Real Talk, Whole Life

What happens when a book about sex work, patriarchy, and motherhood collides with our own messy stories of choice, pregnancy, and parenting? Pure Real Talk and the reality: Motherhood is never simple. In this episode, Stacy and Daynah dive into *spoiler alert* Margo’s Got Money Trouble and end up everywhere from pottery-as-therapy and day drinking confessions to abortion stigma, single mom surviva...

Lindsay Dahl returns to talk about her newly released book, Cleaning House—a witty, grounded, and practical guide to detoxing your home and your mindset. We dive into the often-messy intersection of clean living, personal values, and public policy. From bipartisan wins to grassroots grit, Lindsay shares how everyday people can take action, stay hopeful, and find community in the chaos. This is you...

We're kicking off our first-ever book report episode—and yes, we’re calling it that on purpose. Because books have always been part of our whole life. I’m joined by my favorite reading partner: my husband, Matt. Together, we dive into stories that make us laugh, think, and ugly-cry in public. We talk about what we’re reading (Margot's Got Money Troubles and Atmosphere, spoiler-free, promise). We a...

The tenacious Kelsey Snelling is back to give us the inside scoop on the viral Camp Shame podcast. What started as a documentary project over a decade ago has become a genre-blending podcast that unpacks the rise and fall of Camp Shane, the infamous weight loss camp for kids, many epsiodes in which I'm featured! Stacy and Kelsey go deep on what it means to tell the truth when shame is baked into t...

We’re back with science-based naturopathic doctor, Dr. Josh Levitt. No, it doesn’t have to be an oxymoron - he’s a myth-buster extraordinaire and this conversation is all about finding the truth in the mess of modern wellness. From essential oils and detoxes to gallbladder flushes and ear candles, we get into what’s actually helpful, what’s hype, and why so many people get caught in the middle. Dr...

Author, entrepreneur, mom, previous guest, and good friend Jennifer Robins built a wellness brand while her health was quietly wrecking her life. And no, just trying harder didn’t fix it. In this episode, Jen gets real about what it’s like to share publicly while barely holding it together behind the scenes. We talk about chronic illness, medical gaslighting, the pressure to “stay on brand” when y...

What happens when you start off talking about bad TV and end up unpacking the moment you left your PhD program to raise your sisters after your mom died? In this episode, Stacy and Daynah take the scenic route—from media criticism to the motherhood nobody plans for, plus body politics, feminist memes, and why gratitude (ugh, fine) actually works. There’s a dog named Manly, a shoutout to a very mea...

What happens when your best friend of 22 years is a feminist pop culture critic who left social media—and you decide to give her a microphone? Pure magic. In this episode, Stacy sits down with her longtime bestie Daynah Burnett to get real about everything from TikTok slang confusion and “Love is Blind” hot takes to why reality TV might be secretly good for your emotional intelligence. They unpack...

What if the most toxic thing in your home isn’t a chemical—but a mindset? Clean living advocate and first-time author Lindsay Dahl returns to unpack the nuanced middle ground of wellness, environmental health, and personal agency. Together, we explore the emotional toll of trying to “do it all right,” the dangers of black-and-white thinking in the age of social media, and why real change takes bot...

What if you could ditch diet culture and feel amazing in your body? In this episode, Stacy talks with the ever-wise Alicia Stafford—aka the queen of “your way” weight loss—for a conversation that’s as real as it gets. Together, they talk about the messy middle of healing from disordered eating, making peace with food (yes, even dessert!), and finding a path to wellness that actually feels good. We...

Ever feel like you're trying to hold it all together while the internet yells at you about seed oils? Same. In this episode, Stacy and Sarah are back together—real talk style—to unpack what happens when you're burned out on busting myths and crave more meaning. From internet trolls to emotional spoons, from doomscrolling to baby goats, we cover the full spectrum of what it looks like to live in th...

Friends! It's been a while. Almost 7 months, actually. Find out how we got here in this short introduction. Ready to binge the first official drop of Stacy's new podcast Recommened listening order (but you do you!): From Myth-Busting to Meaning: Reclaiming Joy with Sarah Ballantyne, PhD Diets Didn’t Work. This Did. Rethinking 'Clean' Living with Lindsay Dahl Why This, Why Now? Pop Culture Decoded...

Join Stacy in saying farewell to this chapter of the show, reminiscing about the last 12 years of weekly podcasting and the last 145 episodes of Season 3, when Stacy went solo! It's been a journey of deep dives, some tough conversations, and discovering new ways to be our best selves - inside and out! Don’t forget to subscribe to this channel to get notified when the first Is It Real podcast episo...

One of the very first guests to appear on the original version of this show, author and a pioneer of the ancestral movement, Mark Sisson, joins Stacy to get real about the benefits of walking, small businesses going big, his own health evolution, and what it's like working with family.  Pre-order Mark's newest book, Born to Walk: The Broken Promises of the Running Boom, and How to Slow Down and Ge...

Ann Russo is a licensed therapist and advocate, passionate about understanding the intersections of mental health, sexuality, and spirituality. Ann and Stacy discuss the mental, emotional, and physical ramifications of interventions like conversion therapy and gender affirming care, why leading with love matters, and why our society is only as good as our most marginalized. Find Ann: AnnRusso.org...

British lifestyle journalist and author Ruby Warrington joins us to discuss two topics that are not only personal to her, but she has also written about: Choosing to be childless and exploring sobriety. Ruby and Stacy have a vulnerable conversation about what family means, what privilege looks like when making a choice outside of the societal norm and why leading with a question rather than an opi...

Stacy drops in with a big announcement! She has always loved thinking deeper on popular fads and in her upcoming Is It Real podcast, Stacy will have a series of shows dedicated to one topic. Each will be a deep dive into the facts and truth behind something, as well as the misinformation. She'll bring you along as she researches topics like, why people think they need coffee enemas or chia seed wa...

Chef and author Phoebe Lapine joins Stacy to discuss navigating wellness without falling into diet culture. As a culinary expert, Phoebe highlights how to enhance meals with delicious, nutrient-packed ingredients and why breakfast truly matters. Together, they delve into autoimmune disorders, elimination diets, and balancing short-term therapeutic approaches with long-term health goals. Find Pheob...

Author and rheumatologist Geeta “Dr. G” Nayyar, MD, MBA, joins Stacy to warn of the impacts of misinformation and disinformation on our health and well-being, why personalized care matters, and what the modern day “stranger danger” conversation looks like in the age of social media. Find Dr. G: DrGeetaNayyar.com Facebook.com/drgeetanayyar X.com/drgnayyar Instagram.com/drgnayyar Linkedin.com/in/gee...

Epidemiologist, science author, and co-founder of the nutrition service Zoe, Dr. Tim Spector joins Stacy to share the importance of getting back to the basics of eating a diverse diet and why that means getting more stuff on our plate, not less! Dr. Spector talks about how why this is beneficial to our microbiome and overall health, and will also increase our fiber intake and help get our microbes...

Functional Medicine Practitioner and Doctor of Chiropractic Dr. Christine Smith joins Stacy to get nerdy about amino acids, help us understand what “listening to your body” can actually look like, and why it may be important to change how your nervous system communicates with your body. Find Dr. Christine Smith: https://depthwellness.com https://www.instagram.com/drchristinesmith https://www.faceb...

Health Coach Jenn Trepeck prides herself on “wellness without the weirdness” and joins Stacy to dive into why perfection and extremes don't serve us, how accountability can be a key to willpower, and why the tools that help us today may not be the same ones that help us tomorrow. Find Jenn: ASaladWithASideOfFries.com Instagram.com/jenntrepeck Instagram.com/saladwithasideoffriespod Linkedin.com/in/...

Licensed Pharmacist and Healthcare Advocate Patrick Alonso joins Stacy to talk about getting off the “medication hamster wheel” that often happens as we get older. He has a passion for working with patients to make long-term lifestyle changes, using medication as a tool, and empowering us all to understand why we are taking the pharmaceuticals and supplements in our current regimen. Find Patrick A...

We're bringing you a replay of one of our most popular episodes. Learn all about protein and optimizing muscle through food and movement with medical practitioner, author, and founder of The Institute for Muscle-Centric Medicine, Dr. Gabrielle Lyon. Since this episode aired just over a year ago, we get an update from Stacy on how including more protein into her diet has affected her body and mind!...

Raise your hand if you've ever misjudged or missed the mark on something or someone? Nutritionist Michael Biamonte joins for a brief conversation about Candida yeast overgrowth and then Stacy gives us a rundown on fungal infections, parasites, and the range of protocols often used in treating these. And while this conversation didn't go quite as expected, there's plenty to take away about setting...