Fat Joy with Sophia Apostol

We’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 furi...

In 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 o...

They 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. I...

Creating 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...

Spurned 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...

A $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 (2...

Vicky 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...

Setting 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...

Eating 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 boun...

Dr. 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 pr...

Continually 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...

Vivienne 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.’ Vivi...

Meg 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...

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...

Fat 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 ar...

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’...

Chaya 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 f...

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 f...

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 b...

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 design...

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...

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 fi...

If you want to dismantle fatphobia, improve your self image, and liberate your body , please join Sophia as she talks with Kelsie Jepsen (she/her/hers) for some deep conversation about how to live in our bodies exactly as they are. Kelsie helps Sophia explore her own body image disruptions and shares her “bridge thought” technique for moving towards body acceptance. Kelsie is a Body Acceptance Coa...

Rebelling against anti-fatness is what brings Sophia Apostol some of her biggest joy. In this episode, she’s sharing part of her own journey to fat liberation and why she started the Fat Joy podcast. Each episode, Sophia reads a poem. The poem for this episode is Robyn Hood by Kate Baer. Check it out on Kate's Instagram . All things Fat Joy are on Instagram , on the website , and on Patreon . And...