Wellness influencers will outlive us all! The Science Smackdown Debate at World Science Festival Brisbane

It's Team Wellness Warriors versus Team Medical Miracles. Hear the arguments and you decide! The wellness industry is booming. It's worth billions and its influencers are all over social media spruiking miracle pills and mystery remedies, crystal healing and cancer cures. Some are even steaming their vaginas (hellooooo Gywneth Paltrow!). Have they done the research that mainstream medicine refuses to? Is your doctor really the best person to help you be the healthiest you can be? Or ... are many wellness influencers shysters and swindlers, selling hoax cures, making unproven claims, and putting your bank balance and your health at serious risk? Join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell from the stage of the 2025 World Science Festival Brisbane for an hilarious hour of science and comedy. Laughing is good for your health, that's for sure.

Speakers

TEAM WELLNESS WARRIORSDr Joel Gilmore Clean energy expert, physicist, and science communicatorAssociate professor, Griffith University

Dr Lily BentleyMarine biologistUniversity of Queensland

Ting LimStand-up comic and star of ABC TV's Fisk

TEAM MEDICAL MIRACLESStacey Thomson aka TV's Ranger StaceyHost of the former long-running TV show Totally Wild

Dr Mike TodorovichMedical educator and host of the Dr Matt and Dr Mike Youtube channelAssociate Professor of Medicine, Bond University

Steven OliverComedian, poet, playwright, cabaret performer, and star of ABC TV's Black Comedy

Thanks to event producers Jane O'Hara, Dr Rob Bell, and the whole World Science Festival Brisbane team.