Making It Awkward

Jessica is joined by Cara Harbstreet, MS RD and Jaye Rochon to wrap up the series on the anti-diet dietitian article by the WaPo and Examination. Both Cara and Jaye were featured in the article and this episode they share their experiences with the anti-diet community and their thoughts on the article. Jessica wraps up the episode with her thoughts on the series and questions she continues to have...

Clara Nosek was the most creative critic of the article about anti-dietitians who made cereal ads, written by The Examination and the WaPo. She joins Jessica to talk about her concerns and the two try hard to figure out why the article was written in the first place. Join Clara's Substack Clara on tiktok 1st article from The Examination and WaPo This interview was over an hour long, shortened for...

Jessica talks with Naureen Hunani, the dietitian and creator behind RDs for neurodiversity. They get into what Naureen saw was missing in the dietetic and anti-diet spaces and Jessica asks her about ARFID and the social construct of picky eating. The two also share their critiques of intuitive eating from a neurodivergent and disability lens.  You can Follow Naureen Sign up for Naureen's course Na...

Sasha Chavkin, of the Examination, joins Jessica to talk about an article he recently co-authored, As Obesity Rises, Big Food and Dietitians Push 'Anti-diet' Advice , in collaboration with the Washington Post. Shasha shares how the article came together and some additional information that he's gathered for this episode. This will be the first episode on this article. If you have thoughts/feedback...

Jessica welcomes butter mochi queen, Daphne Jenkins, to the podcast to discuss her Hawaiian ancestral foods, how she got into baking butter mochi and the art of food. She talks about the history, beauty, friction and tension that she channels into her work.  Jessica also asks about Hawaiian tourism and about how to visit Hawaii if we were going to do so. onomaugoods.com @onomaugoods @daphne_k_jenk...

Jessica talks ultra processed foods with her dad. The two started ultra processed Fridays in which Jessica makes her dad taste test a new food and the two discuss the idea that all UPFs are unhealthy. Today Jessica presents a "natural" beef jerky to her dad for testing. She talks to him about UPFs, what he ate growing up and it turns out that her dad's feelings about Southern food are complicated....

Jessica talks to UK doctor Dr. Asher Larmie about his perspectives on Ozempic and weight loss, diabetes, whether prediabetes is a thing and how we should (and shouldn't) measure blood sugar. The two discuss the differences in the US and UK guidance for diabetes and prediabetes. Then, at Asher's invitation, Jessica asks him about his white saviorism and privilege, especially how it presents itself...

Dr. Chuks joins Jessica to talk about his new book, Eating Disorders Don't Discriminate . He edited the book with Bailey Spinn a TikTok and YouTube personality. Chuks and Jessica talk about how he got into the field and what made him write the book. Jessica nudges Chuks to talk about how Bailey was chosen to co-edit the book, but the two of them aren't able to get into the underlying dynamics at p...

Chrissy King joins Jessica to talk about authorship and the patriarchal romanticization of relationships. Chrissy is the author of the Body Liberation Project ; How Understanding Racism and Diet Culture Helps Cultivate Joy and Build Collective Freedom. The two get into what they wish they knew when writing their first books and Chrissy is able to convince Jessica to do it all over again. Chrissy t...

Jessica's book is fun, spicy, and a love letter to those around her. She felt really good about it but once it left her hands things started to get awkward. Alison reenacts one of the most awkward moments in publishing history and shares how she made another moment awkward. Jessica working on loving her book again and is glad folks are along for this ride! Photos of Jessica's unicorn cakes https:/...

Dr. Zo  Amaro Jimenez and Isaac join Jessica to discuss her interview with surgeon Dr. Blair Peters about BMI cutoffs in gender affirming surgeries. Zo and Isaac provide their feedback, share their own experiences with gender care and their work in helping others access their own.  Dr. Asher Larmie  contributes a very powerful and personal video for this episode as well. Prior interview with Blair...

They're back! Wendy and Jess, the duo behind Food Heaven fame pivoted to Diabetes Digital, an online platform for diabetes education and support. In this episode the two share how they decided to pivot, and how they chose diabetes. Jessica asks them about the questionable diagnosis of prediabetes, some patient consult questions and of course about the Ozempic of it all.  You can find them now at h...

Jessica is joined by Dr Blair Peters, a gender affirming surgeon to discuss why BMI cutoffs exist in common gender affirming surgeries including chest surgery, phalloplasty and vaginoplasty. Blair breaks down the different ways that body size impacts the surgery and the results. They talk about the structural barriers that exist when doing surgery on larger people and dig into the dehumanization o...

Jessica talks to Tigress Osborn (she/her), a fat rights advocate and the Executive Director of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, about fat liberation and fat joy. NAAFA has worked for over five decades to change perceptions of fat and to end size discrimination.  In 2023, Tigress co-launched the Campaign for Size Freedom alongside colleagues at NAAFA and the Fat Legal Rights Advo...

Give my regards to Broadway. Jessica is joined by Stephanie Lexis, founder of the Broadway Body Positivity Project and Libby Parker, The Broadway Dietitian, to talk about all things food and body in theater. They talk about casting, costuming, eating and get into IBS on stage.  You can watch this episode on YouTube How to support this podcast? Follow, rate and review! New ways to support the show!...

Jessica chats with Dr. Whitney Trotter and Meghan Cichy , MPH RDN about her and Whitney's interview with Steve Dunn in the first Litigation and Legacy episode. The three reflect on the interview and what it means for the field. They discuss iaedp's certification and whether or not it should be preserved in the midst of all of this.  You can see Meghan's math on the certification and the text of St...

Jessica watched Netflix's  You Are What You Eat; A Twin Experiment and was disappointed. The documentary did not make the case for her to be vegan for physiological reasons, or really for anyone else. She talks about this, and everything the series left out with Jen Jacobs, her editor, who shares some about her experience as a fat vegan. The two chat about how the show seemed like an extended comm...

Part 1. Dr. Whitney Trotter joins Jessica for a conversation with Steve Dunn. Dunn is suing the International Organization of Eating Disorder Professionals (iaedp) in a class action lawsuit, representing a clinician who is as an iaedp-certified eating disorder specialist. The three of them discuss this lawsuit and his previous lawsuit against NEDA. Steve also brings up ASDAH and terminal anorexia....

Jessica talks with Dr. Whitney Trotter , DNP APRN PMHNP-Bc RDN and Angela Goens , MS RDN LD about being Black clinicians in the eating disorder field. They talk about what it's like to work in treatment centers and how their clients' care differs from the standard treatments. They discuss the organization i aedp , and how Jessica's calls for divestment from iaedp influenced Whitney and Angela. The...

Jessica talks with Shantille Connolly, a senior health promotion specialist at UC Davis about their process of instituting a policy to make being weighed an opt-in measure at the clinic, rather than a default, and Shantille's future projects including a team focused on size inclusive care. Jessica also discusses boofing as a Wellness trend that is in for 2024 and shares that "food is medicine" sho...

Jessica shares the story of her body from 4-10yo. She shares how her body was (mis)treated by the medical establishment and also how one sentence from her dad influenced the way she felt about her body. This is tied together with the intro to her becoming a dietitian

Romance novels can be awkward. Romance reviewers Shana and Maya join Jessica to discuss their love for the genre and why we all deserve a happy ending. They also give recommendations for those looking for a romance starter gift.  You can contact the show at makingitawkwardpod@gmail.com Follow Jessica on Instagram @jessicawilson.msrd and TikTok @byjessicawilson You can watch this episode at https:/...

Jessica talks with Jen McLellan, about her recent experience getting banned by Meta on both of her Instagram and Facebook accounts. Jen is a certified birth educated, author and founder of Plus Size Birth and host of the Plus Mommy podcast. They discuss the impact of AI discrimination on social media and who will be most impacted by this. Jen shares her call to action to address this.  You can con...

Jessica and Making It Awkward editor, Jen Jacobs, reflect on the podcast thus far and look to future episodes. They talk about which topics have gotten the most interest and how the editing process works between them. Jen also threw in a clip of Lexi that Jessica hadn't heard before.  Find Jen! Jenrjacobs.com  Whitney trotter https://whitneytrotter.com/work-with-me/ You can contact the show at mak...

Registered dietitian and social media content creator Clara Nosek, known to many as @yourdietitianbff, talks with Jessica about her journey to become a dietitian and how she started creating engaging content on social media. She shares her favorite creations and the feedback she has received. Clara also talks about her upcoming program called 'Do Not Disturb,' which will provide daily reminder tex...