The BodPod

36. Talking Body with Leah V

Welcome back to another episode of the BodPod! Today, we are pleased to have Leah V, a Hijabi social media influencer, award-winning author, model, motivational speaker, educator, and content creator on the show. Leah’s content has garnered millions of views and she has been featured in hundreds of media platforms including The New York Times, Refinery29, Vogue Italia, and Buzzfeed. As a plus-sized model, body positivity activist, and Muslim feminist, Leah is paving the way for people who don’t fit in to normalized beauty standards while sharing her experiences with her community to empower them to live boldly.In this episode, Leah V will share with us how she came to be a model and a social media activist, how her family adopted a new faith when she was a child, and how that affected her body image. In addition, we’ll chat about Leah’s fashion, her journey to becoming more comfortable with wearing different kinds of clothing, and the way in which Muslim women are often portrayed in the media. Last but not certainly not least, Leah will open up about the criticism she’s faced from both Muslim and non-Muslim individuals. Keep listening to hear how Leah V went from avoiding mirrors to landing a modelling deal with Old Navy.Leah’s book: http://www.leahvernon.com/unashamedleahvernonbookLeah’ Instagram: @lvernon3000Be sure to follow, like, and subscribe to get the latest body confidence news!Watch the BodPod on YouTubeFollow us @thebodconGet your BodCon 2023 tickets

35. Talking Body with The Power of Plus’s Gianluca Russo & Shammara Lawrence

Welcome back to the BodPod! Today, we are thrilled to be chatting with The Power of Plus’s cofounders Gianluca Russo and Shammara Lawrence! The Power of Plus is a size inclusive community centred on open and honest conversations around body positivity self-love, fat politics, and size inclusivity in fashion, beauty, and beyond. Diversity and inclusion are the core principles of the platform which promotes respect, love, and style for every body.Gianluca Russo is the CEO and cofounder of The Power of Plus as well as a fashion and culture writer who specializes in body diversity. His work has appeared in GQ, Glamour, InStyle, Teen Vogue and more and his debut book, The Power of Plus, will be released in the summer of 2022. Shammara Lawrence is also the cofounder of The Power of Plus and is a New York-based multimedia writer who specializes in beauty, plus-sized fashion, body positivity, and social justice. Her words have been published in Teen Vogue, Allure, InStyle, and more. In this episode, Gianluca and Shammara will tell us how The Power of Plus came to be, how they launched the online platform, and how they are working to fill a void in conversations about plus-sized fashion. Besides this, we’ll dive right into the details of plus-sized fashion including the continued struggle to see plus-sized clothing being made, the myth that the plus-sized community doesn’t care about fashion, and the way in which brands don’t see the business value in creating for this community. Last but not certainly not least, we’ll discuss the racism that exists in the fashion industry. Keep listening to hear how Gianluca and Shammara are working to broach sensitive and difficult conversations when it comes to plus-sized fashion and inclusivity. The Power of Plus’s Instagram: @thepowerofplus Gianluca’s Instagram: @g_russo1 Shammara’s Instagram: @itsshammaraBe sure to follow, like, and subscribe to get the latest body confidence news!Watch the BodPod on YouTubeFollow us @thebodconGet your BodCon 2023 tickets

34. Talking Body with Gigi Robinson

Welcome back to the BodPod! Today, we are pleased to have Gigi Robinson, a digital artist, podcaster, creative producer, and social media advocate for mental health, chronic illness, and body image on the show! Living with chronic illnesses herself, Gigi strives to create positive and impactful messages to share with her diverse audience by opening up about her journey and the effects it’s had on her mental health and body confidence. A creative on many platforms, she recently launched her Spotify Greenroom show, Everything You Need is Within, which she describes as a Gen Z show that tells it like it is. Gigi continues to give back by working with organizations like the Trevor Project, the Jed Foundation, World Food Programme USA, and more. In this episode, Gigi will talk about her body confidence after getting diagnosed with chronic illness at a young age, how she stopped herself from falling in to old habits including binge eating during the pandemic, and how that led her to the body confidence space. Besides this, we will talk about the negative pressures of social media, being mindful of what you’re posting online especially for younger generations, and the importance of curating your feed in order to protect your mental health. Last but not least, Gigi will share with us how her Spotify Greenroom show came to be and why she defines it a Gen Z show that tells it like it is. Keep listening to hear how Gigi is educating others on critical wellness topics while championing diversity and equality for all. Instagram: @itsgigirobinsonWebsite: https://www.gigirobinson.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/gigirobinson 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

33. Talking Body with Lindo Bacon

Welcome back to the BodPod! Today, it is a pleasure to have Dr. Lindo Bacon, a nutritionist, researcher, and author on the show! Dr. Bacon is on a mission to foster a global shift towards a world where all bodies are valued, respected, and supported in compassionate self-care. They have a doctorate in physiology, master’s degrees in exercise science and psychotherapy, and currently serve as an associate nutritionist as the University of California, Davis. Lindo has worked extensively in the health at every size field including writing the Health at Every Size book in 2008 and serving as co-author on Body Respect. Known for their signature blend of science and storytelling, they recently released their third book, Radical Belonging: How To Survive and Thrive in an Unjust World (While Transforming it for the Better). Lindo continues to push for a culture of empathy, equity, and true belonging while sharing their own struggle as a marginalized individual.In this episode, Dr. Lindo Bacon will share the details of their body confidence journey, how important it is for them to present their vulnerability, and how difficult it is not to buy into the diet culture myths. We’ll also discuss radical belonging, recognizing your journey as being constant rather than a set point, and the catalyst that promoted Lindo to write their latest book. Last but not least, we’ll touch on fatphobia in healthcare and how to start teaching younger generations about body confidence including normalizing difference. Keep listening to hear how Dr. Lindo Bacon is advocating for body respect. Instagram: @lindobaconWebsite: https://lindobacon.com/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

32. Talking Body with Wellness Lately’s Bridget Shannon

Welcome back to the BodPod! Today, we are excited to have Bridget Shannon, a certified health coach and cofounder of Wellness Lately, on the show! After spending 10 years working in the health industry and healing her own history with disordered eating, Bridget switched gears and is now passionate about helping women all over the world ditch the dieting, heal their relationships with their bodies, and embrace a version of wellness that actually feels good for them. Through Wellness Lately, Bridget and her cofounder Dana Barron are dedicated to spreading the messages of intuitive eating, health at every size, and body liberation. In this episode, Bridget will share the origin story of Wellness Lately including her own body journey, her relationship with food, and her exit from health coaching. We’ll also delve deep into the diet industry and the way it capitalizes on our desire to be thin, the vicious cycle that is dieting, and how the wellness industry also plays into all of this. Last not least, Bridget will discuss the way in which certain diet companies have rebranded themselves as lifestyle companies, yet still sell the same thing. Keep listening to hear Bridget’s advice for breaking up with diets and how she is helping women feel equipped with their bodies.Instagram: @wellness_latelyWebsite: https://www.wellnesslately.com/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

31. Talking Body with Carlen Costa

Welcome to another episode of the BodPod! Today, we chatting with the incredible Carlen Costa, a clinical sexologist, psychotherapist, cannabis educator, activist, and author of the Amazon number one best-seller Love: The Women’s Guide to Not F*cking Settling. Carlen’s work is largely focused in the field of sexology as she teaches people of all genders how to love with confidence through radical self-love and how to create healthy, happy, and consensual relationships in intimate settings. She has been featured in Fashion, Cosmopolitan, HuffPost, Refinery29 and many other publications and media outlets. In this episode, Carlen will share how she got into body work including her own body confidence journey and her life design community called The Everyday Goddess, how limiting labels can be, and how important it is to own your body and yourself. We’ll also discuss weight loss and how diet culture tells us we’ll be happier if we’re a certain size and the relationship between and body confidence. Last but not least, we’ll talk about how we typically allow others to validate our experiences of pleasure and how we can and should change that. Keep listening to hear how Carlen is working to help people get to know their bodies and bring pleasure back into themselves. Carlen’s Instagram: @carlen.costa Carlen’s website: https://www.carlencosta.com/Love: The Women's Guide to Not Settling: AmazonBe sure to follow, like, and subscribe to get the latest body confidence news!Watch the BodPod on YouTubeFollow us @thebodconGet your BodCon 2023 tickets

30. Talking Body with Jessamyn Stanley

Welcome to the BodPod! Today, we are thrilled to have Jessamyn Stanley, an internationally acclaimed voice in wellness, a yoga teacher, advocate, podcaster, and published author, on the show! She launched The Underbelly, a wellness platform that includes on-demand streaming yoga classes – taught by Jessamyn – for everyone, especially those who may feel displaced, discouraged, or overlooked in the health and fitness community. Her most recent book, Yoke: My Yoga of Self-Acceptance, explores issues of self-love, body positivity, race, , sexuality, and so much more all through the lens of an authentic yoga practice. Jessamyn’s advocacy work includes a variety of cultural issues including the modern Black experience, LGBTQIA+ representation, and equity in the health industry among so many others. She is a regular contributor for Self Magazine and has been featured in the New York Times, CNN, Good Morning America, Vogue, InStyle, BET, Cosmopolitan, and many other publications.In this episode, Jessamyn will share with us how her yoga journey began, why it was important for her to share her practice, and how this led to her wellness community called The Underbelly as well as her advocacy work. We will also discuss Jessamyn’s book including cultural appropriation and the reason she uses the word “yoke”, her experience with yoga teacher training, and why it’s important for her to reach everyone who has asked her to teach yoga. Last but not least, we’ll talk about the overwhelming whiteness that has become the hallmark of yoga, the importance of sitting in discomfort, and Jessamyn’s personal body confidence. Keep listening to hear how Jessamyn is taking care of her body and letting it be, while encouraging others to do the same. Jessamyn’s Instagram: @mynameisjessamynJessamyn’s podcast: https://dearjessamyn.comThe Underbelly: theunderbelly.comBe sure to follow, like, and subscribe to get the latest body confidence news!Watch the BodPod on YouTubeFollow us @thebodconGet your BodCon 2023 tickets

29. Talking Body with Dr. Joshua Wolrich

Welcome back to the BodPod! Today, we are so excited to have Dr. Joshua Wolrich, an NHS doctor living in the U.K. with a passion for helping people improve their relationship with food, on the show! After his own weight loss journey, he delved deep into the complexities of weight science and the health-at-every-size approach and realized that he had to make a public and deliberate shift away from promoting weight loss online. As a result, you will find him regularly addressing weight stigma and diet culture to his audience of over 400,000 while also fighting nutribollocks. He also recently completed his master’s in nutrition and released his debut book, Food Isn’t Medicine. In this episode, Dr. Joshua will share a bit about how he started using his Instagram as a platform for weight loss, the point at which he realized this was problematic, and the origins of his book. In addition, we’ll talk about the importance of willing to be wrong and how Dr. Joshua came to this realization, how healthcare must change to become accessible to everyone, and how stereotypes can and often do play a role in healthcare. Last but not least, Dr. Joshua will discuss the way in which healthcare is weight-centric, how this leads to exclusive healthcare, and how this isn’t really challenged by many doctors. Keep listening to hear how Dr. Joshua is working to rid healthcare of weight stigma and diet culture.Listen to Dr. Joshua Wolrich’s podcast, Willing To Be Wrong, here.Instagram: @drjoshuawolrichBe sure to follow, like, and subscribe to get the latest body confidence news!Watch the BodPod on YouTubeFollow us @thebodconGet your BodCon 2023 tickets

28. Talking Body with Tiffany Yu

Welcome back to another episode of the BodPod! Today, we are thrilled to have Tiffany Yu, a social impact entrepreneur, podcaster, disability advocate, three-time Tedx speaker, and the CEO and founder of Diversability, on the show! At the age of nine, Tiffany became disabled as a result of a car accident that also took the life of her father. Since then, Tiffany has dedicated her life to elevate disability pride through her award-winning social enterprise, Diversability, by working as a part of the San Francisco mayor’s disability council, and by founding the Awesome Foundation Disability Chapter, a monthly micro-grant that has awarded over $50,000 to 53 disability projects in eight countries. In this episode, Tiffany will open up about how she acquired her disabilities including the ones you can’t see, how she came to be an advocate for others with disabilities, and how shame held her back from being her true self. She will also talk about her journey to accepting her body, how the media influences our beauty ideals, and ableism including internalized ableism. Last but not least, we’ll discuss the way in which society frames disability as a hindrance rather than something to celebrate, the misconceptions surrounding disabled people, and the importance of eliminating these misconceptions. Keep listening to hear how Tiffany is working to help other people feel as unapologetically themselves as possible. Tiffany’s Instagram:@imtiffanyyu@diversabilityTiffany’s websites:https://mydiversability.com/https://www.tiffanyyu.com/ 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

27. Talking Body with Julia Parzyck & Jayne Mattingly

Welcome back to the BodPod! We have an extra special episode for you today as one of our BodCon alums, Julia Parzyck, takes over the podcast with her bestie, Jayne Mattingly.Julia Parzyck is an eating disorder recovery coach and body acceptance influencer who has fully recovered from her own eating disorder. She helps women develop a healthy relationship with their bodies, food, and fitness and truly learn to appreciate and accept themselves. Jane Mattingly is a master’s level eating disorder recovery therapist turned coach as well as CEO and owner of the global virtual coaching group practice, Recovery Love & Care. Having fully recovered from her own eating disorder as well, Jane lives with chronic illnesses and proudly identifies as disabled which has inspired her to help others within their own healing journeys with their bodies.In this episode, Jayne will talk about her recovery coaching business which Julia is a part of, her chronic illnesses, and the way in which she copes with her physical disabilities. The pair will also share the details of their eating disorders, their struggles with anxiety, and their recovery journeys. Last but not least, they will speak about the education or lack thereof surrounding eating disorders, the skepticism that recovery coaches often face, and the way social media impacts our mental health but also the way it can be beneficial. Keep listening to hear how Julia and Jayne are helping their clients navigate their healing journeys overall and during a global pandemic.Julia’s Instagram: @fitfatandallthatJulia’s website: https://www.fitfatandallthat.com/Jayne’s Instagram: @recoveryloveandcareJayne’s website: https://recoveryloveandcare.com/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