The Only Wellness Advice From Gwyneth Paltrow That Matters

On The World’s First Podcast, Gwyneth Paltrow gets real with Sara and Erin Foster about basically everything: what she’s learned from motherhood, the highs and lows of building Goop from scratch, and how she feels about those clickbait Meghan Markle feud rumors. 

What motherhood taught Gwyneth

For all the headlines and hot takes about Gwyneth’s lifestyle choices, the Goop founder is just a mom trying to figure it out like the rest of us. Raising Apple and Moses taught her that trying to change people (even your own kids) is a losing game. “I really think that I thought on some level I had the power to change people,” she admits. “Like if I was just good enough or I worked hard enough… I could bring them around.” Now? “It’s just not fucking true.”

It’s not that she doesn’t care. On the contrary, Gwyneth’s growth has come from letting go of the urge to micromanage and embracing her kids (and others) for who they are. “Even with our own kids, it’s like, ‘Oh gosh, I wish you would choose this path instead of that.’ But I just realized, it leads nowhere.”

Her maternal wisdom doesn’t stop at parenting. It’s a worldview. “What’s yours is yours, and what’s not is not,” she said, quoting a lesson from her own mother, the actress Blythe Danner, that changed how she approaches everything from career disappointments to dating.

The business of doing things right

When Goop launched in 2008, Gwyneth was roasted to the bare knuckles. From expensive jade eggs to that infamous candle, critics were quick to label the brand as out-of-touch or elitist. But Gwyneth didn’t flinch. “I want to deliver something really special to people—whether it’s a moisturizer or a salad,” she said. “I don’t cut corners.”

Her philosophy? Quality over profit, every time. “We as a country have gotten so obsessed with profit,” she explained. “When profitability is the bullseye, you try to make more margin, do things cheaper, and charge more. That’s antithetical to what I believe.”

Goop’s clean beauty standards are more than marketing—they’re a mission. “Everything that we make is much cleaner than any other standard. I take that really seriously.” And while her products aren’t drugstore-priced, she refuses to apologize. “Unfortunately, in this country, products at the most approachable price points are allowed to be filled with things that aren’t good for us.”

What started as a wellness newsletter has become a global brand, largely thanks to Gwyneth’s commitment to integrity. “Your beliefs, your words, and your actions should be aligned,” she said. “That’s integrity. I just stick to that, come what may.”

Meghan Markle and the myth of the mean girl feud

Of course, no celebrity interview is complete without a little tabloid myth-busting, and the Foster sisters didn’t shy away from the rumors that she and Meghan Markle can’t stand each other.

“I won’t be a pawn in some drummed-up triangulation of women feud [for] your fucking clickbait,” Gwyneth declared. “Leave us out of it.”

She’s met Meghan, she clarified, and finds her “really lovely.” But they’re not close friends—and they don’t need to be for Gwyneth to wish her well. “I wish Meghan nothing but the best. Every woman deserves to go into anything they want to do.”

She resents the media’s relentless need to pit powerful women against each other. “Don’t do that,” she said, sternly. “I will not stand for that.”

The godmother of Goop

Gwyneth Paltrow has been famous for most of her life, but she’s never stopped evolving. From redefining wellness to coining the phrase “conscious uncoupling,” she’s made a career out of living authentically, even when the world rolls its eyes.

Motherhood taught her humility, business taught her patience, and the Meghan Markle headlines? Well, they proved that even the most Zen among us have limits.

At 52, the Godmother of Goop has earned the right to set her boundaries, choose joy over FOMO, and call out the BS when she sees it. That’s the kind of energy we all need to channel.