Shows
Deeply Rested: Anti-Capitalist Conversations for EntrepreneursLiberated Leadership with Sophia ApostolWhat if stepping into leadership wasn’t about climbing higher, but about breaking free?In this episode of Deeply Rested, I sit down with Sophia Apostol to explore the evolution of leadership in a world that desperately needs systemic change. Together, we unpack the personal, social, and spiritual growth required to lead with authenticity, empathy, and integrity.Sophia shares the pivotal moments that shifted her leadership style from performative to deeply relational, offering insights into how leaders can break free from oppressive systems and create meaningful change. Through candid storytelling and reflection, Sophia redefines leadership as...2025-02-121h 07
Feminist Founders: Building Profitable People-First BusinessesSummer Break: Visibility & Body Liberation with Sophia Apostol with Sophia ApostolIn this special summer-break episode of Feminist Founders, Becky Mollenkamp sits down with Sophia Apostol, host of the Fat Joy podcast and Fat Joy on Substack, to explore the intersections of visibility, body image, and safety in a world that often marginalizes certain bodies. This deep and insightful conversation touches on the challenges of being visible in a society that prizes thinness, the journey from body neutrality to fat joy, and the critical importance of psychological safety for business owners and leaders. Sophia shares her own journey towards body liberation and the creation of her impactful work, o...2024-09-0334 min
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolIt's time for a Fat Joy podcast pause -- Sophia ApostolSophia shares why she's pausing the podcast, her biggest a-ha moments from 100 episodes, and how to stay connected to Fat Joy.This episode's poem is Mary Oliver's "Wild Geese."Mentioned in this episode:Fat Joy Newsletter- subscribe for free to receive the newsletter to your inbox.Fat Joy Writing Workshop- it's currently full, but if you're interested, let Firefly know and we'll offer it again soon. Keep connected with Fat Joy:Fat Joy InstagramFat Joy website2024-08-2015 min
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolTalking To Non-Fat People About Fatness -- Aubrey GordonAubrey Gordon (she/her) is back! We’re talking about the amazing success of the film Your Fat Friend, how it changed her family relationships, and what it’s like being filmed over six years. Aubrey and Sophia share their experiences having conversations with non-fat folks about how to be good allies. Spoiler: not all of these conversations go well. Aubrey Gordon stars in the documentary film Your Fat Friend, is the author of You Just Need to Lose Weight and What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat, and co-host of the Maintenance Phase...2024-08-131h 06
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolUnshrinking -- Kate ManneSophia has created a workshop called Fat Joy- specifically for listeners of this podcast who are interested in exploring the fat experience through writing. Please go to Firefly Creative Writing to learn more about the Fat Joy workshop. For $50 off the workshop, use code: FATJOYKate Manne (she/her), philosopher and author of Unshrinking: How to Face Fatphobia, shares her thoughts on why we struggle to see through diet culture, how the ‘thought-terminating cliche’ ends liberatory conversations, and if it’s possible to be anti-diet and also pursue intentional weight loss.Kate Manne is an associ...2024-08-061h 08
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolI Love My Body -- Elle BaezSophia has created a workshop specifically for listeners of this podcast who are interested in exploring the fat experience through writing. Please go to Firefly Creative Writing to learn more. For $50 off any Firefly workshop, use code: FATJOYElle Baez (she/her) is the brilliant singer-songwriter of the runaway hit “I Love My Body.” Elle shares her own journey to body positivity, including being bullied, being sent to fat camps, and struggling with eating disorders. Music became a way to heal from fatphobia, and Elle reflects on how making the music videos with fat actors was...2024-07-231h 04
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolFat-Positive Boudoir Photography -- Melanie Tufts and Emma Deakin(Content Note: mention of sexual assault)Melanie Tufts (she/her) and Emma Deakin (she/her) collaboratively create boudoir photography experiences grounded in fat-positivity, equity, and consent. Sophia, host of the Fat Joy podcast, did a boudoir photo shoot with them and shares her experience being photographed nude, and how everything they did throughout the experience felt like a reclamation of her body. Melanie Tufts is a fat-positive boudoir photographer. Her focus on the boudoir genre, specifically for women, allows her to focus on her values and ideologies. She views her work...2024-06-251h 18
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolMen, Toxic Masculinity, & Diet Culture -- Aaron FloresAaron Flores (he/him) talks to men about their body stories. As a fat man, he spent years weight cycling and then advising others on weight loss as a dietitian. He shares his own experiences with diet culture and masculinity and how he found his way to intuitive eating, which completely changed his professional dietitian practice. Aaron and Sophia discuss how diet culture shows up differently for men, and Aaron describes how dieting can be explained by Star Wars. Aaron Flores is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Body Trust® provider with a private practice in...2024-03-191h 04
Fat Joy with Sophia Apostol“Your Fat Friend,” The Movie -- Jeanie FinlayJeanie Finlay (she/her) directed the film Your Fat Friend that features six years of Aubrey Gordon’s life- from anonymous essayist to going public to creating the Maintenance Phase podcast to the publishing of her first book. Jeanie shares how this film makes the persona political, what it was like to be on her own fat liberation journey while working with Aubrey, and how she intentionally wanted to show Aubrey’s body.Jeanie Finlay is one of Britain’s most distinctive documentary makers. She creates award-winning work for cinema and television, telling intimate stories to int...2024-02-061h 10
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolSome Extra Fat Joy: 10 Qs with Roz The DivaA bonus minisode where each guest answers 10 surprising questions with unexpected results. Hilarity ensues.2024-02-0106 min
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolPlus-Size Pole Dancing -- Roz The Diva(Content Note: clothing sizes and weight mentioned)Roz “The Diva” Mays (she/her) started pole dancing because she wasn’t a runner, and 16 years later she’s a fitness entrepreneur who helps beginners feel ok about being “hot garbage” as they’re learning how to pole. Roz also shares why she doesn’t like the word fat, what happened when she DM’d some of her worst trolls, and how she’s reached racial nirvana.NASM certified Roz Mays has dedicated many late nights at the gym to becoming a kickass personal trainer, po...2024-01-301h 00
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolSome Extra Fat Joy: 10 Qs with adrienne maree brownA bonus minisode where each guest answers 10 surprising questions with unexpected results. Hilarity ensues.2024-01-2505 min
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolA Sovereign Journey With Our Body -- adrienne maree brownadrienne maree brown (she/her and they/them) invites us into a powerful exploration of what it is to live in a body right now. Our challenges with being satisfied, our relationship to change and adaptation, and how kitchen table mediation may be a way forward with loved ones in times of conflict.adrienne maree brown grows healing ideas in public through her multi-genre writing, her music and her podcasts. Informed by 25 years of movement facilitation, somatics, Octavia E Butler scholarship and her work as a doula, adrienne has nurtured Emergent Strategy, Pleasure Activism, Radical Imagination and...2024-01-2350 min
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolSome Extra Fat Joy: 10 Qs with Jill AngieA bonus minisode where each guest answers 10 surprising questions with unexpected results. Hilarity ensues.2024-01-1806 min
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolFat, Over 40, And Running -- Jill AngieJill Angie (she/her) is here to take a stand for you: You. Can. Run. Jill shares how mindset-shifting running can be, and she dispels the most common worries about being over 40 and running: my doctor said my knees can’t handle it, I don’t want to be seen by other people, I can’t breathe when I run. And then Jill and Sophia get philosophical about what even is joy. Jill Angie is a fat running coach who helps other fat women start running, build body confidence, and embrace their inner athlete- all in the body t...2024-01-161h 14
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolSome Extra Fat Joy: 10 Qs with Anastasia KiddA bonus minisode where each guest answers 10 surprising questions with unexpected results. Hilarity ensues.2024-01-1116 min
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolWhen Weight Loss Becomes Idolatry -- Anastasia KiddAuthor of the book “Fat Church: Claiming a Gospel of Fat Liberation,” Anastasia Kidd (she/her) is starting a movement inviting Christians to examine their own biases against fatness and embrace a more abundant gospel rooted in anti-oppression. She shares how hundreds of years ago, the church began implementing practices of control and power to have ownership over our bodies and how that has had lasting harm. Anastasia invites us all to become unrepentant fatties in this conversation. Anastasia Kidd is a pastor, educator, storyteller, and fat activist who studies how Christian colonialism helped establish structural anti-fatness in U...2024-01-091h 08
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolSome Extra Fat Joy: 10 Qs with Hannah FuhlendorfA bonus minisode where each guest answers 10 surprising questions with unexpected results. Hilarity ensues.2023-12-2105 min
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolLiving An Uninhibited Life -- Hannah FuhlendorfHannah Fuhlendorf (she/her) is a therapist and coach who helps her clients live uninhibited lives in a world that wants to inhibit them. Hannah takes us through several of the steps towards living from possibility: grieving old beliefs, reconnecting to embodiment, finding acceptance, and privileging pleasure & joy. Oh, and sex clubs.Hannah Fuhlendorf is a licensed professional counselor, activist, educator, and public speaker who specializes in the areas of health justice and fat liberation. She has a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling. Hannah has worked professionally in progressive politics, human rights, eating disorder tr...2023-12-191h 11
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolSome Extra Fat Joy: 10 Qs with Vera Schofield A bonus minisode where each guest answers 10 surprising questions with unexpected results. Hilarity ensues.2023-12-1405 min
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolFlexibility For Fat Bodies -- Vera SchofieldFat flexibility coach, Vera Schofield (she/they), grew up with an unhealthy obsession with fitness for weight loss. After starting their fat liberation journey, a pole dancing class became the entry point into unlearning those diet-culture informed views of movement. Vera is here sharing how to bring flexibility into our day and why it matters. Also, they share their fave body stretches for those of us who sit a lot throughout the day.Vera is a Toronto-based personal trainer and flexibility coach who is passionate about body-neutral movement. Their brand, Flexibility with Vera, aims to create room...2023-12-121h 07
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolSome Extra Fat Joy: 10 Qs with Erica SosaA bonus minisode where each guest answers 10 surprising questions with unexpected results. Hilarity ensues.2023-12-0708 min
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolFatness, Desirability, and Visibility -- Erica SosaErica Sosa (she/her) helps fat folks work through the moments in our lives when fatness, desirability, and visibility intersect. Specifically, she works as a bridal consultant and as an erotic movement coach, and in many ways, what her clients feel in both settings is the same– like there’s something wrong with their bodies that must be forced to change. Erica shares how she invites people to shift from how they look to how they feel. And she gives us 3 tips we can use to connect to our bodies as they are.Erica Sosa is a body...2023-12-0559 min
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolSome Extra Fat Joy: 10 Qs with Jeanette Thompson-WessenA bonus minisode where each guest answers 10 surprising questions with unexpected results. Hilarity ensues.2023-11-3005 min
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolIs Intuitive Eating Accessible? -- Jeanette Thompson-WessenInspired by a question from a Fat Joy listener, Jeanette Thompson-Wessen (she/her) shares how to be an intuitive eater whist on a fixed income. And then she expands the conversation into whether intuitive eating is actually accessible and whether that’s even the right question to be asking ourselves. She also shares useful tools to help us navigate our full health in ways that are useful, flexible, and compassionate.Jeanette Thompson-Wessen is a fat nutritionist with a degree in Human Nutrition who has a passion for helping people learn how to reconnect with their bodies and fe...2023-11-281h 05
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolSome Extra Fat Joy: 10 Qs with Leah VA bonus minisode where each guest answers 10 surprising questions with unexpected results. Hilarity ensues.2023-11-2308 min
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolFat, Black, And Muslim -- Leah VLeah V (she/her) is bold and audacious. And, she’s here to spill the tea on the fashion industry, show us how to reclaim words that have harmed us, and encourage us to dream bigger than we thought we could. Her life has had many ups and downs, and she uses those experiences to keep becoming more of herself, no matter what the critics say. Leah V is an international plus-size Hijabi model, award-winning author, inclusive content creator, body-positive activist, and educator. Her content has garnered over four million views combined and her face plastered on bi...2023-11-211h 03
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolSome Extra Fat Joy: 10 Qs with Jenna DoakA bonus minisode where each guest answers 10 surprising questions with unexpected results. Hilarity ensues.2023-11-1605 min
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolBody Positive Fitness -- Jenna DoakJenna Doak (she/her) co-founded Body Positive Fitness after working in toxic fitness culture since age 14. She intentionally created a body liberation space that returns the power back to her class participants and changes the way we think about and move our bodies. Sophia went to several virtual classes and felt more at home in her body than she has in years…except she kept her video off. Jenna helps Sophia figure out why. Jenna Doak (she/her) is the co-owner & head trainer at Body Positive Fitness. She has been a fitness trainer for over 15 years, and af...2023-11-141h 09
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolSome Extra Fat Joy: 10 Qs with Christina HughesA bonus minisode where each guest answers 10 surprising questions with unexpected results. Hilarity ensues.2023-11-0906 min
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolFat Positive Pregnancy -- Christina HughesCombatting weight stigma and empowering plus-size and fat folks on their parenthood journey is what Christina Hughes (she/her) does as a doula. By providing fat-positive advocacy, education, tools, and supports for the birthing journey, Christina helps clients navigate an anti-fat medical system. Christina (she/her) is the founder and co-owner of Big Fat Pregnancy. She is a fat, queer, chronically ill mama who worked tirelessly to make sure her pregnancy experiences were as fat positive as possible and now helps other folks living in larger bodies do the same. Big Fat Pregnancy works to empower plus...2023-11-071h 11
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolSome Extra Fat Joy: 10 Qs with Kelsey O. DanielsA bonus minisode where each guest answers 10 surprising questions with unexpected results. Hilarity ensues.2023-11-0207 min
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolDreamwork For Liberation -- Kelsey O. DanielsKelsey O. Daniels (she/they) does not consent to hating herself and defies the systems that demand she does. Through trust and surrender, Kelsey’s life had led them on a journey through both dreamwork and grief work. She shares how we can vision and imagine new ways of walking through this life. And, they read their own poem at the end of the episode. Kelsey O. Daniels is an artist, organizer, and baddie scholar from Southeast San Diego. Their work centers on storytelling, world building, and dreamwork as tools for liberation. As a fat, Black, queer, di...2023-10-311h 08
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolAnnouncement: new weekly episodes & a newsletter!Please take a listen to hear what's happening with Fat Joy.At-a-glance update:-full episodes now air on Tuesdays-Some Extra Fat Joy: 10 Qs mini-episodes now air on Thursdays-Sophia is starting a subscription-based newsletter (https://fatjoy.substack.com/) to share written thought pieces, co-create community with other fat positive folks, and offer other cool benefits like virtual workshops.-There are both free and paying subscription options available. Details are here (https://fatjoy.substack.com/about)2023-10-2917 min
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolRevolutionary Fat Positive Photos -- Lindley AshlineLindley Ashline’s (she/her) stock photographs shouldn’t be as revolutionary as they are. But showcasing fat bodies and other marginalized bodies in everyday, commonplace settings enjoying their lives is tragically uncommon. Lindley takes us through the challenges and financial tensions of building out this niche business, her approach to trolls, and how she brings fat joy into her work.Lindley Ashline creates photographs that celebrate the unique beauty of bodies that fall outside conventional "beauty" standards. She fights weight stigma by giving fat people a safe place to explore how their bodies look on camera and...2023-10-251h 10
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolWhat Makes Us Human -- Val (from Val & Co.)During the pandemic, Val (she/her), how a fashion influencer, realized that her social media feeds were making her feel terrible about herself. So, she deleted almost everyone she followed, began following influencers who looked like her, which started her fat liberation journey. Since then, Val has become known for showcasing slow and ethical fashion at the intersections of disability, chronic illness, neurodivergence, and fatness. And she created #styledseated, which invites clothing retailers to include photographs of their clothing in the seated position.Val studied music in college but somehow ended up working in the world of...2023-10-181h 14
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolIncluding Weight Stigma And Anti-Fat Bias In DEI Work -- Miriam ChiassonCurrently, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) work rarely provides training and support for the weight-based discrimination, bias, and stigma that happens frequently in the workplace. Miriam Chiasson (she/her/elle/la) shares details of the workshop she’s created to change that. And she offers practical actions that individuals and organizations can take to create a more inclusive workplace.Miriam Chiasson is a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion professional working for a leading DEI charity in Canada. She has delivered numerous training sessions in various workplaces and for the public on topics such as gender diversity, the inclusion of...2023-10-111h 19
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolPleasure Practices And Unconditional Permissions -- Dawn SerraWe are taught early in our lives to not trust our bodies, to ignore their signals, and to turn away from pleasure. Dawn Serra (she/her), a therapist and coach, believes we can live more joyful and fulfilled lives by returning to our bodies by building body trust, embracing unconditional permission, and developing pleasure practices.Dawn Serra has dedicated her life to unraveling the cultural stories that impact our relationship to our pleasure, our bodies, and how we relate with each other. Dawn is considered a leader in the field of sexuality and relationships, with a focus...2023-10-041h 14
Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolHow Understanding Racism And Diet Culture Will Cultivate Joy -- Chrissy KingChrissy King (she/her) recently published the book “The Body Liberation Project: How Understanding Racism and Diet Culture Helps Cultivate Joy and Build Collective Freedom.” Chrissy shares how a series of small, brave steps led to her own body liberation and how threatened the systems of white supremacy, racism, and diet culture are by her being a free, Black woman in the world. Also, we explore if there is liberation without body liberation.Chrissy King writer, speaker, educator, and former strength coach with a passion for creating a diverse and inclusive wellness industry. She is also the auth...2023-09-271h 01
Unsaid @ WorkDismantling anti-fatness - from body positivity to fat liberation with Sophia ApostolSend me a message!In this episode, Sophia continues the conversation on fat stigma and workplace discrimination. She discusses the flawed focus on weight and BMI in workplaces and the negative impact it has on fat individuals.Sophia shares personal stories that highlight the challenges faced by fat employees and the need for systemic change in workplace environments. She emphasizes the importance of refraining from commenting on appearance or food choices and urge leaders in positions of power to incorporate weight stigma into diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.The episode highlights the importance...2023-09-2531 min
Not Your Average Runner, A Running PodcastFat Joy: A Power Source for Positive Change with Sophia ApostolAre you filled with rage as you recognize how your fat body is constantly being oppressed? Have you always been told you’re both too much and not enough at the same time? Do you feel like you’re walking through the world ready to explode as you begin unlearning the oppressive conditioning you’ve experienced? This week, I’m here with body liberation coach Sophia Apostol. Sophia is the creator of the Fat Joy podcast and she's on a mission to help her clients rewrite the messaging that has told them they are unworthy. Sophia is...2023-09-2149 minFat Joy with Sophia ApostolFinding Your Joy -- Carissa GraceAfter a radical shift in life circumstances, Carissa Grace (she/her) realized she was done getting her happiness and sense of worthiness from external factors and people. She dedicated herself to creating her own joy and began sharing that joy through social media. Quickly, she became known for her cheeky “What I eat in a day as a fat person promoting obesity” videos as well as her fashion-focused “Get ready with me” videos. Carissa is a content creator and public speaker who created @beyourjoy on Instagram and TikTok. She posts on her platforms about being confident in a plus s...2023-09-201h 21Unsaid @ WorkChallenging anti-fatness - self-acceptance and workplace change with Sophia ApostolSend me a message!In this episode exploring anti-fatness, Sophia Apostol opens up about her personal journey of self-acceptance and how it led questioning prevalent fat-stigmatising practices in the workplace. She discusses her experience with body image and the influence of societal beauty standards, and shares her discovery of body positivity and the authors and activists who empowered her to challenge harmful beliefs.This episode discusses grown up topics and includes swearing so caution is advised.Sophia Apostol (she/her) is a Professional Certified Coach who specializes in leadership coaching. And, she's also a...2023-09-1836 minFat Joy with Sophia ApostolYelp For Plus-Size People -- Rebecca AlexanderTired of going into a new spaces filled with anxiety about if her body would fit, Rebecca Alexander (she/her) decided to create an app that’s like Yelp for fat folks. Even though over 60% of the U.S. population is plus-size, restaurants, offices, chairs, theaters, and other public spaces are not designed with larger bodies in mind. But this entrepreneurial journey didn’t go as planned, and Rebecca shares her biggest challenges and sweetest joys.Rebecca Alexander is the founder of AllGo, the first review platform designed with fat people’s needs in mind. Rebecca founded AllGo...2023-09-131h 08Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolThe Strongest Woman In The World -- Tamara WalcottTamara Walcott (she/her) knew she ‘wasn’t born big for nothing.’ In only four years, she went from not working out at all to breaking two(!!!) Guinness World Records (check out the video here) and becoming the strongest woman in the world. Tamara shares what it was like growing up fat, how it felt walking into the gym for the first time, and the way she uses her personal growth journey to better support her kids. Plus, her favourite affirmations and biggest dreams!Tamara Walcott is a multi world-record holding powerlifter, mompreneur, and speaker hailing from the sm...2023-09-0643 minFat Joy with Sophia ApostolEndometriosis, Anti-Fatness, And Misogyny -- Tracey LindemanTracey Lindeman’s (she/her) experience with decades of period pain and the complicated, frustrating, and futile-feeling process of getting an endometriosis diagnosis led her to writing “Bleed: Destroying the Myths and Misogyny in Endometriosis Care.” Tracey and Sophia share their own unique experiences of moving through the medical system’s anti-fat bias and misogyny, and Tracey offers two suggestions for how we can better advocate for ourselves in any medical situation.Tracey Lindeman is a longtime freelance journalist and the author of the bestselling book, “BLEED: Destroying Myths and Misogyny in Endometriosis Care” (ECW Press, 2023). She is from Mont...2023-08-301h 15Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolPoems of Black Fury And Abundant Fatness -- Angela Braxton-JohnsonContent Warning: mention of child abuse and death by suicide.Angela Braxton-Johnson (her/she) shares her journey through dieting, 12-step programs, eating disorder out-patient treatment, and finally to Body Trust and liberation in her 50s. Using poetry to put her experiences into words, Angela reads two of her poems, gifting us with their raw beauty and power.Angela Braxton-Johnson is the owner of Poetically Inspiring Change and Abundant Fatness. She is a poetess, professional life/liberation coach, Certified Body Trust provider, and a self-published author of Black Fury: Fierce Recovery and Abundant Fatness ebooks with...2023-08-231h 17Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolAdvancing The Feminine Economy -- Amanda LairdA counter-culture thinker since childhood, Amanda Laird (she/her) shares the journey she’s taken to follow a different path. From sewing her own period pads as a teen to hosting the popular podcast “Heavy Flow” to building her new business venture, slow & steady studio, Amanda is committed to advancing the feminine economy and exploring the question, ‘what is enough?’Amanda Laird is the founder and principal strategist of slow & steady. As a former holistic nutritionist, Amanda is an advocate for reproductive health and wellness. She was the host of the Heavy Flow Podcast from 2017 to 2020 and is the aut...2023-08-161h 39Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolBeing A Culture-Maker -- Kelly DielsKelly Diels (she/her) makes it her mission to support culture makers. She’s disrupting the norms of extractive capitalism by shining a light on the harms caused by traditional sales & marketing tactics. She offers an alternative where we can focus on vision, consent, and deepening relationships. And how we can make both money and justice. Recently diagnosed with lipedema, Kelly shares how health is connected to culture-making, too. Kelly Diels is a feminist educator, writer, and coach. She specializes in feminist marketing for culture-makers. She’s here to raise awareness about how the business-as-usual formulas we lear...2023-08-091h 07Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolBringing Fat Liberation To Jewish Communal Life -- Rabbi Dr. Minna BrombergWith the creation of Fat Torah, Rabbi Dr. Minna Bromberg (she/her) shows people how their religious & spiritual lives can be a liberatory space. Minna broke up with diet culture at 16, but it was when she became a rabbi that she began to write and speak about fat liberation within the Jewish community. She shares how the stories from the Torah and Bible can be read as liberationist, how belonging can be derailed by unconscious bias, and how joy is a spiritual obligation in the Jewish faith.Rabbi Dr. Minna Bromberg is passionate about bringing her three...2023-08-021h 07Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolAthletic Clothes For Plus-Size Kids -- Pam LukKids shouldn’t be stopped from playing their favourite sports because they can’t find active wear. Committed to helping kids thrive and not experience the negative impacts of having to leave their teams, their friends, and experience weight-stigmatizing clothing practices at a young age, Pam Luk (she/her) is determined to change the children’s apparel landscape with her company, Ember & Ace. Growing up playing sports, Pam learned the importance of finding active wear that fits. Not finding functional clothing is one of the main reasons kids quit sports, so Pam launched Ember & Ace exclusively for plus size kids w...2023-07-261h 02Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolFatness In Pop Culture Reality Shows -- Dr. Layla CameronHow fatness gets represented in popular culture, specifically in reality tv shows, is most often deeply cringe-worthy, violent, and filled with anti-fatness. Dr. Layla Cameron (they/them) brings an alternative way to view shows like “My 600-lbs Life” and “My Big Fat Fabulous Life” that may just help us better envision fat futures.Dr. Layla Cameron is an academic and filmmaker whose body of work revolves around queer feminist cultural studies and fat politics. Their first documentary film, Fat Hiking Club, explores the politics of outdoor recreational culture in the Pacific Northwest, and Layla is currently developing a second...2023-07-191h 09Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolA Big Bitch Manifesto -- Clarkisha KentClarkisha Kent (she/her) is a culture critic and bringer of chaos. Her new book, “Fat Off, Fat On: A Big Bitch Manifesto,” was published this year, and Clarkisha is here to talk about it, along with a foray into the connections between purity culture and fatness and how we can use The Kelli & Kat Test to determine whether a piece of media has provided the audience with thoughtful representation of fat [Black] women and/or non-men.Clarkisha Kent is a Nigerian American writer, culture critic, former columnist, and author of “Fat Off, Fat On: A Big Bitch...2023-07-121h 27Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolEmbodiment -- Alexandra ShewanEmbodiment is one of those words that’s thrown around, but what is it really? Alexandra Shewan (she/they) takes us through what her working definition of embodiment is, how she supports clients with becoming embodied, and the essential roles that being trauma-informed and anti-oppressive should play in therapeutic practices. Alexandra is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with a virtual/in-person counselling and consulting business, Selkie Counselling, based out of Victoria, BC on unceded lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ territories. Her approach to counselling and consulting is intersectionally feminist, collaborative, trauma-informed, and anti-oppressive. Alexandra supports clients in uprootin...2023-07-051h 18Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolThe Friend I Never Wanted -- Nia PattersonNia Patterson (they/them) went viral after taking a photo of themselves in a Torrid change room in a bathing suit. Since then, Nia has become an influencer, social media manager, singer, podcaster, and coach. In this conversation, they share their journey and also their top three tips for staying joyful while living in marginalized bodies and with marginalized identities. We also talk about fat secrets and podcast dream guests.Nia Patterson is a well-respected Black and Queer mental health advocate, writer, artist, and business coach. They are the creator behind @TheFriendINeverWanted and the artist behind @SelfLoveToolChest...2023-06-281h 07Fat Joy with Sophia Apostol#RelationshipGoals -- Tamra Lamese Garland & Jeremy C. GarlandTamra Lamese Garland (she/her) & Jeremy C. Garland (he/him) are a mixed-size, mixed-race couple. Throughout their relationship, they’ve had to deal with racism and sizeism in surprising (not surprising) ways, such as being followed and photographed, a surly bartender who got physically threatening, and comments in airports, etc. Through it all, they continue to advocate for each other and for a more inclusive world. This episode will give you all the feels.Tamra Lamese Garland is a certified life coach, writer, speaker, emcee, serial Entrepreneur, and fat activist. She owns and operates Dozeland Creative and Ta...2023-06-211h 11Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolBody Liberation Hiking Club -- Avery SwartzCreating a truly liberatory space for fat/plus-size bodies is revolutionary. Creating that for hiking trails? That’s next level! Avery Swartz (she/her) is here to share how the Greater Toronto Area chapter of the Body Liberation Hiking Club launched on April 2023 and is a space free of diet culture talk, open and accepting of all bodies, and provides community and connection to nature (i.e. no jerks allowed!). See you on the trail.Avery Swartz is the founder and CEO of Camp Tech, the tech workshop company for non-technical people. She is the author of th...2023-06-141h 19Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolWhat You Don’t Know About Diabetes And Fatness -- Dra. Monica PeraltaDra. Monica Peralta (she/her) is a fierce advocate for weight-inclusive care. In this fiery conversation, she takes us through the myths and misunderstandings of diabetes (spoiler: pre-diabetes is fake!) and how anti-fat bias colours patient care practices. Monica believes in reconnecting patients to their bodies, helping them learn about their disease, and empowering them towards greater health from a weight-inclusive perspective. She is a controversial figure in her home country of Nicaragua but chooses to continue her work in the hopes of shifting weight stigma for future generations.Monica is a physician, intuitive eating pro counselor...2023-06-071h 26Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolRunning Slow AF -- Martinus EvansMartinus Evans (he/him) spent his life being too big and then not being big enough when he started playing football. After a car accident changed his life, he realized that he wanted to move his body just for the joy of it and let go of obsessing about his weight. As he started running, slowly, his message resonated with others, and the Slow AF Run Club was born. He shares his ups and downs and the biggest surprise he’s had while creating the club.Martinus Evans has run over eight marathons since his doctor told hi...2023-05-311h 14Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolReclaiming My Body After Sexual Assault -- Eden BoudreauContent Warning: There are mentions of violent sexual assault, but no details are shared. There is mention of sexual assault of a child, again, no details. Author and photographer Eden Boudreau (she/her) experienced a violent sexual assault that deeply impacted her relationship with her body. In this episode, she shares her hard-won journey to regaining her body autonomy, how her PTSD symptoms were ignored and she was told to ‘just lose weight,’ and how writing this book helped her recovery. Using her own life experiences as a bisexual, polyamorous woman who has survived her fair...2023-05-241h 07Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolIt’s Not You, It’s Your Fat -- Vinny WelsbyBoth Sophia and her guest, Vinny Welsby (they/them) have experienced feeling like their romantic partner wasn’t attracted to them because of their fat bodies. In this episode, they’re exploring what’s beneath the surface of these feelings and what to do when faced with this type of anti-fatness from our partners…and from ourselves.Vinny is a fat activist and senior diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant. They are a world-leading expert on dismantling weight bias and diet culture, a TEDx speaker, podcast host and best-selling author. Vinny is trans-non-binary and is dedicated to shifting how soci...2023-05-171h 13Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolGoing For A Stupid Hike For My Stupid Mental Health -- Andy NealAndy Neal’s (he/him) grumpy hiker video went viral in January 2022, and he abruptly found himself representing fat & plus-size bodies in the outdoor space. Andy shares his journey from never being an outdoorsy kid to his binge eating diagnosis to going on his first hike at the request of his therapist. And how one person from a plus-size hiking group changed how he felt about his body and kick-started his own body liberation journey.Andy is a plus-size men’s outdoor and fashion model, actor, and social media influencer. Andy has worked for national brands CNOC Outd...2023-05-101h 08Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolOn Fat And Faith -- Rev. Dr. E-K DaufinRev. Dr. E-K Daufin (she/her) is here to share aspects of her new book, “On Fat and Faith: Ending Weight Stigma in Yourself, Your Sanctuary and Society.” Like the book, this conversation spans generations and explores intersectionality through her lived experience. She also shares a tapping technique and accompanying affirmations.Rev. Dr. E-K Daufin is the Visionary Social Change Artist 2023 Award Winning Author. She earned Doctorate and Master’s degrees at The Ohio State University in multimedia, cinema and visual sociology. Her undergraduate degrees are in communication, theatre, and French from the historically Black Morgan State Univer...2023-05-031h 27Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolHealing Body Trauma Through Community & Joy -- Kayla StansberryTherapist Kayla Stansberry (she/her) is here sharing how joy and community can be a treatment approach for body trauma. And this isn’t just for fat & plus-size people. Diet culture and capitalism have created body trauma for all of us, no matter what our bodies look like, and Kayla is here to take us through what we can do about that.Kayla is a Licensed Therapist, mother of 3 fun toddlers, and specializes in Fat Activism & Liberation. She is the founder and owner of Intuitive Growth Counseling and Body Image Counseling. Kayla is passionate about spreading Fat Li...2023-04-261h 06Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolPeople Call Me Fat -- Jordan UnderwoodYou may know Jordan Underwood (they/he) through their social media videos where they respond to questions & trolls and also proudly show their body living in the world. These videos are watched by hundreds of thousands, which of course means that Jordan is constantly attacked for being unapologetically fat. In this episode, Jordan shares their body liberation journey and how writing a blog when they were 12 years old began what became a decades-long path of defying what others assumed about their body. Oh, and Jordan talks about what it was like to have a billboard in Times Square. While...2023-04-191h 23Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolNew Guidelines Are Going To Harm Kids -- Kanoelani Patterson, Dr. Asher Larmi, Dr. Rachel Millner, & Ragen ChastainThe American Academy of Pediatrics recently released new guidelines for weight management interventions in children. These recommendations include weight loss medications and bariatric surgeries, both of which are unethical and not evidence-based. Gathering to discuss the implications, their fears, and what we can do to protect the most marginalized children are Kanoelani Patterson, Dr. Asher Larmi, Dr. Rachel Millner, & Ragen Chastain.Experts on this episode:Kanoelani Patterson (she/her) is a Black, fat-positive masters social worker who specializes in working with children, adolescents & families. Kanoelani is also a powerlifter and co-author of the anthology called “De...2023-04-121h 11Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolOn Having The Right To Remain Fat -- Virgie TovarVirgie Tovar (she/her) is a well-known body positive and fat liberation activist. In this episode, she candidly shares her journey to activism from her traumatic and abusive childhood (that led her to go ‘no contact’ with her family 5 years ago), to a boyfriend in her 20s who loved her exactly as she was, to her rebellious and loud activism, to now. As with all things Virgie, her storytelling, authenticity, and boldness are pure joy.Virgie Tovar is an author, lecturer, and leading expert on weight-based discrimination and body positivity. She is a contributor for Forbes where she...2023-04-051h 05
The Longer Road065 Fat Truth with Sophia ApostolIt's easy to grow up with basically 0% scientifically correct information about what fatness means. And we're trained to look at fat bodies and make a bunch of assumptions.
Sophia Apostol, host of the Fat Joy podcast, is here to share about the TRUTH of both lived experience and some science. And for more science, please go listen to these episodes of the Fat Joy podcast that we mentioned:
Weight Loss Companies are 100% Lying to You with Ragen Chastain
Compassionate and Respectful Medical Care with Dr. Vicky Borgia
Changing Anti-Fatness in Medical School with Anne McGladdery
Connect with Sophia:
Instagram: https://www.i...2023-03-3154 minFat Joy with Sophia ApostolUsing Comedy To Stop Anti-Fatness -- Cara MacBYou may know Cara MacB (they/them) for their videos on social media of a call centre operator fielding complaint calls from fatphobic people. Cara’s content is brilliant, hilarious, and one of the ways that they try to change people’s beliefs that fat is bad. In this episode, Cara shares how they dismantled their own fatphobia, discovered that they could use their inner class clown for good, and how lazy it is to use marginalized identities as the butt of jokes.Cara MacB is non-binary, queer. They bring an anti-diet approach to fat positive content crea...2023-03-291h 00Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolSensual Intelligence For Every Body -- Goody HowardGoody Howard (she/her) delightfully takes us through how and why we should separate sex from pleasure, the more than 18(!) types of orgasms, the difference between a kink and a fetish, and why it’s important to practice how we play. Please note that this is a very candid conversation about sex and pleasure.And Goody is offering a 20% discount code to Fat Joy listeners on all pleasure tools, Goody Gear, and workshop replays. Please use this code on check-out “fatjoy” on the Ask Goody site.Mentioned in this episode: Sonalee, Jessamyn, Make Love Not Porn...2023-03-221h 33Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolChanging Anti-Fatness In Medical School -- Anne McGladderyMedical interactions are often deeply traumatic for fat and plus-size people. Anne McGladdery (they/she) is a medical student, fat, and became a squeaky wheel during medical school in order to shift the anti-fat bias prevalent throughout the curriculum. Anne shares about their stressful first couple of years (spoiler: their hair started falling out!), their weight stigma research project, and how they plan to be a different kind of physician for fat people.Anne McGladdery is a University of British Columbia (UBC) MD candidate 2023 based out of the northern program in Prince George, BC. They came to...2023-03-1555 minFat Joy with Sophia ApostolCompassionate And Respectful Medical Care -- Dr. Vicky BorgiaDr. Vicky Borgia (she/her) is a primary care physician whose clinic offers “compassionate and respectful medical care” focusing on gender affirming care, queer care, and Health at Every Size principles. All aspects of Vicky’s practice have been thought through with a focus on patient safety and comfort for all bodies. Lucky patients!Dr. Vicky Borgia is a board certified family medicine physician with over twenty years of experience. She practices ‘womb to tomb’ medicine with special interests and training in reproductive health, LGBTQIA health, and integrative medicine. Vicky earned a BA in Women’s Studies from Columbi...2023-03-081h 24Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolMaybe Everyone Needs Fat Yoga -- Shannon KaneshigeWhen Sophia took one of Shannon Kaneshige’s (they/them) Fat Yoga classes, she felt fully visible in a movement space for the first time. In this expansive conversation, Shannon shares how their a-ah moments on a hiking trail and while watching their 6-month old receive cancer treatment changed everything. Shannon believes that when we connect to embodied self agency on the mat, we bring that agency into all areas of our lives. For many fat folks, we’ve not been allowed to be nice to our bodies, to feel gentleness towards our bodies, and Shannon’s here to shift...2023-03-011h 09Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolParenting In The Age Of Diet Culture -- Virginia Sole-SmithCaring for kids in the age of diet culture is hugely challenging because in all arenas of kids’ lives, they’re exposed to anti-fat bias. Virginia Sole-Smith (she/her) talks us through how to equip our children to recognize anti-fatness when they experience it at school, on their sports teams, and at the doctor’s office.Virginia Sole-Smith is the author of Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture and The Eating Instinct: Food Culture, Body Image and Guilt in America. As a journalist, she has reported from kitchen tables and grocery stores, graduated from beauty...2023-02-221h 02Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolThe Deadly Risks Of Weight Loss Surgeries -- Ragen ChastainRagen Chastain (she/her) is back for another conversation, and this time we’re exploring weight loss surgeries and weight loss medications. As always, Ragen brings the research as we track the money to who profits most from putting bodies into a disease state with bariatric surgery and weight-loss medication. Spoiler: it’s not the patient.Ragen Chastain is a speaker, writer, researcher, Board Certified Patient Advocate, multi-certified health and fitness professional, and thought leader in weight science, weight stigma, health, and healthcare. Utilizing her background in research methods and statistics, Ragen has brought her signature mix of h...2023-02-1553 minFat Joy with Sophia ApostolWeight Loss Companies Are 100% Lying To You -- Ragen ChastainWe’re going full tinfoil hat in this two-part conversation with the brilliant Ragen Chastain (she/her). In this first episode, Ragen shares the details of how Weight Watchers, Noom, and other companies that promise weight loss manipulate their ‘research’, accept conflict-of-interest funding from pharmaceutical companies, and unethically advise consumers on ‘health.’ This episode will make you furious and much more critical of ‘health’ information.Ragen Chastain is a speaker, writer, researcher, Board Certified Patient Advocate, multi-certified health and fitness professional, and thought leader in weight science, weight stigma, health, and healthcare. Utilizing her background in research methods and st...2023-02-0851 minFat Joy with Sophia ApostolIt’s A Real Shit Show Out There -- Aubrey GordonIn this rollicking conversation, Aubrey Gordon (she/her) explores her own journey with fatness, the levels that fat folks explore on their own liberation journeys, and what level she’s currently puzzling over. Oh, and there’s also some talk about her new best-selling book, her Maintenance Phase podcast, and how the heck do we find joy amidst the world of anti-fatness.Aubrey Gordon is the author of What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat and co-host of Maintenance Phase. You might know her as Your Fat Friend.Aubrey Gordon started writing as Your F...2023-02-011h 27Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolInternalized Fat Phobia Wuz Here -- Laura FarberThey met in grade 8, and have been besties ever since. Sophia and Laura Farber (she/her/hers) go back to those awkward teen years, remembering how they both felt alone in their body struggles but never talked about it. Laura shares her continuing journey with weight, body, health, and food in this very relatable episode.Laura has the illustrious honour of being Sophia’s BFF for almost 30 years. In that time, she’s taught Sophia how to put the toilet paper on correctly, what the heck tick dip is, and how to nurture a beautiful friendship across two...2023-01-251h 14Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolBack Fat, Arm Flaps, & The Family Assets -- Jenn HicksCreating spaces of safety, dignity, and belonging for all bodies is what Jenn Hicks (she/her/hers) excels at. From Nia fitness, to personal training, to the work she does within the dementia community, Jenn shares how she brings a social justice lens into her whole life. She also shares some wisdom on how we can remain connected and embodied in a world that actively tries to disconnect us, and she helps shift Sophia’s mindset to be more generous with her 78-year-old mother-in-law’s adherence to diet culture.Jenn Hicks is a Black Belt level Nia Inst...2023-01-1857 minFat Joy with Sophia ApostolThe Good Fat Camp -- Alison Rampa & Erica ChiseckSpurned on by the Maintenance Phase podcast episode about the horror of fat camps, besties Alison Rampa (she/her/hers) and Erica Chiseck (she/her/hers) decided to redesign the experience of a fat camp into an actual fat-positive camp. Trophies for biggest cannonballs, gourmet s’mores, midriff-baring clothing, and telling anti-diet ghost stories around the campfire are all part of the experience of inviting women and women-identifying to take up space and reclaim the camp experience at Camp Roundup.As a lifelong fat girl, Erica Chiseck is incredibly familiar with taking up space. An abortion activist, De...2023-01-1153 minFat Joy with Sophia ApostolIntuitive Eating Myths -- Dr. Kerri FullertonA $2 bargain book on intuitive eating dropped into Dr. Kerri Fullerton’s (she/her/hers) life as she was quickly becoming disenchanted after a year and a half of attending Overeaters Anonymous. Now, her practice centers around intuitive eating support, and she’s debunking the myths you’ve heard about what intuitive eating actually is.Dr. Kerri Fullerton ND is a HAES-friendly naturopathic doctor (2003) and certified intuitive eating counsellor (2018). She believes that everybody deserves compassionate, competent, weight-neutral care. Through her own recovery from disordered eating and body image challenges, Kerri learned that you can’t hate yourself healthy...2023-01-0457 minFat Joy with Sophia ApostolMaking It Safe To Be Fat -- Vicky BellmanVicky Bellman (she/her/hers) embodies the thing that most of her clients are scared of- being fat. Her work with people across the weight spectrum calls into question all aspects of therapeutic support and how we talk about living and eating within diet culture. Also, Sophia becomes a Fat Elder.Vicky is a therapist working in online private practice at Concentric Counselling - she's based in the UK with clients worldwide. She has particular areas of experience in trauma, and in working with disordered eating and eating disorders from a non diet, fat positive perspective. As...2022-12-281h 14Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolBadass Boundaries For Fat Folks -- Kami OrangeSetting boundaries with people can be deeply scary, so Kami Orange (she/her/hers) is here to guide us through what to say and how to say it. As a recovering(?) people-pleaser, Sophia gets Kami’s advice on specific scenarios where fat & plus-size people often feel like they need to set a boundary but struggle to do so. And then Kami gives Sophia a huge a-ha moment with a few brilliant coaching questions.Kami Orange is a fat queer autistic white cis woman. Raised in a small cult subset of Mormonism in Utah by religious extremists and le...2022-12-211h 19Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolLife In An ED Treatment Facility -- Alejandra PortaEating disorder treatment comes in many forms, and Alejandra Porta (she/her/hers) is sharing her 2-month inpatient treatment experience where she learned, much to her own surprise, how fatphobic she was towards herself. This deeply candid conversation explores the impact of emotionally abusive relationships, how being surrounded by diet culture complicated her recovery, how she learned to set boundaries and embrace self compassion and confidence.Alejandra is a Nicaraguan designer, creator of “A Little Time for Your Journal” and “A Hug for You” affirmation deck, and co-creator of Shine Bootcamp, a speaker and confidence accelerator for women wh...2022-12-141h 09Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolOpting Kids Out Of Diet Culture -- Dr. Rachel MillnerDr. Rachel Millner (she/her/hers) spends most of her day talking to folks who are struggling with eating disorders and who want to heal their relationship with food and body. She’s taking us through how to handle it when our kids are deeply influenced by diet culture and anti-fat bias using impactful conversations and opting out.Rachel Millner, Psy.D. is a psychologist and activist in private practice in PA. Rachel has been working with those with eating disorders, disordered eating, and those wanting to heal their relationship with food and body since 2005. Rachel is a...2022-12-0757 minFat Joy with Sophia ApostolIt’s All Grandma’s Fault -- Trevia WoodsContinually unpacking internalized fatphobia is part of Trevia Woods’ (she/her/hers) intergenerational trauma practice. Her years spent figuring out how to live with PCOS, experiences living in China and Saudi Arabia, and then becoming a mom were key stepping stones on her body acceptance journey. And Trevia’s expertise in supporting people to connect to their lineage helps Sophia soften some hard feelings towards her late grandmother.Trevia Woods is a mixed-race woman with Indigenous ancestors who has nearly two decades of experience in bodywork, education and community-building. She has roots in the Midwest and Colorado, afte...2022-11-301h 07Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolSelfies Heal Body Trauma -- Vivienne McMasterVivienne McMaster (she/her) helps people find their way into a more compassionate, connected, and accepting relationship with the person looking back at them in selfies. She speaks to how photos aren’t just a product but can be a way into conversation with a body healing process. Sophia explores how her own safety boundaries in photoshoots have changed and contemplates her next ‘danger zone.’Vivienne McMaster is a Body Acceptance Photographer, Trauma Informed Coach and Certified Body Trust Provider. She works with folks through online classes, coaching and photo sessions to shift how they feel about the pe...2022-11-231h 00Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolFixing Fatness With Fiction -- Meg ElisonMeg Elison (she/they), author extraordinaire and lover of fat fashion, is here to talk about her latest book Number One Fan (that Sophia read in 24 hours), what it’s like to navigate the publishing industry as a fat person, and how fashion forms her rebellion against societal body standards. She also takes us back to her experience with her mom’s bariatric surgery and how that radically realigned how she felt about her fat body as a young person.Meg Elison is a Philip K. Dick and Locus award winning author, as well as a Hugo, Nebu...2022-11-1658 minFat Joy with Sophia ApostolLet The Cellulite And Body Hair Fly -- Lindsay Johnson Lindsay Johnson (they/them/theirs) is a fat, queer entrepreneur turned fat joy activist here to dismantle the internalized fatphobia that exists within fat people. They’re here to share tips for self care, boundary setting, and giving ourselves grace, especially when fat folks are excluded from activities or socially.Lindsay Johnson, is a Fat Joy Activist known as @FantasticalFatty on TikTok and Instagram. As a fat, queer, nonbinary human living in a marginalized body, Lindsay knows first-hand how cruel our society is to fat people … and that it’s total BS! Lindsay’s journey from decades of weigh...2022-11-0949 minFat Joy with Sophia ApostolFatphobia Harms Thin People Too. -- Caleb LunaFat Studies explores the social experience and social construction of fatness, and Caleb Luna’s (they/them/theirs) academic focus puts fat studies in conversation with other fields, like critical race theory, disability studies, gender studies, etc. Caleb shares how Margaret Cho, Beyonce, and being Texan, helped them accept their body and embrace being a fat slut in the world today.Caleb is an artist, public scholar and theorist of the body. Texas born and raised, they have lived as a visitor to Huichin, Ohlone land (Bay Area, CA) since 2016, where they earned their Ph.D. from th...2022-11-021h 08Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolSeeing Fat People Doing Dope Shit Changes Body Image. -- Bree A tarot card reading using UNO cards? Yes please! With today’s guest, Bree (they/them/theirs), we’re talking about advocacy, fat liberation, and Sophia’s getting an UNO tarot card reading live. Bree also shares how being bipolar and non-binary has help them come to a higher place of acceptance of themselves and others.Bree is an unapologetically fat, queer, and neurodivergent witch with a master’s degree in psychology and an eclectic background in helping people. They offer sliding scale peer counseling, personal consultation, and Uno card tarot readings, in which they center collaboration and empo...2022-10-261h 00Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolOur World Doesn't Accept Fatness Or Queerness. -- Chaya MilchteinChaya Milchtein (she/her/hers) is a multi-passionate, fat femme who believes in taking up space and living a big, adventurous life. She’s offering car advice and hot travel tips (including bathroom stuff!) for fat folks, and shares some of her best and worst travel experiences.Chaya is an automotive educator, journalist, and speaker focused on empowering & educating car owners and inspiring fat folks to travel. Chaya's work has been featured on CarTalk, AARP, the Chicago Tribune, and in addition to her monthly column in Salon, "A Fatty's Guide to Traveling and Eating the World," she's wr...2022-10-191h 14Fat Joy with Sophia ApostolPregnancy And "Required" Weight Loss. -- Nicola Salmon Getting pregnant in a weight-obsessed world often poses serious challenges for fat & plus-size people. That’s why we’ve got Nicola Salmon (she/her/hers) on this episode sharing her experience helping clients navigate the medical system, dealing with anti-fat bias & weight stigma, and describing how we can all advocate for ourselves against medical discrimination.Nicola is a fat-positive fertility coach and author of “Fat and Fertile.” She helps fat folks navigate getting pregnant in a weight-obsessed world and advocates for change in how fat people are treated whilst accessing help with their fertility. Nicola uses her unique f...2022-10-1245 minFat Joy with Sophia ApostolFat People Should Die. -- Angel Austin It’s dangerous to be fat, especially infinifat or superfat. In this episode Angel Austin (she/her/hers) takes us through the appalling discovery of finding herself on a website dedicated to doxxing, harassing, and betting on the death dates of fat people. This discussion is important and also really hard to hear, so please consider that when choosing to listen.This is the article Angel mentions by Val & Co: On The Topic Of Fat Hate: Resources and Community AwarenessAngel Austin is the Black, infinifat, and disabled founder of Sacred Space for Fat Bodies. Sh...2022-10-0546 minFat Joy with Sophia ApostolWeight Loss Is Harmful. -- Laura Williams Anti-diet dietitian and maker of the cutest, most rebellious earrings ever? Yup, that’s today’s guest, Laura Williams (she/her/hers). We’re exploring the harms that can be inflicted on fat & plus-sized people and people with eating disorders when dietitians aren’t trained in anti-diet culture and are unaware of their own anti-fat biases. And how she started a flourishing business that’s designed to protest diet culture, all while still living and loving joyfully in the world.Laura is an anti-diet dietitian from Melbourne, Australia who is passionate about dismantling diet culture and pushing back again...2022-09-2856 minFat Joy with Sophia ApostolFat People Have Orgasms Too. -- Luna Matatas Get ready for a spicy conversation with Luna Matatas (she/her/hers), Sex and Pleasure Educator. We’re talking about fat & plus-size sex, body image and self consciousness, sex toys, and how to access pleasure with ease.Luna Matatas has over 15 years of experience teaching sex and empowerment workshops. She celebrates body confidence, self-adoration, and building shame-free pleasure in and out of the bedroom. She teaches a wide range of topics including threesomes, BDSM, and sexual confidence. Luna hosts The Plug Podcast, an anal sex podcast by b-Vibe. She created Peg the Patriarchy® and Meditate Medicate Masturbate® bran...2022-09-2158 minFat Joy with Sophia ApostolHow To Make A Belly Clap. -- Becky Scott Many fat people don’t feel at home in the gym. We may want to bring more movement into our lives, but there can be many barriers- unsafe spaces, our own inner critic voice, physical challenges with equipment and instructors not knowing how to work with differently sized bodies, etc. That’s why we’ve got Becky Scott (she/her/hers) on the pod today. We’re talking about all aspects of fat-friendly fitness, our personal experiences with exercise, and options for bringing movement and fitness into your life on your terms.Becky Scott found body positivity and fat...2022-09-1453 min