The Truth About GLP-1s, Caring for Aging Parents, and When to Accelerate Your Career

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1:21Welcome to Office Hours with Prof G. This is the part of the show where we answer your questions about business, big tech, entrepreneurship, and whatever else is on your mind. If you'd like to submit a question for next time, you can send a voice recording to officehoursofprofitmedia.com. Again, that's officehoursofprofitmedia.com. Or post your question on the Scott Galloway subreddit, and we just might feature it in our next episode. Question number one comes from Hillary from California. Hi, Scott. It's Hillary Beach calling you from California with a question about GLP-1 drugs. You've been an extremely strong advocate for the value of these drugs.

1:55But the more I learn, the more I'm concerned about them. They undermine our body's ability to build and maintain muscle mass and seem to require Herculean efforts to offset this negative trend. And when I had Claude do a research summary, it came back with 30 to 40 % of weight loss being muscle and that you would need to do resistance training three to five days a week and take in 1.6 to 2.3 grams of protein per kilo of fat-free mass to counter this effect, which sounds pretty daunting to most of us. And getting the protein in is really hard when you're not hungry and your body is working against you eating properly.

2:38So for those of us no longer youthful, as you know, muscle mass is really important to avoiding falls and maintaining our function and mobility. So assuming that you're aware of all of this and this downside risk, I wonder how you have been factoring this into your thinking about the value of taking these drugs. As I'm struggling with this, it seems to me that it would be a setup for undermining healthy aging and my ability to retain muscle mass. Thanks so much. Thanks for the thoughtful question, Hilary. First off, just let me say if you're considering GLP-1 drugs or going on them, these are questions for your doctor.

3:20And I look at GLP-1 in terms of the macro data. I love the economics of it. And so let me just say, I have no medical training. I look at data. But if you're seriously considering taking this or any other medication or pharmaceutical, you absolutely want to defer to the advice of your doctor and do your own research. So just some data on muscle mass loss. The data is real but more nuanced than the 30 % to 40 % figure suggests. Studies show that 25 to 39 % of total weight loss on GLP-1s comes from lean mass, but researchers increasingly view this as a consequence of rapid weight loss itself, not a unique drug effect.

4:04Similar results appear with weight loss from regular calorie restrictions. So if you just lose weight regardless, that's kind of a similar ratio for muscle to fat loss. The risk is greater for older adults with limited muscle reserves, and it's largely manageable with resistance training and adequate protein intake. I just think there's no free lunch, but Jesus Christ, this feels like a pretty free lunch or the freest lunch in healthcare I've observed in a long time. An estimated 10 million Americans were on GLP-1 treatment in 2025, up from 6 million in 2024 and 5 million in 2023, with projections that 25 million people, Americans, will be on them by 2030, according to J.P.

4:46Morgan. Beyond weight loss, they've registered meaningful reductions in cardiovascular events, fatty liver disease, sleep apnea, kidney disease. And the most surprising frontier is the reduction or the treatment of addiction using GLP-1. I just think this is incredible. They're now saying that some of these, I don't know if the right term is agonists, might actually delay early onset dementia. I mean, these things, I would argue that the findings here just keep getting better and better. If I had a magic wand, If I were in my first year office as president, I would try and negotiate a billion doses of GLP-1 drugs and then offer them for free to anyone in a household making less than$100 ,000 that's struggling with obesity.

5:33Obesity is a plague in the United States. 70 % of Americans are either obese or overweight. Think about that. And 40 % are obese. In Japan, it's 4%. So if we were to bring that down, call it 2 % a year from 70 % to 30%, I think you could probably reduce somewhere between one-third and one-half of the budget deficit if you were also thoughtful about reducing healthcare costs and entitlements. Because something like a third to a half of medical care costs can be reverse-engineered to obesity-related illnesses. When someone gets diabetes, they're just going to cost the society themselves and healthcare companies hundreds of thousands of dollars.

6:12So I think GLP-1s are an absolutely a gift from God. Also, I believe GLP-1s are going to be a more impactful technology than AI. I would, as an investment strategy, I'm going long GLP-1 companies. And if I can't figure out a way going short, AI. Speak to someone who uses AI every day, as I do, who is also on GLP-1s, which I am not, and ask them what's having a bigger impact on their life. I have someone close to my life who's thin and they're on GLP-1s because they have neuropathy, their hands and feet get swollen and cold and then they lose sensation and they've been microdosing a GLP-1 and it's just gone.

6:53But I am comfortable saying if you look at the larger data set here, I don't think there's been a breakthrough like this so far. Now, might there be something we find out over the longterm? Sure. But I pick a technology of the year every year. And for two years running, 24 and 25, I picked GLP-1s. I personally think they are dramatically underhyped and AI is dramatically overhyped. And the muscle loss you talk about, I have a friend on him right now, a friend from college who's lost 60 pounds. He has another 40 to go. And I am doing some exercises with him using his body weight. air squats, push-ups, because I'm like, you don't want that draped skin look.

7:38You got to get some muscle mass. But I think the trade-off here is vastly in the favor of this versus the downside of the health ailments from obesity. But anyways, a thoughtful question. And like all of us, as you get older, I am struggling to keep muscle mass on. I do five milligrams of creatine a day. I'm on testosterone therapy and I work out four times a week, which I've done for the last 40 years. But I'm trying to do, it's hard for me to do free weights, which is the way you keep bulk or put it on because my joints are, you know, getting older. Anyways, thanks for the question. Question number two.

8:21Hi, Scott. Big fan here. Appreciate your insightfulness on masculinity and fatherhood. I'm 32 and have a two-year-old son with another son due in a few months. My wife stays at home, so I'm responsible for the financial stability of our house. My question revolves around balancing family and financials. My mother-in-law has a lot of issues, lives alone, works part-time, has no retirement, probably has undiagnosed early-onset dementia. She has been in a dark stretch due to a number of issues and even called suicide hotline recently. She's had a windy life with a lot of mistakes, but has always been a terrific caretaker as a mother to my wife and grandma to my son.

8:59I owe her so much as she has almost single-handedly raised the love of my life to be who she is. I see the writing on the wall that we will be supporting her in the future, as my wife's sisters, despite being older, have no interest or ability to help out. Do you have any recommendations on balancing the economic viability of my small family with supporting outside family. The joys of being the sandwich generation. Appreciate your thoughts. This is a rough one. First off, you're a good man. The fact that you're, I can just tell by your voice and the way you're thinking about your mother-in-law and you describe her in a positive, it would be so easy for a lesser person or a more immature man to have this woe is me anything and position your mother-in-law in a negative light and say you position her in a positive light.

9:52I think that says a lot about your maturity. And I don't know, I just think you're so far ahead of where I was at your age. So according to an AARP report, one of five adults in the U.S., an estimated 53 million people, is taking care of an aging family member. The average family caregiver spends around$7 ,200 per year out of pocket on caregiving expenses. that's around 26 % of their income. This is such a deeply personal decision, and there is no silver bullet. One, I would find out what state and government resources are available. If your mom truly has, or your mother-in-law truly has dementia, she's probably going to need to be point in assisted living um but it doesn't i don't i didn't get a sense how old she was anyways where i was headed with programs there's a program in california where nurses can buy homes in san diego or in california at a low interest and they turn each bedroom into a room i found out about this program i think on the cal state of my sister did california.gov website i wonder what resources if any are available even just to get your stepmom out of the house with other friends keep her busy, but I don't know what stage she's at.

11:10I think it's constant communication and alignment with your wife such that you guys are on the same page. And if your mom can play a role in taking care of the kid such that your wife can go to work and maybe make some extra income, that's a huge benefit because childcare has become so expensive because unlike any other G7 Nation, we don't provide universal child care, which makes no fucking sense. This is something a ton of people are struggling with. And I don't know if I have a great answer for you other than see if there are government resources and programs to maybe just that are fun for your mother-in-law or maybe provide resources and care if and when she needs care or if it's more an issue of maybe she takes responsibility for the kid if she's still pretty spry and alert during the day such that your wife can make some additional money.

12:04Brother, the only thing I can say is you're approaching this like a man. Get alignment with your wife around this and see if there's in fact programs in your neighborhood community at a state level that help your mom maybe connect with other seniors or maybe some programs if and when she needs help herself. but anyways I feel for you a lot of people are going through this and both your wife your mother-in-law and your children are very are very fortunate to have you sign up our help here we'll be right back after a quick break

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15:44Welcome back. Question number three. Hi, Prof. G. I've worked full-time all my adult life. I am based in New York. I have an international medical degree and a master's in public health from Columbia. I work with the United Nations. And I'm also a mom with two beautiful little girls. And my question is about how to sequence your career to make the most of your professional years, of your working years, and to be most successful at what you do, including financially. And so I'm at that phase where being a mom to my three-year-old and five-year-old, especially given that I am the primary parent, that sort of supersedes other things.

16:34And I've had to make conscious decisions that limit career mobility and earning potential, quite frankly. And I don't ever want to look back with any regrets, both as a mother, but also as, you know, in the world of work. And so in terms of thinking about this 38-year-old professional woman, I think I have about, I don't know, 16 years of professional experience at this point. When do I put the pedal to the metal, so to speak, and accelerate my career? is it is there an age where you can do that without it hitting the kids too much it's sort of the essential question that a lot of working moms juggle with but I am determined to have it all I hear you I cannot have it all at once but what's the sequence what would you recommend thank you this is the question that unless you're smart enough to be born to rich parents that we all struggle with.

17:36And that is if we're fortunate enough to be blessed with the talents you're obviously blessed with and the opportunities you've been blessed with, when do you, yeah, as you said, put the metal down and accelerate versus which comes at a cost because you have to keep your eyes on the road. That is your career. And you don't get really, you know, don't get to, and you're worried that the kids are in the back seat and, you know, or get left behind, right? Right. Look, it's easy to run other people's lives. And what I don't like about our media ecosystem is that people will opt for the politically correct statement and say, you never get these years back.

18:15spend as much time as you can with your kids. But it sounds like you're not a single mother, but the primary breadwinner and maybe even the primary caregiver. And there's some studies that show that women who work, their daughters actually make more money later than life because they see them as role models. And I do believe that staying at home is more about, I think the benefits accrue more to you because I think staying at home is nice and rewarding. And there's a lot of data showing that kids are just fine when mom works. So in sum, and this is the way the world is, not the way the world should be.

18:58I believe that if you are the primary breadwinner and you have good professional opportunities at the age of 38, you're going to be 50 before you know it. A couple, let me give you just a couple of realities here. The workplace is ageist and you'll be 50 before you know it. And if you haven't hit a certain trajectory by the time you're 50, you kind of don't have the option to put the metal down or no one cares. There's something about people will say, okay, she's not a, she's not a player because she's 50 and she's not that senior. Also, money solves a lot of problems with kids. And I know how terrible that sounds.

19:36Yeah, it gets them tutors if you need it. It gets them after school athletic programs. It gets better health care. You know, a lot of these problems are the problems that come up. Money just lubricates a lot about raising children. That's just the bottom line. And 38, you're the sweet spot professionally. I had my first kid at 42 the first three four years of their lives I saw them but not a lot because I was freaked out about money. I was doing really well professionally And I thought the extra 20 percent of effort, you know, instead of working 50 hours working 60 hours Got me probably 50 to 100 percent more income such that I could have a dramatic amount of balance in my life now And I would argue the trade-off now of being more focused on your professional life yields greater ROI on the back end when they're a little bit older and you have some financial stability.

20:31And by the way, kids only get more expensive as they get older. In a capitalist society, money solves a lot of problems. And two, working mothers do set, I think, a good example for daughters. And you are in an economy that is very ageist. So what is the sequencing? if you can't have it all and you have to trade off what I would argue for and a lot of this is me projecting because it's what I did I would opt for putting the pedal down now and hopefully being in a position to ease up and enjoy yourself a little bit more when you're a little bit older but these are deeply personal decisions I don't know if one of your kids is struggling maybe or has some you know difficulties or learning needs you might feel like like you just need to be home home or need to be home more.

21:19And I was offered the women in my jobs flexibility, but it comes at a cost. You know, I don't think there's anything wrong with someone who says, I'm not going to have kids. I'm going to work my ass off and expect to get paid more. I think I understand their argument. So I think you need to speak to some people about the trade-offs. I would be wary of people who are generous with your money, who say, oh, spend all the time you can with your kids not recognize, well, okay, you don't have to pay my rent. It's a long-winded way of saying, I believe in a capitalist economy, the money matters a lot and that you want to have some sense of financial security and career momentum going into your forties.

22:00Because to wake up at 50 and feel financially insecure with two teenagers is a really difficult place to be in. That's the place my mom was in when I was a teenager and it created a cloud of stress that just never went away. It was like a poltergeist was following around telling us we weren't worthy or that we had fucked up because we didn't have money. So this is my way. It's not necessarily the right way, but you asked me about sequencing. I would say now is the time to put the metal down and put the pedal down and make that sacrifice such that hopefully you're in a position to have more balance when the kids are teenagers and you're a little bit older, having made more progress than if you'd sort of choked back to spend more time with your kids when they're little.

22:46But there's no doubt about it. It's a trade-off and it's a difficult one. I very much appreciate the question. That's all for this episode. If you'd like to submit a question, please email a voice recording to officehoursofpropturedmedia.com. That's officehoursofpropturedmedia.com. Or if you prefer to ask on Reddit, just post your question on the Scott Galloway subreddit and we might feature it in an upcoming episode. This episode was produced by Jennifer Sanchez and Laura Janair. Cammy Rieke is our social producer. Brad Williams is our editor. And Drew Burrows is our technical director. Thank you for listening to the PropG pod from PropG Media.

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