Episode #89 Redefining Success On Your Terms with Becky Mollenkamp

After doing all the right things and checking all of the “boxes” personally and professionally, Becky Mollenkamp discovered she still wasn’t fulfilled and happy. On the podcast, Becky shares her story of personal discovery and how she now understands the social conditioning that keeps women blaming themselves for their failures. We discussed how trying to achieve the thin body ideal is a way to achieve success, when it only harms us emotionally and physically. Becky also offers some fantastic questions that you can ask yourself to discover your own definition of success. 

Check out Becky’s Get Sh*t Done Workbook + private audio series 

https://beckymollenkamp.com/procrastination-workbook/

Follow Becky on IG https://www.instagram.com/beckymollenkamp/

Learn more about Becky here https://beckymollenkamp.com

Episode #80: Feminism and Body Image with Melanie Klein

On the podcast, Melanie Klein, writer, speaker and professor of Sociology and Gender/Women’s Studies, shares how understanding systems and constructs like sexism, diet culture, the patriarchy and white supremacy were pivotal in helping her move from blaming herself for how she felt about her body and not seeing any other choice but pursue a thinner body, to palpable relief. Now, Melanie answers the call to share her knowledge and expertise to help folks come to a place of body neutrality and acceptance so they can feel empowered. 

Melanie recommended reading: 

Feminism is for Everybody by bell hooks

Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center by bell hooks

Learn more about Melanie and the books she’s published here: 

http://www.melaniecklein.com/

Connect with Melanie here: 

IG: @melmelklein @ybicoalition

Episode #76: Uncovering the Truth with Noom, the “Obesity Epidemic” and White Feminism with Virginia Sole-Smith

Virginia Sole-Smith woke up to the impact of diet culture when her daughter had a significant health crisis that drove her to not eat when she was 2 months old because she didn’t feel safe. This was the catalyst for Virginia to examine her own relationship with food and to decide that she needed to make food joyful and her home a safe space for her family. 

On the podcast, Virginia and I discussed what it’s like to not believe we’re dieting, but are.  Virginia talked about the Noom app, which is essentially a diet for smart people in different packaging. She wrote an informative and insightful article here.

We talked about the so-called obesity epidemic and how the Body Mass Index, politics and the pharmaceutical industry have played a pivotal role in how we look at obesity. And we talked about white feminism and its origins with equal pay and abortion rights. 

Connect with Virginia on Instagram and Twitter @v_solesmith

Virginia Sole-Smith is the author of The Eating Instinct: Food Culture, Body Image and Guilt in America and the forthcoming Fat Kid Phobia.

Check out Burnt Toast, which explores questions (and some answers) around diet culture, fatphobia, health and parenting.