A Crisis of Values in the Health and Performance Space
This past Saturday, January 31, the United States Department of Justice released a large batch of files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted child predator, harasser, and sex trafficker. Appearing in the files over 1,700 times was the well-known health, performance, and longevity doctor, influencer, author, and podcast host Peter Attia. (His book Outlive has been on international bestseller lists for the past three years.) It seems Attia was operating as Epstein's personal doctor and/or close friend, long after Epstein was convicted of felony charges for sex trafficking and child prostitution.
Here is a sampling of their correspondence, with some direct quotes from Attia:
"Pussy is, indeed, low carb. Still awaiting results on gluten though."
"The biggest problem with becoming friends with you: the life you live is so outrageous and yet I can't tell a soul."
"I need to visit [presumably the island] sometime."
At best, Attia is a deeply troubled person who was extremely affectionate toward the world's most well-known sex offender. At worst, he failed his legal duty as a physician to report sexual misconduct. (Attia issued a statement here.)
The point of this post is not to dunk on Peter Attia. It seems like the guy is deeply troubled, and there isn't much else to say.
What we want to do is use this episode as a case study to diagnose why there are so many uber-successful people who lack integrity in the health, performance, and longevity space.
In Brad's new book, The Way of Excellence, he defines excellence as "involved engagement in something worthwhile that aligns with your values and goals."
If your foremost value and goal is fame or growth on the internet or money, you will do anything necessary to pursue it, even if it means overlooking other qualities that get in the way. It's a tale as old as time. In sports, it's the win-at-all-costs mentality, where winning—and the fame, status, and money that accompany it—is prioritized above all else. Soon, cheating follows. (Think: Lance Armstrong.) The same story plays out in business, entertainment, on social media, and in the podcast industry.
When you choose status or money over basic decency, bad things usually follow. It neatly explains why Attia was chumming it up (at best) with Epstein and why so many influencers shill countless supplements and products with zero scientific backing and prey on people's fears, vulnerabilities, and desire for complexity or inside information.
It's one of two things: the influencers are decidedly uninterested in truth and integrity, or they are drinking their own Kool-Aid (and have become true believers). Neither should leave us assured. Even in the scenario where they are true believers, money and fame go a long way to support motivated reasoning—science-speak for believing what you want to believe in the face of evidence to the contrary.
To be clear: we (Brad and Steve) are lightyears from perfect. We have flaws and insecurities just like the rest of humanity. We could be more present fathers and husbands. We could use our digital devices less. Both of us want to grow our platforms and sell tons of books! We are open and explicit about this. And so while "growth" is a very real value for The Growth Equation (and our work more broadly), it comes multiple rungs down the ladder from other values, such as "truth," "respect," "decency," and "craft."
It's not just us. We all have insecurities. We all, to some degree, crave status. We all have holes to fill. You either recognize this and make sure you are clear about what truly matters, or you let hungry ghosts pull you toward ceaseless craving for external validation.
We've had multiple opportunities to grow and make money that we've turned down precisely because they would cause us not to tell the truth, to associate with horrible people, or to neglect craft in favor of marketing nonsense.
Early in his career, Steve met his heroes and was a part of a win-at-all-costs program. He witnessed Lance Armstrong (before the Oprah interview) and the pull he had on everyone around him. He saw behind the curtain: the blinding chase to achieve, gain power and notoriety, and the pushing aside of any ethical guardrails that impeded the path. It was disillusioning but also clarifying. It showed that public reputation and true character can be very different things.
So much of what you see from influencers is really just deep insecurity. It’s people wrapped up in the trappings of fame, fortune, power, status, likes, and follows. When fame, growth, and status are your apex values, it's a slippery slope to selling your soul.
Unfortunately, holding clear values is becoming increasingly rare in today's world. But that's not an excuse to throw your hands up in frustration. It's the opposite. As our world pulls us in the direction of chaos, fame, status, and power, the more it matters to stick by your principles. It’s a superpower to have anchors that keep you grounded: your values, the books you read, the role models you follow, and the company you keep. All serve as guardrails against losing your way.
It starts with knowing your values, defining your values, and ensuring your striving supports your values. There can be no genuine excellence without it. When your values are in conflict, you've got to ensure the most deeply held ones override lesser ones. When you value "truth" or "integrity" over "growth" or "money" or "winning", it's not hard to turn down a fat check from a shady company or illicit performance-enhancing drugs.
It's also important to surround yourself with people who hold similar values. They don't have to have the exact same beliefs, but a shared understanding that being a good, decent human is important. There's truth to the old adage that you are the five people you spend the most time with. Choose wisely. These people can either pull you toward degeneracy or keep you grounded in what matters.
We can't speculate as to what Attia's values are. Maybe the dude just wanted to be famous and rich and has some serious unresolved issues. Or maybe he told himself a story that he was pursuing the truth, full of integrity, and making the world a better place. One can only guess. But it's not enough to say something. You need to do it.
The above is our three deep-breath, respond not react, take. But we are also pissed off. It's one thing to rise to popularity by overcomplicating exercise, shilling garbage supplements, and evangelizing fancy, unnecessary treatment. It's another thing to closely associate with one of the most despicable people of the last generation, to joke about pussy being low carb and how it's so hard not tell anyone about his lifestyle. I mean, what this really comes down to is not platforming assholes.
So if, like us, you are filled with anger toward Attia and other idiot influencers, take that feeling and use it as an opportunity to reflect on your own life. Do you know your values? Are you living in alignment with them? Are you associating with people whose values you respect?
These questions lie at the heart of not only excellence but also being a good and decent person in an increasingly chaotic world.
-- Brad and Steve
Listen🎧: Why Are There So Many Health & Wellness Grifters? SPOTIFY/APPLE/YOUTUBE)
Building off of the newsletter, today's episode of “excellence, actually” tries to figure out why so many people sacrifice their values to make it to the top. At the core of understanding why is a question that is useful for all of us to ask: How do we pursue excellence without losing ourselves along the way? In today's episode, we unpack the dangerous dynamics of optimization culture, where the drive for growth, status, and money can overtake basic integrity. We explore why the health and wellness industry is uniquely set up to platform people who exploit our deepest fears about performance and mortality, how people rationalize crossing ethical lines (from doping athletes to supplement-shilling influencers), why having the right people around you isn't just nice but essential, and why righteousness and purity often get in the way of decency.
— Clay