession with self-improvement?
To be truly well, we don’t need juice fasts or yoga fads. We need to detox from a culture rooted in perfectionism, white supremacy, and individualism--and move toward a model that embodies mutual responsibility and extends beyond self-help to collective care.
In American Detox, organizer, yoga activist, wellness disruptor, and CTZNWELL founder Kerri Kelly sounds the wake-up call. “It’s time to commit to the radical work of unlearning the toxic messages we’ve been fed--to resist, disrupt, and dream better futures of what wellness really means.”
Kerri is the founder of CTZNWELL, a movement that is democratizing wellbeing for all. A descendant of generations of firemen and first responders, Kerri has dedicated her life to kicking down doors and fighting for justice. She’s been teaching yoga for over 20 years and is known for making waves in the wellness industry by challenging norms, disrupting systems and mobilizing people to act.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT KERRI KELLY
CTZNWELL I INSTAGRAM I AMERICAN DETOX I KERRI KELLY IG
Join Kerri’s Detox Retreat (October 20 - 23rd in Topanga CA).
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The Finding Harmony Podcast is hosted, edited and produced by Harmony Slater and co-hosted by Russell Case.
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Opening and closing music compliments of my dear friend teaching Ashtanga yoga in Eindhoven, Nick Evans, with his band “dawnSong” from the album “for Morgan.” Listen to the entire album on Spotify - Click Here.
To purchase your own copy - Click Here.
