The BodPod

13. Talking Body with Sydney Bell and Ella Halikas

Welcome back to a very special episode of the BodPod! Today, we are so excited to have Sydney Bell and Ella Halikas, two beloved members of the BodCon family, take over the podcast! Sydney is a signed plus size model, an influencer, and a professionally trained dancer living in Houston, Texas. She has modelled for large, nation-wide campaigns and her goal in content creation is to share body positive content and dance routines that inspire her followers to live life to the fullest.                         Ella is a signed curve model and content creator based in Los Angeles who graduated from the University of Hawaii with a journalism degree. She moved to L.A. unemployed and in the middle of a global pandemic to pursue modelling full time. Ella recently became a top 13 finalist for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit and her goal in life is to help others find their confidence and prove that you can feel beautiful regardless of your size. In today’s episode, Sydney and Ella will be chatting about all things body confidence and giving you a bit of preview of what’s to come on Sunday June 27th at The BodCon TALKS: BEACH BODIES. They’ll also share a bit about how they got into modelling as well as their content creation processes. Visit our website for more details about The BodCon TALKS: BEACH BODIES  and don’t forget to grab your tickets!  Ella’s Instagram: @ellahalikasElla’s TikTok: @ellahalikasSydney’s Instagram: @sydneylbellSydney’s TikTok: @sydneylbellBe sure to follow, like, and subscribe to get the latest body confidence news!Watch the BodPod on YouTubeFollow us @thebodconGet your BodCon 2023 tickets

12. Talking Body with Jeff Jenkins

Today on the BodPod, we are chatting with Jeff Jenkins, an award-winning content creator and the founder of Chubby Diaries, an Instagram account and growing online community he started in 2018. Jeff, who has been featured in many notable publications including Forbes, New York Times, and Travel and Leisure, helps people travel the world, no matter their size, through community, branded content, and motivational talks. With contagious positivity, Jeff uses his platform to advocate for plus-size travellers and to help bigger body people and people of colour navigate challenges that arise while travelling. In today’s episode, Jeff will share the origins of Chubby Diaries as well as how he came to discover his niche, his love of travelling, and his experience with micro-aggressions while travelling. We will also discuss accessibility for plus size people, branding and marketing for plus size people, fat phobia, and so much more. Keep listening to hear how Jeff is inspiring people to live their best lives right now as opposed to waiting for when they lose weight and visit his website for more information on his upcoming group trips.  Instagram: @chubbydiaries_YouTube: Chubby DiariesBe sure to follow, like, and subscribe to get the latest body confidence news!Watch the BodPod on YouTubeFollow us @thebodconGet your BodCon 2023 tickets

11. Talking Body with Kortney Olson

Today, the BodPod is excited to be chatting with Kortney Olson! Kortney is a certified personal trainer, an accredited Olympic lifting coach, the original Australian women’s arm-wrestling champion, a Jujitsu champion, a three-time international body-building competitor, an author, and a T.V. personality who was crowned the woman with the world’s deadliest thighs by Stan Lee for her ability to crush watermelons using only her thighs. After seeing the need for clothes that fit athletes, Kortney launched Grrrl Clothing in 2015, which is based on a variety of body shapes and types that reflect girls living in the 21st century. Earlier this year, she also published her autobiography called Crushing It: How I Crushed Diet Culture, Addiction, and the Patriarchy. In today’s episode, Kortney will touch on her addictions, eating disorders, what it was like being raised by an alcoholic, and how she came to be at the centre of an unexpected scandal, all of which inspired the work she is doing today. We will also discuss the limiting beliefs about weight and bodies that we internalize at an early age, how women have been taught to view each other as competition rather than a community, and much more. Keep listening to hear how Kortney is working to help other women overcome their body image issues with her inclusive clothing line and training program.Visit Kortney’s website for more information on her book and her 8-week, at-home watermelon training program, find her on Instagram at @kortney_olson and check out GRRRL Clothing for Kortney’s clothing line for unstoppable women. Be sure to follow, like, and subscribe to get the latest body confidence news!Watch the BodPod on YouTubeFollow us @thebodconGet your BodCon 2023 tickets

10. Talking Body with Allison E. Lang

Today, it is a pleasure to be chatting with Allison E. Lang on the BodPod! Allison holds many titles including educator, athlete, model, solo female traveller, and last but certainly not least, advocate for body inclusivity. Allison is a congenital amputee who was unexpectedly born without the lower half of her left leg, however, she has never allowed this to hold her back. Not only has Allison backpacked the world, but she also plays a variety of sports including being a member of Team Canada’s sitting volleyball team, and most recently, she was signed by a modelling agency. After overcoming severe mental and physical bullying, body image insecurities, and a handful of surgeries, Allison is a fierce advocate for self-acceptance and inclusion for all and she wants you to know, that she probably has more legs than you do.  In today’s episode, Allison will share how being ostracized for her physical differences during her formative years eventually led her to wanting to be a teacher and advocate for diverse body types and how her multiple surgeries led to her trauma. She will also discuss how disabled bodies are represented in the media and how she is working to change the narrative with her new modelling contract. Keep listening to hear how Allison is learning to accept her authentic self and how she is overcoming her insecurities.  Instagram: @allisonelang Twitter: @allisonelangAllison’s website: http://www.allisonelang.com/The War Amps: https://www.waramps.ca/home/Be sure to follow, like, and subscribe to get the latest body confidence news!Watch the BodPod on YouTubeFollow us @thebodconGet your BodCon 2023 tickets

9. Talking Body with Michelle Elman

Today, the BodPod is very excited to welcome Michelle Elman to the podcast! Michelle is a five board-accredited life coach and an award-winning body positive activist who’s 2017 TED Talk, Have You Hated Your Body Enough Today, has been viewed over 50,000 times. Not only has she written for a number of publications including the Huffington Post, MTV, and more, but she has also written two books, 2018’s Am I Ugly? and 2021’s The Joy of Being Selfish. Besides all of this, she also launched a podcast in 2020 called In All Honesty, which coincided with her being named as one of The Sun’s 50 most inspirational women in the U.K.In today’s episode, we will discuss Michelle’s experiences with life-threatening health problems (including 15 complex surgeries before the age of 20), how this shaped her childhood and early adulthood, and how it led to her PTSD. While her medical trauma left her mentally and physically scarred, it was the inspiration behind her Scarred Not Scared campaign and ultimately led her story to going viral. Michelle will also share her experience in boarding school and how she eventually changed her perception of her body. Keep listening to hear how Michelle worked to shape her body image and self-confidence. Instagram: @scarrednotscaredTwitter: @scarredntscraedTikTok: @scarrednotscaredBe sure to follow, like, and subscribe to get the latest body confidence news!Watch the BodPod on YouTubeFollow us @thebodconGet your BodCon 2023 tickets

8. Talking Body with Peppermint

Today, it is a pleasure to welcome Peppermint to the BodPod! Peppermint is a trailblazing actress, singer, reality star, and activist from New York City who made history as the first runner-up on season nine of RuPaul’s Drag Race, where she was the first out, trans contestant on the show! Her time on reality television was just the beginning, though, as her talent led her to become the first trans woman to originate a principal role on Broadway in the musical, Head Over Heels. During the pandemic, Peppermint also started her own Twitch series called Pepp Talks, where she and her friends review classic Black movies each week as well as on OUTtvGo’s new show, Translation. An established entertainer and recording artist, Peppermint was recently nominated for a 2021 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Music Artist for her latest album, A Girl Like Me: Letters to My Lovers. In today’s episode, Peppermint is sharing the inspiration behind her new music, which she says is a love letter to those in the trans community to let them know they are worthy of being loved and being loved publicly. We’ll also dive into Peppermint’s performing background and how she fell into drag while touching on her time on RuPaul’s Drag Race. Last but certainly not least, we’ll discuss Black, , and trans representation, the “adultifying” of young Black boys and girls, and how this connects to trans rights.  Instagram: @peppermint247Twitter: @Peppermint247Twitch: Peppermint247A Girl Like Me: Letters to My LoversBe sure to follow, like, and subscribe to get the latest body confidence news!Watch the BodPod on YouTubeFollow us @thebodconGet your BodCon 2023 tickets

7. Talking Body with Kat Inokai

Today, the BodPod is pleased to welcome Kat Inokai to the show! Kat is a writer, content creator, advocate, and disabled mom of two who lives with multiple autoimmune diseases. She started her first blog, Thebumpandhustle.com, in 2010 where she chronicled pregnancy, motherhood, and her entrepreneurial lifestyle. However, in 2018, Kat had a life-changing health experience in which she ended up in the hospital and rehab and this led her to shifting her platform. Now, Kat is an advocate for accessibility, body image, and acceptance through the lens of disability. In today’s episode, Kat is sharing her journey to diagnosis, which began when she was about 16 years old and eventually led to Crohn’s disease and many other diagnoses. Kat will also discuss how identifying as disabled later in life forced her to recognize her own internalized ableism, the pressure to be able-bodied, and the many ableist mico-aggressions we all must unlearn. Keep listening to hear how Kat is working to shift the narrative surrounding disabled bodies. Instagram: @bumpandhustleBe sure to follow, like, and subscribe to get the latest body confidence news!Watch the BodPod on YouTubeFollow us @thebodconGet your BodCon 2023 tickets

6. Talking Body with Alex Light

In today’s episode, we welcome Alex Light, a body confidence and self-acceptance influencer and journalist from London, England to the show! After struggling with various eating disorders, Alex made the decision to shift her virtual platform from beauty and fashion content to a safe space for anyone in the grips of an eating disorder or bad body image. As someone who is anti-diet, Alex discusses the harms of diet culture on her platform and in her own podcast, The Light Show. Besides this, she has appeared in numerous publications for her criticism of the way media portrays bodies.Today, Alex will share her journey with dieting at a young age - which is something she continued to do until a few years ago - including what led her to dieting, how normalized this was while she was growing up, and how she made a change to confront diet culture. Alex’s self-deprecating humour, thought-provoking questions, and vulnerability to share her story are all things that make her an inspiring guest on the BodPod.TW: This episode contains content related to Eating Disorders  and Diet Culture that may be alarming to some listeners. Listener discretion is advised.Instagram: @alexlight_ldnHow to Improve Your Body Image E-bookBe sure to follow, like, and subscribe to get the latest body confidence news!Watch the BodPod on YouTubeFollow us @thebodconGet your BodCon 2023 tickets

5. Talking Body with Brynta Ponn

Today the BodPod is excited to welcome Brynta Ponn to the show! Brynta is a body confidence influencer and social media powerhouse from Toronto who is encouraging people to live unapologetically and embrace their bodies through honest conversation and comedic content. After getting engaged, Brynta began sharing her journey to losing weight on social media. As with many of us though, when the pandemic hit, she started gaining that weight back and decided to shift the focus of her content. With a hefty following on Instagram and TikTok, Brynta is hoping to inspire others to laugh, grow, and find their way to self-acceptance through her own journey with body image. In today’s episode, Brynta will share how growing up in a certain environment shaped what she thought of her body and how that contributed to her disordered eating. Join us as we discuss representation, watching older media with a more critical lens, and holding clothing brands accountable. Instagram: @bryntstagramTikTok: @brynta27TikTok: @brynta_ponnBe sure to follow, like, and subscribe to get the latest body confidence news!Watch the BodPod on YouTubeFollow us @thebodconGet your BodCon 2023 tickets

4. Talking Body With Hunter McGrady

Today we are chatting with the inspiring Hunter McGrady. Growing up in Los Angeles as an aspiring model, Hunter has made history as the first plus-size woman to appear on the cover of a bridal magazine, as the curviest model to appear in Sports Illustrated - as their 2018 Rookie of the Year, and one of the first curve models to walk the New York Fashion Week Runways in December of 2017. Now she is on a mission to change the world and inspire others on her journey of self-love - recently launching her own clothing line, All Worthy, that is fully size-inclusive. In today’s episode, Hunter will share the challenges of being an aspiring model as a child, how she honors her body through pregnancy, and her journey of self-love.All Worthy on QVCModel Citizen PodcastBe sure to follow, like, and subscribe to get the latest body confidence news!Watch the BodPod on YouTubeFollow us @thebodconGet your BodCon 2023 tickets