The thing about Lana Del Rey wearing Shein is so interesting to me because you KNOW that someone in her team bought 20-30 options for that event, and the rest of them will never have been worn. So she is giving off this image of 'oh so relatable and shops in the same cheap places as you' but actually her team probably spent a ton of money for her to look that relatable.
as a former celebrity stylist assistant that is exactly what happened. I can promise you she doesnt know what shein is and more than likely no one told her that outfit costs 20 dollars.
@@elenarotov5442 Some people theorised that what she was wearing was the actual dress and the SHEIN version was a cheaper dupe. Do you think that could have been the case?
Wait, why? I know more than a few people who speak very highly of D&D… beyond the “satanic panic” of the 90s and early 00s, what is controversial about Dungeons and Dragons? It’s a storytelling game where the group co-authors the story. Many “campaigns” have lasted years and have cultivated rich and meaningful friendships??? Am I missing some huge D&D scandal, or are people erroneously convinced D&D is satanic? I’m really confused.
@@bexbergh4295 Yeah like Claudia said, I personally really love D&D and was initially worried when "Dungeons and Dragons" popped up in Leenas list - I thought maybe they had done something weird or had been rude oder there was a scandal I wasn't aware of. So I'm very relieved that it was just a case of "they're great, it just wasn't the right time for a sponsorship", and some fellow D&D lovers here seem to feel the same way :)
Betterhelp also has HUGE issues with workers rights (therapists being paid by word count) and encourages bad boundaries between clients and therapists (advertising constant availability). please never collaborate with them
They also would not be able to prescribe meds if you needed them. They are basically talk therapy which may not be what people experiencing a mental crisis need.
A thing that annoys me about the better help ads is they always make the sponsored person talk about how you won’t have to wait in those « awful, awkward waiting rooms » for your therapist and I fear it is putting into peoples heads that the waiting room is inherently awkward but that hasn’t been my experience with waiting rooms and therapists want to put you in a comfortable state for you to be able to talk through your problems and they try to make their offices nice
Yes! That always bugs me too. Honestly just sitting in the waiting room of my university's counseling center with all the plants did as much good as the actual therapy.
As a therapist, I’ve anecdotally heard about how therapists are not paid enough for the work and this new industry of ~online therapy companies~ is just straight sus. Go to a therapist whom your doctor refers you to.
Idk, I think it's the other way around. The ad copy is written that way, I suspect, because waiting rooms in a lot of clinical settings like dental offices and stuff _are_ uncomfortable. It's probably a big barrier to entry for a lot of people to trying out in-person therapy. Their promise to not force you into a waiting room isn't really creating new fears imo, more playing off discomfort that's already there.
I audibly gasped when you stated Betterhelp record their online therapy sessions. That isn't the worst issue you raised in the video of course but it just seems so obviously wrong and creepy.
No, that doesn't prove it. It proves that you always have to read the entitr TOS and privacy policy if you're giving a company *any* sensitive data, and be that *just* your email adress.
Wow, I completely regret trying it now. I did a few sessions, and it actually helped get me through a tough spot. But never would I have wanted the sessions to be recorded.... Is it in the fine print?
Thanks for mentioning the disability point. A lot of disabled creators I know find themselves in the position of working with far from perfect brands because there isn't the option of going back to an office for them because the 9-5 office job situation was so inaccessible to them. I always think that especially in the UK and the situation around the precariousness of being employed whilst disability & disability benefits being as it is, I'd rather support disabled creators working for not-so-great brands than to hound them for it. Interestingly the experiences I've seen online has done the opposite - people going hard for disabled people but not for the abled, white, rich girls promoting SHEIN hauls 🤷🏻♀️.
@@khazermashkes2316 As someone with chronic conditions myself, it sometimes forces me to use services, apps, or websites that I don't agree with. Like buying a wrist brace from Amazon because they were 4x the price elsewhere, and not even in local stores. My management classes have talked about how bad Amazon is, but when it comes to being in pain, or buying an item from them, I'd rather not be in pain. Although I have found some good products from small businesses, some things just aren't available. I did find good companies for most other things, from allergy masks, to protein shakes that are dairy free, that don't involve a middleman, or if they do have a separate store selling stuff, it's a local store, not Amazon or Walmart. It's a matter of trying your best, but also knowing your limits. I also sew a lot of my own clothes, but can't in all cases, so I have bought some stuff from Costco, which has some issues, but I knew it was better than the dollar store, for quality and work conditions.
I was going to reccomend you watch Mickey Atkins' excellent video about how betterhelp is bad for therapists too. She talked about how Betterhelp preys on therapists desires to start their own private practice and then traps them in a contract with little money and you have to be accessible to your clients 24/7! Yikes! But unfortunatley the video was removed literally yesterday. She said she didn't want to get into why but it seems like maybe it was an outside force making her take it down. Also I believe betterhelp owns Pride Councelling which is exactly the same thing as betterhelp but aimed at LGBTQ+ people. We love targeting dodgy practices at struggling minorities! Overall Betterhelp is just one big yikes!
i was going to recommend this video too until i saw your comment! i had no idea she took it down. having had a bad experience with the company myself, i always get a weird feeling when i hear people promoting it even though i think it's usually well-intentioned. comforted to see that other people are on the better-help-is-questionable-bandwagon.
Wow! Thank you for sharing this info. I met my therapist years ago through Talkspace (a BetterHelp competitor). It was exactly what I needed at the time, and I still work with her to this day, but directly now rather than through Talkspace. But she has since left TS because the platform kept raising prices and it felt like it was more focused on profit than being accessible for people with different income means (hello capitalism). She also mentioned that the 24/7 contact availability expectation of the therapy apps could be unhealthy for both practitioners and clients. She and I use a free medical messaging app now called pMD. There we can still text and send voice notes and images like you can on TS & BH and then use Doxy.me to have a fortnightly call session.
I don't understand why therapists are signing up to it to be honest. I can start my own private practice and offer services overseas any time I like (not that I'd need to, plenty of local people wanting to be seen virtually). Why sign up with any middle man?
I was so disappointed (not with Mickey) when I saw her announcement about needing to remove the video. It was such a comprehensive explanation of all the ways BetterHelp and similar apps are bad for both patients and therapists.
If anyone needs swaying over whethet to become a Patron of Leena's I can't express enough how wonderful The Gunption Club is. Everyone is so up for helping each other out and is such a joyous corner of the internet that you don't really fine elsewhere!
I miss supporting Leena but when the extra videos were posted I found I couldn't afford if anymore. I also don't have Facebook so didn't really get the opportunity to mingle with other patrons. Is Facebook an ethical platform to be hosting your supporters on ?
@@maggylina2191 Totally understand, I also change my Patreon support according to what I can afford, have recently stopped supporting a couple of people due to my financial situation changing. Did you know that you can cap your pledge for Leena’s videos and most other creators? You can set a monthly limit to how many things/videos you support, I think the smallest amount is £1 (so one thing per month). Just in case you wanted to return :) but I think that’s also the beauty of Patreon, you can come back, chop and change, and do what works for you. Regarding the question of is Facebook an ethical place to host a community, short answer, probably not. Longer answer is that many creators struggle with this conundrum and there is no real alternative (for example, Amanda Palmer has written about this on her Patreon too). I think it’s a hard decision to make, Facebook has the infrastructure, it’s easy to set up, most people have an account etc. Moving a community that is established to a new platform is also difficult and there aren’t many alternatives that work as well or are as accessible to some. For example, I know there is Discord but I have never fully understood it or managed to use it effectively (older Millennial here 😅) and Patreon doesn’t have its own way of people interacting with each other. While I have deleted my main Facebook account that I had since I was 16 over a year ago, I have created a fake profile with minimal information to join a few groups like the Gumption club and I don’t regret it. In an ideal world, we’d have ethical video hosting (looking at you TH-cam/Google) and ethical social media platforms (looking at you Facebook/Twitter/Instagram etc) but until then we have to make the best of it, cheating the game as much as we can with fake profiles and fake email addresses I guess 🤷♀️
The people I know who use Blinkist use it to decide which books to read in full for research - if you're needing a lot of sources for a project, a 15-minute summary can help you decide which sources are the closest match for your needs. So long story short, I think if it's being used as a TOOL that will eventually lead you to reading books in full, I don't have a problem with it.
For many years I've been broke. TH-cam and a basic internet connection is my TV. To help out the channels, I have never used an ad blocker and unless the ad is 5 minutes long, I generally watch it. In August of last year I got the most amazing job. One of my first thoughts was: How can I give back? Now I'm a Pateron to a few smaller TH-cam channels that I enjoy watching (You're one Leena! 💖 ) I found your channel around the time I got my job, because I all of a sudden had money to buy more ethically sourced products, and I stuck around for the wise information you dole out.
Speaking to the free-ness and availability of NHS therapy - it's not. The mental health system in the UK is absolutely terrible. You can wait years for 6 sessions of CBT which is only helpful for some people and some problems, and 6 sessions is the "average people need" but all the people who need more don't get more, they just kick you out. I know too many people who eventually got their 6 sessions only to be kicked out in an even worse situation than they arrived because their 6 sessions were up and they'd just started to get to the underlying issues.
Commenting to draw attention to this although I have commented elsewhere. It seems Leena is fortunate enough to have little experience accessing mental health services through the NHS, but it would be nice for her to acknowledge that it's actually really awful and a massive issue. I personally tried to access help through the NHS three times as an adult. The first time the Dr listened to me mention that I am a CSE survivor (which is also in my medical notes), then turned to me and told me I wasn't depressed I was just upset because I'd put on weight. I was 19. I didn't go back. The next time I was told that unless I was prepared to say I was suicidal, then I wouldn't be seeing anyone for at least a year. I was not even offered medication in the meantime. The last time, I went to my GP, who said he would refer me to cahms and to expect a letter in the post. The letter took 3 weeks to arrive and contained screening questionnaires to fill out and send back, which I did. I then waited another 2 weeks to receive a letter confirming a telephone appointment, in 6 weeks time. The phone call happened, I began to spill my heart, the person stopped me and asked if I completed the questionnaires, made me answer them again over the phone then said, you qualify for group therapy, you'll receive confirmation you are on the waitlist in the post and hung up. A few weeks later, the letter came, 6-12 month wait **for 6 sessions of group therapy**. I live in Canada now, where we also have public healthcare. I told my GP I needed help, I was in front of a psychiatrist within a month, with an initial diagnosis, medication and care plan in place the same day. Through work I get an extended health benefits plan that covers me and my partner, which covers 15 sessions a year of private therapy, as well as a bunch of other useful stuff (like massages and private hospital rooms **nice**). Whilst healthcare here is not, like many places, without its issues and flaws, I think the hybrid system works pretty well and I've certainly experienced a better level of care here than in the UK. If you're reading this and you're getting nowhere with CAHMS/NHS, don't use better help, but do try looking for a private therapist. Some Universities with psych departments offer cheap or free services so their grads can gain work experience, similarly, some private practices take on practicum students and they offer appoints at a fraction of the cost of a fully qualified therapist (these students have passed their studies, and are as good as qualified, but must complete supervised practicum hours to qualify). In these new pandemic times, many therapists now offer telehealth directly and do free 15-minute video consults so you can shop around. A lot of therapists use a sliding scale option for low-income clients, so it's worth asking as it may not be as expensive as you think.
I once waited for 2 years for CBT, just to be told that I wasn’t ‘sick enough’ to warrant therapy and was discharged. They based this off of one form I filled out and never actually did a session with me. (I have anxiety and perfectionist tendencies so those forms are not helpful for me to explain how I’m actually feeling and I struggle to be honest on them for fear of ‘getting it wrong’)
I was looking for a comment like this and I just want to add that another issue with therapy through the nhs or through a school/university is that you get placed with a therapist who may not specialize in the help you need, or who you may simply not click with. I think most (good) therapists agree that one of the most important aspects which affects the success of therapy is a clients relationship and comfortability with the therapist. With the nhs you simply don't have that choice to work with a therapist who really works for you. I don't necessarily think better help is the answer but I do think that lower income people deserve access to a therapist that they actually feel comfortable with.
I have in the past had to use the NHS for mental health support and I am know fortunate enough that I can afford private. Knowing the difference I feel angry at how bad mental health care on the NHS is. Having to wait a year or longer to get help when you typically only reach out when you're at crisis point. Not getting to choose your therapist, so having no idea whether this person that will know you more indemnity than anyone you know, you even like or gel with. Having no idea if the therapist you see has the relavent therapeutic experience to deal with your mentle health issue or trauma. The assumption that CBT is the correct type of therapy for everyone. THE 6 SESSIONS! OMG you didn't get that way in 6hrs hour are you getting out of it in 6 hours! The only good thing I have to say about NHS mental health support is it's better than nothing. I have been bottling that for some time.
Oh yeah, 100%! I got referred to a therapist in my local area and was overjoyed - finally I could talk to someone for free! However all I did was fill out questionnaires, and the guy was rude and dismissive. I was worried that I had OCD and fit most of the diagnostic criteria, yet he just told me I had anxiety and I would need CBT. Then later he said I would need multiple sessions for the issues I had on top of that (Social Anxiety, depression etc)... which the NHS definitely wouldn't be able to give. Now I'm just stuck saving up money for a private therapist :(
You're the only influencer I've seen to actually speak on why BetterHelp isn't great. (Possibly because you're able to / care enough to look into companies before saying yes)
Computer scientist here. Regarding your take on VPN: Generally, they can add an additional layer of security. Have a look at the address bar in your browser. Everything before the question mark is known to your ISP and all the nodes between your machine (e.g. possibly public WIFI routers) and the target machine (e.g. the server hosting the website). If there is no question mark, this applies to the entire address. With a VPN your ISP only sees you connecting to the VPN server and nothing beyond that. Meanwhile the website sees the VPN server requesting information and nothing beyond that. How trustworthy the VPN company is a different question.
Yeah it's transferring your trust from your ISP to the VPN company and they can be various levels of trustworthy but it often feels like the ads pitch ALL VPNs as trustworthy automatically and... No.
@@isabelleb.3653 Depends on your definition of safe. I'd say, the most you can reasonably do is deactivate script execution in your browser (activate it only manually on sites you trust), be careful what software you install, don't click on links you get in your mails if you don't trust the sender (and expeced the mail from them), deactivate automatic download of media on your mail client, double-check mails you get from your bank and subscription services, use secure passwords, keep your system up to date and potentially use a trustworthy VPN and antivirus software. That should keep you safe from most attacks that aren't specifically aimed at you. Getting around government surveillance and the more pesky types of ad-tracking/profiling is even more of a hassle and beyond even my knowledge, as I'm but a humble AI researcher and have little to do with cyber-security.
Ahhhh yeah the tiers are the best haha. We've learned lessons trying to make this work over the years but it BAFFLES me how little research brands put in before sending an email smh. Great video Leena!
yeah it feels like they're just throwing spaghetti at the walls and seeing what sticks! Glad you liked it, I've always admired the way you guys do brand deals! x
I was about to comment the same thing! I feel like there's much disconnect between buying eco friendly/ethical/cruelty free things and then promoting Amazon. (I get it if that's the only place you can find something but often it's not...)
@@littlereddragon agree! Audible is the thing I find it hardest to find an alternative for, that’s why I’d love the people whose ethical video essays I watch to recommend something different! Love Lena for this.
@@littlereddragon for sure! plus a lot of sustaiablility youtubers disclose their lifestyle as one for those who can afford it and the fact is that amazon is not cheap. I mean, look at Audible. One book a month? scribd does unlimited books per month for £9.99 and the libby app is comepletely free
It's great to see how much you think about what you promote. Also a series of you learning to place dungeons and dragons would be great, even if you ended up hating it!
I only found ads annoying when I was overconsuming youtube, now I refuse to use ad blocker and am just more intentional with what I watch. Win win because I need less screen time!
there are some websites I just find completely unusable without Adblocker, e.g. Fakebook, and the "local" news network which goes by the name of AnyTownLive owned by ReachPLC
Finally finally someone calling out better help they are absolutely saturating podcasts etc and it just feels like it could open up people in a vulnerable position to more vulnerability
Not sure about in the UK, but in the US libraries have apps in place to borrow audiobooks! People make it seem like audible is the only option but it’s not! (except audible exclusives I guess which is a whole other discussion that makes my blood boil tbh)
@@BookChats it’s honestly so stupid (and maybe problematic? Like can you imagine a huge book release not being available physically at a library? Some people only read via audio!)
@@thoughtsofkatie5592 I think it's a lot less of a problem if it's that specific narrator that's exclusive. For example, the Rosamund Pike narrated Pride and Prejudice. But when you literally cannot listen to that book without Audible like, I know authors have to get paid but still.
UK librarian bod here - yes, we have audiobooks on apps from libraries (we have them in my library). But the choice is very limited, compared to my Audible account. With Audible, I have nearly 300 titles (I joined pre-Amazon days) and access to the thousands of titles in the Plus catalogue. Even with multiple library memberships, I would not be able to get all the audiobooks I want, and in some cases (for example, my very first Audible purchase!) no-one else was offering the audiobook.
It took me the pandemic to finally get into dungeons and dragons. I would compare it to trying to tell a story with friends and as people add to it, chaos ensues. It was so much fun, if you're ever in the mood to try it, doing an exploratory style series on it would be really interesting (even if you find you didn't like it as much).
Tried Function of Beauty because some influencers recommended it. Within months it totally destroyed my hair. It was brittle and breaking off constantly. So, yeah, never again.
I was looking into getting it because I could customize it to be free of allergens, but I found Carina Organics at the grocery store. I'm not allergic to, and works really well for me. A nurse actually suggested the brand I found there, so I'm glad I found something that works, and actually uses recycled plastic in the bottles, which I also like. Sometimes asking a hairdresser for suggestions can help too, one time I got a haircut and they asked what I used, saying it was a good one.
I saw Prose hair recommended by someone, not sponsored. They claim to be carbon neutral and ethically get materials, as well as everything being recycled. One issue I'll say is you can't customize ingredients to NOT be in the products, which seems kinda ridiculous to me considering it's supposed to be personalized. But from what I've heard, it works well, and is at least mildly ethical.
If you need to go off the audible train i'd recommend checking out if your local library is part of Libby or similar audio/ebook services. You can use the service for free with your library card. Only downside is that like a real library there is only x copies of each book so you might have to have books on hold for a while. However they have so many great books including books i didn't know i wanted to read! tldr: USE YOUR LIBRARIES!
Thanks for such a thought-provoking video (as always!) Just wanted to share that Jessica Kellgren-Fozard has done a partnerships with Better Help, has actually used the platform, and found it suited her needs very well. The main bonus for her was that due to her disabilities getting to physical therapy sessions was often difficult, and sometimes impossible. I know a lot more therapists are now operating online, but that wasn't an option not too long ago. That definitely doesn't undo recording your calls 🤯 but just wanted to share another accessibility factor for it.
Funny what you said about blinkist because I have seen sponcon for them before and they always make sure to highlight that if you like what you heard, you could rent/buy the book in app at a discount. When framed like that, I have come to think of the service as a way of getting an audible summary of the content to determine if the whole book is worth your time. Also, heard it pitch as a way to reinforce key take-aways/messages from non-fiction you have already read OR prime you on the key points of a book you are about to/are currently reading. I think that when presented in that way, it basically sounds like a Wikipedia page, but listenable which is a very different kettle of fish
D&D being on the end of the list of the entire time was killing me. I am over here worried I am about to find out something horrible about a company I give way too much money too lol I would love to see you be a new d&d player!
I love that Lena's so critical about who she works with! In context of BetterHelp, i just felt like mentioning that you don't need to be in a bad place mental health wise to benefit from therapy. Everyone can benefit from it - and it should absolutely be free.
Personally, I'm subscribed to Blinkist but I use it not to replace nonfiction but to decide what nonfiction I want to buy and read the full book. I always find it so difficult to find the kind that I feel will work for me and Blinkist gives me more information than the blurb on the back. Last year I read 0 nonfiction and this year I've already bought 5 books because of Blinkist.
The 'Leena you are a business person, stop saying "business" ' moment is such a small business owner vibe that I feel in my bones girl. Telling off your self-deprecation, the attitude win we all need.
Fun fact I learned in therapy: when the part of your brain that makes you feel shame is activated, you are physiologically unable to create new memories. So, shaming someone (or yourself) for anything is the worst way to evoke change. Also, thanks for sharing your perspective about omaze. As someone who gives charitably on occasion and wouldn’t need to be bribed to do so I didn’t consider the fact that yes, these extravagant prizes are feeding inequality. The type of decision that they’re making isn’t going to promote a more ethical way of thinking, even though it might raise money for a cause. It’s the collective mindset that needs to change.
Aaaaaa thank you Leena!! Better help sponsorships are an immediate turn off to me as they show me that the TH-camr in question potentially doesn’t vet their sponsors very thoroughly
After trying BetterHelp, I'm not convinced that it's all that great. And actually your point Leena about it being made the responsibility of the patient to check their therapist's credentials.. that was not something I was aware of, but sort of makes sense in the context of my experience. My therapist was a lovely lady but pretty unprofessional - she was constantly late to our sessions, and kept promising that she would send follow-up notes and activities that never materialised. One of the reasons I was seeking therapy was for social anxiety, and I found that the way she was treating our sessions actually made me feel more anxious - like, if she wasn't following up, was it because she wasn't taking me seriously? I think she was fitting her therapy sessions around a different job that wasn't therapy-related - which isn't an issue in and of itself, but it kind of came to a head when I'd had a really fucking horrendous week (my Nan had passed away), and I really could have done with the support. But when it came to my BetterHelp session, my therapist said that she couldn't hold the session via a voice call like we normally did, because she was in the breakroom at her job? So there I was, in tears about my Nan, and my therapist was trying to comfort me via messages because she was unable to initiate a voice call. It just wasn't working. It was honestly probably less helpful than not having the sessions at all.
Also, I bought a face mask that was mentioned by a pretty big Irish influencer only to find out when it arrived that it actively says on it that it has not been tested for safety! (think it comes from the US). I did in the end decide to use it and like it, but will definitely be wary of what that influencer endorses from now on (in one of their more recent videos, they chucked away a bunch of free clothes they got from a spon literally a few months ago, because they didn't like the quality of the fabric...)
@@kathrynlambert5233 I think what she does with her decluttered clothing is not really the point of this discussion, but rather the fact that she decided to work with a company whose products she doesn‘t really like / wouldn‘t recommend. That being said, bringing your clothing to charity is a whole other problem (you really need to do a lot of research to make sure that your clothes go to a good place that you can support). But the biggest problem here is glorifying over-consumption by saying that bringing the stuff to charity later makes it fine / is a good thing.
@@kathrynlambert5233 Sorry, @pialupa is right, my issue is not what she did with the clothes, completely agree that holding onto stuff you don't wear is wasterful, although again agree, I know there are issues with charity shops, fabric recycling, clothes banks etc. It was the fact she worked with a brand who she clearly hadn't researched as she endorsed their products before deciding shortly afterwards that she doesn't like them...
I'm so glad you discussed why you didn't work with better help! Lots of the influencers I follow are now promoting Better Help and all it does is make me stressed and sad that I can't afford mental health support/therapy. The rhetoric of "for the love of god, just get therapy" can be so damaging to those of us who would seek support in a second but have too many obstacles to overcome to access it. I also love the movement of influencers being more transparent! Fab :D
I use ad blocker most of the time because of sometimes ads on websites can and do have virus's linked to them. BUT I would much rather give money to the person through Patreon or tip them for their information. I am privileged though that I have the ability to be able to tip and support people on patreon that I love! Wonderful video as always!!
i tried out hello fresh for a while because i'd seen it advertised on youtube a lot and was struggling to shop for groceries for various reasons and it was fine. we used the service for a couple of months and it really helped us for a time, but there's a lot of waste that comes with it and their vegetarian options i personally found really limited. i totally get why people need to use meal delivery services like hello fresh but if i need to use one again will probably look for a different one
I used Blue Apron instead of Hello Fresh, which actually has more packaging than Hello Fresh, but I liked that it felt more like it was teaching me how to cook new things and was helpful in that way.
One of the things that bothers me about meal kits like HF (and Chef's Plate here in Canada) is that they send you these 'spice blends' for their recipes and don't tell you what's in them so you can replicate the recipe yourself, they harp on about being sustainable due to reduced food waste, but then deliberately prevent you from being able to source the ingredients yourself. One of the main reasons I enjoyed using those kits on and off (I basically used to run a trial, stretch it out to one box a month then cancel it) was to get out of a rut and learn some new recipe ideas more than the convenience, so it's a bummer when you get a really nice recipe that comes with 3 little sachets of top-secret spice mix. To me cooking is about sharing knowledge, not copyrighting it. I wouldn't even mind if they at least gave the option of purchasing their special spices and seasonings in large containers, although I am sure they'd charge the bloody earth for it...
Thank you for helping me realize I can research to find sustainable shoe companies. That was one area that I haven't looked into enough. I have no idea why. I guess because I don't buy shoes online and so was just buying from stores locally. And now that I know what companies are ethical and environmentally sustainable, I guess I can also see if my local stores have those shoes. I have very large and odd feet and so finding shoes that fit is a struggle. But I don't buy shoes that often, so I can take more time in looking. 😊
I know I can't judge, obviously if I'm aware of these influencers then it means they're acheiving their goals in some ways, but there is a specific type of influencer who's brand is environementalism/being eco-friendly, who then have looong term partnerships with Audible (and similar) that I just can't watch because I just don't want to have to constantly fight the urge to leave comments. The thing is, and maybe it's hypocritical of me, but if I got the feeling that these influencers needed the income to get by, I would feel differently about them. But then there's lifestyle/budget info that slips through the videos, or they explicitly do a video on their budget, and I realize that they're living a lifestyle I could only ever dream of (for example their monthly take-out/restaurant budget is more than what I spend on rent, etc). And like, people should be paid a living wage for what they do! They worked hard to get where they are, I'm sure! On the other hand, it feels so unfair that I know so many people who work hard and earn significantly less and get a lot less praise for their efforts to be eco-friendly even though they probably have a smaller carbon footprint (I know that's a dicey concept in itself) than said eco influencers just due to different economic circumstances. I just don't know how to feel about it. Anyways, sorry for the tangent. I really appreciate the effort you put into vetting the brands you work with, it's really a breath of fresh air! ETA : a friend mentioned that there was a VPN company that used people's computers to mine cryptocurrency? Not at all sure of it but if it's true that would be, um, not great.
I have had better help recommended to me as a way to find a therapist and I haven't tried it because I saw some reviews that therapists don't always stay on long term and can't take you with them if they leave the app since they found you through the app (and probably signed a noncompete clause). And I didn't like the idea of short term relationships with therapists
Hey someone else mentioned Mickey Atkin's video about better help but some of the resources she recommended were psychology today and therapy den as ways to find therapists. These sites seem US centric to me but they are worth checking out if they apply to you.
THANK YOU for speaking out against better help! I worked for them for 2 years as a therapist. Their pay is absolutely abysmal and I was going to the food bank while I worked for them.
I would LOVE to see you try Dungeons and Dragons Leena! I'm dying to give it a go but I want to play in person and none of my mates are interested, so I'm stuck living vicariously through others.
I tried Fiverr due to a podcast ad and the whole experience was great! I worked with an editor to make a vacation reel. I'd definitely use them again. I've almost bought a Tushy bidet a couple of times due to sponsored ads, but haven't yet.
For Blinkist, I've definitely read whole books and found myself thinking "this should have been a TED talk" or, skip the book just watch the TED talk and for those titles I can see a summary being great. I think those books are often concentrated in a few specific genres (I'm looking at you business books and popular self-help!) And I would personally rather check reviews from my trusted reviewers and avoid those books overall than pay for a service to summarize them.
Yeeesss... Many "business" books could be an infographic. Do some people need to read 5 different anecdotes to illustrate the same point? Maybe. There's a case to be made for going back to a summary after reading the book to refresh understanding of frameworks, to avoid reading 10 stories about venture capitalists.
@@amymlavila7100 hilariously one of the more business-y books I actually liked was the Heath brother (?) Book about decisions. They very intentionally summarize each chapter at the end and yet I felt like it had really applicable material so, I don't even know my own mind!!
Before I forget, vis a vis audiobooks, please check out your local library!! most modern libraries are going to have subscriptions to multiple services that have ebooks and audiobooks you can check out digitally, and it's free! and it creates stats for your library, which is generally how funding is determined!! Please visit your local library pls and thx
The discount apps will also sell your shopping data to advertisers, so that they can better sell you stuff you do not need, at times when you are most likely to spend money. Most people do not realize how intimate and revealing their shopping data is. Subscription services also have counter measures against VPN services, such as locking the region to your billing address, so you may end up paying for nothing in the end, if your main goal is to gain access to foreign entertainment.
"I want to know in the comments below if you have ever bought something because of an influencer." Yes! You! I saw a photo of you wearing a Lucy & Yak brown Blake fleece with moons and suns which made me buy it. Thank you, it's my most worn L&Y item.
Love this video! Just wanted to comment to sing the praises of dungeons and dragons. For me personally, it's been a wonderful group creative outlet. It's a way to do collaborative storytelling with my friends within a structure that is super flexible. It feels so joyful and indulgent to just make up a world together and pretend to be our different little characters. I've really gotten into it over the last two years, when I haven't been able to spend much (if any) time with friends in person. Playing dungeons and dragons virtually weekly has let us all stay in touch regularly and do something creative together! Especially with your theater background, I would love for you to give it a try someday if you get the chance!
Aaaannnd that's why I have never done a brand deal. I never begrudge other creators doing them, becuase I don't know if they have a family medical emergency to pay for, or are saving to move out of an unsafe environment, or what have you, but I think any creator that is in a position to say no to questionable brands should of course. I feel it is a privilege I have to turn down such sponsorships, one afforded to me by both my patrons and my own background of familial financial support (living at 'home' for free), but I know not everyone has those things in their corner. There have been times where a creator I like has had super conflicting sponsorships though which always does feel odd, like their message is anti-capitalist but brought to you by amazon...and wait what?!?
I remember buying the first 'book' that FleurdeForce came out with when I was a teenager, I wasn't even into makeup I wanted to support her, and I remember how much she talked about working on it etc in vlogs. Needless to say that book was a joke/scam. Stopped following her shortly after because I also realised how much of the content started being consumerism and promoting stuff.
Leena, this may be my favourite video of yours so far. Was pleasantly surprised that this discussion segwayed into so many really interesting discussions of business practise, consumerism and trying to be ethical in a capitalist world. As always you're so articulate and made some wonderful points that have really changed my outlook. Gaining some incredible insights from the comments as well. Definitely tempted to join the Gumption Club!! Xx
The only thing I’ve ever purchased from a TH-camr/ influencer was Hannah Harts holiday merch while she was couch surfing for content. Now this was before I became an advocate for slow fashion and did not check the manufacturing of the sweater I purchased but it was an adorable “Seasons Greetings” pullover with salt and pepper shakers dancing around a border of veggies. This is still a treasured piece in my wardrobe of nearly 6 years. I love your content and definitely considering letting the ads play through now. Thank you Lena for always for bringing transparency and perspective to all that you do.🤘👁👥
The company that owns D&D, Wizards of the Coast, is huge and very profitable (and has always been very White and Male). So I would be SHOCKED if there weren't quite a few big stories if you do your Google search. Thank you for being so thorough and dedicated to honesty when accepting sponsorships. I honestly think that a large percentage of my purchases (outside of my needs) have been influenced by the folks I watch on TH-cam - but many of them seem to take their roles as influencers seriously, and I appreciate that.
This is so interesting! I have always assumed people just aren't that selective about brands -- not because TH-camrs are Bad People but because a) it takes a lot of energy and time to look into some of this stuff and b) I had sort of assumed there was enough scarcity in the TH-cam advertising space that only the really REALLY big channels could afford to be choose-y.
Thanks for your nuanced point of view on an incredibly nuanced subject ! I've bought a couple of things after seeing influencers review them : Archer&Olive notebooks, Organic basics bras, Lucy&yak clothes ... And I have so many books I want to read because of you and Ariel Bisset X) Also, I want to buy a ruby cup because of your "tier ranking period products" video. So, yes, we can be influenced (it's normal, we are all influenced by something : internt, films, series, family, friends, ....) but we can reasearch the brands and make good choices. If I "have to" buy someting new, I want it to be good for me and the best possible for the workers, the animals and the environnement.
I bought lingerie because of the Instagram influencer, but mostly because I have sensory issues, and the influencer was really vocal about her sensory issues, and I trusted her that if she says all of those stitches, and materials don't bother her, they would be ok for me and I sometimes want to have nice things. And I wasn't wrong, bras are really cool and really beautiful. I've also bought some adult toys from a recommendation, but it was a person that focuses on sex education and does reviews. Both of them are really transparent when they do sponsorships and that's why I trusted them.
I never really thought about adblocker that way! I mostly thought "oh nice no ads" but didnt really think about the consequences. So I've just subscribed to your patreon and will start adding other youtubers I like to watch
I had reservations about better help despite needing therapy, so I looked elsewhere. I have found that **most therapists these days are offering telehealth as an option** anyways (discounted too usually). So the only advantage of better help is really cost and the ease of access (which as you say Leena, are things that shouldn't be an issue for anyone in the first place, let alone something that we have to pay for-profit companies to resolve ourselves). If you're thinking about joining better help, have a look and see if you can't find a therapist offering telehealth directly, it might be a little more expensive but you'll also be getting what you pay for, plus most therapists offer sliding scales for low-income individuals. Some practices have grad students doing practicums with them and you can get therapy with them for super cheap. You could also try Universities that have Psych departments as they may offer discounted services as a way for students to earn their practicum hours. For those of you in the UK, free healthcare is great, but mental health services suck and have incredibly long waiting lists, by the time you hear back from a GP referral you'll either have figured it out on your own or gotten seriously worse. If you want to get better, do try and find a way to afford private therapy, if you're suffering it's truly worth it.
The thing about BetterHelp is, it isn't even cheaper than just paying for a standard private therapist? According to the website it is between £40 and £70 per week...a session with a private therapist is generally £50-60 per weekly session in the UK, and a lot of them will offer discounts if you really can't afford that.
💯 appreciate your perspective on and diligent approach to sponsorship. I use a VPN because I'm an Aussie living in Singapore. Need to pretend am in Aus in order to watch our national tv stations (ABC and SBS). I will confess to also using to to pretend am in the UK to watch BBC 🤭
THANK YOU for putting Audible at the bottom ❤️ I don't waste energy hating on most of the content creators I follow for taking those sponsorships because I know they need to be paid too but I definitely find it frustrating the way so many people I follow claim to be really principled about their sponcon and then still use Amazon and shill Audible anyway :T
I can't see an earlier comment I made. Maybe youtube thought it was spam because I had a link on it? Anyway, glad you didn't sponsor Gates' book. His foundation convinced Oxford to get their covid-19 vaccine patented, instead of making it more accessible early in the pandemic. Unconscionable, in my view. I just wish more people knew that about Gates. Love your vid and the thought that you put into sponsorships!
I am have dyslexia (undiagnosed, but certainly on the spectrum) so a combination of a good summary + the authors long form podcast about the book is how I end up learning more about certain topics.
I was aghast when I learned about Blinkist, because it seems like the company does some interpretation of the text for the reader. I don’t want a company telling people what the takeaways of a book are.
Enjoyed this, tho I must say as someone in antidepressants since 2006, MH care is something (like the dentist) you need to go private with in the UK because the services just aren't there...
I don't use blinkist, but the people I know who use it do so mostly as a tool to determine if the book in question is one that they want to read entirely. Like an extended back-cover summary.
this is so refreshing! i sometimes wonder what the decision making process that youtubers use to decide whether they take a sponsorship or not, so i’m glad that you are so candid! it was helpful to hear how you think through it and that you have integrity and steadfast values, which is what i really admire from you! thanks, leena!
I looked for any other comments about this, but I wanted to let you know the cards you allude to in the video are missing. Also: Great video! (as always) :)
VPN in the USA: using a VPN for anywhere in Europe means companies have to ask before tracking me and I can say no, which is a wonderful amount privacy that isn't given to us here
As a librarian I support your thoughts on blinkist. I haven't looked into it beyond hearing ads for it but what those left me with was "but what about the people who wrote that whole book?!" Also there is, like you say, a reason why books are the size they are - not everything can be explained in 15 minutes!
For me, I tend to buy merch tees (one of the very few new bits of clothing I purchase) - but I only do it when I need new PJs's so at Xmas, I needed x3 new pairs of PJ's, I bought x3 pairs of flannel pants from vinted then x1 merch tee each from My Great Challenge, Emily D Baker and Peter Monn. Very happy with supporting them in a small way and love the tees, not too hard on my bank or the environment. I also watch the ads and I usually support Hannah Louise Poston and Kimberly Clarke on Patron. I have also purchased Etsy goods from Bernadette Banner and Carolyn Marie Reads. But I do have the habit of reducing my support as TH-camrs get bigger and look to support other smaller TH-camrs as I have set budgets and I want how I spend it to have the biggest inpact.
Something about BetterHelp, I refuse to do anything about them, even if it's a video sponsored by them, I just can't. They ran these ads on TH-cam a few years ago that illustrated what a depressive episode and panic attacks looked like, and they gave me nightmares... It was so scary, that even seeing ads for them that don't have that, have that negative image come back into my head. Like if you're promoting mental health... Don't make people's mental health worse in your ads! It just was so bad it ruined them for me completely. But online therapists also don't take insurance plans, so I go to local places that have coverage, or free services.
To answer your question if ive bought somthing off ads, yes! I bought a tablet and its been soooo nice. very thankful for that creator since that tablet is the reason i can do my work so effectively!
I have bought something because of Leena. I have sensory issues that mean I really struggle to try new foods. But I was watching a video from Leena about the environment and decided I wanted to try and eat less meat even if it was going to be difficult, so this week at the supermarket, I bought lentils and beans and jackfruit. And last night’s dinner featured lentils and no meat and it was good and I’ll be doing that again. There’s also been many books I have bought thanks to Leena’s recommendation and also books from other youtubers recommendations. Thanks to Leena I have also not bought things (she taught me about no buys and I did a no buy year). The only thing I think I’ve bought that was a sponsorship and not just something someone happened to talk about, was when I needed a computer backup cloud service. I remembered one sponsoring a podcast (Dear Hank and John) and went with that company because I didn’t know where else to even start looking otherwise.
Those comments about influencers not being sure if they add value with their work: makes me want to comment for yourself when you're feeling like that: value received many times over! Thank you thank you thank you ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I really liked this video. Thank you for being so open about sponsorships. One more problem with betterhelp is that they market themselves as a cheaper option for therapy but that the same time they say in the terms of service that it is not a substitute for actual therapy. For me it feels like a very irresponsible thing to promote the company as an option if you aren't promising really anything. It is just cruel.
I tried the free trial of Blinkist and I liked the concept, because you can get an idea of the book you’re interested in is worth the read, imo. Nothing worse than buying a book that’s a complete dud and waste of time to read. That being said, I do listen to audiobooks every day.
I absolutely agree with you advocating for reading whole books! A 15 min snippet compared to an entirely well researched and thought out book is so different.
Leena I know your heart is in the right place but as someone living in the UK with little money due to living on benefits due to mental ill health…I have things to say around your thoughts on being privileged to live in the UK and have free healthcare. I have… stories… about our free mental health care!
I tried function of beauty after Bernadette Banner was sponsored by it and actually loved it, I only bought it once because it is an extortionate amount of money for shampoo and horrendous for the environment but I think because it was her, I bought it and it wasn't a horrific experience!
In regards to Bill Gates and other "philanthropist" ventures by billionaires, I would look up the controversies surrounding Bridge Academy for-profit schools in East Africa and that World Bank loans that require the privatisation of water services. Neo-colonialism disguised as "philanthropy".
![[Re:all TREASURE] EP.6 in 방콕ㅣ🚩 쩡캠의 방콕 투어 빵 마이 와이 👍](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/uyFw-nItA_s/mqdefault.jpg)
we stan an influencer who understands the nuances of sponsorships (especially the problems with betterhelp)
The thing about Lana Del Rey wearing Shein is so interesting to me because you KNOW that someone in her team bought 20-30 options for that event, and the rest of them will never have been worn. So she is giving off this image of 'oh so relatable and shops in the same cheap places as you' but actually her team probably spent a ton of money for her to look that relatable.
as a former celebrity stylist assistant that is exactly what happened. I can promise you she doesnt know what shein is and more than likely no one told her that outfit costs 20 dollars.
@@elenarotov5442 Some people theorised that what she was wearing was the actual dress and the SHEIN version was a cheaper dupe. Do you think that could have been the case?
@@natasham4184 Well, shein is known for copying other designers, big or small. I´d love to know more about this particular case.
I am SO glad Dungeons and Dragons went straight into "It's not you, it's me". I was terrified for a moment.
Oh gosh same, I was so worried!!!
Same! I was like, “oh no Dungeon, what did you do??”
Wait, why? I know more than a few people who speak very highly of D&D… beyond the “satanic panic” of the 90s and early 00s, what is controversial about Dungeons and Dragons? It’s a storytelling game where the group co-authors the story. Many “campaigns” have lasted years and have cultivated rich and meaningful friendships??? Am I missing some huge D&D scandal, or are people erroneously convinced D&D is satanic? I’m really confused.
@@bexbergh4295 dnd is fine! People were worried that Leena would have turned them down for scandals, but she didn't. She just doesn't play
@@bexbergh4295 Yeah like Claudia said, I personally really love D&D and was initially worried when "Dungeons and Dragons" popped up in Leenas list - I thought maybe they had done something weird or had been rude oder there was a scandal I wasn't aware of. So I'm very relieved that it was just a case of "they're great, it just wasn't the right time for a sponsorship", and some fellow D&D lovers here seem to feel the same way :)
Betterhelp also has HUGE issues with workers rights (therapists being paid by word count) and encourages bad boundaries between clients and therapists (advertising constant availability). please never collaborate with them
They also would not be able to prescribe meds if you needed them. They are basically talk therapy which may not be what people experiencing a mental crisis need.
A thing that annoys me about the better help ads is they always make the sponsored person talk about how you won’t have to wait in those « awful, awkward waiting rooms » for your therapist and I fear it is putting into peoples heads that the waiting room is inherently awkward but that hasn’t been my experience with waiting rooms and therapists want to put you in a comfortable state for you to be able to talk through your problems and they try to make their offices nice
i also think this is very important! in-person therapy is also more intimate and therapists really do try to make their clients comfortable.
Yes! That always bugs me too. Honestly just sitting in the waiting room of my university's counseling center with all the plants did as much good as the actual therapy.
As a therapist, I’ve anecdotally heard about how therapists are not paid enough for the work and this new industry of ~online therapy companies~ is just straight sus. Go to a therapist whom your doctor refers you to.
Idk, I think it's the other way around. The ad copy is written that way, I suspect, because waiting rooms in a lot of clinical settings like dental offices and stuff _are_ uncomfortable. It's probably a big barrier to entry for a lot of people to trying out in-person therapy. Their promise to not force you into a waiting room isn't really creating new fears imo, more playing off discomfort that's already there.
A lot of companies and influencers have benefited from social anxiety...
I audibly gasped when you stated Betterhelp record their online therapy sessions. That isn't the worst issue you raised in the video of course but it just seems so obviously wrong and creepy.
my heart dropped to my stomach omg 🤢 just proves that nothing online is never 100% private
No, that doesn't prove it. It proves that you always have to read the entitr TOS and privacy policy if you're giving a company *any* sensitive data, and be that *just* your email adress.
Wow, I completely regret trying it now. I did a few sessions, and it actually helped get me through a tough spot. But never would I have wanted the sessions to be recorded.... Is it in the fine print?
Thanks for mentioning the disability point. A lot of disabled creators I know find themselves in the position of working with far from perfect brands because there isn't the option of going back to an office for them because the 9-5 office job situation was so inaccessible to them. I always think that especially in the UK and the situation around the precariousness of being employed whilst disability & disability benefits being as it is, I'd rather support disabled creators working for not-so-great brands than to hound them for it. Interestingly the experiences I've seen online has done the opposite - people going hard for disabled people but not for the abled, white, rich girls promoting SHEIN hauls 🤷🏻♀️.
Definitely! I have noticed people even calling out disabled creators for using services that they need due to their disability.
@@khazermashkes2316 As someone with chronic conditions myself, it sometimes forces me to use services, apps, or websites that I don't agree with. Like buying a wrist brace from Amazon because they were 4x the price elsewhere, and not even in local stores. My management classes have talked about how bad Amazon is, but when it comes to being in pain, or buying an item from them, I'd rather not be in pain. Although I have found some good products from small businesses, some things just aren't available. I did find good companies for most other things, from allergy masks, to protein shakes that are dairy free, that don't involve a middleman, or if they do have a separate store selling stuff, it's a local store, not Amazon or Walmart. It's a matter of trying your best, but also knowing your limits. I also sew a lot of my own clothes, but can't in all cases, so I have bought some stuff from Costco, which has some issues, but I knew it was better than the dollar store, for quality and work conditions.
I was going to reccomend you watch Mickey Atkins' excellent video about how betterhelp is bad for therapists too. She talked about how Betterhelp preys on therapists desires to start their own private practice and then traps them in a contract with little money and you have to be accessible to your clients 24/7! Yikes! But unfortunatley the video was removed literally yesterday. She said she didn't want to get into why but it seems like maybe it was an outside force making her take it down. Also I believe betterhelp owns Pride Councelling which is exactly the same thing as betterhelp but aimed at LGBTQ+ people. We love targeting dodgy practices at struggling minorities! Overall Betterhelp is just one big yikes!
i was going to recommend this video too until i saw your comment! i had no idea she took it down. having had a bad experience with the company myself, i always get a weird feeling when i hear people promoting it even though i think it's usually well-intentioned. comforted to see that other people are on the better-help-is-questionable-bandwagon.
Wow! Thank you for sharing this info. I met my therapist years ago through Talkspace (a BetterHelp competitor). It was exactly what I needed at the time, and I still work with her to this day, but directly now rather than through Talkspace. But she has since left TS because the platform kept raising prices and it felt like it was more focused on profit than being accessible for people with different income means (hello capitalism). She also mentioned that the 24/7 contact availability expectation of the therapy apps could be unhealthy for both practitioners and clients. She and I use a free medical messaging app now called pMD. There we can still text and send voice notes and images like you can on TS & BH and then use Doxy.me to have a fortnightly call session.
I don't understand why therapists are signing up to it to be honest. I can start my own private practice and offer services overseas any time I like (not that I'd need to, plenty of local people wanting to be seen virtually). Why sign up with any middle man?
I was so disappointed (not with Mickey) when I saw her announcement about needing to remove the video. It was such a comprehensive explanation of all the ways BetterHelp and similar apps are bad for both patients and therapists.
I have ... heard.... that certain service is very free with cease and desist things or equivalents.
If anyone needs swaying over whethet to become a Patron of Leena's I can't express enough how wonderful The Gunption Club is. Everyone is so up for helping each other out and is such a joyous corner of the internet that you don't really fine elsewhere!
Yes, it’s my favourite corner of the internet 🥰
I don't have facebook, do you need it to be involved with the community?
@@maleahlock unfortunately the community is mostly Facebook based :( I've recently deactivated my Facebook and I miss it
I miss supporting Leena but when the extra videos were posted I found I couldn't afford if anymore. I also don't have Facebook so didn't really get the opportunity to mingle with other patrons. Is Facebook an ethical platform to be hosting your supporters on ?
@@maggylina2191 Totally understand, I also change my Patreon support according to what I can afford, have recently stopped supporting a couple of people due to my financial situation changing. Did you know that you can cap your pledge for Leena’s videos and most other creators? You can set a monthly limit to how many things/videos you support, I think the smallest amount is £1 (so one thing per month). Just in case you wanted to return :) but I think that’s also the beauty of Patreon, you can come back, chop and change, and do what works for you.
Regarding the question of is Facebook an ethical place to host a community, short answer, probably not. Longer answer is that many creators struggle with this conundrum and there is no real alternative (for example, Amanda Palmer has written about this on her Patreon too). I think it’s a hard decision to make, Facebook has the infrastructure, it’s easy to set up, most people have an account etc. Moving a community that is established to a new platform is also difficult and there aren’t many alternatives that work as well or are as accessible to some. For example, I know there is Discord but I have never fully understood it or managed to use it effectively (older Millennial here 😅) and Patreon doesn’t have its own way of people interacting with each other.
While I have deleted my main Facebook account that I had since I was 16 over a year ago, I have created a fake profile with minimal information to join a few groups like the Gumption club and I don’t regret it. In an ideal world, we’d have ethical video hosting (looking at you TH-cam/Google) and ethical social media platforms (looking at you Facebook/Twitter/Instagram etc) but until then we have to make the best of it, cheating the game as much as we can with fake profiles and fake email addresses I guess 🤷♀️
The people I know who use Blinkist use it to decide which books to read in full for research - if you're needing a lot of sources for a project, a 15-minute summary can help you decide which sources are the closest match for your needs. So long story short, I think if it's being used as a TOOL that will eventually lead you to reading books in full, I don't have a problem with it.
For many years I've been broke. TH-cam and a basic internet connection is my TV. To help out the channels, I have never used an ad blocker and unless the ad is 5 minutes long, I generally watch it. In August of last year I got the most amazing job. One of my first thoughts was: How can I give back? Now I'm a Pateron to a few smaller TH-cam channels that I enjoy watching (You're one Leena! 💖 ) I found your channel around the time I got my job, because I all of a sudden had money to buy more ethically sourced products, and I stuck around for the wise information you dole out.
Speaking to the free-ness and availability of NHS therapy - it's not. The mental health system in the UK is absolutely terrible. You can wait years for 6 sessions of CBT which is only helpful for some people and some problems, and 6 sessions is the "average people need" but all the people who need more don't get more, they just kick you out.
I know too many people who eventually got their 6 sessions only to be kicked out in an even worse situation than they arrived because their 6 sessions were up and they'd just started to get to the underlying issues.
Commenting to draw attention to this although I have commented elsewhere. It seems Leena is fortunate enough to have little experience accessing mental health services through the NHS, but it would be nice for her to acknowledge that it's actually really awful and a massive issue.
I personally tried to access help through the NHS three times as an adult.
The first time the Dr listened to me mention that I am a CSE survivor (which is also in my medical notes), then turned to me and told me I wasn't depressed I was just upset because I'd put on weight. I was 19. I didn't go back.
The next time I was told that unless I was prepared to say I was suicidal, then I wouldn't be seeing anyone for at least a year. I was not even offered medication in the meantime.
The last time, I went to my GP, who said he would refer me to cahms and to expect a letter in the post. The letter took 3 weeks to arrive and contained screening questionnaires to fill out and send back, which I did. I then waited another 2 weeks to receive a letter confirming a telephone appointment, in 6 weeks time. The phone call happened, I began to spill my heart, the person stopped me and asked if I completed the questionnaires, made me answer them again over the phone then said, you qualify for group therapy, you'll receive confirmation you are on the waitlist in the post and hung up. A few weeks later, the letter came, 6-12 month wait **for 6 sessions of group therapy**.
I live in Canada now, where we also have public healthcare. I told my GP I needed help, I was in front of a psychiatrist within a month, with an initial diagnosis, medication and care plan in place the same day. Through work I get an extended health benefits plan that covers me and my partner, which covers 15 sessions a year of private therapy, as well as a bunch of other useful stuff (like massages and private hospital rooms **nice**). Whilst healthcare here is not, like many places, without its issues and flaws, I think the hybrid system works pretty well and I've certainly experienced a better level of care here than in the UK.
If you're reading this and you're getting nowhere with CAHMS/NHS, don't use better help, but do try looking for a private therapist. Some Universities with psych departments offer cheap or free services so their grads can gain work experience, similarly, some private practices take on practicum students and they offer appoints at a fraction of the cost of a fully qualified therapist (these students have passed their studies, and are as good as qualified, but must complete supervised practicum hours to qualify). In these new pandemic times, many therapists now offer telehealth directly and do free 15-minute video consults so you can shop around. A lot of therapists use a sliding scale option for low-income clients, so it's worth asking as it may not be as expensive as you think.
I once waited for 2 years for CBT, just to be told that I wasn’t ‘sick enough’ to warrant therapy and was discharged. They based this off of one form I filled out and never actually did a session with me.
(I have anxiety and perfectionist tendencies so those forms are not helpful for me to explain how I’m actually feeling and I struggle to be honest on them for fear of ‘getting it wrong’)
I was looking for a comment like this and I just want to add that another issue with therapy through the nhs or through a school/university is that you get placed with a therapist who may not specialize in the help you need, or who you may simply not click with. I think most (good) therapists agree that one of the most important aspects which affects the success of therapy is a clients relationship and comfortability with the therapist. With the nhs you simply don't have that choice to work with a therapist who really works for you. I don't necessarily think better help is the answer but I do think that lower income people deserve access to a therapist that they actually feel comfortable with.
I have in the past had to use the NHS for mental health support and I am know fortunate enough that I can afford private. Knowing the difference I feel angry at how bad mental health care on the NHS is. Having to wait a year or longer to get help when you typically only reach out when you're at crisis point. Not getting to choose your therapist, so having no idea whether this person that will know you more indemnity than anyone you know, you even like or gel with. Having no idea if the therapist you see has the relavent therapeutic experience to deal with your mentle health issue or trauma. The assumption that CBT is the correct type of therapy for everyone. THE 6 SESSIONS! OMG you didn't get that way in 6hrs hour are you getting out of it in 6 hours!
The only good thing I have to say about NHS mental health support is it's better than nothing. I have been bottling that for some time.
Oh yeah, 100%! I got referred to a therapist in my local area and was overjoyed - finally I could talk to someone for free! However all I did was fill out questionnaires, and the guy was rude and dismissive. I was worried that I had OCD and fit most of the diagnostic criteria, yet he just told me I had anxiety and I would need CBT. Then later he said I would need multiple sessions for the issues I had on top of that (Social Anxiety, depression etc)... which the NHS definitely wouldn't be able to give. Now I'm just stuck saving up money for a private therapist :(
You're the only influencer I've seen to actually speak on why BetterHelp isn't great. (Possibly because you're able to / care enough to look into companies before saying yes)
PewDiePie talked about it 4 years ago 😅😅
I've seen a few, but I think better help complains and they get removed.. 🤔
Computer scientist here. Regarding your take on VPN: Generally, they can add an additional layer of security. Have a look at the address bar in your browser. Everything before the question mark is known to your ISP and all the nodes between your machine (e.g. possibly public WIFI routers) and the target machine (e.g. the server hosting the website). If there is no question mark, this applies to the entire address. With a VPN your ISP only sees you connecting to the VPN server and nothing beyond that. Meanwhile the website sees the VPN server requesting information and nothing beyond that. How trustworthy the VPN company is a different question.
Yeah it's transferring your trust from your ISP to the VPN company and they can be various levels of trustworthy but it often feels like the ads pitch ALL VPNs as trustworthy automatically and... No.
Any tips on how to stay safe on the Internet in these conditions?
@@isabelleb.3653 Depends on your definition of safe. I'd say, the most you can reasonably do is deactivate script execution in your browser (activate it only manually on sites you trust), be careful what software you install, don't click on links you get in your mails if you don't trust the sender (and expeced the mail from them), deactivate automatic download of media on your mail client, double-check mails you get from your bank and subscription services, use secure passwords, keep your system up to date and potentially use a trustworthy VPN and antivirus software. That should keep you safe from most attacks that aren't specifically aimed at you. Getting around government surveillance and the more pesky types of ad-tracking/profiling is even more of a hassle and beyond even my knowledge, as I'm but a humble AI researcher and have little to do with cyber-security.
Ahhhh yeah the tiers are the best haha. We've learned lessons trying to make this work over the years but it BAFFLES me how little research brands put in before sending an email smh. Great video Leena!
yeah it feels like they're just throwing spaghetti at the walls and seeing what sticks! Glad you liked it, I've always admired the way you guys do brand deals! x
What is this? A crossovers episode?
So excited for this!! Audible has always irked me considering how many sustainability youtubers promote them
I was about to comment the same thing! I feel like there's much disconnect between buying eco friendly/ethical/cruelty free things and then promoting Amazon.
(I get it if that's the only place you can find something but often it's not...)
@@littlereddragon agree! Audible is the thing I find it hardest to find an alternative for, that’s why I’d love the people whose ethical video essays I watch to recommend something different!
Love Lena for this.
@@specialbethx I just listen to audiobooks from the library through cloudlibrary. They don't have every book but its worth a shot!
@@littlereddragon for sure! plus a lot of sustaiablility youtubers disclose their lifestyle as one for those who can afford it and the fact is that amazon is not cheap.
I mean, look at Audible. One book a month? scribd does unlimited books per month for £9.99 and the libby app is comepletely free
@@specialbethx Libby (a library app), Libro FM and Kobo are all good alternatives to Audible!
As a uni student I think blinkist is good to get a general idea on a book and see if it can be useful for what you are researching/writing
It's great to see how much you think about what you promote.
Also a series of you learning to place dungeons and dragons would be great, even if you ended up hating it!
I only found ads annoying when I was overconsuming youtube, now I refuse to use ad blocker and am just more intentional with what I watch. Win win because I need less screen time!
there are some websites I just find completely unusable without Adblocker, e.g. Fakebook, and the "local" news network which goes by the name of AnyTownLive owned by ReachPLC
Finally finally someone calling out better help they are absolutely saturating podcasts etc and it just feels like it could open up people in a vulnerable position to more vulnerability
Not sure about in the UK, but in the US libraries have apps in place to borrow audiobooks! People make it seem like audible is the only option but it’s not! (except audible exclusives I guess which is a whole other discussion that makes my blood boil tbh)
Me every time my library doesn't have the e-audio for a popular, new title: *shakes fist at sky* curse you Audible Exclusives.
@@BookChats it’s honestly so stupid (and maybe problematic? Like can you imagine a huge book release not being available physically at a library? Some people only read via audio!)
@@thoughtsofkatie5592 I think it's a lot less of a problem if it's that specific narrator that's exclusive. For example, the Rosamund Pike narrated Pride and Prejudice. But when you literally cannot listen to that book without Audible like, I know authors have to get paid but still.
@@thoughtsofkatie5592 how far are we really from libraries as a result of austerity ending up going for exclusive deals with specific publishers?
UK librarian bod here - yes, we have audiobooks on apps from libraries (we have them in my library). But the choice is very limited, compared to my Audible account. With Audible, I have nearly 300 titles (I joined pre-Amazon days) and access to the thousands of titles in the Plus catalogue. Even with multiple library memberships, I would not be able to get all the audiobooks I want, and in some cases (for example, my very first Audible purchase!) no-one else was offering the audiobook.
It took me the pandemic to finally get into dungeons and dragons. I would compare it to trying to tell a story with friends and as people add to it, chaos ensues. It was so much fun, if you're ever in the mood to try it, doing an exploratory style series on it would be really interesting (even if you find you didn't like it as much).
Tried Function of Beauty because some influencers recommended it. Within months it totally destroyed my hair. It was brittle and breaking off constantly. So, yeah, never again.
I was looking into getting it because I could customize it to be free of allergens, but I found Carina Organics at the grocery store. I'm not allergic to, and works really well for me. A nurse actually suggested the brand I found there, so I'm glad I found something that works, and actually uses recycled plastic in the bottles, which I also like. Sometimes asking a hairdresser for suggestions can help too, one time I got a haircut and they asked what I used, saying it was a good one.
I saw Prose hair recommended by someone, not sponsored. They claim to be carbon neutral and ethically get materials, as well as everything being recycled. One issue I'll say is you can't customize ingredients to NOT be in the products, which seems kinda ridiculous to me considering it's supposed to be personalized. But from what I've heard, it works well, and is at least mildly ethical.
@@jlbeeen it's frustrating cause everything good isn't cheap 😅
I’ve heard they’re an MLM
If you need to go off the audible train i'd recommend checking out if your local library is part of Libby or similar audio/ebook services. You can use the service for free with your library card. Only downside is that like a real library there is only x copies of each book so you might have to have books on hold for a while. However they have so many great books including books i didn't know i wanted to read!
tldr: USE YOUR LIBRARIES!
Thanks for such a thought-provoking video (as always!)
Just wanted to share that Jessica Kellgren-Fozard has done a partnerships with Better Help, has actually used the platform, and found it suited her needs very well. The main bonus for her was that due to her disabilities getting to physical therapy sessions was often difficult, and sometimes impossible. I know a lot more therapists are now operating online, but that wasn't an option not too long ago.
That definitely doesn't undo recording your calls 🤯 but just wanted to share another accessibility factor for it.
yes, I was thinking about that too!
I low-key have a problem with “sustainability” “zero waste” influencers promoting Audible though :)) like for the love of god, not Amazon!
Funny what you said about blinkist because I have seen sponcon for them before and they always make sure to highlight that if you like what you heard, you could rent/buy the book in app at a discount. When framed like that, I have come to think of the service as a way of getting an audible summary of the content to determine if the whole book is worth your time. Also, heard it pitch as a way to reinforce key take-aways/messages from non-fiction you have already read OR prime you on the key points of a book you are about to/are currently reading. I think that when presented in that way, it basically sounds like a Wikipedia page, but listenable which is a very different kettle of fish
that’s quite nice!
D&D being on the end of the list of the entire time was killing me. I am over here worried I am about to find out something horrible about a company I give way too much money too lol I would love to see you be a new d&d player!
I love that Lena's so critical about who she works with! In context of BetterHelp, i just felt like mentioning that you don't need to be in a bad place mental health wise to benefit from therapy. Everyone can benefit from it - and it should absolutely be free.
Yes!!
Personally, I'm subscribed to Blinkist but I use it not to replace nonfiction but to decide what nonfiction I want to buy and read the full book. I always find it so difficult to find the kind that I feel will work for me and Blinkist gives me more information than the blurb on the back. Last year I read 0 nonfiction and this year I've already bought 5 books because of Blinkist.
The 'Leena you are a business person, stop saying "business" ' moment is such a small business owner vibe that I feel in my bones girl. Telling off your self-deprecation, the attitude win we all need.
Fun fact I learned in therapy: when the part of your brain that makes you feel shame is activated, you are physiologically unable to create new memories. So, shaming someone (or yourself) for anything is the worst way to evoke change.
Also, thanks for sharing your perspective about omaze. As someone who gives charitably on occasion and wouldn’t need to be bribed to do so I didn’t consider the fact that yes, these extravagant prizes are feeding inequality. The type of decision that they’re making isn’t going to promote a more ethical way of thinking, even though it might raise money for a cause. It’s the collective mindset that needs to change.
Aaaaaa thank you Leena!! Better help sponsorships are an immediate turn off to me as they show me that the TH-camr in question potentially doesn’t vet their sponsors very thoroughly
past note taking leena and you have some excellent conversations, I always find.
Thanks for the honest nuanced video!
Xxx
After trying BetterHelp, I'm not convinced that it's all that great. And actually your point Leena about it being made the responsibility of the patient to check their therapist's credentials.. that was not something I was aware of, but sort of makes sense in the context of my experience. My therapist was a lovely lady but pretty unprofessional - she was constantly late to our sessions, and kept promising that she would send follow-up notes and activities that never materialised. One of the reasons I was seeking therapy was for social anxiety, and I found that the way she was treating our sessions actually made me feel more anxious - like, if she wasn't following up, was it because she wasn't taking me seriously?
I think she was fitting her therapy sessions around a different job that wasn't therapy-related - which isn't an issue in and of itself, but it kind of came to a head when I'd had a really fucking horrendous week (my Nan had passed away), and I really could have done with the support. But when it came to my BetterHelp session, my therapist said that she couldn't hold the session via a voice call like we normally did, because she was in the breakroom at her job? So there I was, in tears about my Nan, and my therapist was trying to comfort me via messages because she was unable to initiate a voice call. It just wasn't working. It was honestly probably less helpful than not having the sessions at all.
Also, I bought a face mask that was mentioned by a pretty big Irish influencer only to find out when it arrived that it actively says on it that it has not been tested for safety! (think it comes from the US). I did in the end decide to use it and like it, but will definitely be wary of what that influencer endorses from now on (in one of their more recent videos, they chucked away a bunch of free clothes they got from a spon literally a few months ago, because they didn't like the quality of the fabric...)
@@kathrynlambert5233 I think what she does with her decluttered clothing is not really the point of this discussion, but rather the fact that she decided to work with a company whose products she doesn‘t really like / wouldn‘t recommend.
That being said, bringing your clothing to charity is a whole other problem (you really need to do a lot of research to make sure that your clothes go to a good place that you can support). But the biggest problem here is glorifying over-consumption by saying that bringing the stuff to charity later makes it fine / is a good thing.
@@kathrynlambert5233 Sorry, @pialupa is right, my issue is not what she did with the clothes, completely agree that holding onto stuff you don't wear is wasterful, although again agree, I know there are issues with charity shops, fabric recycling, clothes banks etc. It was the fact she worked with a brand who she clearly hadn't researched as she endorsed their products before deciding shortly afterwards that she doesn't like them...
I'm so glad you discussed why you didn't work with better help! Lots of the influencers I follow are now promoting Better Help and all it does is make me stressed and sad that I can't afford mental health support/therapy. The rhetoric of "for the love of god, just get therapy" can be so damaging to those of us who would seek support in a second but have too many obstacles to overcome to access it. I also love the movement of influencers being more transparent! Fab :D
I use ad blocker most of the time because of sometimes ads on websites can and do have virus's linked to them. BUT I would much rather give money to the person through Patreon or tip them for their information. I am privileged though that I have the ability to be able to tip and support people on patreon that I love! Wonderful video as always!!
You can pause your AdBlocker on certain sites if you wanted to just pause it on TH-cam (which appears to be relatively safe) :-)
This is why I got TH-cam premium lol. That way I don't feel the urge to join everyone's patron, but I still know I'm doing a little bit more for them
i tried out hello fresh for a while because i'd seen it advertised on youtube a lot and was struggling to shop for groceries for various reasons and it was fine. we used the service for a couple of months and it really helped us for a time, but there's a lot of waste that comes with it and their vegetarian options i personally found really limited. i totally get why people need to use meal delivery services like hello fresh but if i need to use one again will probably look for a different one
I love how much empathy you infused into your comment. Really nice to see
I used Blue Apron instead of Hello Fresh, which actually has more packaging than Hello Fresh, but I liked that it felt more like it was teaching me how to cook new things and was helpful in that way.
One of the things that bothers me about meal kits like HF (and Chef's Plate here in Canada) is that they send you these 'spice blends' for their recipes and don't tell you what's in them so you can replicate the recipe yourself, they harp on about being sustainable due to reduced food waste, but then deliberately prevent you from being able to source the ingredients yourself. One of the main reasons I enjoyed using those kits on and off (I basically used to run a trial, stretch it out to one box a month then cancel it) was to get out of a rut and learn some new recipe ideas more than the convenience, so it's a bummer when you get a really nice recipe that comes with 3 little sachets of top-secret spice mix.
To me cooking is about sharing knowledge, not copyrighting it.
I wouldn't even mind if they at least gave the option of purchasing their special spices and seasonings in large containers, although I am sure they'd charge the bloody earth for it...
Thank you for helping me realize I can research to find sustainable shoe companies. That was one area that I haven't looked into enough. I have no idea why. I guess because I don't buy shoes online and so was just buying from stores locally. And now that I know what companies are ethical and environmentally sustainable, I guess I can also see if my local stores have those shoes. I have very large and odd feet and so finding shoes that fit is a struggle. But I don't buy shoes that often, so I can take more time in looking. 😊
I know I can't judge, obviously if I'm aware of these influencers then it means they're acheiving their goals in some ways, but there is a specific type of influencer who's brand is environementalism/being eco-friendly, who then have looong term partnerships with Audible (and similar) that I just can't watch because I just don't want to have to constantly fight the urge to leave comments. The thing is, and maybe it's hypocritical of me, but if I got the feeling that these influencers needed the income to get by, I would feel differently about them. But then there's lifestyle/budget info that slips through the videos, or they explicitly do a video on their budget, and I realize that they're living a lifestyle I could only ever dream of (for example their monthly take-out/restaurant budget is more than what I spend on rent, etc). And like, people should be paid a living wage for what they do! They worked hard to get where they are, I'm sure! On the other hand, it feels so unfair that I know so many people who work hard and earn significantly less and get a lot less praise for their efforts to be eco-friendly even though they probably have a smaller carbon footprint (I know that's a dicey concept in itself) than said eco influencers just due to different economic circumstances. I just don't know how to feel about it. Anyways, sorry for the tangent. I really appreciate the effort you put into vetting the brands you work with, it's really a breath of fresh air!
ETA : a friend mentioned that there was a VPN company that used people's computers to mine cryptocurrency? Not at all sure of it but if it's true that would be, um, not great.
I have had better help recommended to me as a way to find a therapist and I haven't tried it because I saw some reviews that therapists don't always stay on long term and can't take you with them if they leave the app since they found you through the app (and probably signed a noncompete clause). And I didn't like the idea of short term relationships with therapists
Hey someone else mentioned Mickey Atkin's video about better help but some of the resources she recommended were psychology today and therapy den as ways to find therapists. These sites seem US centric to me but they are worth checking out if they apply to you.
I’m with you on Blinkist. I have so little time to read, but I’d still rather read fewer full books than lots of summaries made by the non-author.
THANK YOU for speaking out against better help! I worked for them for 2 years as a therapist. Their pay is absolutely abysmal and I was going to the food bank while I worked for them.
I would LOVE to see you try Dungeons and Dragons Leena! I'm dying to give it a go but I want to play in person and none of my mates are interested, so I'm stuck living vicariously through others.
I tried Fiverr due to a podcast ad and the whole experience was great! I worked with an editor to make a vacation reel. I'd definitely use them again. I've almost bought a Tushy bidet a couple of times due to sponsored ads, but haven't yet.
For Blinkist, I've definitely read whole books and found myself thinking "this should have been a TED talk" or, skip the book just watch the TED talk and for those titles I can see a summary being great. I think those books are often concentrated in a few specific genres (I'm looking at you business books and popular self-help!) And I would personally rather check reviews from my trusted reviewers and avoid those books overall than pay for a service to summarize them.
I've been tempted by Blinkist as a tool to help me choose which whole books to read, but you make a good point that reviews are already available.
@@emmafoley8987 if you think it would work for you it might be worth trying! I'm just cheap 😂
Ah I know what you mean! Blinkist might be helpful to "read" the flashy popular books but not for nonfic that deals with more complex social issues.
Yeeesss... Many "business" books could be an infographic. Do some people need to read 5 different anecdotes to illustrate the same point? Maybe. There's a case to be made for going back to a summary after reading the book to refresh understanding of frameworks, to avoid reading 10 stories about venture capitalists.
@@amymlavila7100 hilariously one of the more business-y books I actually liked was the Heath brother (?) Book about decisions. They very intentionally summarize each chapter at the end and yet I felt like it had really applicable material so, I don't even know my own mind!!
Before I forget, vis a vis audiobooks, please check out your local library!! most modern libraries are going to have subscriptions to multiple services that have ebooks and audiobooks you can check out digitally, and it's free! and it creates stats for your library, which is generally how funding is determined!! Please visit your local library pls and thx
The discount apps will also sell your shopping data to advertisers, so that they can better sell you stuff you do not need, at times when you are most likely to spend money. Most people do not realize how intimate and revealing their shopping data is. Subscription services also have counter measures against VPN services, such as locking the region to your billing address, so you may end up paying for nothing in the end, if your main goal is to gain access to foreign entertainment.
"I want to know in the comments below if you have ever bought something because of an influencer."
Yes! You!
I saw a photo of you wearing a Lucy & Yak brown Blake fleece with moons and suns which made me buy it. Thank you, it's my most worn L&Y item.
Love this video! Just wanted to comment to sing the praises of dungeons and dragons. For me personally, it's been a wonderful group creative outlet. It's a way to do collaborative storytelling with my friends within a structure that is super flexible. It feels so joyful and indulgent to just make up a world together and pretend to be our different little characters. I've really gotten into it over the last two years, when I haven't been able to spend much (if any) time with friends in person. Playing dungeons and dragons virtually weekly has let us all stay in touch regularly and do something creative together!
Especially with your theater background, I would love for you to give it a try someday if you get the chance!
Aaaannnd that's why I have never done a brand deal. I never begrudge other creators doing them, becuase I don't know if they have a family medical emergency to pay for, or are saving to move out of an unsafe environment, or what have you, but I think any creator that is in a position to say no to questionable brands should of course. I feel it is a privilege I have to turn down such sponsorships, one afforded to me by both my patrons and my own background of familial financial support (living at 'home' for free), but I know not everyone has those things in their corner. There have been times where a creator I like has had super conflicting sponsorships though which always does feel odd, like their message is anti-capitalist but brought to you by amazon...and wait what?!?
Ooh. Hi Bianca 😁😁 I really appreciate this about your channel.
I remember buying the first 'book' that FleurdeForce came out with when I was a teenager, I wasn't even into makeup I wanted to support her, and I remember how much she talked about working on it etc in vlogs. Needless to say that book was a joke/scam. Stopped following her shortly after because I also realised how much of the content started being consumerism and promoting stuff.
Leena, this may be my favourite video of yours so far. Was pleasantly surprised that this discussion segwayed into so many really interesting discussions of business practise, consumerism and trying to be ethical in a capitalist world. As always you're so articulate and made some wonderful points that have really changed my outlook. Gaining some incredible insights from the comments as well. Definitely tempted to join the Gumption Club!! Xx
The only thing I’ve ever purchased from a TH-camr/ influencer was Hannah Harts holiday merch while she was couch surfing for content. Now this was before I became an advocate for slow fashion and did not check the manufacturing of the sweater I purchased but it was an adorable “Seasons Greetings” pullover with salt and pepper shakers dancing around a border of veggies. This is still a treasured piece in my wardrobe of nearly 6 years. I love your content and definitely considering letting the ads play through now. Thank you Lena for always for bringing transparency and perspective to all that you do.🤘👁👥
I treat this like a "better myself" podcast. Listening to this as I make a vision board. Love you videos.
The company that owns D&D, Wizards of the Coast, is huge and very profitable (and has always been very White and Male). So I would be SHOCKED if there weren't quite a few big stories if you do your Google search.
Thank you for being so thorough and dedicated to honesty when accepting sponsorships. I honestly think that a large percentage of my purchases (outside of my needs) have been influenced by the folks I watch on TH-cam - but many of them seem to take their roles as influencers seriously, and I appreciate that.
I AM A BIG BUSINESS LADY
This is so interesting! I have always assumed people just aren't that selective about brands -- not because TH-camrs are Bad People but because a) it takes a lot of energy and time to look into some of this stuff and b) I had sort of assumed there was enough scarcity in the TH-cam advertising space that only the really REALLY big channels could afford to be choose-y.
Thanks for your nuanced point of view on an incredibly nuanced subject ! I've bought a couple of things after seeing influencers review them : Archer&Olive notebooks, Organic basics bras, Lucy&yak clothes ... And I have so many books I want to read because of you and Ariel Bisset X) Also, I want to buy a ruby cup because of your "tier ranking period products" video.
So, yes, we can be influenced (it's normal, we are all influenced by something : internt, films, series, family, friends, ....) but we can reasearch the brands and make good choices. If I "have to" buy someting new, I want it to be good for me and the best possible for the workers, the animals and the environnement.
I bought lingerie because of the Instagram influencer, but mostly because I have sensory issues, and the influencer was really vocal about her sensory issues, and I trusted her that if she says all of those stitches, and materials don't bother her, they would be ok for me and I sometimes want to have nice things. And I wasn't wrong, bras are really cool and really beautiful. I've also bought some adult toys from a recommendation, but it was a person that focuses on sex education and does reviews. Both of them are really transparent when they do sponsorships and that's why I trusted them.
I love your integrity and your intelligent and eloquent line of argumentation!
such wonderfully nuanced takes leena!
I never really thought about adblocker that way! I mostly thought "oh nice no ads" but didnt really think about the consequences. So I've just subscribed to your patreon and will start adding other youtubers I like to watch
to be honest I've always thought it was all browser-side so wouldn't actually make a difference at the other end?
I never leave your videos without genuine information, refreshing nuance, and genuine hope. So grateful you exist and share
Xxx
I had reservations about better help despite needing therapy, so I looked elsewhere. I have found that **most therapists these days are offering telehealth as an option** anyways (discounted too usually).
So the only advantage of better help is really cost and the ease of access (which as you say Leena, are things that shouldn't be an issue for anyone in the first place, let alone something that we have to pay for-profit companies to resolve ourselves).
If you're thinking about joining better help, have a look and see if you can't find a therapist offering telehealth directly, it might be a little more expensive but you'll also be getting what you pay for, plus most therapists offer sliding scales for low-income individuals. Some practices have grad students doing practicums with them and you can get therapy with them for super cheap. You could also try Universities that have Psych departments as they may offer discounted services as a way for students to earn their practicum hours.
For those of you in the UK, free healthcare is great, but mental health services suck and have incredibly long waiting lists, by the time you hear back from a GP referral you'll either have figured it out on your own or gotten seriously worse. If you want to get better, do try and find a way to afford private therapy, if you're suffering it's truly worth it.
i have this game where i click off a video once the sponsorship is announced as betterhelp and honestly its saved me a lot of time lol
The thing about BetterHelp is, it isn't even cheaper than just paying for a standard private therapist? According to the website it is between £40 and £70 per week...a session with a private therapist is generally £50-60 per weekly session in the UK, and a lot of them will offer discounts if you really can't afford that.
love that you have values and ethics and stand by them! Thats my favourite character trait
💯 appreciate your perspective on and diligent approach to sponsorship. I use a VPN because I'm an Aussie living in Singapore. Need to pretend am in Aus in order to watch our national tv stations (ABC and SBS). I will confess to also using to to pretend am in the UK to watch BBC 🤭
THANK YOU for putting Audible at the bottom ❤️ I don't waste energy hating on most of the content creators I follow for taking those sponsorships because I know they need to be paid too but I definitely find it frustrating the way so many people I follow claim to be really principled about their sponcon and then still use Amazon and shill Audible anyway :T
I can't see an earlier comment I made. Maybe youtube thought it was spam because I had a link on it? Anyway, glad you didn't sponsor Gates' book. His foundation convinced Oxford to get their covid-19 vaccine patented, instead of making it more accessible early in the pandemic. Unconscionable, in my view. I just wish more people knew that about Gates. Love your vid and the thought that you put into sponsorships!
The thing about better help being affordable seems wild to me, it's like £400 a month, I don't know anyone in my life who can afford it.
I am have dyslexia (undiagnosed, but certainly on the spectrum) so a combination of a good summary + the authors long form podcast about the book is how I end up learning more about certain topics.
I was aghast when I learned about Blinkist, because it seems like the company does some interpretation of the text for the reader. I don’t want a company telling people what the takeaways of a book are.
Enjoyed this, tho I must say as someone in antidepressants since 2006, MH care is something (like the dentist) you need to go private with in the UK because the services just aren't there...
I don't use blinkist, but the people I know who use it do so mostly as a tool to determine if the book in question is one that they want to read entirely. Like an extended back-cover summary.
this is so refreshing! i sometimes wonder what the decision making process that youtubers use to decide whether they take a sponsorship or not, so i’m glad that you are so candid! it was helpful to hear how you think through it and that you have integrity and steadfast values, which is what i really admire from you! thanks, leena!
I try to watch the ads for those I really enjoy. I have gotten ads that are over an hour long though, so I will admit I skip those!
I looked for any other comments about this, but I wanted to let you know the cards you allude to in the video are missing.
Also: Great video! (as always) :)
VPN in the USA: using a VPN for anywhere in Europe means companies have to ask before tracking me and I can say no, which is a wonderful amount privacy that isn't given to us here
The lighting on this video looks so crisp and professional! Not to say your videos don’t normally look professional, but this is stunning
As a librarian I support your thoughts on blinkist. I haven't looked into it beyond hearing ads for it but what those left me with was "but what about the people who wrote that whole book?!" Also there is, like you say, a reason why books are the size they are - not everything can be explained in 15 minutes!
For me, I tend to buy merch tees (one of the very few new bits of clothing I purchase) - but I only do it when I need new PJs's so at Xmas, I needed x3 new pairs of PJ's, I bought x3 pairs of flannel pants from vinted then x1 merch tee each from My Great Challenge, Emily D Baker and Peter Monn. Very happy with supporting them in a small way and love the tees, not too hard on my bank or the environment. I also watch the ads and I usually support Hannah Louise Poston and Kimberly Clarke on Patron. I have also purchased Etsy goods from Bernadette Banner and Carolyn Marie Reads. But I do have the habit of reducing my support as TH-camrs get bigger and look to support other smaller TH-camrs as I have set budgets and I want how I spend it to have the biggest inpact.
Thank you for being so open and honest with us, Leena! It's great to see some true integrity and transparency on social media for once 💖
Something about BetterHelp, I refuse to do anything about them, even if it's a video sponsored by them, I just can't. They ran these ads on TH-cam a few years ago that illustrated what a depressive episode and panic attacks looked like, and they gave me nightmares... It was so scary, that even seeing ads for them that don't have that, have that negative image come back into my head. Like if you're promoting mental health... Don't make people's mental health worse in your ads! It just was so bad it ruined them for me completely. But online therapists also don't take insurance plans, so I go to local places that have coverage, or free services.
Loved hearing your thoughts, you explained everything really well with such nuance
I think of all TH-camrs I follow, there’s no one I relate to more than you
To answer your question if ive bought somthing off ads, yes! I bought a tablet and its been soooo nice. very thankful for that creator since that tablet is the reason i can do my work so effectively!
I have bought something because of Leena.
I have sensory issues that mean I really struggle to try new foods. But I was watching a video from Leena about the environment and decided I wanted to try and eat less meat even if it was going to be difficult, so this week at the supermarket, I bought lentils and beans and jackfruit. And last night’s dinner featured lentils and no meat and it was good and I’ll be doing that again.
There’s also been many books I have bought thanks to Leena’s recommendation and also books from other youtubers recommendations.
Thanks to Leena I have also not bought things (she taught me about no buys and I did a no buy year).
The only thing I think I’ve bought that was a sponsorship and not just something someone happened to talk about, was when I needed a computer backup cloud service. I remembered one sponsoring a podcast (Dear Hank and John) and went with that company because I didn’t know where else to even start looking otherwise.
Those comments about influencers not being sure if they add value with their work: makes me want to comment for yourself when you're feeling like that: value received many times over! Thank you thank you thank you ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I really liked this video. Thank you for being so open about sponsorships.
One more problem with betterhelp is that they market themselves as a cheaper option for therapy but that the same time they say in the terms of service that it is not a substitute for actual therapy. For me it feels like a very irresponsible thing to promote the company as an option if you aren't promising really anything. It is just cruel.
I tried the free trial of Blinkist and I liked the concept, because you can get an idea of the book you’re interested in is worth the read, imo. Nothing worse than buying a book that’s a complete dud and waste of time to read. That being said, I do listen to audiobooks every day.
I absolutely agree with you advocating for reading whole books! A 15 min snippet compared to an entirely well researched and thought out book is so different.
Leena I know your heart is in the right place but as someone living in the UK with little money due to living on benefits due to mental ill health…I have things to say around your thoughts on being privileged to live in the UK and have free healthcare. I have… stories… about our free mental health care!
Hard agree, there’s a reason I’m in private therapy and not the nhs
I tried function of beauty after Bernadette Banner was sponsored by it and actually loved it, I only bought it once because it is an extortionate amount of money for shampoo and horrendous for the environment but I think because it was her, I bought it and it wasn't a horrific experience!
Genuinely a huge amount of respect for being so stringent about your sponsorships!! ❤️
In regards to Bill Gates and other "philanthropist" ventures by billionaires, I would look up the controversies surrounding Bridge Academy for-profit schools in East Africa and that World Bank loans that require the privatisation of water services. Neo-colonialism disguised as "philanthropy".
AGAIN on the Audible debacle--YAASSS, again for everyone in the audience. Sheesh.
Just wanted to put it out there: you are really adding value to our lives!
She's genius and so wise and hard working, omg