Fighting the Great Exhaustion, One Glimmer at a Time
Opinion - Diranne Lee-Renwick - Founder + CEO
There’s a storm coming, and no, it’s not another pandemic or economic crash (though we’ve all had more than our fair share). It’s something quieter, heavier, and more personal: The Great Exhaustion. Predicted for 2026 by leading trend forecaster WGSN, this mass burnout isn’t about overwork alone, it’s the culmination of endless hustle culture, digital overload, and the creeping pressure to do more, be more, and feel okay about it all.
But if you’re already feeling it, don’t worry, you’re not alone. And what if we stopped trying to “optimise” our way out of it?
Journalist and NYT bestselling author Amy Odell notes in her recent Substack article, brands that once promised transformation are starting to realise that what consumers really want is relief. We’re done with being told to “fix ourselves.”
What we’re craving is someone to meet us where we are, not sell us the next impossible version of ourselves.
Enter The Gleamers, a new, growing group of people emerging from this haze who are turning their backs on the unattainable. They’re not chasing traditional life milestones like promotions or picture-perfect families. Instead, they’re finding joy in “minorstones”: small, achievable moments of care, connection, and calm. They’re moving out of cities, leaning into community, and choosing presence over perfection.
At Anni, this shift isn’t just a trend, it’s our blueprint.
Anni exists for this exact moment. It gives people access to qualified advice, real human connection, and small-but-mighty wellness wins, all from the comfort of their own home, when and where they need it. We believe micro-consults and micro-actions can lead to macro change. Whether it’s a five-minute chat with a gut health expert, a check-in on intimacy concerns, or just someone who gets it, Anni is designed for the exhausted, not the overachieving. People, real people.
We see the need for care over cures, and community over comparison. Our growing network of trusted professionals and found-family-style support reflects the Gleamers’ desire for something deeper than surface-level health and wellbeing.
We don’t believe in “fixing” people. We believe in making it better, step by glimmering step.
Because sometimes, one good conversation can be the difference between just getting through the day... and actually feeling okay in it.
Anni is a digital health and wellbeing community that treats everything from broken sleep and fractured relationships as seriously as you treat broken bones. We blend the speed and convenience of AI with the warmth and trust of person-to-person support to offer you your own bespoke team of qualified experts, on hand with personalised and affordable advice, when and where you need it most.
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