Fat Joy with Sophia Apostol

Six conversations. So much creativity. And one last invitation. In this final episode of the Creation Lab Capsule Collection, Sophia wraps the series with gratitude, reflection, and a return to ritual. After realizing she forgot to include poetry at the end of these episodes, she closes things properly with a poem. She reflects on what the guests stirred in her, the creative risks she’s taking in...

In this episode of the Fat Joy Creation Lab capsule collection , Sophia talks with longtime fat liberation educator, podcaster, and consultant Vinny Welsby (they/them) about building meaningful work over time without burning out or shrinking yourself to fit. They explore creativity as a source of joy , a tool for connection, and a quiet force for cultural change. From podcasting before feeling “re...

In this episode of the Fat Joy Creation Lab capsule collection , Sophia sits down with community organizer, baker, and spiritual practitioner Erica Joy (they/she) for a wide-ranging conversation about co-creation, identity, and what it means to build liberatory offerings without rushing the process. Erica shares the story of co-creating Cosmic Healing with her sister (the multiple-person readings...

In this episode of the Fat Joy Creation Lab capsule collection, Sophia sits down with fashion, beauty, and lifestyle creator Angel Edme (she/her) for a spacious, honest conversation about visibility, boundaries, creativity, and the audacity it takes to take up space in a bigger body. This episode weaves through themes of self-trust, immigrant family identity, body liberation, and the real tension...

What if creativity doesn’t require you to be healed, fearless, or finished? In this intimate and soul-rich conversation, Sophia is joined by Asifa Sheikh (she/her), a writer, poet, and Firefly Creative Writing facilitator, to explore what it means to create from the whole self, including grief, rage, body, memory, and hope. In this episode, they explore: How creativity can be a place of belonging...

Amanda Sabater (she/her) joins Sophia on the Fat Joy Podcast’s Creation Lab Capsule Collection. In this conversation, they explore the spiritual side of creativity — the inner nudges, intuitions, and moments of mystery that shape how ideas arrive. What begins as a chat about making art becomes a deeper reflection on what happens when creativity feels less like a task and more like a relationship....

In this first episode of the Fat Joy Podcast’s Creation Lab Capsule Collection, Sophia sits down with singer-songwriter Mary Lambert (she/her) for an honest, energizing conversation about how creativity weaves through her life, often in ways she didn’t expect. Mary opens up about the moments when her creative instincts went quiet, the surprising places they re-emerged, and the turning points that...

Sophia 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 ag...

A bonus minisode where each guest answers 10 surprising questions with unexpected results. Hilarity ensues.

Aubrey 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...

A bonus minisode where each guest answers 10 surprising questions with unexpected results. Hilarity ensues.

Sophia 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: FATJOY Kate Manne (she/her), philosopher and author of Unshrinking: How to Face Fatphobia , shares her thoughts on why we strug...

A bonus minisode where each guest answers 10 surprising questions with unexpected results. Hilarity ensues.

Tiana Dodson (she/her) explores how liberation consciousness requires hope and imagination, even when they feel impossible. Part of that exploration is rooted in exploring the ‘science of less’ and how being subtractive rather than additive can unlock new levels of awareness and help dismantle oppression. With a decade as a body liberation facilitator and a lifetime of lived experience as a fat, b...

A bonus minisode where each guest answers 10 surprising questions with unexpected results. Hilarity ensues.

Sophia 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: FATJOY Elle 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...

A bonus minisode where each guest answers 10 surprising questions with unexpected results. Hilarity ensues.

Please go to Firefly Creative Writing to see if any of our cozy writing workshops are for you. For $50 off, use code: FATJOY Charis Stiles (she/her) wants us all to feel like we belong, are accepted, and are worthy of love. Often, the barriers to feeling this way stem from wounding that was out of our control, however there’s a lot we can do to repair, heal, and rebuild a sense of self. Charis des...

A bonus minisode where each guest answers 10 surprising questions with unexpected results. Hilarity ensues.

Please go to Firefly Creative Writing to see if any of our cozy writing workshops are for you. The Fall schedule will be on the website for July 11th. For $50 off, use code: FATJOY Crystal Maldonado (she/her) is a young adult author with a lot of feelings that she’s channeled into romcoms for fat, brown girls. She shares what it was like to write the stories she wished she’d had when she was growi...

A bonus minisode where each guest answers 10 surprising questions with unexpected results. Hilarity ensues.

In this riotous episode, Parker McMullen Bushman (they/she) takes us on their journey to become an activist and educator in the environmental education and outdoor spaces when no one looked like them. Fat, Black, queer, and non-binary, Parker shares how disparities in access to nature are outcomes from the Jim Crow laws, how race is different from ethnicity, and that disrupting white supremacy is...

A bonus minisode where each guest answers 10 surprising questions with unexpected results. Hilarity ensues.

(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...

A bonus minisode where each guest answers 10 surprising questions with unexpected results. Hilarity ensues.