Marissa Evans has spent years watching people turn to wellness culture for answers the healthcare system didn’t give them. Big Avocado is her deepest conversations yet about how we got here.ph

I've spent more than a decade reporting on health care systems and policies including racial health disparities, mental health, health insurance, vaccines, and maternal health, for places like the Los Angeles Times, the Texas Tribune, the Atlantic and more. At the same time, I’ve noticed a major shift. People are tapping out of our health care system because they haven't found a doctor they trust, can't afford the health insurance they need, or they've been dismissed one too many times during an appointment. They're turning to the wellness industry for answers, solace and hope to find relief.

You’ve heard of Big Tobacco, Big Sugar, and Big Soda. BIG AVOCADO is a nod to health and wellness culture, what we buy, what we reach for, who we listen to, and a deeper conversation about the impact of what happens when people decide to seek relief on their own. The newsletter will look at the people behind the cult brands consumers are buying, the under the radar researchers finding interesting narratives on wellness, influencers who have become more trustworthy sources for people than their own doctors, the public health experts reckoning with how to earn back public trust and compete for attention on social media, the celebrities who are reconciling how their wellness choices influence their own supporters, and more. It's also my own personal exploration of my relationship with health and wellness culture.