Inside Alex Cooper’s Pre-Podcast Wellness Routine

Alex Cooper has been teasing a new launch for weeks, and her devout fans — whom she affectionately calls “Daddy Gang” — haven’t known what to make of her extremely vague Instagram handle, @alexssupersecretproject553968. “People are all over the place. Because I’ve never launched a product, so they are like, ‘What in the hell is she coming out with?’” Cooper says days ahead of her big announcement on Dec. 4. On Cooper’s Instagram, one follower commented, “WHAT IF ITS A HANGOVER CURE DRINK LIKE SEXY UNWELL PEDIALYTE?” Spoiler alert: They were right.

Cooper’s Unwell Hydration is the Call Her Daddy host’s latest venture, which will be available at Target starting in January. Available in three flavors (strawberry, mango citrus, and orange hibiscus), these drinks contain more than 700 milligrams of electrolytes, a blend of B-complex vitamins, and green coffee extract to make for the ultimate hangover cure. Plus, there are only 4 grams of sugar per drink, an asset Cooper is “ecstatic” about.

“Everyone can use extra hydration to help them in their most unwell state,” the 30-year-old says. “I’ve never been the biggest product girlie, but I want to make sure that whatever I’m putting into my body will help me feel good. That’s why hydration felt really natural for me.”

Why was my face so puffy? Why was my skin so dry? Sweetie, you were relying on tequila, not hydration.

The recovery drink is a balancing counterpart to the rest of Unwell, a company known for its wild events and podcasts full of morning-after stories. In 2024, Cooper has been busier than ever: She got married to Matt Kaplan, launched several podcasts under the Unwell umbrella, hosted a range of celeb-studded events, and went on tour.

So, why add another project to her to-do list? “With my schedule, I’m not always 100% taking care of myself,” the LA-based entrepreneur says. “Sometimes, I’m overly unwell when I’m grinding. And although I want to go to the gym and eat the salad, I’m too stressed.”

For Cooper, a bit of added hydration makes this whole Unwell ecosystem run so much smoother. “It impacts how I feel,” she says. “It affects my skin care.”

Here, Cooper discusses her pre-podcast wellness routine, how she recovers from a hangover, and why sweats are an essential part of her self-care.

Elite Daily: Have you picked up any self-care tips from people you’ve interviewed for Call Her Daddy?

Alex Cooper: I've had such transformative conversations over the years with women in Call Her Daddy interviews. My favorite conversations are the ones where people get into such detail that you feel like you were there with them. Lucy Hale was one of my favorites because she really encapsulated a lot of people’s experiences that are not often told in graphic detail. After, I had so many women reach out, saying, “That changed my life. Thank you.”

It’s incredible because in the past five years, women have started to recognize that we need to start advocating for ourselves because no one else is, clearly. In the wellness space, good things come from advocating for what you want.

ED: How has your idea of wellness changed from the OG Call Her Daddy days to now?

AC: At any stage of your life, you are going to be treating your body a little bit differently. When I was in college... God bless. Why was my face so puffy? Why was my skin so dry? Sweetie, you were relying on tequila, not hydration.

As you get older, your body is just not the same. In college, I was able to rally. I’d just wake up, chug something hydrating, and keep it going. Now, at 5 p.m. before a long night out, I have to start hydrating, otherwise I’ll feel the repercussions. I’m hydrating all the way up until my first alcoholic drink, then I’m chugging water before I go to bed, and I'm waking up with an Unwell Hydration.

ED: What distinguishes Unwell Hydration from other brands?

AC: What makes it stand out is the reason behind it. I recognized almost every single hydrating drink is marketed toward men. It’s always about high performance, like “You have to be this professional athlete to be drinking this.” But Unwell Hydration is more like, “I’m literally rotting on my couch and I just want my skin to glow.”

ED: Before a big interview, do you have any rituals that get you into the zone?

AC: This is insanity, but I do my makeup in dead silence when I’m getting ready for an interview. Then I drive to my studio in silence. I think I am probably half-meditating. It’s my way of self-care, of like “This is our quiet time, Alex, before you go talk for two hours.”

ED: I know you typically wear comfy sweats for these big moments. Is that one of your self-care habits?

AC: Growing up as an athlete, I’ve always wanted to wear just sweatpants and be comfortable. On top of that, it is really important for me to make whoever is sitting across from me feel super comfortable. There’s nothing cozier than being in sweats on a big comfy chair and talking about your feelings with another girlfriend. That’s the epitome of comfort to me.

ED: 2024 had so many big moments for you, like interviewing the VP, hosting so many Unwell events, and getting married. What was your biggest highlight?

AC: Watch me not pick the wedding, and Matt’s like, “What?” I can’t choose just one highlight. Overall, this past year has really been about getting more confident in myself, not even just as an entrepreneur, but as a human being.

Every year, I try to work on myself, and Call Her Daddy has changed my life. Having these in-depth conversations every single week has transformed me. They leave me having conversations with my friends and my family later that night, being like, “Lucy Hale said this thing, and it was so...” It’s constantly reminding me to work on myself.

ED: What’s your most chaotic hangover story?

AC: There’s too many to pick one, but I’m currently in New York and being here brings back all of the memories. I would say the craziest morning-afters are when you wake up and you’re still in your clothes from the night before, or it’s even crazier when you wake up and you’re in someone else’s clothes. You are like, “I need a bacon, egg, and cheese. I need a hydration drink. And I need my friends to come in here and cradle me as I explain to them how I f*cked up my life.”

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.