The Full Bloom Podcast - body-positive parenting for a more embodied and inclusive next generation

After a lot of thought and with a heavy heart, the podcast chapter of the Full Bloom Project is coming to an end. I have learned so much through the creation of the podcast and from our guests and I hope that you have as well. Thank you all for supporting us in the search for a more inclusive next generation. This is not the end of the Full Bloom Project and we hope that you stay in touch with us as we embark on the next chapter. Please consider supporting us on Patreon, Patreon.com/fullbloomproject, and follow us on Instagram @fullbloomproject.

There is no health without mental health, and yet we don't often think to take our kids (or ourselves!) for mental health check-ups. Pediatric mental health struggles are often overlooked, misunderstood, and stigmatized, but Dr. Helen Eggers is changing that with a new Teletherapy platform for kids and families.  Read the full show notes for this episode here.

Dedicated body-positive affinity spaces for youth are hard to come by, but we can and should change that. Hillary Kinavey and Dana Sturtevant of Be Nourished join for a conversation about how to apply their Body Trust model to heal ourselves and build a body-compassionate and weight-inclusive world for our children. Read the full show notes for this episode here.

Body-positive adolescent medicine physician, Shelly Aggarwal, joins for a conversation about the nuances of weight-inclusive healthcare during the tween and teen years.   Read the full show notes for this episode here.

We've talked about the well-meaning, yet potentially harmful messages kids hear about food, nutrition, and health in schools...but can we offer more than complaints and concerns? If we're lucky enough to have (or be!) teachers and school administrators who are receptive to making changes, where can we send them for practical, impactful guidance? One place is @Dietitians4teachers, the instagram account run by registered dietitian, Gwen Kostal. Tune in for tons of actionable strategies, compassionate guidance, and an innovation session where Gwen and Zoë noodle over how we can best help school professionals embrace protective, food neutral, food literacy frameworks.  Read the full show notes for this episode here.

Have you ever wondered how your unconscious bias works? Or how we can move away from a culture infected by stigma and towards one dominated by genuine inclusion? Jessica Nordell, author of the book The End of Bias: A Beginning: The Science and Practice of Overcoming Unconscious Bias, is here to offer practical, science based, guidance to help us make meaningful change...and help others do the same. Read the full show notes for this episode here.

Weight-based bullying is brutal and, unfortunately,  pretty common. Despite our best body-positive efforts to protect our kids, young victims still sustain emotional and psychological wounds that can have traumatic, life-long effects. But… there's hope. New treatment to help bullied youth has emerged and Dr. Janet Lydecker, of Yale's Teen POWER program, joins for a conversation about the path towards healing…and how parents can help.  Read the full show notes for this episode here.

In honor of eating disorders awareness week 2022 we are re-posting this crash course in everything you need to know to support you in early detection and intervention! 

Organized children are not born, they are raised. That is the philosophy of this week's guest, developmental pediatrician, Dr. Damon Korb. This week we get a crash course in executive function, otherwise known as those critical skills that help us plan, focus, and juggle all of our tasks, goals, and impulses. Dr. Korb shares 5 principles to help us nurture this critical aspect of development in children of all ages, neurotypical and neurodivergent alike. Read the full show notes for this episode here.

This week Dani Lebovitz, of Kid Food Explorers, returns for a real time demonstration of how to build food acceptance skills, featuring two very special guests: Zoë's kids! In this very practical episode, Dani leads Noah (6) and Leo Bisbing (7.5) on a food exploration adventure, using their 5 senses... in search of delicious!  Read the full show notes for this episode here.

As a parent, it is so hard to understand how to feed our kids. Mealtimes can be frustrating! We want to take away morality in foods, but we still want them to eat their veggies. This is where pediatric registered dietitian Dani Levowitz comes in to teach us to be food explorers. In this episode, we talk about how to turn everyday frustrations and anxieties into opportunities for learning and excitement. Through play, we begin our search for delicious and help our kids build confidence and competence, while also encouraging them to learn to eat those vegetables. Read the full show notes for this episode here.

Do you ever feel like intellectually you connect with concepts of intuitive eating, anti-diet culture, and body-positivity, but when you try to put it into practice for yourself you hit a wall? Well, you're not alone! In this week's episode, Zoë partners with Kimmie Singh, RD to give you a taste of what bespoke body-positive support could look for YOU. Read the full show notes for this episode here.

With so much conversation about body-acceptance, fat-positivity, and health at every size are we neglecting medical conditions that are long-thought to be caused by “unhealthy lifestyles”?  More specifically, how does diabetes fit into all of this if we have a family or personal history, but want to do what we can to minimize our kids' risk? Zoë sits down with endocrinologist Dr. Gregory Dodell for a lesson on the endocrine system, why diabetes is coated in weight stigma, the interplay of shame and health, and the importance of sustainability when it comes to managing chronic health conditions with a healthy dose of self-compassion. Read the full show notes for this episode here.

Are good intentions good enough when it comes to promoting body-positivity? This week Zoë talks with writer and abolitionist, Da'Shaun Harrison, for a raw conversation about the harmful implications of peddling "body-positivity”. Tune in to learn who most often gets left out of our advocacy efforts and how we can deepen our conversations with each other — and our young people — to amplify the connection between anti-fatness and anti-blackness.   Read the full show notes for this episode here.

What exactly is an eating disorder and how much do I actually need to know about them? Dr. Erin Parks, co-founder of Equip, a virtual eating disorder treatment program that helps young people recover at home, joins Zoë for a concise yet thorough “eating disorders 101”. Tune in to learn how to spot disordered behavior in your kids, how to address concerns head-on, when it's time to consult a professional, and what effective treatment looks like.  Read the full show notes for this episode here.

Many of us understand how harmful weight stigma can be, but what can any of us actually do about it? In this week's episode, Zoë is joined by the leader of the Body Respect movement in Iceland, Sigrún Daníelsdóttir, for a discussion about why reducing anti-fat prejudice is so darn hard and how we can use everyday activism to get a little closer to a world where everyone, of every size, can live with dignity, peace, and justice.  Read the full show notes for this episode here

“Isn't it cool how asses come in so many different sizes?” In this episode, Dr. Rachel Milner talks to Zoë about what it means to be fat-positive. Through personal and clinical examples they discuss the protective benefits of raising fat-positive children and how to break the cycle of intergenerational weight-related trauma once and for all. Zoë and Rachel offer practical strategies to help you talk to your kids about fat-positivity in a fat-phobic society, navigate awkward moments on the playground, and give you a bonus deep dive into the unique challenges of treating anorexia in fat people (yes, that's a real thing). Read the full show notes for this episode here.

When was the last time you dismissed yourself or someone else as “lazy”? This conversation may change the way you look at that word. Dr. Devon Price, social psychologist, activist, and author of Laziness Does Not Exist joins for a discussion about the origins and legacy of ‘the laziness lie'  and how to arm young people with the skills they need to advocate for themselves and hold on to their “good enoughness” in a culture that tells us we should always be doing more. Read the full show notes for this episode here.

This week we're joined by Jessica Saunders, a feminist trained developmental scientist working to promote positive developmental outcomes across the lifespan and identify ways that negative body experiences can be improved.  We discuss the effect of weight-based teasing in school and how teachers are unprepared to have these conversations with students. But who teaches the teachers? Listeners will learn about Jessica's research on the Comprehensive School Health Approach and how we can work towards weight-neutral health promotion. Read the full show notes for this episode here.

This week we're joined by Marquisele Mercedes, a writer and doctoral student working at the intersection of public health, fat studies, and scholarship on race/ism. We discuss the need for intersectional representation in spaces challenging oppression, how racism and sizeism show up on the playground, why language policies don't work, and much more. In this conversation encompassing both academic scholarship and lived experience, listeners will think critically about the language we use with each other and imagine how much safer, humane, and healthier the world could be if we learned to de-medicalize fatness. Read the full show notes for this episode here.

In this episode from season 2, “the Toddler Whisperer” Dr. Tovah Klein shares how parents can plant seeds for a child's lifelong success during the toddler years. She explains the “toddler paradox,” gives us insight into the toddler mind, and shares practical tips for feeding toddlers without power struggles. Read the full show notes for this episode.

What good is the knowledge that research says family meals are associated with better academic performance and lower rates of depression, eating disorders, and substance use if you're struggling to get out of bed. And who could possibly care about how many servings of fruit and vegetables is optimal for your kid if you can't even access fresh produce… or figure out how to use it before it rots in your fridge….or can't figure out how to get your kid to accept anything other than white food? Jennifer Anderson, the dietitian turned influencer behind @kidseatincolor, is here to offer loads of compassion and guidance to those of us who are parenting at the bottom, struggling to make ends meet, fighting with picky eaters, and feeling desperate to just do a little better.  

All kids need to move, but not all kids get to move. While physical education programs level the socio-economic playing field and plant critical seeds for  life-long love of movement, they are also responsible for the grim practice of school-based BMI measurement programs. Berkley Public Health epidemiologist, Dr. Hannah Thompson, joins to fill us in on the state of physical education today and what the research says about what helps… and what unintentionally harms.  Read the full show notes for this episode.

While you're waiting for the next new episode (coming 8/11!) catch up on this conversation with Psychologist Dr. Lauren Muhlheim from our inaugural season. Lauren helped us understand the Health at Every Size® paradigm and the value of building a united front against diet culture. We discuss strategies and possible challenges for uniting with pediatricians, teachers, extended family members, and other care providers in the body-positive nurturing approach.

In a year of remote schooling, many parents had a front row seat into their children's school days — including the ways that diet culture can sneak into the classroom. We brought Virginia Sole-Smith back onto the show to discuss her recent New York Times piece “Are Schools Teaching Kids to Diet?” We also cover how parents can respond if harmful messages about food and bodies are being shared at school. Read the full show notes for this episode. Get our ABC Guide to Body-Positive Parenting.

While you're waiting for the next new episode (dropping on 7/28!) tune into this conversation with researcher Dr. Suman Ambwani about the ubiquitous trend of “clean eating,” cleanses, and other pop culture health fads. She talks us through her research on clean eating and the risks that come with moralizing food, especially for young people. We explore the connections between clean eating and privilege, find out where our kids are getting their health information, and discuss opportunities for public health intervention.

The podcast is back! To kick off the newest season, Zoë is joined by the paradigm-shifting researcher, best selling author, and social justice warrior Dr. Lindo Bacon. They discuss radical belonging, self compassion, shame and vulnerability, myths about nutrition and health, and how to support kids' unique identities and gender expression — all through the lens of how to help young people not just survive, but thrive, in an unjust world. Read the full show notes for this episode. Get our ABC Guide to Body-Positive Parenting.

We're joined by fertility awareness educator Lisa Hendrickson-Jack to learn about all things periods. Lisa discusses common misconceptions about menstrual health, and we explore why helping your daughter understand her menstrual cycle can promote body-positivity. Get our guide to body-positive parenting. Click here for show notes. 

While we embrace the language used by the original body-positive movement to characterize our signature parenting style, our next hidden gem episode from Season 1, featuring Dr. Carly Guss and researcher Dr. Sabra Katz-Wise about gender non-conforming and trans youth, reminded us that sometimes body-positivity is simply not inclusive enough and, frankly, can miss the point.  Get our ABC Guide to Body-Positive Parenting. Read full show notes here.

It's halloween week and we are reposting our season one conversation with the "original intuitive eating" dietitian and author Evelyn Tribole. She talks with us about the best ways to handle all this “junk food” (aka halloween candy) with kids (and why she uses the term “play food” instead). Get our ABC Guide to Body-Positive Parenting. Read full show notes here.

This week it just felt right to take you back to Season one of the pod, episode #19 where Dr. Rebecca Kennedy (before she was the instagram sensation @drbeckyathome) taught us how to harness the power of simplicity and presence to foster emotional connectedness in our kids. We love her “less is more” recommendation to approach our children's emotional experience like a scientist collecting data — with nonjudgmental curiosity. Get our ABC Guide to Body-Positive Parenting. Read full show notes here.

So in honor of Weight Stigma Awareness week we are reposting one of our favorite conversations with Social psychologist Dr. Jeff Hunger, who helps us dig deeper into the available research on weight stigma. He highlights some ironic misconceptions about the impact of weight stigma, including its consequences for mental and physical health, and discusses how parents and healthcare providers can translate research findings to their daily lives. Read the full show notes for this episode. Get our ABC Guide to Body-Positive Parenting.

Elyse Resch - co-author of Intuitive Eating - answers a listener question about getting her teenager daughters interested in intuitive eating. We also discuss the newest updates to the intuitive eating model, understanding intuitive eating through a social justice lens rather than a nutrition lens, and a play-by-play of how Elyse helps teens think critically about diet culture. Read the full show notes for this episode. Get our ABC Guide to Body-Positive Parenting.

It's "back-to-school" week for us, which means we got a little behind schedule! In anticipation of next week's season 3 finale, we thought we'd revisit our nourishing conversation with Health at Every Size Dietitian, Heidi Schauster. A fan favorite episode, tune in to learn (or refresh!) the 10 things you are welcome to QUIT DOING to improve your relationships with food, your bodies, and yourself — and nurture the same in your children. Read the full show notes for this episode. Get our ABC Guide to Body-Positive Parenting.

Feminist marketing consultant and writer Kelly Diels joins us for a conversation about social media, marketing, and culture. We discuss the power of helping our kids notice, name, and build resilience against harmful media messages, and why we should all think of ourselves as culture makers. Read the full show notes for this episode. Get our ABC Guide to Body-Positive Parenting. Submit a question for season 3.

Ellyn Satter Institute faculty member Jenn Harris returns to the show to answer a listener's question about conflicting advice she's heard about handling “play food” or “sometimes food.” We get clarity around how to apply the Satter model when serving dessert (or when it's served at a birthday party), discuss what differentiates eating competence and intuitive eating, and learn why structure may be your most powerful parenting tool when it comes to your child's relationship with food. Read the full show notes for this episode. Get our ABC Guide to Body-Positive Parenting. Submit a question for season 3.

Zoë talks through a real life body-positive parenting dilemma with Hannah and Kelty — twins, mothers, and co-founders of the Upbringing parenting resource. They dig into parenting for “sanity and social change” and how to support kids who have chronic illnesses or conditions that may complicate their relationship with their bodies. Read the full show notes for this episode. Get our ABC Guide to Body-Positive Parenting. Submit a question for season 3.

We spoke with the wonderful team behind Sunny Side Up Nutrition to answer a question from a listener wondering how or what she can teach her kids about nutrition without diet culture sneaking in. Anna and Elizabeth talked us through the value of modeling behaviors, considering developmental stage in the conversations you have about food, what kind of nutrition education is happening in schools, and what really supports kids in maintaining their intuitive eating abilities and growing up into competent eaters. Read the full show notes for this episode. Get our ABC Guide to Body-Positive Parenting. Submit a question for season 3.

We're joined by researcher Dr. Dana Voelker to answer a question from a listener whose daughter wants to pursue classical ballet professionally. We discuss characteristics of healthy and unhealthy sports cultures, intuitive exercise, helping kids learn to love movement, and how this parent can help her daughter navigate a field that can be rife with problematic messages about bodies. Read the full show notes for this episode. Get our ABC Guide to Body-Positive Parenting. Submit a question for season 3.

Parent coach and educator Oona Hanson joins us for a conversation about our real-life experiences parenting without diet culture. Leslie and Oona talk about their strategies for helping kids of varied ages learn to recognize and externalize diet culture, handling memes about weight gain, when diet culture and fatphobia sneak into the school curriculum, snacking during quarantine, Adele and celebrity “glow-ups,” and more.  Read the full show notes for this episode. Get our ABC Guide to Body-Positive Parenting. Submit a question for season 3.

We've decided to hold off on posting the episode we had originally scheduled for today. In light of recent events - the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others, as well as protests against structural racism, police brutality, and injustice in response - we are instead sharing an old episode that highlights why we cannot talk about body-positivity without talking about racism. Dr. Sabrina Strings talks us through her research on the origins of fat phobia and the thin ideal, why these phenomenona have always been tied to anti-blackness, and why the assumed connection between weight and health is built on a shaky foundation. Get our ABC Guide to Body-Positive Parenting. Read the full show notes here.

Clinical psychologist Dr. Stephanie Jacobs joins Leslie to answer a question from a parent feeling overwhelmed and helpless in the face of her teenage daughter's intense emotions. Stephanie gives a crash course in the concepts of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and how distress tolerance skills might be useful for this parent. We discuss why parents may want to manage their own emotional activation before jumping in to help their kids, validation and what it sounds like, concrete examples of DBT distress tolerance skills, and how parents and kids can start putting them into practice today. Read the full show notes for this episode. Get our ABC Guide to Body-Positive Parenting. Submit a question for season 3.

Researcher Dr. Laura Hart helps us answer a question from a parent wondering how to get her child's grandparents to support her efforts at creating a body-positive family culture. We learn about the incredible research that Laura has done on preventing the onset of disordered eating and body image struggles — and what all parents and care providers can do to teach children about healthy eating patterns without negatively impacting body image. Read the full show notes for this episode. Get our ABC Guide to Body-Positive Parenting. Submit a question for season 3.

Activist and educator Julie Nowak joins us to discuss food justice and body positivity. She helps us respond to a question from a listener concerned about her daughter's new veganism and its possible connection to body image concerns. We explore the intersection between food/environmental activism and body positivity — and where there is room for both movements to incorporate the ideas of the other. We also discuss warning signs for orthorexia and Julie's advice for parents about engaging your kids in conversations about intersectional food justice. Read the full show notes for this episode. Get our ABC Guide to Body-Positive Parenting. Submit a question for season 3.

Our friend, clinical psychologist Dr. Becky Kennedy (aka Dr. Becky At Home), joined us for a much-needed conversation about what we're all wondering — how in the world do we parent through a pandemic? She offers an amazing balance of compassion, nonjudgmental curiosity, pragmatic advice and examples, and her perspective as both a child development specialist and fellow imperfect mother. We hope you're all hanging in there, and that you can take something out of this episode to help you navigate this difficult time. Read the full show notes for this episode. Get our ABC Guide to Body-Positive Parenting. Submit a question for season 3.

We're joined by health psychologist Dr. A. Janet Tomiyama this week to respond to a listener's question about her child stress eating every afternoon after school. (And in these stressful times, this question feels more timely than ever!) What is stress eating, and how should we approach it as parents? We learn about Dr. Tomiyama's research findings, explore how the research applies to real life, and identify strategies for coping with stress that kids and parents alike can put into practice today. Read the full show notes for this episode. Get our ABC Guide to Body-Positive Parenting. Submit a question for season 3.

Season 3 premiere! We're kicking off the season with our first body-positive parenting in real life question, from a listener wondering how to handle peer and friend influences on her middle school-aged daughter's body image. We're joined by the highly accomplished Dr. Phillippa Diedrichs to learn about the research on the causes and consequences of low body confidence, and what interventions really do help improve body image. We cover boutique fitness classes, athleisure, bonding through body talk, an exercise for parents to work on their own body image, and more. Read the full show notes for this episode. Get our ABC Guide to Body-Positive Parenting. Submit a question for season 3.

In our season 2 finale, author and activist Virgie Tovar shares about her philosophy to “lose hate, not weight,” discusses the history of fat activism, and explores the intersections between racism, sexism, and fatphobia. We also discuss why self-love is so essential for young girls of color. Parents will leave with tons of encouragement, suggestions, and inspiration to imagine the world you would like to live in. Read the full show notes for this episode. Get our ABC Guide to Body-Positive Parenting. Submit a question for season 3.

Researcher Dr. Allegra Gordon and clinician LB Moore join us for a fascinating conversation about gender and body positivity — touching on the research as well as clinical and lived experience. We discuss the unique stressors faced by trans and gender nonbinary youth, the need for a nuanced approach to body positivity, variations in appearance ideals, and their impact. We also learn how parents and providers can help strengthen protective factors for the young people in their lives. Read the full show notes for this episode. Get our ABC Guide to Body-Positive Parenting. Submit a question for season 3.

We're joined by researcher Dr. Suman Ambwani to discuss the ubiquitous trend of “clean eating,” cleanses, and other pop culture health fads. She talks us through her research on clean eating and the risks that come with moralizing food, especially for young people. We explore the connections between clean eating and privilege, find out where our kids are getting their health information, and discuss opportunities for public health intervention. Read the full show notes for this episode. Get our ABC Guide to Body-Positive Parenting. Submit a question for season 3.

Social psychologist Dr. Jeff Hunger helps us dig deeper into the available research on weight stigma. He points out some ironic misconceptions about the impact of weight stigma, including its consequences for mental and physical health. We also discuss how parents and healthcare providers can translate research findings to their daily lives. Read the full show notes for this episode. Get our ABC Guide to Body-Positive Parenting. Submit a question for season 3.