Podcast appearances and mentions of Jessamyn Stanley

You're listening to Burnt Toast! Today, my conversation is with Lauren Leavell. Lauren is a weight neutral fitness professional and content creator. She focuses on creating inclusive environments for movement and exercise to help clients feel strong and confident, and previously joined us on the podcast back in 2023. Lauren is an oasis in a sea of toxic online fitness and wellness culture. And it has been super toxic lately! So I asked Lauren to come on and chat with us about the recent dramas happening on Tiktok and Instagram.Yes, we get into the girl who said nobody over 200 pounds should take Pilates.We also talk about how to stay grounded when this noise is happening online, and how to seek out inclusive movement spaces—whatever that looks like for you. Today's episode is free but if you value this conversation, please consider supporting our work with a paid subscription. Burnt Toast is 100% reader- and listener-supported. We literally can't do this without you.PS. You can always listen to this pod right here in your email, where you'll also receive full transcripts (edited and condensed for clarity). But please also follow us in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and/or Pocket Casts! And if you enjoy today's conversation, please tap the heart on this post — likes are one of the biggest drivers of traffic from Substack's Notes, so that's a super easy, free way to support the show!Episode 197VirginiaLauren, it's so great to have you back on the podcast! It was one of my favorite conversations. It was two years ago that you were here before, I think.LaurenI know! Honestly, we could have a conversation once a month about toxic fitness stuff. VirginiaThere's always something. For anyone who missed your first appearance and has missed the 72,000 times I say “I love Lauren's workouts,” can you introduce yourself?LaurenI am Lauren Leavell. I am a certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor. I've been doing that for almost a decade at this point, which is so wild. I'm not tired of it yet, which is amazing for me. I have a virtual program online, and Virginia is a member of tat community.VirginiaA groupie.LaurenHonestly, yes. Love that. I teach live classes and on demand classes. All of them are body neutral, and most of them are lower impact, because we're here for a good time and a long time. And I also have private training clients who I program Stronger Together workouts for.When I'm not doing that, I'm apparently complaining on the Internet. Well, I try not to complain too much on the Internet. And stalking cats in my neighborhood.VirginiaYou are my favorite Internet cat lady.LaurenHuge, huge accolades here.VirginiaFavorite Internet cat lady. That should be in your bio. And you are talking to us from France right now! Do you want to talk about that?LaurenI'm really leaning into my Sagittarius lifestyle. I just picked up my life in Philadelphia and decided to move to France. People keep asking me, why? And my answer is, why not? My partner and I are child-free except for our two beautiful cat daughters. But they're pretty easy to move. So we packed up our lives and moved to France. We are still really new here, really getting into it. And I'm genuinely just so excited for all the new stimuli. VirginiaOf course for folks listening to this episode, it is now mid-June, so we're going to talk about something that happened a month ago, and it is forgotten in the attention span of the Internet. But I still think it's very important to record for posterity that this happened. So Lauren, can you walk us through what I'm going to call Pilatesgate.LaurenPilatesgate occurred when a woman decided to come on TikTok, and really just rant. You can tell that she was a little bit amped up. She was talking about how she did not believe that people in larger bodies—specifically, if you are over 200 pounds—you should not be in a Pilates level two class. She was really insistent, and talked about how you should be doing cardio or just going to the gym. And then she followed up with: “You also shouldn't be a fitness instructor if you have a gut.” Like, what's going on? The overall tone of it was she was extremely agitated. VirginiaShe felt this deeply.LaurenShe was very bothered. Mind you, the person saying this, obviously, is not in a fat body. She's not in a larger body. I think the tone of her video and how agitated she was is what really sparked the conversation around size inclusivity and fitness and blatant fatphobia and anti-fat bias. But it all started with someone having a very agitated car rant that I'm sure she didn't think would go the way that it went.VirginiaI think she thought people were going to be like, Hell yeah! Thanks for saying the truth. I think she thought there was going to be this moment of recognition that she had spoken something. But I would love to even just know the backstory. I assume she just walked into a Pilates class and saw a fat person and lost her mind? I can't quite understand what series of events triggered the car rant, because I can't imagine having really any experience in my daily life that I would be like, “That was so terrible I need to take to the internet and say my piece about it,” and to have the experience be…I observed another human being.LaurenRight? I think that from from her follow up video it seems like she's been doing Pilates for a while, and maybe was agitated that someone was either getting more attention or she just maybe felt some type of way in general.VirginiaI wonder if the fat person was better at Pilates than her, and that made her feel bad.LaurenIt could be anything. Just like you said, like the presence of being there, maybe even having a conversation with a teacher—something triggered her. It could have even be been seeing something online of like a fat person doing Pilates as an instructor. I know plenty of fat Pilates instructors.And the apology videos were really like, “I need to work on myself.” And also, you know…you could have worked on yourself before releasing that rant into the internet space.VirginiaI give her one tiny point for how it is a very full apology video. So often an apology video is like, “I'm sorry people were upset,” you know? Like, “I'm sorry that this bothered you.” And she is like, I truly apologize. I have to work on myself. This is bad. She does own it to a certain degree.LaurenI think it's also because she experienced consequences. Her membership was revoked and she either lost her job, or at least is on punishment from her job.VirginiaWhich is correct! She should experience consequences. Plus there was a tidal wave of of videos coming out in response to her first one being like, what is wrong with you? This is a terrible thing. The backlash was quick and universal. I didn't see a lot of support content for her. I saw just a tidal wave of people being like, what the fuck?LaurenI think the people who would have maybe supported that kept their mouths shut because they saw what was happening. There are people who support that message and feel exactly the same. It was almost like she was like, channeling that type of rage. And I think, again, the agitation is what sets this video apart from every other video that's released 500 times a day on my FYP somewhere about people expressing anti-fat bias in fitness spaces, right?VirginiaShe said the thing that is often implied, and she said it very loudly. She also said it so righteously. It was a righteous anger in the first video. That, I think, was what was startling about it, I was glad to see the backlash—although, yes, as you're saying, there is so much more out there. And really she looks like she is 12 years old. I think she's like 23 or something. So this is a literal child who has had a tantrum. That happens every day, that some young 20 somethings says a fatphobic thing, right?LaurenI mean, actually, I was, at one point, a young 20 something saying fatphobic things to myself and out in the ether.VirginiaFrom my esteemed wisdom as a 44 year old, I try to be like, Thank God Tiktok didn't exist when I was 23! Thank God there's no record of the things I said and thought as a 23 year old. So, okay, babygirl, you did this and we hope you really do do the work. But as you're saying, she said something that is frequently echoed and reinforced by fitness influencers all over Al Gore's internet.You sent me a Tiktok by a fitness influencer Melania Antuchas, who posts as FitByMa. We see her leaning into the camera at a very uncomfortable-looking angle, saying, “If you don't like the way I train or instruct, don't come to my class because I'm going to push you to be your best self and you just need to take it,” basically. Can we unpack the toxicity of this kind of messaging? Because I do think this kind of messaging is what begets the angsty 23-year-old being appalled that there's a fat person in her Pilates class.LaurenYes, totally. I think that that person may actually be like an Internet predecessor to the rant, if I'm going to be honest. This person's content, against my own will, has been showing up frequently.VirginiaThank you for your service, by the way, that you have to consume all this fitness content, and see all of this.LaurenI've been seeing a lot of this person's videos, and a lot of Pilates instructors have actually had a lot to say about it, because what she's pitching as Pilates is not traditional Pilates, either mat or reformer. It's inspired by, but we really shouldn't be calling it that. And some people were like, “It seems like more of a barre class.” And I'm like, get my name out of your mouth. What are you talking about?VirginiaYou're like, don't you make me take her! I don't want her!LaurenYes, please don't come over here with this. So I think it's a combination of the fact that maybe her workouts feel a little mislabeled to a lot of people who are professionals in the field, and then her teaching style is extremely intense. And that's really what I would love to get into. Because I think if you've been a casual fitness person, you have experienced these type of intense motivational instructors and and maybe when we rewind to when we were the age of the ranter, that would have worked. That does work on a lot of people. What this person is saying is if you don't like it, don't come to my class. There are always going to be people who love a punishing, intense type of motivation because they never experienced anything else. They don't know how to find motivation or how to exercise without the presence of punishment.VirginiaThis is certainly endemic of a lot of CrossFit culture, a lot of boot camp culture. There are a lot of fitness spaces that are really built around this. Like, “no pain, no gain.” You've got to leave it all on the mat. You've got to always show up and give 200% no matter what. And I guess that is, as you're saying, motivating to some people.LaurenTell me about your childhood, if that's what you like. You know? And it's also a result of the United States culture in general, it is extremely punishing. And if we really stop and interrogate why we enjoy this, and why we only feel motivated by this intensity and someone getting up in our face, then we might have to slowly chip away at all the other places where softness has been denied and love and openness and acceptance have been denied. But it's to make you stronger. It's to make you better.VirginiaIt's like capitalism as a workout. LaurenIt's definitely a reflection of that type of culture, because some people maybe won't be motivated by anything softer, because they've never experienced softness.VirginiaAnd they've never been given permission to exist in a more multifaceted way, like you're either successful or you're not. You can either take it or you can't.LaurenAnd pain leads to success, right? Like, even though we all know—well, many of us know that—a lot of successful people have done no no suffering to get there. Other people have done the suffering for them.VirginiaExactly. It's just where you're born, which family you're born into, that lead to the success. The idea that there are no excuses, which was a recurring theme of her videos. Like, you're going to push yourself to be your best self or I'm going to push you to be your best self. That whole thing was so interesting to me because it was like, so you're not allowed to just have a headache one day? You're not allowed to be a neurodivergent person who has different needs and bandwidth? You're not allowed to be human, really, in this in this context.LaurenNo, not at all. And it really shows. I mean, I get it. And I have seen it over and over. But the ableism that exists in fitness spaces is almost like you're almost unable to, untangle them in so many spaces. And that's part of my job. It's been really, really, really interesting to be someone who's attempting to untangle those because how can I be motivational to people who have never experienced motivation outside of the intensity and the ableism and the pushing past. That's why I'm always talking about how unserious it is. Because this woman is telling me I have no excuses, and I have to go 100%. Like, girl, this is literally a 45 minute class. What are you talking about? This is 45 minutes of my life. Like, yes, with consistency you'll get results from fitness. And those don't have to be aesthetic! You will get your results from fitness if you are consistently doing a 45 minute workout. But consistently doing it doesn't mean doing it 100% every time.VirginiaRight? And let's not forget, we're just rolling around on a floor. LaurenWe're rolling around on the floor! Hopefully in a good class, we're mimicking movements that we would like do in our lives that would cause our bodies to meet those muscles. So if I'm moving furniture, it's usually not intensely at a speed run, I just need to be able to pick up my side of the couch! VirginiaAnd move it three feet and put it back down again.LaurenI think the the intensity of fitness is often overblown. And of course, this is hard to say as a fitness instructor who's not thin, because they'll be like, well, that's why you're fat.I think it's really deeply psychologically baked into fitness for a lot of people, that it has to be horrible. And that's my first experience with working out. Like, I thought it had to be horrible. Because I grew up in a family of women who only worked out when they needed to change their bodies. So it was like, oh my gosh. Remember when I was like, seriously working out for six months? It was always a sprint,VirginiaYou can't sustain the Mean Girl workout. Like, that's not a way to live. Or if you can, it's a warning sign that you can live with that much punishment for that long. LaurenYeah, definitely. Growing up, I thought that that's what all workouts were going to be. I did a lot of Stairmaster in my early 20s.VirginiaThe most Mean Girl of all cardio equipment.LaurenYes, I mean, that should have been a warning sign. But, I do think about this now, you know, I'm walking up a ton of stairs every day. I'm like, okay, well, do I need to go on a stairmaster, or am I able to just live my life and have to carry my groceries upstairs?VirginiaRight? I mean, being able to climb stairs is useful. And it's always really hard.LaurenA number one goal of people when I talk to folks, they're like, “I just want to be not winded when I go up and down stairs.” I'm like, I have horrible news for you.VirginiaIt's never going to happen.LaurenIt's a situational thing. You're dressed in regular clothes, carrying up three bags of groceries after carrying them in from your car, or not being warmed up, or carrying, a baby in a baby carrier, those baby carriers that are 400 pounds. Yeah, you're going to be winded.VirginiaI've lived in a fifth floor walk up in a sixth floor walk up, and I never got better at the stairs in the years I lived in those apartments. And I was a skinny 20 something when I was doing that. It never got easier, not one day.LaurenLiterally being out of breath is a sign that we're working those cardiovascular muscles. Just let them be out of breath real quick.VirginiaThat's a really helpful reframing. We jumped so aggressively into chatting about all of this that we should probably spend another beat for anyone who's confused, explaining that people who weigh over 200 pounds are allowed to do Pilates! Can you just explain why what she was saying was total bullshit? LaurenTotally. I think that people, at any weight, can do whatever workout they want or don't want to do. And I think particularly if you're a woman or socialized as a woman there are always these imaginary limitations on what your weight should be. And I think that that's really where the 200 pound conversation came in, right? Because for a not-fat woman, anything over that weight is really unfathomable to them. I definitely remember conversations around that within my own household of like, oh, we can't possibly weigh over this number. And I'm sitting there, like…VirginiaCan you not? Because I'm doing it. Here I am.LaurenSo I think that that's really where that number came from. She pulled out a number that she thought was just like, beyond anything. And I think it's also important to remember that so often, when people are asked to assess what people weigh, they have absolutely zero idea.It's really hard for people to tell other people's weight based on how they look. So I think that that was why that number was picked.VirginiaIt sounds so scary.LaurenIn her head, 200 pounds is really, really big and really scary. And going back to weighing whatever anybody weighs, I think Pilates is a great workout for people who are in, all different types of bodies and diverse bodies. Pilates is super low impact in a lot of ways, and really good for folks who have chronic illnesses, particularly like reformer, because it could be recumbent and you're not putting a lot of stress on your joints in the same way. So the idea that this workout that's really almost like super in line with disability and rehabilitation, to say that there's like a weight limit—again, fatphobia, joining in with ableism—is like, so so off base. So deeply off base.VirginiaFat people can do any workout, but Pilates in particular happens to be a workout that can be extremely body inclusive when it's taught well.LaurenExactly. I think that that maybe also added to some of the outrage and and honestly, some of me thinking it was very funny. I'm not someone who regularly weighs myself, but I've always been someone who was extremely heavy, as a person. Even as a child, there were stories about me versus my cousin who was three years older than me and a boy, and how he weighed less than me for most of our childhood. I have always been so solid. And I think growing up, many of us heard like, oh, that person has the body of a swimmer. That person should play volleyball or basketball or whatever. I'm like, what is this body type meant for? Like, shotput? And then I'm teaching Barre, you know? I think it's just so made up. And yes, maybe it's good for people who swim to have long limbs, great. But when we close ourselves off to types of movement based on body types and weight limits, then people have a harder time finding things that they enjoy, because maybe they don't enjoy something that they “look like they should.”VirginiaJust because you don't have long limbs doesn't mean swimming can't bring you a lot of joy.LaurenRight? Just because I don't have long lean muscles doesn't mean I can't teach Barre. The language around Barre and Pilates is always “long and lean.” And I just feel that's so funny as someone who's not long and lean. I love not being long and lean and and enjoying my classes. Some of the outrage did come from that number being named, because it's a misunderstanding of what real people in the real world weigh when you are not around those types of people. But I also think that there are a lot of limitations put on bodies, particularly larger bodies, and what you can and can't do. I have another video that's actually making a resurgence right now, probably because of this conversation that fat people should only do cardio, because if you lift weights, then you might gain more muscle mass, which would increase your scale weight. So you should only do cardio, because that's how you're going to lose weight, which is inaccurate and very boring.VirginiaAnd it's just really drilling into and this was the core of what she was saying. It's the core of that Melania video, that exercise is only a tool for weight management. That you would only exercise to avoid or minimize fatness, and right?LaurenAnd because Pilates “isn't actually good for burning fat,” you definitely shouldn't be doing it if you're fat.VirginiaYeah, you should be at the gym running. And it's completely ignoring the many other reasons we would exercise, the benefits you can actually achieve. Because, as you're saying, weight loss through exercise is a very murky thing for most people. And it's just ignoring all the other reasons you would do it that are more fun.LaurenYeah, like “I like it.” You're allowed to like things! But again, if you're socialized to only know shame and punishment, then the idea that people do things out of pleasure is hard to wrap your mind around.VirginiaSpeaking of shame and punishment, I wrote recently about Andy Elliott, who is actually a sales trainer, but he's also a bodybuilder. He's always cold plunging. He's always recording from a cold thing of water.LaurenAgain, pleasure, right? We can't have warm water. We made this technology, use it.VirginiaNo, no. He's like in Dubai, sitting in a barrel of cold water, posting his rants. And he posted this video showing off his twelve and nine year old daughters and how he had challenged them to get a six pack in less than two months. And they got shredded in two months. Then in this room full of his male sales trainees, he had them take off their sweatshirts and show off their six packs to a room full of men. It's revolting, on so many levels. But one thing I've been thinking about as I had to look at the Andy Elliot crap and then looking at this other crap, these extreme examples of toxic diet culture in some ways, I think, are unhelpful. Because they make us more dismissive of stuff that's not that. It's like, well, it's not that bad. Do you know what I mean?LaurenIt's moving the the spectrum of what's normal and what's not normal.VirginiaSo it's like, “Well, I didn't say 200 pound people can't come to Pilates, so I'm not being fatphobic.” Or “I'm not showing you a nine year old with a six pack, so I'm not being fatphobic.” But it shouldn't have to be that bad!LaurenIt also somewhat negates the fact that most of us are not exposed to the extreme. We're exposed to the more insidious anyway.VirginiaRight? Because the insidious is what your coworker is saying in the break room at lunch about how she's only eating a salad.LaurenIt's the stuff that we get daily exposure to, as opposed to these extremes where most people can point out, like, oh that's wild.VirginiaMaybe don't force your children to get six packs? It's pretty clear cut. On the other hand, I kind of feel like the needle is moving on what is extreme because of the rise of MAGA and MAHA wellness culture. We're unfortunately normalizing a lot of this really intense and harmful rhetoric.LaurenI've been thinking about it a lot, and I think number one, yes. Also the anti-intellectualism. That also helps push these things, because if someone's shouting confidently enough, they could sell anything. You said that person is in a sales job. Like, that's part of that thing. It's psychological. It's not even based in facts. But I think that it's on the rise, for sure, because it's not being checked. And I also think that in that more insidious way, it's on the rise because people are seeking to fly under the radar, and they're seeking safety in their bodies being read as safe.In this super conservative and rise of fascism, falling in line is a way that some people will seek safety, right? But it obviously, when we get into ranking bodies as good and bad and purity testing bodies. Like, if that even exists, that means someone has to be at the bottom. It's very clear that when we're saying take control. Hyper individual. Yeah, I did it, and you could do it, too, applying your situation to other people's. Like, that's not how science works. Number one, that's not how genetics work. And I think that people of all like races, ages, and abilities, you know, will seek safety in flying under the radar in a regime that's getting scarier and more intense. So I think that bodies and fitness is definitely a way that people will get there.VirginiaYeah, it's a logical survival strategy in a really dark time, for sure.LaurenSo I think that that's part of the reason why even people who wouldn't identify as like MAHA are on their health and wellness, and they don't realize how quickly it gets there, but it does pretty instantly. But as someone who is has multiple marginalized identities myself, I often see people who are in similar situations, and I look at them with a lot of compassion because, yeah. Like, if you're disabled, if you're Black, if you're poor, being fat on top of that, you just checked another box for people. And I feel like that is where this intensity comes from all sides. And that's why we're seeing even more diverse voices echoing this type of message, because people are seeking safety, and they might not even know that that's what they're seeking. But I can see it because I get it.VirginiaYes. That breaks my heart, but it is logical when you have those multiple marginalizations. Fatness is the one that you've been conditioned to think you can and should change.LaurenIt's supposed to be fully within your control. And then that's when we dip into disability being within your control. And the idea that you could just take vitamins or do red light or coffee enemas or something, and you're going to cure your your chronic conditions. Like if you haven't tried it, then you know you're not trying hard enough. So I think it's a really slippery slope, and it gets there very quickly.VirginiaYou've mentioned ableism a few times, obviously, because it's really core to this conversation. I'd love to hear a little more about how you think about ability in your classes. Anyone who's taken your class knows how completely different they feel from the Melania version. You've clearly put a lot of thought into how to be inclusive of ability.LaurenI appreciate that. I work really hard, and I try to advertise myself as someone whose classes are many levels or most levels, because I think even saying that something is all levels is not being fully like aware of the scope of people's ability. So I try to be very clear in my communication. I don't know how I got here, personally. Again, the pendulum definitely swung with me. I was someone who I would consider was Orthorexic and all on my organic everything, blah, blah, blah. Particularly when it like was coming down to my PCOS and how much of that was in my control.VirginiaPCOS triggers a lot of rabbit holes.LaurenRight? And, like the fatphobia in my own family mixed with that. But I think at some point it just clicked, like we all have the ability to become disabled if we're not already, you know? We could. And disability is a spectrum. We usually like start checking off more and more boxes towards that. But because ableism is so rampant, most people would never identify something going on as a disability. Wearing glasses, wearing hearing aids, needing captions, needing accommodations. They wouldn't identify those as a disability because it's horrible to be disabled in this world, so we try to avoid saying that.I think realizing I had so many folks coming to me who were burnt out by all the stuff we just spent all this time talking about—and I was burnt out in that world. And that's how I got spit out the other side. I was like, I'm going to do things differently. And more and more and more people started really identifying with that. And I got to know people individually within my memberships, and they shared about what they had going on, and oh my gosh, your classes have been so great because I have POTS, or I have EDS, or I have chronic pain, or I also have PCOS, I have PMDD—all these things.And because I am who I am, and I'm someone who is neurodivergent and I'm a nerd and I want to know what's good for people who have POTS? What's good for people who have blood pressure issues? What would be like a good modification or variation to throw out there to people who might not even know that that's going on with them, because again, our medical system. Like, oh yeah, I get dizzy sometimes. Like, okay, girl, can we elaborate? But I think that just realizing, no matter who it was, every single person in my membership can contribute to my ability to teach better, because if one person says it, 10 people are probably experiencing it. That's why I love the feedback. I love that! That hurt? I have no idea. I have one body. I literally have only this body, right? You have to tell me if something hurts, right? I don't know, that doesn't hurt me. Or that does hurt me, and I don't do it, but that works for you. So you have to tell me. So I think that that's really where it resulted from people being comfortable feeling honest and sharing, and my desire to continue making things feel good and challenging. Because I think that people think you have to sacrifice movement being challenging. Like it can't it can still be challenging and not horrendous and punishing.VirginiaYes, this is what's hard to articulate when I tell people how much I love your classes. This is the needle you're threading. We think of it as so black and white. Either you're someone who wants to go so hard, like the Melania video, or you're someone who's like, exercise needs to feel like a warm bath, or I'm not going to do it. And there is a middle space. There's a huge middle space.LaurenYes. And that's the neutrality of it all, which is yeah, I'm allowed to do this hard thing and and really invest when we're talking about the consistency and no excuses. But if we're talking about a 45 minute workout that you're doing maybe two times a week, and investing in 30 seconds of challenge or discomfort, and investigating how that feels in your body and doing it. And then after six weeks, suddenly, wow, that thing that was uncomfortable six weeks ago is no longer uncomfortable. This new thing was uncomfortable. And that's why I love movement so much. Because I feel like you can not solve, but get to the bottom of, investigate, interrogate and get to know parts of your body. And and I really do feel like the work that we do in 45 minute classes empowers people enough to go out and tell people at their jobs to eff off, you know? Like, it gives people the ability to get to know themselves well enough to know what they're willing to tolerate.VirginiaI feel like when I do your videos, there's always a point where honestly, I might be watering my plants or just lying on the floor, and then there's always a point where I'm actually so in it and pushing really hard. Do you know what I mean? And it's like, it can be both things. I get to choose which is the part that I'm going to be like, yeah, I'm holding this 20 second plank the whole time. I'm going to go for my heavier weights. We're going to do that.LaurenBecause it doesn't need to add up or count for anything, but it always does, even if you're like, I'm just doing this to do something. That just just doing something will still add up and it'll still come up later. And I think it doesn't need to be that serious. It's never that serious.VirginiaAny other fitness trends that are making you especially grumpy right now, or anything good you want to highlight?LaurenI mean, honestly, the backlash to that rant was good, right? There were so many good responses, I actually followed a couple people. I do think people being able to recognize that as blatant anti-fatness was good. It was a good gut check for a lot of people. And I think that that, yeah, it was good for me. That that made me feel, oh, there are seeds of hope.VirginiaNo, we haven't fallen as low as I fear sometimes.LaurenNo, and it's really hard. I've heard Jessamyn Stanley say, like, “Sometimes I don't remember that people act this way.”VirginiaOh God, yeah. You're really still out there being like this?LaurenYes, yes, yes, yes. So I think there was a lot of silly, goofy and and very good responses to that. I love that push and pull that we can hopefully sometimes see and still have this dialog about. I feel like it's really important. And with so many people intentionally losing weight right now, I think it's really important to see people who are not necessarily in traditional fit bodies doing fitness.VirginiaGod, it's so important. ButterLaurenI was going to be funny and say that my Butter is actually butter, now that I'm living in France.VirginiaYou're living in butter country.LaurenI have been trying different butters all the time. Hopefully people who are listening, maybe their weather is getting better. So this is a, this is like a freebie recommendation, but just a little photosynthesis. Now is a really good time to give yourself space, to open up your body again after a winter. Just a little bit of fresh air and a little bit of sunshine and a little bit of phone getting thrown across the room. Which is what I have been trying to do every single day. It really makes a huge difference. So, phone down, photosynthesis up. That is what's getting me through right now. And I hope that other people can enjoy that. Doesn't mean you even have to go outside! Crack a window, allow yourself to be a human being. And it's free. You don't need a discount code for it. You don't need someone to sell it to you on Tiktok shop. You were allowed to be a person existing for completely free.VirginiaYes, so true. That's really good. My Butter, in honor of you, my favorite Internet cat lady is going to be my cats. I'm going to give them a shout out. Licorice and Cheese. We adopted these kittens last year after my kids begged and begged. I mean, I've always been a cat person, but our old man cats had passed away. We had no cats for a while. And they make me so happy. They just are such love bugs. Because the weather is better, I think Cheese has taken your notes about photosynthesis, and so he's regularly trying to jailbreak, to get outside. He's trying to get outside all the time. So we are having a little cat drama in my house where the kids go outside, forget to close the door. Cheese is on it. He's trying to get out there, and we get him back inside. But we have a screen porch, so they do get to go out and live their best life on the screen porch, which makes them really happy.LaurenOh my gosh, I love when they photosynthesize. My new place has lots of big windows and lots and lots of sunshine, and my girls have just been absorbing the sun. And they're both trying to go out on balconies, which we're doing the same thing you're doing, because one pigeon goes by, and my cat's diving.VirginiaAnd I live in the woods where there are a lot of predators. We did have an old man cat who in the final years of his life, we did let outside, because we were like, you've had a good run. And we're thinking quality of life at that point. But these two babies, I want them for many, many years. We can't risk the coyotes. And I think one of them really gets that. Licorice is like the boss of the house, but he's terrified of the outside. I think he recognizes he's a big fish in a little pond, and he needs to stay that way. But Cheese is like, oh, that's my world. I want to get back there?LaurenYes, maybe a harness? Maybe that can be what the kids do this this summer is harness train Cheese.VirginiaWe've never tried the harness with them.LaurenHe's still young. My girls are full grown, and when I put a harness on them, they fall over. They're like, it's the last day they're ever going to live. They're like my bones don't work anymore. What did you do to me? We've been trying to harness train them so that they can go back outside, because we did have a yard before, but I think if he's young and eager to go outside, he might put that harness on. And that's also a good summer project.VirginiaOh, I feel like my 11 year old's going to get really into this. Okay, I'm going to give it a go. I'm going to report back. Well, Lauren, thank you so much. Tell folks where they can find you. How can we support your work?LaurenYou can find me at Lauren Leavell Fitness and I have a membership—the level up fitness membership, where you can join live classes. You can take on demand classes. Again, it's a silly, goofy mood over here. There are classes of different lengths. You don't need a ton of space or equipment. I currently don't have, really any equipment. I have. I have two pound weights.VirginiaI've been enjoying the recent videos where you're like, well, I'm doing this move that I'd normally have a 20 pound weight with a 2 pound weight.LaurenPretend these are 20 pounds! So we really are accepting of all scenarios that you have going on fitness-wise here. And like I said, the replays are there if you're not someone who gets catches live classes, totally get it. Or you just don't want to come to a live class. And then, if you are looking for more, I do have some workout videos on YouTube, which are kind of a sample of my teaching. They're a little less weird than I normally teach. I'm a little bit more polished on YouTube. And then, of course, Lauren Leavell Fitness on Instagram, and Lauren Leavell Fit on TiktokFay, who runs @SellTradePlus, and Big Undies.The Burnt Toast logo is by Deanna Lowe.Our theme music is by Farideh.Tommy Harron is our audio engineer.Thanks for listening and for supporting anti-diet, body liberation journalism! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiasolesmith.substack.com/subscribe

Celebrate Black Girl Magic

Co-founder of The Underbelly, yoga teacher, and body positivity advocate, Jessamyn Stanley, shares how her naked yoga practice has changed multiple areas of her life — including healing childhood wounds, body acceptance, and getting comfortable with visibility.Full episode with Jessamyn: https://www.selfhelplesspodcast.com/episodes/episode/e814d362/the-body-positivity-movement-whats-working-vs-whats-not-with-jessamyn-stanleyYou can join our Patreon community here: https://www.patreon.com/selfhelplessYour Host, Delanie Fischer: https://www.delaniefischer.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This month we will be sharing our Little Rep episode on body inclusive yoga instructor, Jessamyn Stanley. This episode was originally released on January 18th, 2023. Enjoy!

Jessamyn Stanley is one of a kind. For starters, she's our first Real Stuff guest with an OnlyFans profile. And as we peel back the layers, you'll learn how creating bold content within body-positive communities isn't just about pushing boundaries—it's about fostering essential dialogues. While Jessamyn and I may seem like polar opposites from the outside, through our conversation we found that we are incredibly similar when it comes to the way we think and the values we align ourselves with. Jessamyn is a social media powerhouse known for her daring choices, like sharing photos and videos of herself online doing naked yoga and performing sex acts on her OnlyFans. We venture into the world of liberal communities, questioning whether they merely create echo chambers or if they can engage a broader audience. Jessamyn opens up about handling polarizing topics and the inevitable backlash, focusing on understanding differing viewpoints rather than changing minds. The episode wraps up by touching on the complexities of polyamory, the therapeutic nature of rope play, and the financial dynamics of running a personal brand, all while maintaining a narrative grounded in radical honesty and self-acceptance. This is an episode that challenges, educates, and inspires, making it a must-listen for anyone interested in the intersections of body positivity, social media, and personal growth. Follow Jessamyn: https://www.instagram.com/mynameisjessamyn  Sponsors: Just Thrive: Go to Justthrivehealth.com and use promo code REALSTUFF for 20% off a 90-day bottle of Just Thrive Probiotic and Just Calm: https://justthrivehealth.com/discount/REALSTUFF  Watch this episode in video form on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjmevEcbh5h5FEX0pazPEtN86t7eb2OgX   To apply to be a guest on the show, visit luciefink.com/apply and send us your story.  I also want to extend a special thank you to East Love for the show's theme song, Rolling Stone.  Follow the show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealstuffpod   Find Lucie here:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luciebfink/   TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/Luciebfink   YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/luciebfink  Website: https://luciefink.com/   Produced by Cloud10 and Clamor.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join Mia for a quick guided meditation. This mediation was inspired by our interview with Alicia Dugar Stephenson and readings from Yoke by Jessamyn Stanley.Follow us on TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@yogachangedFollow us on Instagram:https://instagram.com/yogachanged?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=For more, go to https://howyogachangedmylife.com Wanna be on the show? Click here to fill out our guest info form or drop us a email at yogachanged@gmail.com

On today's episode of Diet Starts Tomorrow, Remy and Emily sit down with the founder of The UnderBelly Yoga, Jessamyn Stanley, to discuss body representation in yoga, what yoga actually is all about and Only Fans! Jessamyn dissects the pervasive “yoga flavored bullshit” stereotype that you have to be a certain aesthetic and/or super acrobatic to do it. She boldly states that if you can breathe, you can do yoga and goes on to explain how yoga has nothing to do with what you look like; that it's more about connecting with yourself and your community. Remy and Emily interview Jessamyn about her Only Fans channel where she offers naked yoga classes and the three get into a fascinating conversation about both representation and fetishization. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who is yoga for? Yoga expert Jessamyn Stanley joins us to share the stereotypes of yoga, her journey with yoga, polyamory, weed, nudity, and more. In this episode: News- 4:43 || Main Topic (Yoga)- 14:58 || Guest (Jessamyn Stanley)- 18:44 || Gayest & Straightest- 1:06:26 On the Patreon bonus segment, Mike and Kyle talk about yoga poses that will make you better at sex. If you want to support our show while getting ad-free episodes a day early, go to www.patreon.com/gayishpodcast.

We've got more company! This week we welcome Jessamyn Stanley,  yoga instructor, entrepreneur and the co-founder of The Underbelly. We spanned multiple topics from polyamory and representation in yoga to dating the rugby team and what it's like being LGBTQ+ in the south. Naturally, astrology was brought up and Jessamyn shares multiple Bad Queer Opinions around Harry Potter and the practice round of polyamory. Follow Jessamyn: @mynamejessamynwww.jessamynstanley.comwww.theunderbelly.com @theunderbellyyogaShoutouts: Shana: Shahem Mclaurin - Black, genderqueer, social worker/therapist. Shahem uses their platform to address social and mental health issues while showcasing their style, cooking skills and personal journey. Follow and support @5hahem on IG Kris: A re-shoutout to Devin and Brit Kirkland- founders and CEO of Deon Libra, an adaptogenic stress care brand that is Black and queer owned. They won an Allure Best of Beauty Award, Ulta Beauty Accelerator, at the WWD beauty and wellness forum, just released their Smoove Exfoliating Cleaners - in addition to their Big Up Body Glaze and Unbothered Elixir. Follow and support their brand @deonlibra_ on IG Jessamyn: My coworker - Angel Foster. She is a pilates instructor and incredible creator.  Follow @angel.foster and listen to her podcast "The Foster"Affiliates we actually love Support Lucky Skivvies and our pod by using coupon code badqueers10 for 10% off your next purchase. Treat your butt today.Shop NowEmail us for advice at badqueerspodcast@gmail.com or DM on InstagramFollow us @badqueerspod on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram & Tik TokLove our soundtrack? Check out Siena Liggins: @sienaligginsLike us? Love us? Leave a review The opinions expressed during this podcast are conversational in nature and expressed only for comedic purposes. Not all of the facts will be correct but we attempt to be as accurate as possible. BQ Media LLC, the hosts, nor any guest host(s) hold no liability over the conversations on this podcast and by using this podcast you understand that it is solely for entertainment purposes. Copyright Disclaimer: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use"...

In today's CIHAS episode, I'm speaking to online personal trainer and performance nutritionist, Michael Ulloa. Michael is on a mission to make the fitness industry a more welcoming and accepting space for all, which is exactly what we dive into in this ‘sode. We are unpacking some toxic myths about exercise, Michael spills the beans on his feelings about Joe Wicks, and we discuss what really goes into professional fitness models' photo shoots. Plus we answer loads of your questions like how to find a more joyful relationship with movement after a lifetime of using it as punishment for eating. Find out more about Michael's work here.Follow his work on Instagram here.Follow Laura on Instagram here.Subscribe to Laura's newsletter here.Enrol in the Raising Embodied Eaters course here.Here's the transcript in full:INTRO:Michael: The way that we're being sold health and fitness just isn't sustainable or achievable in any way and then people blame themselves and feel worse and then therefore they're more likely to spend money on all these other programs repeatedly and it's just a vicious cycle that just doesn't ever end.Laura: Hey, and welcome to the Can I Have Another Snack? Podcast, where we talk about appetite, bodies, and identity, especially through the lens of parenting. I'm Laura Thomas. I'm an anti diet registered nutritionist, and I also write the Can I Have Another Snack? Newsletter. Today, I'm talking to Michael Ulloa.Michael is an online personal trainer and performance nutritionist who is on a mission to make the fitness industry a more welcoming and accepting space for all. In today's episode, Michael and I are shooting the shit about the fitness industry, unpacking some toxic myths about exercise, and answering loads of your questions: like how to find a more joyful relationship with movement after a lifetime of using it as punishment for eating.Some of you have been asking for more episodes on movement and fitness, so I think you're going to enjoy this conversation. We'll get to Michael in just a second, but first, I want to tell you real quick about the benefits of becoming a paid subscriber to the Can I Have Another Snack? Newsletter and community.For just £5 a month, or £50 a year, you get access to the extended CIHAS universe. That means exclusive weekly discussion threads, links and recommendations, you get commenting privileges and access to my monthly Dear Laura column, as well as the whole CIHAS archive and a few other sweet perks, but more than anything, you're supporting independent evidence based nutrition information free from diet culture and anti fatness. I can't do this work without the help of paying subscribers. So if you get something out of being here, then please consider upgrading your subscription today. And if you're still not convinced, then check out this recent review I received from a reader. They said: "Laura's podcast and newsletter are always thought provoking, filled with care and compassion, and a respite from one size fits all health and nutrition advice."So if that sounds good to you, then head to laurathomas.substack.com and become a paying subscriber today. Alright team, let's get to today's episode, here's Michael. MAIN EPISODE:All right, Michael, I need to know what the deal is. Because you're like one of maybe five PTs who isn't pushing aesthetic or weight loss goals on us.Has that always been your deal? Or is this more of an evolution for you? Michael: Yeah, it's definitely an evolution and it's funny you mentioned that because I get a lot of angry messages from personal trainers that don't think that my approach is right, which is always quite funny to me. I don't know, it's, I definitely, when I first started off in the fitness industry... I've been a personal trainer now for nearly 10 years.And in terms of personal training, that kind of makes you a bit of a veteran because a lot of trainers are quite short lived on average. When I first started off, I definitely did have your typical, like, mainstream slightly bro approach to fitness and nutrition. And I know most people that maybe work in the kind of space that, like, you operate in, for example, there tends to usually be a reason or a thing that caused them to go down that path.But I didn't have that at all. It really has just been a really slow evolution of just actually reading the research, working with people on a day to day basis, getting feedback from clients about what is working and what isn't, and then just really tweaking things over a very long period of time. I've also had some very honest clients, which have been great too, who kind of really follow my content on social media and they would message me like, oh, that's not very helpful. How about approaching it like this? And i'm always open to feedback, I always want to improve my practice and my messaging and I was always just quite receptive to that and I don't know... 10 years later I now finally feel like i'm working with people in a way that genuinely helps them long term and i'm actually creating content that is useful for people rather than just almost creating content for other personal trainers, which seems to be what a lot of fitness professionals do.Laura: Tell me about the angry messages. Why are other PTs up in your shit about...? Michael: I really don't know. I wish I knew the answer. I think... I guess if you're attacking someone's entire being and their work and their ethos that they've believed in for so many years, then I guess that a lot of people will react to that in quite a negative way.I really don't understand it at all either. Usually male coaches too, are very angry in the way that I approach social media and some of the names and things I've been called are pretty grim, but I only... I wish I knew the answer to that, but some, for some reason people get very angry in the way that I am approaching fitness and nutrition.But yeah, I really don't mind. Like I, as I said, I feel like I'm really helping people now and I'm happy to keep championing that message. Laura: I mean, I'm just wondering if part of it is because that myth, certain myth of no pain, no gain. And that you need to like, basically punish yourself with exercise in order to achieve a particular body type.You're saying, actually, we don't need to do that. It's okay if you don't kill yourself with exercise. We shouldn't be weaponising it against ourselves. For me, it speaks to how deeply internalised people's anti fat bias is. You're challenging the fundamental sort of premise that their beliefs are resting on, which is that, you can't be fit and fat.Or you...yeah, like I said before, that you have to punish yourself with exercise or like that... it's somehow okay to exist in a body that isn't fulfilling this ideal that we have been told that we should not strive for. Michael: Completely. And I mean, if we're completely honest about it, the way that the fitness industry is set up now is way more profitable for these people too.So if you do start attacking the way that they're approaching their lives or their businesses too, then they're probably going to be a little bit grumpy about that. It's so much easier for me as a personal trainer to make money saying, here we go, come sign up for the six week program and we'll strip body fat off you in such a short space of time, rather than me saying, cool, let's work together for three, six, 12 months. And let's really work on those habits and have you feeling and performing better. Like it's just such a hard sell. I mean, especially for, as I mentioned, like, personal training tends to be quite a short lived career for a lot of people. And I appreciate that when people first start off, the best way to get clients is shock and awe, like showing before and after photos, like having the secrets or whatever it is. And the best way to get clients at the start is by doing that. So people are going to follow that path rather than doing it the right way. That is a bit of a slow burner. I know that a lot of coaches aren't really up for that, sadly. Laura: Yeah, no, I think you make a really good point when you're talking about... the financial aspect of things, because, yeah, there's no money to be made in being like, yeah, take a rest day or go for a gentle walk and look at the sky. Yeah, those like making huge promises of around body transformations and then making people sign up for some sort of like intensive bootcamp situation. Of course, that makes sense from like a business model perspective, but as so often is the case, anything that involves capitalism is probably not great for our health overall. Okay, so I am absolutely not in the fitness space at all. I've purged my social media account. I think I follow you and maybe a couple of other personal trainers, because I find it really annoying, honestly, watching fitness content.Michael: I strongly relate to that. And first of all, thank you for following me, but yeah, I honestly, I feel exactly the same way.  Laura: And I think, especially since having had a baby and because I have some enduring physical stuff going on as a result of my pregnancy in terms of, like, pelvic health, even the stuff that is like geared towards women who have had babies and like postpartum stuff.It's just anyway, so I've just checked out of it. So I have no idea. What is going on in that space, really? So I need you to like, translate it all for me. What are some of the most pervasive and toxic fitness myths that you're seeing at the moment? Michael: Everything. Honestly, every topic is so toxic at the moment.It's really frustrating. And I speak to... There's a few coaches that I'm really good friends with, who I think you probably know as well, that I tend to follow their content, I like engaging with them and talking about the fitness industry, but I have also removed myself from a lot of the mainstream approach because...I don't find it motivating or helpful in any way. Like I think a lot of the... Laura: You don't even hate follow some people just to have like stuff to...? Because I hate feed a lot of big feeding. I hate-feed?! I hate-follow a lot of big accounts. I just have this folder on my Instagram called Ammunition.And I just save posts in there that I want to come back and get angry about at some point. What are you seeing from... I know you do it! But what are you seeing from those folks? Michael: So I do a little bit of that. And I, so I've also, I've got an Instagram account for my dog, but I started up ages ago. I don't post anything to it, but every time I see something pop up on, like, the explore page or I see another trainer share, I'll send it to her account. And then I'll use that as fodder for, like, creating content and coming up with ideas. But I do not, I don't hate follow that many people now because like I spent a lot of time on social media, right?And I know that because of that following these accounts and seeing them on a day to day basis all of the time does massively negatively impact my mental health. And I think if i'm feeling that way as a fitness professional who knows the research, knows what these accounts are doing to us and can see through the nonsense... how are everyday people feeling? When they're seeing this content and they don't really know if it's the truth or not. So I actually don't follow that many trainers. There's probably a lot of trainers who... . Laura: So very evolved of you. Michael: Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. There's a few trainers who, like, I know through just from working in gyms or whatever, I'll follow them, but I mute them so that I don't have to see their content.Laura: Yeah, that's smart. Michael: But yeah, I don't know. There's so many myths about every topic. Like you mentioned there about, like, women's health and pelvic health and anything pre and postnatal. The stuff around that is really gross because it's not even just the fact that they're spreading misinformation. They somehow always tie in with just losing weight, like this is pretty much what it all comes down to, right? Laura: Yeah. Yeah. That's the subtext. It's always there. Michael: It's always like improve your pelvic health and slim your waist, like it's everything. It just pushes people down the route of still obsessing about body weight and focusing on body weight rather than focusing on general health and wellbeing and health promotion, and it's infuriating.I guess the same as, like, building muscle. Like it's nearly always advertised by these guys that are absolutely jacked, clearly taking steroids, using images of themselves going... you can look like this if you work out like me and buy my programs and my nutrition plans, and you're just never going to look like these people. So you're always going to fail. Like everything within the fitness space is geared towards repeat sales and having people come back for more because the way that we're being sold health and fitness, just isn't sustainable or achievable in any way. And then people blame themselves and feel worse. And then therefore they're more likely to spend money on all these other programs repeatedly. And it's just a vicious cycle that just doesn't ever end. And that's why with my page, I'm trying to step away from any aesthetic goals. Like you'll probably see through my social media, I don't, I'm not against people having aesthetic goals. I just don't really ever talk about it because I don't think it should ever be the focus of someone's fitness journey. I mean, I think that's the bit that seems to piss people off. Laura: Yeah. And I mean, there's some interesting research that shows that people who exercise for aesthetic goals, they're less likely to engage in something that is sustainable for them.Like, it's more likely that they will give up. And I don't mean that in, like, defeatist kind of way, but it just won't be sustainable for them. Versus for people who are approaching, I don't know, a type of exercise or training or whatever it is from a place of maybe wanting to feel stronger or feel more comfortable in their bodies or because they have mobility stuff that they're working through or something like that.So it's really difficult though, because And we'll get to some of the listener questions in a bit where they're asking this, like, how do you uncouple the aesthetic goals from, those more internally motivated goals from the perspective that we are just constantly being drip fed, idealised images of people all over the internet? And then, like you say, half the time those images aren't even real, right? There's people on ‘roids. There are people who are like starving themselves, like making themselves dehydrated, like posing in particular ways. I don't even know what other tactics people use to stylise these images.But I feel like the sort of falsification of these pictures is huge in the fitness industry. Michael: It's honestly horrific. And I would probably go as far as to say, like, every professional fitness model has taken or is taking steroids of some form. That's like the level of manipulation that the fitness industry...I don't know, I don't think there's any issue with... having aesthetic goals. Like I always like to hammer this point home because I think sometimes with my content, I can... people misconstrue that I'm against anyone having any aesthetic goal at all. I'm not, it's just, I think that the emphasis needs to be elsewhere.For example, when I first started in the fitness industry, I was in that loop of must build muscle, have to build muscle to show that I know what I'm talking about and also to be seen as manly and capable or whatever, and I would do a lot of strength training. I would never do cardio because cardio is bad.It ruins your gains. Laura: It's for girls.Michael: Yeah, it's just exactly that. And it's so frustrating that I would... I spent years just, like, strength training, nothing but strength training, even when I was going through cycles of really hating it. Like I had to do strength training, got to build muscle. When I switched up my training... I still do strength training now. I enjoy building muscle. The challenge of building strength and muscle is really fun, but I also do a lot of cardio because I really enjoy it and it makes me feel great in terms of physical and mental health. And actually since switching up, dropping a bit of strength training that I was doing and doing more cardio, the exercise I really enjoy, I've made so much more progress with my strength building and muscle building gains.And I've just got such a better balance with it all. So if someone listening to this is really struggling of knowing like what they should really be doing, what should they be focusing on? Honestly, just like enjoyment and mental health, that needs to be the priority. And then everything else just tends to fall into line after that.And the fitness industry, just the tactics, as I said, like the trainers use. The one thing that really annoys me is a lot of personal trainers will, anyone who follows any trainers will... I've seen this in the past where a trainer goes through a really extreme cycle of dieting, exercise regime because they're training for a photo shoot - in quotation marks - Where they'll go and get professional photos done that they've dieted down to within an inch of their lives. And they'll get a little snapshot image of look how amazing I look and then they'll use that in all their advertising of promoting healthy behaviour change or whatever other nonsense. It's if you're not using healthy, sustainable habits in achieving your physique, then you should not be allowed to use that in terms of advertising it to say that you're going to help people improve their health and their life, their health and their lives.It's just, it's incredibly infuriating and... Laura: it's false advertising. Michael: Massively. Yeah. Massively. Laura: Need to get that fucking, is it ASA, advertising...? Michael: Yeah. Yeah. Standards Agency. Absolutely. Yeah. Laura: I'm on the case! But two interesting things that I wanted to pick out from what you were saying.First of all, I think there's some complexity and nuance around this idea aesthetic goals, isn't there? Because we are all aesthetically driven, right? We are all, like we're aesthetic creatures in some ways, like when you brush your hair in the morning or I don't know, you trim your beard, Michael, or like I chose clothes that I thought looked somewhat okay together. Like those are all aesthetic goals, right? And so I think it's really, like, hard for people to decouple aesthetic goals from their overall movement, exercise routines, whatever you want to call them. But I think what you're saying, and certainly what I would advocate is that the fitness industry has just blown... yeah, they've blown up aesthetics to be like the sole purpose that people should exercise, right? And that I think is the problem is that yeah, they've just coupled exercise and aesthetics to the point that it's like you were saying, people are engaging in disorderly eating behaviours. They're using illicit drugs, they are, like, punishing themselves to look a particular way, and that's when it becomes problematic, right? Michael: Completely agree. Laura: And you end up on that slippery, slippery slope to disordered eating and eating disorders. Michael: Yeah, it's so true the barometer of success or health or knowledge within the fitness industry is body fat levels. That's pretty much what it all comes down to. Like a trainer who is absolutely jacked and really ripped is seen as being an authority figure without really knowing anything about them. And whereas you'll have a trainer who's in maybe a naturally larger sized body who naturally carries a little bit more body fat, has a much healthier balance of exercise and nutrition, a far better trainer. Just look at the comments under the content that they push out there onto social media and people will criticize them and say they don't know what they're talking about. Like our barometer of success is leanness. I don't know what the answer is to trying to combat that other than just keep churning out content, calling out this nonsense.But unfortunately you feel like you take a few steps forward when it was like two, three years ago, when you see, started to see a lot more body diversity on fitness accounts and kind of big companies like Gymshark and Nike and stuff were using people in larger bodies to advertise clothing.That's now disappearing again because it's no longer.... and it's just toxic. And you just have to go on like TikTok, the latest platform, even though it's been around a few years, I felt like we were maybe making a bit of progress. Then TikTok just flips that again, and you just got to search the hashtag fitness on TikTok.And it's just white, slim, muscular people clearly taking steroids that are the main bulk of the content that you're going to see. It's infuriating. Laura: Everyone in the fitness industry really collectively needs to be speaking out against this, but I think there's a simultaneous thing that has to happen whereby we are amplifying and centering experiences and the work of fat fitness creators, right? And I'm using fat, for anyone who's not listened to the podcast before, fat as a neutral descriptor, as a reclamation of a word that is often used to weaponise and hurt people and harm people. So, yeah, I'm just thinking of some people off the top of my head.Like Intuitive Fatty, Jessamyn Stanley is fantastic for yoga content. Lauren Leavell does a lot of barre stuff, but there's loads. I mean, is there anyone that you would want to give a shout out to like anyone that's doing...? Michael: The Instagram handle Decolonizing Fitness? Ilya. The content is amazing. We're trying to set up a time for Ilya to come into our podcast to chat about this at the moment. And I just... there's so many voices that need to be amplified. And I know that I always have to check my privilege in the content that I'm creating. Like you see very few men within the kind of body neutrality, body positivity, space, whatever you want to call the area I'm working in.So I always like to acknowledge that, okay, I'm creating content for a space that isn't really for me, but I do think that can be really powerful. And we still need more voices of guys, especially within this space, calling it out because I rarely ever see male fitness professionals creating the kind of content that I am.They tend to go down the more mainstream approach. And I like to yes, fitness can look like me. I look how the fitness industry says you're supposed to look, but it doesn't have to look like that, right? This is one way it can look, but it doesn't need to be like that for everyone. And I think that can be really powerful whilst amplifying the voices of those who are marginalised and don't get the airtime that I do.Laura: Yeah, absolutely. And I think, yeah, you make a really good point about men in this space. Like just in body neutrality, body positivity and again, there are some really great people doing stuff in that space. I agree like it's still underrepresented, but like the 300 pound runner. I don't know if you've come across his stuff? Michael: yeah, Martinus Evans.Laura: Yeah, His stuff is really cool as well. But yeah, anyway, just wanted to shout out some accounts and I'll link to them in the show notes as well. Yeah, so you mentioned that fitness professionals will embark on this really extreme diet, they will really bulk up, they'll, probably restrict what they're eating for a really long time, and then they'll do all their photos, and they'll probably go back to whatever they were doing before that. And it just reminded me when... and this is it's like really sad, but do you remember when Joe Wicks was talking all about binging? He went to America, and then it ... he just started talking about like he was eating all this chocolate and pizza and like stuff that he obviously was restricting so hard that when he went to the States, he had this like backlash against all of that and his body was just like, fuck this, and he just started eating like all of the food that he'd been denying himself.It just made me think of that and how he's... how disordered like this space is and how normalised that kind of thing is like that just like binge restrict cycle. Michael: Yeah, I mean when your entire business model relies on getting people really lean. If you're not sticking to those rules and keeping your body lean 100 percent of the time, then your business model kind of goes to shit. And I guess that's probably why he was having issues coming to terms with that. Joe Wicks is a really funny one because I don't like his content at all. I'll throw that out there. Some of the nutrition stuff he's spouted has been... I was going to say nonsense, but it's actually just damaging some of the stuff he comes out with.Also, on the other hand, I feel like, maybe this is giving him too much credit, I always feel like his heart is in the right place, but he just goes about it in completely the wrong way. I don't know if you would agree with that. When I hear him being interviewed, I feel like he's a really passionate guy who feels like he's doing the right thing, but he's just absolutely not.Because all of his content is focused on being lean and weight loss. And I just wish that... he's got such a huge platform now. It's terrifying. That if you had someone like him who could start promoting like a balanced and sensible message, it's never going to happen because he makes too much money now, then it would just be so powerful.Laura: But I don't know, like this piece around heart in the right place. I think we say that about a lot of these actually quite problematic white men. Joe Wicks, Jamie Oliver, I'm just gonna say it, don't @ me. But, of course their heart's in the right place, but their heart's also in their fucking bank balance, right?Michael: Completely, 100%. Laura: So that's one part of it, but also, I don't know when we can, when someone is, like you say, promoting harmful messages around food and around nutrition. And I don't. I think it matters where their heart is. Michael: Agreed. I wonder whether this... Laura: A murderer could use that justification to be like, Oh, well, this man is really toxic to women, so I'm just going to kill him.But that's not the solution. Michael: I know. I wonder whether kind of in my head, the reason I use those words is because I think of kind of the fitness industry as like a huge, like a line of like how problematic someone is. And I feel like he feels he's trying to do the right thing despite doing it very badly.Whereas you have a lot of people within the fitness space that go far beyond that, who are intentionally doing the really bad thing, trying to make a lot of money, it's still very bad. And Jamie Oliver is one of those as well, where he's got such a huge platform, thinks he knows what he's doing is the best thing, but it's just not. Like trying to ban the buy one get one free offers when people are really struggling to feed their families right now.It's just, I feel yes, hearts in the right place, but just no, like they need to be more informed and go about it in a better way. Laura: And especially when they are being given this feedback, right? Like it's one thing if you fuck up and you say, I was really wrong about that and I've learned some new information now like you have, right? And like I have. And you hold your hands up and you say, yeah, I was really fucking wrong and I'm sorry that I've caused harm and I don't want to do that anymore. I'm gonna learn and I'm gonna do better. And Michael: that's the sign of a good practitioner, right? And yeah. Laura: But speaking of Joe Wicks... Michael: Oh god!Laura: So, so you are a new ish parent, right? You have a seven month old. Michael: Yes, my son is seven months old, yeah. Laura: How do you feel about the prospect of Joe Wicks teaching your kid PE someday? Michael: Oh, just no, like awful. Yeah it's terrifying, isn't it? And these people do wangle their way into every aspect of our society of fitness.And there's just no getting away from them now. Personally, I never watched any of his school fitness things throughout lockdown. I know they're very popular. What was his wording? Did you watch any of them then with your kids? Laura: I didn't cause my little one was just a newborn at that point. And he's only three now.It just wasn't on my radar. I've seen his books. He has the burpee bears. And I've written a couple of like book reviews. They're super like, just tongue in cheek. But it strikes me as really problematic that he feels that we need to teach specific moves like burpees or other things like that to children, like to young children, like primary school age kids, and I don't really have a good justification for that because I'm not a fitness professional that other than does a five year old need to learn how to plank? Right? Or should we not be focusing on embodied movement that is climbing on play equipment in the playground or running or skipping or jumping or like, all of these things that kids, depending on their level of mobility and ability that they would intuitively do?Michael: I am completely with you there. I don't think we need to be teaching a five year old how to do a burpee. It's a bit ridiculous, to be honest. Yeah, that's the way that movement should be promoted and advertised to kids, if you want to use those kind of technical terms. It should just be about play and fun and movement, and that's... what it should be. Like if a kid sees their parent doing burpees or lifting weights and they want to try a bit out and get involved yeah, absolutely. But it just, it shouldn't be the go to, right? Yeah, absolutely. Laura: Yeah. My kid has seen me do a downward dog and he like gets involved and we do the cosmic kids yoga. I feel like that's a slightly different thing because it's a, it's so gentle and b it's animal poses. I don't know. All right. So I got sent through loads of questions from listeners and I thought they were really fun. So I just thought we could go through them. I think we've touched on a bit of it already, but maybe you can just give me your quick fire answers.Michael: Sure. Yeah. Laura: So this is an interesting question that Gwen from Dieticians for Teachers sent in. She said she would like to know more about the messages in your formal training. I think we can take a good guess, but I guess what she's getting at is, like, what toxic messages were in your formal training?Michael: Unfortunately, when you're learning to become a personal trainer still so much of it is about weight loss, still. You'll get taught, right, this is what we're going to learn about nutrition and this is how you help someone lose weight. So that is still at the core. And I guess a lot of the training for personal trainers, in terms of nutrition anyway, It's still very like basic government guidelines, which you can take those as you will. Some recommendations are maybe okay, others not that helpful. The training for nutrition for personal trainers is so, so, so, so basic that I would encourage any personal trainer who has recently qualified and not done any further nutrition study from there to please sign up to another course and learn more because what you learn as a personal trainer at the basic level is just nowhere near good enough to work with clients in depth.Laura: I have a lot of thoughts about personal trainers and nutrition, but I'm going to keep them to myself! Michael: No, no feel free to talk about it! It terrifies me. And it's very rare now that... a lot of the people I work with have had personal trainers in the past. The large majority of them have had negative experiences, and it's quite scary that's now just the norm.And I'll ask questions of my clients in consultations whilst working together and they'll be like, Oh, I've never been asked that before. I've never even considered that. And it just blows my mind that these things are being missed out or neglected by coaches. But the training is just not there. Laura: It's so interesting that the focus, I mean, it's not surprising, but that the focus is still on body size and not like flexibility or mobility or like rehab or like any of these, which I'm sure they like get touched on, but it sounds like from what you're saying that the real central focus is not mental health or like overall wellbeing. It's here's how you try and get people shredded, which we know is like biogenetically, if not difficult, if not impossible for most people. Michael: Pretty much. Yeah. Like I'm sure... I don't want to call out every personal training course. Like I did qualify a few years ago now, but I know there's some personal training qualifications that are trying to shift that, but it is still a large majority.And that is why a lot of the coaches coming through now, it's still very much before and after photos, weight centric. Yeah, unfortunately. Laura: Well, it's good to know that maybe there are some shifts coming down the pipe a little bit and I guess it just goes to show why again, you need to keep, like, pushing these alternative messages.Okay. This I thought was a really interesting question. And so this person asked, is exercise truly necessary? I don't enjoy exercising, but I do move a lot during the day, running errands and running after a toddler, all while baby wearing a newborn. And then the follow up question is, and if it is necessary to exercise intentionally, what form of exercise is best for someone who wouldn't otherwise prioritise it? Michael: That's such a good question. And it's very nuanced as well, depending on the person's situation. I would say, I mean, no, it's not necessary if you're moving around a lot throughout the day. However, so many health benefits come from incorporating some form of like direct exercise that it would be really sad to not explore all the potential areas that people could incorporate exercise into their life that maybe might not be the mainstream approach, right? If you are someone who moves around a lot throughout your day, if you say running errands and your general movement and step count is actually really high, then you could argue that as long as you get your nutrition, right, you're doing pretty well.However, strength training. Every time someone comes to me, no matter what their fitness goals are, I try and incorporate some form of strength training that I can, but that can take so many different forms. Laura: This person is carrying a baby around! Michael: Right. Yeah, exactly. Which is strength training, right?Exactly. So it's... when I say strength training, a lot of people listening to this episode right now will automatically... they'll think, like, gym, barbells, dumbbells, heavy weights, and it can come in so many different forms and it can be with resistance bands, body weight, dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells at home. It can be like TRX, it can be like so many different ways that you might enjoy at some point. So don't just think, Oh, I'm not an exercise-y person. I've always hated it because there are so many different ways that we can incorporate exercise. That is a very vague answer. without me knowing much more about this person. However, if you can find a form of exercise you enjoy, that should be a priority because the health benefits are huge. Laura: I'm going to push back because this is my opinion, not necessarily based on scientific fact, but it does feel as though there is this tendency, and I'm also conscious of your bias as a fitness professional, that exercise is held up as the pinnacle of health.And it's like the one thing that we need to do in order to be healthy. And I'm not disputing that there are health benefits. I also am like curious about the magnitude of those benefits within the broader context of health and health behaviours, but also nesting that within sort of social determinants of health and like, how do we measure the effect size of exercise individually from, I don't know, sleep, other elements of mental health, community? I guess what I'm maybe trying to temper is like that there are so many, like, variables and factors that contribute to someone's overall picture of health and I appreciate that movement can be an important facet of that.Michael: Yeah, no I really like that point because it is so important and I think that's why it's important to approach exercise and hence why I said without knowing more about this person, it's hard to give an exact answer. I think it's important to look at all of those things in terms of context when you're trying to prescribe or recommend exercise to someone, right?Let's say that this person is, they're likely lacking in sleep right now at the moment, right? Because their life is very busy running around after small humans. If that person is exhausted and they have no free time at all. I'm not then going to say, right, you've got to go and exercise 30 minutes a day for three times a week, because it's just not going to be helpful. There's other areas of your lifestyle that we can focus on to improve your health. However, if there is a bit of wiggle room, if you have a bit of time, then maybe there are things that we could explore that you could quite comfortably fit into your day without it taking over your life like a lot of the fitness industry wants us to do. Laura: Yeah. I think that the, maybe the TL;DR there is you don't have to sweat it when you are running around after a small child and doing other, all these other things. But if it feels like it's something that you want to explore, and you're curious to give something a try, then yeah, you could have a think about some gentle movement or something, see how that feels and how that fits in the context of your life But yeah, it's tricky to prescribe something without knowing, yeah knowing someone's life and what they want to get out of it. Michael: So true and you're never gonna know if it was directly the exercise. It could be so many other things that then, yeah, that then causes the health benefit.I would just say, once again, like anecdotally, rather than looking at research, every person that I've worked with that we've tried to think, right, how can we incorporate exercising today in some format? The large majority of the time, everything else feels better and improves as a result.Laura: Yeah, no , it can, it has a knock on effect on like sleep and pain and like all these other things. So, okay. How can I move my body without shame and guilt driving it? These are two separate questions, but I'm just lumping them together, and then this, another person asked, how to find the joy in movement after a life forcing it?Michael: I think first of all, it's really important to, like, vet where you're getting all of your inspiration and information from is a really important one because a lot of the time, if we're following the kind of general societal recommendations when it comes to exercise and nutrition. It's always going to have quite a prescriptive image focused approach to movement.And if you can shift away, like what we spoke about at the start of this, you don't follow many personal trainers because you don't think that they're motivating or helpful to you. They actually just make you feel worse. I'm the same. When I constantly see gym bros. telling me that I have to lift weights X amount of times a week, and I've got to get shredded and have low body fat levels, it has the complete opposite impact on me. So if you can first of all vet where you're getting your information from, that is absolutely huge. And then, yeah, I guess also once again, it's not beating yourself up for having the more mainstream thoughts that you used to have. I know a lot of people when they're trying to shift into kind of taking a more intuitive eating approach or a more intuitive eating approach with like exercise too, as well as nutrition, we can sometimes feel really guilty when we start slipping back into older habits that maybe are slightly disordered.I'm just... like giving yourself a bit of leeway and a bit of space to grow and learn. I'm still doing that. I still probably get things wrong and have room for improvement, but I think by doing that, removing the pressure on yourself can be really helpful. Laura: Yeah. Two things that I might add to that are something that I've explored with clients as part of working on the relationship with food and body and movement often comes up as part of that, we might explore this idea of, what it feels like in your body where you've had a period where you haven't moved at all, right? Maybe it's because you're recovering from an injury or because you just were so burnt out with exercise that you just really didn't move. How did that feel in your body? Did you get any pain or did it feel nice to rest or what was that experience? And then also thinking about periods of your life where maybe you've been really deeply invested in fitness culture. And maybe doing the punishing exercises, maybe also getting injuries because of that, maybe getting ill a lot of the time, maybe losing your period, like all kinds of different things, like different experiences that you could have in your bodies.If you've got that framing of this is what no exercise feels like in my body, and this is what too much feels like in my body, then it can help you explore what some sort of happy balance might feel like. So that's something that I encourage people to think about. And I also just wanted to shout out Tally Rye's Intuitive Movement Journal.It's her book Intuitive Movement as well. It is isn't it? Clients have found that those are helpful resources for navigating stepping back from exercise and just exploring what rest feels like through kind of the framework of, or a similar framework to intuitive being. So if intuitive being resonates with you, then maybe Tally's work will as well. So I'll link to them in the show notes. All right, this will be our last question. And it is: I cut out all deliberate movement for a while, by which I mean, I walk to get places and that's it. I'd like to try some movement. and see how it makes me feel. But where on earth do I even start? Michael: Okay, once again, without a lot of context, this is very hard to give specific advice.So I would say think about where you would feel most comfortable exercising and start from there. So I know that for a lot of people, the gym environment can be incredibly intense and intimidating for many reasons. So if you think that maybe that feels a bit much and it's going to put you off. Let's write that off. Don't do that. So let's think, okay, maybe we could start some movement at home. Is there a form of exercise that you really enjoy? Do you like dancing? Do you like jump rope? Do you like bodyweight workouts? What is it that kind of you think, Oh, actually that sounds quite fun to me and start there.And then let's say that there's so many decent content creators online, depending on what you like that I could recommend. Feel free to reach out and just start from that point. If you're thinking that kind of back to my earlier point that, okay, strength training doesn't have to look like that in the gym. What can it look like? A set of basic resistance bands from Amazon for 10 quid, you've got a gym at home. Like you don't have to go to a gym. There's so many different ways that it could look start from that start from what gives you that, Oh, that's interesting. I might give it a try, and start really, really small and build from there and that's probably the best place to start. Laura: If someone hasn't done much movement other than, like, incidental daily movements for a while... there's obviously a lot of privilege in this question but I'm wondering if you would recommend like doing a couple of one on one sessions with a trainer, like a safe trainer that could help build up strength or make like a bespoke kind of program for someone or just help them with their form so that they... I'm maybe thinking of myself here, but I know that I have to be really careful what I do at home because I'm more likely to end up injuring myself just because of my like, specific needs and in terms of managing pain. And so what I've ended up doing... and again shitload of privilege in this but, I'm, after three years of pelvic girdle pain, I'm like, at my limit. So I've started seeing a physio one on one who does clinical Pilates. So it's like very much helping me build my strength, which I could do... like I was going to a barre class before that, but I was walking away with more pain, even though it was supposedly like a supervised class, like there were no adjustments. There were no like modifications for my body, like nothing. So I personally, I have found that trying to build my strength and reduce pain, like finding someone who's really specialised has been a game changer for me. Michael: Yeah, I would say... I was gonna say one of the benefits of COVID. That's not what I meant. I was gonna say for the benefits of kind of the lockdown that happened as a result of COVID is the fitness industry got pushed forward by about five to ten years in terms of the way that it can support people, especially on a tighter budget as well. There are now so many... Laura: oh, you mean like online?Michael: Online support, right? Because I know that personal training is an investment for a lot of people. It's not a cheap route to go down. If you can afford it, absolutely, yes. If you can have the support of a professional who's got years of experience, it does speed things up and it makes things a lot more kind of personalised and perhaps more enjoyable.However, the way that the online fitness space works now, it has improved massively. And for, kind of, much cheaper options, monthly options, you can get the support of a trainer online that will be able to do a video call with you to check your form. You can send them videos. Like I speak to people that follow me on Instagram all the time and they'll ask me a question. I'll say, just send me a video of you doing the exercise. I'm happy to give you some pointers. If you find people online that are truly passionate and care. If you send them a video of you doing an exercise, they'll happily help you out. So there are so many different routes that you can go down to get the support that don't cost a huge amount of money.Once again, even the cheaper forms are still an investment, but there are different routes that you can go down now. Yeah, absolutely. Laura: Yeah. Okay. I appreciate that. And then just to add to that, like I've done some sessions with this, like a one on one physio. And now I'm going to, like the group classes as well.So it's, I think, helpful to just... if you have any kind of rehab that needs to be done, or if you just want to feel more confident in the movements. Cause like Pilates can be tricky if you don't know exactly what you're doing to just be thrown into a class situation. So it's helped me at least like doing a few sessions, even though I've done Pilates before, but just having that refresher to then go into a class setting, it's just helped build up my confidence a little bit. And it's also, I'm not going to like this, like a gym. Sorry, I said that with so much disdain, realizing you're a personal trainer! Michael: Ugh, these disgusting personal trainers!Laura: It had, like, a visceral effect. Michael: It's so funny though, isn't it? That it's so sad that's what the fitness industry has become. And especially as a trainer who is one, every time I meet someone and they'll ask oh, what do you do? I have to like preface, Oh, like I'm not like the rest of them, but I'm a personal trainer, like it's really sad.Laura: I do the same thing, but with nutrition, I'm like, I'm a nutritionist, but I'm not that kind of nutritionist. Michael: I'm not going to sell you a cleanse, I promise! Laura: All right, Michael, this has been so fun to have you on and just shoot the shit about fitness culture. But at the end of every episode, my guest and I share something that they have been snacking on. So it can be a book, a podcast, a TV show. Yeah, just about anything that, that you feel like. So what are you snacking on at the moment? Michael: So one podcast I'm listening to, this is going to be a bit of a curve ball, there's probably quite a few people, especially in the UK listening to it... I don't like politics because in this country, it's so gross the way that politics is at the moment, but I like being well informed in what's going in politics because it has such a huge knock on impact to like societal changes.Laura: I was really glad that you said that, because when you said I don't like politics, I was like, argh where is this going! Michael: no, I do, but I get so infuriated by it because it's so important and I feel like coaches need to be informed because it does directly impact everything we're doing with our clients in terms of like socioeconomic impacts and food access and education and stuff, so I've been listening to The Rest Is Politics podcast. I don't know if you've ever listened to it. It's actually really good. It's Alastair Campbell, Rory Stewart, Labour side, Tory side. They chat about all daily topics and I quite like that they disagree and argue. I, depending on what you think about those two individuals, I'm still very mixed on what I think of them.However, I think it's very good to have a nice balanced approach there. So that's the podcast I've been listening to a lot recently. I really like it. In terms of food. So I can't eat eggs and dairy. I'm lactose intolerant and intolerant to eggs as well. Laura: I think you were probably going to wait for like the bummer, yeah, for me to be like, oh, that's such a bummer. But I'm vegan, so I don't eat any of that stuff . Michael: Yeah, I know. I was saying, I'm like the worst gym bro ever. I can't have whey protein shakes and I can't eat like 12 eggs a day. So maybe that's another reason they all hate me. So I found a vegan chocolate bar from Aldi. I don't know if you've ever had it. I don't think so. What? So they do milk, in quotation marks, milk chocolate and a white chocolate. They do a dark chocolate too, but a lot of vegan chocolate is dark. Anyway, so I haven't even tried that but their milk chocolate and their white chocolate is so good .And i'm getting through far too much of this chocolate at the moment but I finally found a chocolate bar that tastes amazing. They're by far the best chocolate you can get that's vegan, hands down Laura: That sounds really good, but we don't have an Aldi near us. We have a Lidl. Michael: So it's worth commuting. Laura: Oh, is it? Michael: Yeah. Yes. Laura: Okay. Might have to go to the dark depths of Dalston too.Okay. So I'm actually going to do a podcast also, and it's Getting Curious with Jonathan van Ness, which everyone knows who JVN is, obviously. He's amazing. Yeah, love them. There was like a bit of a thing a while ago where on their Netflix show they talked about like food addiction and it was just really problematic and icky and fatphobic. But JVN seems to have really been on a bit of a journey with this stuff and the latest, well, at the time that we are recording, they've just come out with a podcast called... well, an episode of their podcast Getting Curious called What's the Cultural History of the Calorie? With Dr. Athia Chaudhry. They're a fat activist and it's immersed in like fat politics. So, yeah. I would recommend going and giving that one a listen, because yeah, JVN has been on a journey, it seems. Michael: That sounds awesome. And that is my afternoon listening. Thank you very much. Laura: I will link to all of those things in the show notes.Michael, before I let you go, can you tell everyone where they can find out more about you and your work? Michael: Of course, so, most of the content I create is through Instagram, so it's just my name, which is very hard to spell, so probably best if you check it in the show notes. Laura: Yeah, I will link to everything.Michael: Thank you very much. So it's @MichaelUlloaPT, and that's on Instagram, Threads, Twitter, TikTok, whatever platform, it's all the same. Laura: All right, Michael, I will make sure that... It's all fully linked in the show notes so that everyone can find you. Thank you so much for coming on and yeah, like I said before, shooting the shit with us about fitness culture was really fun.Michael: Thank you so much for having me.OUTRO:Laura: Thanks so much for listening to the Can I Have Another Snack? podcast. You can support the show by subscribing in your podcast player and leaving a rating and review. And if you want to support the show further and get full access to the Can I Have Another Snack? universe, you can become a paid subscriber.It's just £5 a month or £50 for the year. As well as getting tons of cool perks you help make this work sustainable and we couldn't do it without the support of paying subscribers. Head to laurathomas.substack.com to learn more and sign up today. Can I Have Another Snack? is hosted by me, Laura Thomas. Our sound engineer is Lucy Dearlove. Fiona Bray formats and schedules all of our posts and makes sure that they're out on time every week. Our funky artwork is by Caitlin Preyser, and the music is by Jason Barkhouse. Thanks so much for listening.ICYMI this week: "I'm Not Your Target Audience" - How Do We Get Men To Care?* Reclaiming our Appetites* MORE Teens, TikTok, and some Good News for a Change.* Dear Laura: I'm freaking out about what my kids eat - but is it really about them? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurathomas.substack.com/subscribe

Today I am talking with Jessamyn Stanley. JESSAMYN STANLEY is an internationally acclaimed voice in wellness, highly sought-after for her insights on 21st-century yoga and intersectional identity. As a successful award-winning yoga instructor and entrepreneur, she is the founder of The Underbelly, a streaming wellness app and community, and co-host of the podcast Dear Jessamyn. She is a regular contributor to SELF magazine, has been featured on the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine (UK), and covered in the New York Times, Vogue, Glamour, Sports Illustrated, and Women's Health among many other domestic and international media outlets. She is also the author of Yoke: My Yoga of Self-Acceptance and Every Body Yoga: Let Go of Fear, Get on the Mat, Love your Body. Connect with Jessamyn Here: https://jessamynstanley.com/ https://www.instagram.com/mynameisjessamyn/?hl=en https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxJaVA4Tu6oQaHOppbt8qvA https://theunderbelly.com/ -- Start feeling fit and fabulous! Use this link go.mycopilot.com/EGRAM to start your free 14 day trial on CoPilot! Notion Templates here - www.sarajanecase.com/shop  Enneagram Coffee here - https://www.summitcoffee.com/sarajanecasestore Call/text your enneagram questions to (828) 338-9127 Grab a copy of my books at www.thehonestenneagram.com & www.theenneagramletters.com Check out my YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/sarajanecase Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jessamyn Stanley, author of Yoke: My Yoga of Self-Acceptance, realizes one day that her life has become filled with unwanted clutter. Suddenly, how she's perceived on the outside no longer reflects what she feels on the inside. But in her efforts to minimize her footprint and live a minimalist life, Jessamyn learns something unexpected: She can choose to love who she is right now, messiness and all.Listen to Krista Tippett's Meditative Story, "What we discover when we're not looking": http://listen.meditativestory.com/KristaTippettPIOTo learn more about Jessamyn: http://jessamynstanley.com/ Follow Jessamyn on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mynameisjessamyn/Follow Jessamyn on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mynameisjessamynIf this episode resonates with you, we'd love to hear from you. Please take a moment to share your reflections by rating and reviewing Meditative Story in your podcast player. It helps other listeners find their way to show, and we'd be so grateful.Each episode of Meditative Story combines the emotional pull of first-person storytelling with immersive music and gentle mindfulness prompts. Read the transcript for this story: meditativestory.comSign up for the Meditative Story newsletter: https://meditativestory.com/subscribeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Go to the YouTube comments on yoga instructor Jessamyn Stanley's most recent Gatorade commercial, and there are people from all over the world having a conversation on whether or not she should be moving the way that she does, critiquing her size and clothing options. It's nothing new to Stanley, who — as a "queer, fat, yogi" (her words, not mine) has learned to overlook the hate from others in pursuit of helping individuals everywhere feel more comfortable moving their body. For episode 264, she talks about the hilarious way she first experienced yoga, and why she decided to start an OnlyFans account to do it naked not all that long ago. Plus: A special conversation on accepting what is, commiserating about our experiences on WW as teenagers, and what it's like to be at the forefront of the body liberation movement. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Every Body Yoga Yoke: My Yoga of Self-Acceptance SOCIAL @mynameisjessamyn @emilyabbate⁠⁠ @hurdlepodcast⁠ OFFERS AG1 | Head to⁠ DrinkAG1.com/hurdle⁠ to get 5 free travel packs and a year's supply of vitamin D with your first purchase JOIN: ⁠THE *Secret* FACEBOOK GROUP⁠ SIGN UP: ⁠Weekly Hurdle Newsletter⁠ ASK ME A QUESTION: ⁠Leave me a voice message, ask me a question, and it could be featured in an upcoming episode! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/hurdle/message

This week's guest is the incredible Jessamyn Stanley, who you might remember from the “controversial” Gatorade ad earlier this year or her new naked shoot in Women's Health!! She's an inspiration to us all, having carved out a space for other black, fat, queer people the wellness industry. And we had so much fun chatting to her about her journey with yoga, transforming her relationship with movement, and how naked yoga is healing her relationship with her body. Show notes:

We're back with maybe the most foundational episode in our Being Seen and Heard series–and it's all about how we see ourselves. Were you taught how to love yourself when you were growing up? Many of us never grew up hearing anything about embodiment, and maybe we've treated our bodies as “the enemy” for most of our years. Maybe you grew up in a time where you didn't see people that looked like you, or had your body type represented in magazines, on TV or in movies. Perhaps you even had shame about your body (or still do), and you bought into diet culture and were constantly worried about your size and the number on the scale. It's hard to see ourselves as beautiful when we're looking outside ourselves for what that standard of beauty is. Our guest today is doing the good work of helping people see themselves differently, and it's giving them freedom to love themselves for who they are today. Jessamyn Stanley has become a powerful voice for wellness and body acceptance (she also dubs herself the “Beyonce' of yoga” - I mean who can't get behind that?). After attending yoga classes with a friend, Jessamyn fell in love with it, but she noticed that she didn't see anyone who looked like her or had a body like hers–and when she moved to a different city and wasn't attending yoga classes anymore—she craved a community to share her practice–except she wanted all kinds of people and body types to be a part of it. She began sharing her yoga practice on Instagram back in 2012 and was amazed by the overwhelming response from many who had never done yoga before because they had felt just like Jessamyn had–that maybe it wasn't for “people like them.” Her fledgling Insta-yoga classes grew into an organization called The Underbelly, a unique and inclusive digital wellness experience that now draws thousands of people into its safe and accepting space. Jen and Jessamyn touch on these topics:  Jessamyn's experience with being ashamed of her body as a middle schooler and also being bullied for being different, and how she looks at those years of bullying as a revelation that everyone is self conscious about their bodies–bullies included The realization we all have at the end of the day; all we have is ourselves–and if we can accept ourselves as we are right now–not who we thought we should be, or who we might be–we'll enjoy the ability to be fully present and authentic in all of our encounters Debunking the long held notion that many people have about black women (and also that black women have been taught to believe)--that they are “stronger” and “superwomen,” and what it means to allow themselves moments of rest and self-care  Key changes that could be made to empower everyone to have their own agency toward self care, by making it possible for anyone–no matter how much money you make, or where you live–to participate in wellness practices like yoga  If we can face the truth about ourselves, and not turn away from the fullness of who we are–including the ugly and complex things, we can begin a journey to a shame-free life that will change the fabric of who we are and what we bring to the world.  * * * Thank you to our sponsors! Chime | Visit chime.com/forthelove to learn how you can benefit from using Chime! BetterHelp | Visit betterhelp.com/forthelove to save 10% on your first month! Jen Hatmaker BookClub | Vist jenhatmakerbookclub.com and use code READ at checkout $5 off your purchase! Thought-Provoking Quotes: “Middle school was a time when I was really heavily bullied. That experience for me, looking back, was one of the greatest experiences because what it was actually teaching me is: everyone is self-conscious about their body. There's no one who is not self-conscious. And the person who bullies is having the most traumatic experience.” - Jessamyn Stanley “If I am all I have, then I have to learn to accept myself where I am right now. Not where I could be in the future, or where I thought I should have been 10 years ago. Like, what does it mean to just be who I am today?” - Jessamyn Stanley “Why I continue to practice yoga is because it is an opportunity for me to look at myself and see beyond these barriers that I've created for myself, to see beyond the way that society has defined me, to actually just feel and be present in the moment.” Jessamyn Stanley “I kept sharing my yoga practice because I realized that it doesn't just help other fat people to see someone living their life unapologetically, but it can impact literally anyone to see another human being living honestly and authentically.” - Jessamyn Stanley  “If I am all I have, then I have to learn to accept myself where I am right now. Not where I could be in the future, or where I thought I should have been 10 years ago. Like, what does it mean to just be who I am today?” - Jessamyn Stanley  “It's been amazing, frankly– in this last decade especially–to see so many more people showing up to their yoga practices, to see specifically so many more black women. Specifically fat black women, fat, dark-skinned black women out here living their yoga practices, being authentic, finding whatever that is for them.” - Jessamyn Stanley “It's hard to talk about, as a black person,  what it feels like to accept that I was bred to hate myself. And so to connect with other people who understand that experience fully to a place where when they're reading my book, they're literally like–it's not like this is a new idea–it's like I just see myself. That has meant the world to me.” - Jessamyn Stanley “There's this thing of like beating back the darkness and then I think that the darkness becomes so all consuming. The world that we're living in is scary. It's scary and it is dark. And I think in a lot of ways it's gonna get worse before it gets better. And for me though, there is this incredible power that comes from just letting the darkness be there and just letting it be all consuming. Because that is where the light really is. And that's how it shines so bright.” - Jessamyn Stanley  Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Leslie Kinzel - Body acceptance writer Maryanne Kirby - Body acceptance writer Nicolette Mason - Fat fashion blogger Dianne Bondi - Yoga practitioner Bikram Yoga Guest's Links: Jessamyn's TikTok Jessamyn's Instagram Jessamyn's Twitter  The Underbelly Yoga Jessamyn's People Magazine feature  Yoke: My Yoga Of Self Acceptance - book by Jessamyn Stanley Every Body Yoga - book by Jessamyn Stanley @theBabySharkClub - Jessamyn's dog on Instagram Connect with Jen! Jen's website Jen's InstagramJen's Twitter Jen's FacebookJen's YouTube

This week we are joined by co-founder of The Underbelly, yoga teacher, and body positivity advocate, Jessamyn Stanley. Jessamyn shares the difference between body positivity vs. body neutrality, how body positivity can turn toxic (and how to combat it), and gives us the awesome story behind her naked yoga practice. We all get vulnerable in this episode about our bodies, self-image, and our personal evolution to self-acceptance. If you're tired of toxic positivity, tune in! This episode was sponsored by BetterHelp! Visit BetterHelp.com/SELFHELPLESS today to get 10% off your first month. For 65 bonus episodes, exclusive rewards, and to influence content for the show, join our Patreon community: https://www.patreon.com/selfhelpless Delanie: https://www.delaniefischer.com Kelsey's Tour Dates: https://www.kelseycook.com Sales and distribution by Lemonada Media. 

This week, Busy is back in Los Angeles even though she might feel like Los Angeles doesn't want her here, and Caissie has embarked on a strength training program she may not need based on what she accidentally did to her sons' bathroom door. Then, author, yoga teacher, entrepreneur and advocate, Jessamyn Stanley joins the party to talk about her experience as a fat, Black, queer woman who is bringing yoga to every body, while making a very compelling case for everybody to try NAKED YOGA! SPONSORS: http://DrinkLMNT.com/BEST for a free 8 flavor sample pack of LMNT electrolyte drink mix with any order http://Cariuma.com/BEST for 15% off stylish, sustainable sneakers http://HungryRoot.com/BUSY for 30% off your first order of fresh high quality food and ready-to-make recipes delivered to your door PLUS free veggies for life http://Betterhelp.com/BUSY for 10% off your 1st month of flexible, affordable, online therapy http://AthleticGreens.com/BUSY for a 1 year-supply of Vitamin D, plus 5 free travel packs of AG1's special blend of 75 high quality vitamins, minerals, superfoods, probiotics and adaptogens with your first order http://SundaysForDogs.com/Busy for 35% off your first order of high quality, healthy shelf-stable air-dried food for your dog made from human-grade ingredients

Today I'm chatting with my boss who also a renowned yoga teacher and 2x best selling author  Jessamyn Stanley  In this conversation, Jessamyn shares how her yoga practice has helped her cultivate presence and navigate life's challenges with grace. We delve into her inspiring journey of starting her own yoga app, The Underbelly, empowering individuals to embrace their bodies and find liberation through movement.But that's not all – Jessamyn's openness extends beyond yoga. We explore the fascinating aspects of her polyamorous relationships, shedding light on the dynamics, misconceptions, and the importance of communication in maintaining healthy connections.Whether you're a yoga enthusiast, a budding entrepreneur, or simply curious about polyamory, this interview offers valuable insights and actionable advice.Tune in to this empowering episode of The FOSTER'D and embark on a transformative journey with Jessamyn Stanley. Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe to stay up to date on new episodes of The FOSTER'D Podcast. Thanks for listening! Where to find Jessamyn - Instagram and TikTok - @MYNAMEISJESSAMYN Subscribe to her youtube  @JessamynStanley  Sign up for a 2 week trial of The Underbelly where else to find me: Instagram: www.instagram.com/angell.foster The FOSTER'D IG - www.instagram.com/thefosterd TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@angell.foster For business enquiries: angellvisions@gmail.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/angell-foster/message

Bringing a new look to wellness Jessamyn Stanley has graced the covers of SELF Magzine, Cosmo UK, and has even caused a stir with both Donal Trump and Piers Morgan leading to some heavy body shaming about her looks and what it says for the fitness world. Opening the door to new conversations is part of the reason she was named one of 2020s Most Influential African Americans of the Year by Root 100. Jassamyn chats with us about dealing with the evolution of self-love and body acceptance, having her body shamed on national and international television, and how we can start showing ourselves some love.

This conversation may be one of THE most refreshing, validating and beautiful ones we've ever had on the show. Jessamyn Stanley, is an author, yoga teacher, entrepreneur and advocate who has been featured in SELF Magazine, The New York Times, CNN, Good Morning America, Vogue, InStyle, BET, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Allure, Shape, Out Magazine, Forbes and more recently Women's Health BODY edition. Jessamyn walks us through her journey with her body, including the bad feelings, her yoga practice and how we can get through those tough days.  Follow @mynameisjessamyn or visit her website for more https://jessamynstanley.com/   Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode Produced by Dear Media     

Jessamyn Stanley is an award-winning yoga instructor, internationally acclaimed voice in wellness, and so much more. While Stanley was working to get her MA in performing arts management, a friend introduced her to Bikram yoga. As she began to share her practice on social media, her growing followership encouraged her to enroll in a yoga teacher training course, and the rest is history. Today, Stanley is a regular contributor to Self magazine, has written two yoga books, and has built her own inclusive wellness app, The Underbelly. In this episode, Stanley speaks about the systemic inequity Black women face, especially within the wellness industry, as well as why she believes in the benefits of naked yoga. Tune in to this week's episode to hear how her pivots, including attending culinary school, helped Stanley find her path.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jessamyn Stanley, co-founder of The Underbelly and author of Yoke: My Yoga of Self-Acceptance, talks with J about body acceptance and challenging preconceived notions. They discuss her entry into yoga and why she started posting her practice on Instagram, how she landed a Gatorade commercial, The Yoga Journal cover controversy, the difference between fat and body positivity, navigating "tokenism,” naked yoga on only fans, Shibari (Japanese Rope Bondage), and the value of starting uncomfortable conversations that foster growth.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

In this episode of the Very Best Self Podcast we are joined by Jessamyn Stanley, she is an American yoga teacher, body positivity advocate and writer. She has written 2 award winning books and has a massive following on social media. She is a regular contributor for SELF Magazine and is consistently featured in many media outlets, including The New York Times, CNN, Good Morning America, Vogue, InStyle, BET, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Allure, Shape, Out Magazine, and Forbes to name a few. Today we talk about yoga, sun signs, negative fitness stereotypes, self love and so much more. Connect with Jessamyn - @mynameisjessamyn  TIMESTAMPS(05:21) - Struggling with being in a public persona.(07:04) - About Jessamyn.(10:33) - How did you find yoga?(21:15) - Sun sign?(27:11) - What can people do to stop perpetuating negative fitness stereotypes?(32:16) - How do we use fitness to love ourselves more?(42:17) - What are the keys to manifestation and what do you think about vision boards?(47:42) - What is the best piece of advice you'd give to your younger self?---------------------------------Let's connect!DM us on Instagram: @verybestself Follow my personal Instagram account to learn more about the host!Instagram: @victoriabrownIf you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the show on apple podcasts!https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/very-best-self-podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices 

While we're working on Season 4, we wanted to share a special episode from another podcast we love, The Happiness Lab. On The Happiness Lab, Dr. Laurie Santos explores all the ways we get our happiness wrong and what we can do to really feel better. She walks through the latest evidence-based strategies for improving your mental health, sharing practical advice on what will really bring more joy. In this episode, Laurie looks at what a centuries-old Sanskrit text, The Yoga Sutras, can teach us about improving both the body and mind. The author, Patanjali, makes clear that the poses and stretches are only part of the picture - we also need to be kind, contemplative and grounded. Jessamyn Stanley (yoga teacher and author of Yoke: My Yoga of Self-Acceptance) takes Laurie through Patanjali's text, saying its lessons "can be applied in every circumstance, no matter who you are or where you are." Hear more from The Happiness Lab at apple.co/happinesslab.

Jessamyn Stanley, internationally-acclaimed voice in the wellness industry and author, joins the Journey To Launch podcast to discuss how yoga has the power to change lives, why creatives have an obligation to make money for the betterment of their communities and the importance of promoting equity in the health industry. We chat about showing up authentically on social media overcoming fear and more. In this episode, you'll learn more about: Jessamyn's accidental path to becoming a wellness industry thought leader Why self-care and spending are integral to showing up as the best version of yourself What you can do today to let go of fear and move toward your goals How creatives can and have an obligation to reframe how to ethically make money  The importance of letting go of money + more  Check out the video of this episode on YouTube, here! Other Links Mentioned in episode: Check out Jessamyn's book: Every Body Yoga: Let Go of Fear, Get On the Mat, Love Your Body. Check out Jessamyn's Book: Yoke: My Yoga of Self-Acceptance Read Rachel Rodgers Book: We Should All Be Millionaires  Listen to Episode 213: How To Achieve A Million Dollar Mindset And Business With Rachel Rodgers Listen to Episode 309: The Price Of Beauty: Exploring The Pros And Cons Of Higher Maintenance Beauty Services Check out my new personal website here. Join The Weekly Newsletter List Leave me a voicemail– Leave me a question on the Journey To Launch voicemail and have it answered on the podcast! Watch me on News12  Watch my latest segments on News12 YNAB –  Start managing your money and budgeting so that you can reach your financial dreams. Sign up for a free 34 days trial of YNAB, my go-to budgeting app by using my referral link. What stage of the financial journey are you on? Are you working on financial stability or work flexibility? Find out with this free assessment and get a curated list of the 10 next best episodes for you to listen to depending on your stage. Check it out here! Connect with Jessamyn: Website Instagram:@MyNameisJessamyn Connect with me: Instagram: @Journeytolaunch Twitter: @JourneyToLaunch Facebook: @Journey To Launch Join the Private Facebook Group Join the Waitlist for My FI Course Get The Free Jumpstart Guide

Ground-breaking yogi, author, and activist, Jessamyn Stanley, jams with K + L for another heart-opening conversation about “living life off the book.” For Jessamyn, that translates to consciously keeping check of what she is consuming on social media and how she positions herself in the public sphere as one of the only black, female business owners in the digital, yoga space.Morning Microdose is a podcast curated by Krista Williams and Lindsey Simcik, the hosts and founders of Almost 30, a global community, brand and top rated podcast.With curated clips from the Almost 30 podcast, Morning Mircodose will set the tone for your day, so you can feel inspired through thought provoking conversations…all in digestible episodes that are less than 10 minutes.Wake up with Krista and Lindsey, both literally and spiritually, Monday-Friday. If you enjoyed this conversation, listen to the full episode here.

In this episode, I sit down with stylist, closet therapist, and wardrobe specialist Allison Bornstein to talk about all things style and the emotional significance of what we wear. We discuss the identity shift that comes with motherhood and how style fits into that, Allison's wild and experimental fashion sense as a child, and how both of our mothers have influenced our style journeys to this day. Allison takes us through her coined “three word method” and defines my three words, she explains why it's okay to look and dress like you care, and we discuss how closet clean-outs and the kind of work she does is deeply therapeutic and personal.   Key Takeaway / Points: Why fashion and style are not frivolous  The identity shift that comes with motherhood and how style fits into that Allison's wild and experimental style as a child The fear of other parents perceiving you and your children How our mothers' relationships with fashion influenced us Allison's trajectory in fashion school and how she grew her business Allison's “three word method” and defining my three words Why it's okay to dress and look like you care Why closet clean-outs are emotional processes How clothes are meant to fit us and we are not meant to “fit” our clothes On our authentic selves versus our social media personas   Listen to the Jessamyn Stanley episode here Listen to the Serena Kerrigan episode here   Order Athletic Greens and get a FREE 1 year supply Vitamind D AND 5 travel packs here: www.athleticgreens.com/fff     Follow Allison: Instagram: @allisonbornstein6 TikTok: @allisonbornstein6 Website: allisonbornstein.com   Follow me: Instagram: @cameronoaksrogers Website: freckledfoodie.com TikTok: @cameronoaksrogers Twitter: @freckledfoodie Youtube: Cameron Rogers / Freckled Foodie Pinterest: Freckled Foodie   Creative Lead: Amelie Yeager Produced by Dear Media. 

Kayla is joined by writer and yoga teacher, Jessamyn Stanley, who has created her own space and community for all those who are seeking inner peace with their bodies. As a queer, Black woman who doesn't meet the racist and fatphobic standards of the mainstream health industry, Jessamyn is bringing us back to moving not for the sake of social pressures but to feel good.Follow JessamynJessamyn's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mynameisjessamyn/Check out the Underbelly: www.theunderbelly.com Check out We Go High: https://www.wegohigh.info/ Follow Us:Instagram: www.instagram.com/candicekayla/ Twitter: www.twitter.com/CandiceKayla Website: www.candicekayla.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we're talking about the beauty filters so many people use on social media. What's the impact of this sort of warped reality on self-worth? The research shows it's significant, especially for young girls, and that's true even when we all know these types of filters exist. First, you'll hear from researcher Claire Pescott. Her research and expertise focus on how social media filters influence children even as young as 10 years old. Then later, we're joined by a social media influencer who is breaking stereotypes and having a positive impact online. Jessamyn Stanley shares how she stays unfiltered online and gives her take on social media trolls who try to put her down. This episode is brought to you by Indeed.com/newsworthy and Rothys.com/newsworthy Get ad-free episodes by becoming an insider: www.theNewsWorthy.com/insider 

This episode of Dear Jessamyn is the last planned recording of the show. Before this possibly long (or never ending) hiatus, a newly fat Deary asks about how to love her new body. We love you all.This episode mentions: Baby News Network; Adipositivity; Substantia Jones; Samantha Irby; Bitches Gotta Eat Blog; and 2 Whole CakesDear Jessamyn is produced by Tenderfire MediaYour hosts are ashe danger phoenix and Jessamyn Stanley. This episode was edited by ashe and Produced by Kylee C. RobertsAngell Foster and Nya Williams do our social mediaJanie Leopard does our episode art Anna Rooney is Jessamyn's Chief of StaffAmber Richardson is Ashe's Chief of StaffFruit Snack does our theme music. There's a bunch more info on the episode like behind the scenes content, transcriptions, how to find us and our team and more. It's all at dearjessamyn.comYou can leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! No one should be in jail for weed. 

Jessamyn Stanley does it all! She's a yoga teacher, wellness influencer, fat acceptance advocate, author, podcaster and so much more! In each of these roles Jessamyn is reframing how we view people and things. As founder of The Underbelly, which she describes as a “wellness community for the rest of us,” Jessamyn is making room for everyone to achieve holistic wellness. On her podcast, Dear Jessamyn, she gives listeners access to her own relationship to act as an example. On the show, Jessamyn and I talk about this reframing as well as her books, yoga, and the fat acceptance movement. Learn more about Jessamyn Stanley here. -- Love the podcast? Please follow us or subscribe for FREE, rate, and leave us a review! Follow Liz on Instagram: @lizbohannon @ssekodesigns. This podcast is produced by Hueman Group Media. Follow us on IG @huemangroupmedia and Twitter @hueman_media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two things: 1. Love you like you know me. 2. Moving onto an RV is anti-dating. ashe and Jessamyn are back on the mic, giving us a solid What's New In Paradise. HINT: Relationship update. Dear Jessamyn is produced by Tenderfire MediaYour hosts are ashe danger phoenix and Jessamyn Stanley. This episode was edited by ashe and Produced by Kylee C. RobertsAngell Foster and Nya Williams do our social mediaJanie Leopard does our episode art Anna Rooney is Jessamyn's Chief of StaffAmber Richardson is Ashe's Chief of StaffFruit Snack does our theme music. Follow us on Instagram @DearJessamyn and find and follow the show on Spotify. There's a bunch more info on the episode like behind the scenes content, transcriptions, how to find us and our team and more. It's all at dearjessamyn.comYou can leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Reviews help a lot. Please, if you've enjoyed this episode, even for like half a beat, please go leave us a review. No one should be in jail for weed. 

Jessamyn Stanley is a yoga teacher and body positivity advocate and writer. Tune in to hear us chat about her experience in the yoga world and about her new book called #yoke which includes autobiographical essays that explore the issues of race, self-love, capitalism, sex and sexuality. You don't want to miss it! This Episode is brought you by: 1. Athletic Greens 2. Dame Products For early access to ad-free episodes w/ additional bonus content make sure to go to www.patreon.com/brandiglanville.

Jessamyn Stanley is a yoga teacher and body positivity advocate and writer. Tune in to hear us chat about her experience in the yoga world and about her new book called #yoke which includes autobiographical essays that explore the issues of race, self-love, capitalism, sex and sexuality. You don't want to miss it!This Episode is brought you by:1. Athletic Greens2. Dame ProductsFor early access to ad-free episodes w/ additional bonus content make sure to go to www.patreon.com/brandiglanville.

In this episode, I sit down with Jessamyn Stanley, the internationally renowned yoga instructor, writer, and body positive queer activist. We dive into vulnerability and honesty right out the gates and talk about the act of having compassion for trolls versus wanting to correct them, Jessamyn's experience as a face of the wellness industry, and the ongoing dynamics within the body positivity movement. We also discuss Jessamyn's essential practices for attaining body positivity, the act of letting go of what we're “supposed” to look like, Jessamyn's journey with cannabis, and much more.Key Takeaway / Points:On having compassion for trolls and healthily coping with online bullyingJessamyn's experience with the medical industrial complex and owning her story in the wellness industryOn encouraging community within the body positivity movement and dismantling competition within itJessamyn's relationship with her body throughout her lifeTangible pieces of advice for people who want to attain body positivityLetting go of what we're “supposed” to look likeOn reclaiming the freedom of mindful movementJessamyn's journey with cannabisOn overcoming imposter syndrome with yoga and pilatesFollow Jessamyn:Instagram: @mynameisjessamynPodcast: @dearjessamynYoga: @theunderbellyyogaFollow me:Instagram: @freckledfoodieWebsite: freckledfoodie.comTikTok: freckledfoodieTwitter: @freckledfoodieYoutube: Cameron Rogers / Freckled FoodiePinterest: Freckled FoodieThis episode was edited by Tim Flanzbaum Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yes— in 2022, we still face weight discrimination at work. In fact, one study suggestions that for every 6 pounds an average American woman gains, her hourly pay drops 2%. To talk about weight bias in the workplace, Nicole is joined by Jessamyn Stanley— body positivity activist and entrepreneur. To learn more about Jessamyn, you can find her here: https://www.instagram.com/mynameisjessamyn/ For tips on how to talk to your HR department about bias-free performance reviews, read this: https://www.hrdconnect.com/2019/09/30/10-performance-review-biases-and-how-to-avoid-them/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the last Summer Session of this year, ashe and Jessamyn discuss their current wellness trends. Inspired by Aidy Bryant and Bowen Yang's Weekend Update bit:  Trend Forecasters.Dear Jessamyn is produced by Tenderfire MediaYour hosts are ashe danger phoenix and Jessamyn Stanley. Our Editor/Producer is Kylee C. RobertsAngell Foster and Nya Williams do our social mediaJanie Leopard does our episode art Anna Rooney is Jessamyn's Chief of StaffAmber Richardson is Ashe's Chief of StaffFruit Snack does our theme music. Follow us on Instagram @DearJessamyn and find and follow the show on Spotify. There's a bunch more info on the episode like behind the scenes content, transcriptions, how to find us and our team and more. It's all at dearjessamyn.comYou can leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Reviews help a lot. Please, if you've enjoyed this episode, even for like half a beat, please go leave us a review. No one should be in jail for weed. 

Okay, but who is your celebrity crush?? In the fifth summer session, our Producer Kylee C. Roberts joins ashe and Jessamyn to play a short round of We're Not Really Strangers. Got a question? Head to Dearjessamyn.com/queery and you may hear it answered on the show!Dear Jessamyn is produced by Tenderfire MediaYour hosts are ashe danger phoenix and Jessamyn Stanley. Our Editor/Producer is Kylee C. RobertsAngell Foster and Nya Williams do our social mediaJanie Leopard does our episode art Anna Rooney is Jessamyn's Chief of StaffAmber Richardson is Ashe's Chief of StaffFruit Snack does our theme music. Follow us on Instagram @DearJessamyn and find and follow the show on Spotify. There's a bunch more info on the episode like behind the scenes content, transcriptions, how to find us and our team and more. It's all at dearjessamyn.comYou can leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Reviews help a lot. Please, if you've enjoyed this episode, even for like half a beat, please go leave us a review. No one should be in jail for weed. 

Author, yoga teacher, advocate Jessamyn Stanley is using the internet to open up spaces for every body to see themselves represented in yoga and fitness. Check out The Underbelly: https://theunderbelly.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Monday, I sat down with Jessamyn Stanley. Jessamyn is a yoga teacher, author, advocate, and such a beam of beauty and truth in this world. Today we are giving you a quick breakdown on how to begin taking the steps to fully loving and embracing the skin you're in. Throughout our conversation, Jessamyn highlights the main things to be aware of when you are on the journey of learning to love your body...1. Social Media2. Reminders3. Clothes4. EnergyJessamyn is such a powerful force of nature and bolt of energy. Be sure to go back and listen to Monday's episode with Jessamyn to get a deeper dive into her story and even more body positivity and inspiration!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, I get real with Jessamyn Stanley. Jessamyn is an author, incredible yoga guru, and such a powerful and inspiring advocate for embracing who you are, where you are, and the skin you're in. She is truly a face of change and is so prominent in helping shift the tide of humanity. In this episode, we talk all about:• How she is breaking societal barriers• Overcoming self-hate• Learning to live in the trembles• How yoga helped pave her life path• The importance of doing things for YOU• How to begin taking authority of your lifeJessamyn is the mere embodiment of true inspiration and I just know you will love her spirit as much as I already do! I can't wait for you to listen to this episode and stay tuned for our How-To Minisode on Thursday!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's guest is Jessamyn Stanley! She is an award-winning voice in wellness, highly sought after for her insight on 21st-century yoga and intersectional identity. She is well-versed in a variety of cultural issues, including the modern Black experience LGBTQIA+ representation, and equity in the health industry. To learn more about Jessamyn and her work, check out her Instagram or her website! -------- Imma keep some healthy space from social for a bit and am bringing it on email. Feels right, and actually a little more personal, tbh. We're basically one-way pen pals when you follow this link and drop your email here. —> mrdavehollis.com Dave's book Built Through Courage is available now! Dave was recently confronted with the fact that he was living the life someone else wanted for him. After weathering a highly publicized personal crisis amid the backdrop of an international pandemic and navigating the enjoyable but unpredictable waters of being a single father to four kids, he has been forced to become the captain of his own life and is ready to teach others how to do the same. I want to be your coach. Yes, YOU! Join me at Growth Day, not for pre-taped lessons, but for weekly LIVE coaching. Click the link and gain access to my coaching + some of the world leaders in personal growth like Brendon Burchard, Jenna Kutcher, Jamie Kern Lima, and more! -> http://bit.ly/daveatgrowth To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week's episode is dedicated to our sister, Keia. Send her big love. Antoinette of Around the Way Curls helps Jade hold down the fort as they welcome Jessamyn Stanley to have a transparent conversation around body image, self love, and community. https://jessamynstanley.com/ https://www.instagram.com/antoinettewashere/ ||-Shoutout to My Sis-|| Massachusetts Residents Only! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdlip7hZk6ToeUsiTMhu4D2qqzLAPGEOg8FLdvd7LTX3BjT8g/viewform https://www.macys.com/s/icons-of-style/home-by-areeayl/?tagid=4372438&ctype=G&cm_re=2022.04.20-_-HOMEPAGE_INCLUDE_1_row_04-_-CATEGORY%20--%205125%20--%20:Home%20by%20Areeayl%20for%20Inc ||-Support the Show-|| www.chime.com/gg Kinlo.com/gg- 15% off with promo code GROWN Starbucks.com https://www.target.com/c/tabitha-brown-x-target/-/N-3k8lx?lnk=snav_rd_tabitha_brown https://gettingrown.co/ https://www.patreon.com/gettingrown Email: GettinGrownPodcast@gmail.com Twitter: @GettinGrownPod IG: @GettinGrownPod Facebook: www.Facebook.com/GettinGrownPodcast

Michelle and Jessamyn taking ownership of self. Jessamyn shares her thoughts on the term “body positivity,” building her own yoga community and her secret to having successful relationships. CHECK IN to this episode find the humor in seeking for your truth.  Jessamyn has a lot going on! Follow it all on https://jessamynstanley.com/ Tickets are now on sale for the FIRST ever Black Effect Podcast Festival happening on August 28th in Brooklyn, NY! Come check us out with The 85 South Show, All the Smoke, and more of your favorite Black Effect Podcast hosts. Get your tickets today at BlackEffect.comPodcastFestival See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whether living in legal states or under prohibition, weed smokers continue to face stigmas and prejudices of all kinds. So to kick off our official Pride Month programming, we're revisiting our 2021 interview with true friend-of-the-podcast Jessamyn Stanley—a self-described “fat black queer woman" who's been breaking down barriers in American yoga since she began posting about her personal practice on Instagram in 2012. Jessamyn's the author of Every Body Yoga, and Yoke: My Yoga of Self Acceptance, hosts the podcast Dear Jessamyn, and has created the yoga app The Underbelly. She also co-founded the activist organization We Go High North Carolina to push for an end to cannabis arrests and a social justice based approach to legalization. And she's a Great Moments in Weed History listener, who says her own cannabis activism was in part inspired by our episodes about Dennis Peron and Brownie Mary, two indomitable activists who fought for medical cannabis during the height of the AIDs crisis. Check out our podcast feed for those episodes! EPISODE ARCHIVE Visit our Great Moments in Weed History podcast feed for 60+ episodes of our classic format, and subscribe now to get a new weekly podcast every Weednesday. PATREON Please support Great Moments in Weed HIstory on Patreon. Supporters get exclusive access to video shows and seshes, plus access to cool rewards like a signed book or signature lighter. And it truly helps us make the best show possible. 

Why do people feel the need to comment on "unhealthy bodies" when they don't comment on health elsewhere? This week we are joined by award-winning yoga instructor, entrepreneur, and author Jessamyn Stanley talking body diversity in yoga, overcoming imposter syndrome, and the journey to self-acceptance. Jessamyn also tells about growing up in the Bahá'í faith, what coming out to her family was like, and why she transitioned from being a religious person to being a spiritual one. Follow Jessamyn at @mynameisjessamyn Follow us at @HowCumPodcast, @RemyKassimir,    Sign up for our newsletter howcumpodcast.com  and for access to extras and FULL unedited episodes with VIDEO for only $5 at patreon.com/howcum Check out our website for live forums & merch! RATE, REVIEW & SUBSCRIBE  Thanks Dipsea.  Get a 30 day free trial when you go to DipseaStories.com/howcum. Get up to $200 off all mattress orders plus 2 free pillows at HelixSleep.com/howcum.

Jessamyn Stanley is a yoga teacher, body positivity advocate, and author. She gained recognition through her Instagram account which shows her practicing yoga as a plus size queer woman of color. She founded The Underbelly, a wellness brand that doesn't aspire to perfection but strives for authenticity and self-awareness, and wrote books, Every Body Yoga and Yoke, to explore race, self-love, capitalism, and sexuality through the lens of yoga. On this episode, Jessamyn details how to radically accept your body for what it is, get connected to your higher self, and have uncomfortable conversations in order to break through to your fullest potential. Whether you have struggled with your own body-image, or are just looking to get more connected to the skin you're in, this episode is for you!    Follow Jessamyn on IG Purchase Jessamyn's Books   BetterHelp www.betterhelp.com/realpod for 10% off Macy's: www.macys.com/live Produced by Dear Media

Since nothing summons body insecurity quite like “swimsuit season," yoga goddess Jessamyn Stanley has an Unladylike Pep Talk for appreciating the skin we're in. Even when we feel like a boob-sweaty, thigh-chafing hot mess!Unladylike: A Field Guide to Smashing the Patriarchy and Claiming Your Space is available now, wherever books and audiobooks are sold. Signed copies are available at podswag.com/unladylike. Follow Unladylike on social @unladylikemedia. Subscribe to our newsletter at unladylike.co/newsletter.

Kate and Doree reflect on the two year anniversary of Here For You and the pandemic. Then, Jessamyn Stanley (Dear Jessamyn, Yoke, The Underbelly) comes on the pod to talk about cannabis as self care, why she f*cks with celebrity skincare lines, and how sunshine and working outside can turn her day around. Order Kate's book In A New York MinuteTo leave a voicemail or text for a future episode, reach them at 781-591-0390. You can also email the podcast at forever35podcast@gmail.com.Visit forever35podcast.com for links to everything they mention on the show.Follow the podcast on Twitter (@Forever35Pod) and Instagram (@Forever35Podcast) and join the Forever35 Facebook Group (Password: Serums). Sign up for the newsletter! At forever35podcast.com/newsletter. This episode is sponsored by:RAKUTEN - Start all of your shopping at Rakuten.com or get the rakuten app to start saving today.BETTER HELP - Get 10% off your first month with the discount code FOREVER35. Go to betterhelp.com/FOREVER35 to get started today.ROTHY'S - For free shipping and free returns/exchanges, visit rothys.com/forever35.CALM - For 40% off a Calm Premium subscription, head to calm.com/forever35.ATHLETIC GREENS - Visit athleticgreens.com/forever35 to take control of your health and give AG1 a try today.RITUAL - For 10% off during your first three months visit ritual.com/FOREVER35. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on the podcast we get to have an incredible conversation on inner magic and self-acceptance with yogi, entrepreneur, author, and activist Jessamyn Stanley. Jessamyn is an internationally acclaimed voice in wellness, who is highly sought-after for her insights on 21st-century yoga and intersectional identity.To say I'm a fan of her work is an understatement. When I first started the Balanced Black Girl podcast I had a shortlist of dream guests and Jessamyn was on that list, so this is a truly full-circle moment! Our conversation is rich and full of insights regarding what the practice of self-acceptance involves. We also chat about our respective yoga journeys and the profound lessons Jessamyn learned in her training around compassion. Being the true astrology nerd that I am we also get into a conversation on our big threes and the impact astrology has had on the way we connect with the universe and ourselves.This episode is full of insights regarding our path to wholeness and feels like an incredible blessing.Listen to the episode below!WE ALSO TALK ABOUT…Yoga being the key to our collective freedom.Finding comfort in being yourself, and accepting yourself as you are.Allowing your yoga and meditation practice to take various different forms.RESOURCES (CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS):Yoke: My Yoga of Self-AcceptanceEverybody Yoga: Let Go of Fear, Get on the Mat, Love Your BodyFollow Jessamyn on IG - @mynameisjessamynJoin The UnderbellySPONSORS:OSEA | Find your new skincare favorites at OSEA. Get 10% off your first order with promo code BBG at OSEAmalibu.com.Talkspace | Get personalized support from licensed therapists with Talkspace. Sign up today at talkspace.com and get $100 off your first month with promo code balanced.balancedblackgirl.com ◉ IG: @balancedblackgirlpodcast @balancedles 〆Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/balanced-black-girl/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: advertising@getredcircle.comPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacySupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/balanced-black-girl/donationsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy