The Culture Of It All

A reflective wrap-up for 2025. This is our final episode of 2025, and what a year it has been. In this episode, I’m reflecting on what it truly meant for me to live at full volume this year: in my work, in my body, in my creativity, and in community with all of you. I wrap up the year with honesty, gratitude, and a look ahead to 2026’s anti–New Year energy. If you’ve been a longtime listener, than...

This week we’re talking about something so many folks in larger bodies have experienced: what happens when you find yourself trying to dress a body you’ve spent most of your life trying to shrink? If you’ve ever: ✨ held onto “some day” clothes ✨ bought outfits for the fantasy body (not the body you live in) ✨ felt disconnected from your own style ✨ or realised you’ve never dressed without sham...

Take What You Need. It’s Okay To Go Slow. In today’s episode, we’re talking about soft rebellion — the kind of quiet, grounded resistance that comes from slowing down, listening to your body, and refusing to perform the hustle culture version of “success.” This one weaves rest, cyclical living, post-pandemic shifts, unlearning hustle culture, anti-diet work, and the tenderness required to live in...

In this episode, Melanie discusses body trust, and learning to be comfortable with taking up space physically, mentally and emotionally. She explores how diet culture prevents us from trusting our own bodies, and how anti-fat rhetoric keeps folks in larger bodies in a cycle of distrust and body hate. Melanie shares reflective questions and journaling prompts that we can use to repair our body trus...

In this episode, Melanie discusses the politics of plus size fashion, reflecting on her personal journey as a fashion enthusiast who also lives her life in a fat body. She explores the discrimination within the industry, the challenges fat folks can face when finding clothes and discovering their own style. Melanie shares tools and reframed language that she uses to heal her body image, breaking f...

After a much needed break, Melanie returns to The Culture of It All with a new sound, new energy, and a heartfelt reminder that you were never too much. In this episode, she shares what inspired her new digital zine Full Volume — a fat, nostalgic, rebellious love letter to those who grew up not seeing their bodies represented in the glossy pages of their favourite teen mags. Melanie unpacks the ev...

As we wrap up this season of The Culture Of It All, we’re rewinding to an episode that holds a very special place in my heart — Fat Positive Fall. In this cozy, reflective replay, I share how autumn feels like coming home to myself and how this season has often marked a time of clarity, creativity, and joy in my fat body. I talk about what it means to pursue joy, how I’m learning to shift away fro...

In this episode, I’m reflecting on an old podcast episode I recorded back in 2020, before I had the language or tools to really understand diet culture and fat liberation. I’m sharing clips from that original episode and responding to what I got right, what I hadn’t yet learned, and how my relationship with body image and fat acceptance has evolved since then. This work isn’t linear, but growth is...

Self-care isn’t just for thin, white, able-bodied people—but it’s often marketed that way. In this episode, I’m exploring what weight-neutral self-care really looks like for those of us in larger bodies. I talk about how self-care spaces exclude fat folks, how wellness culture co-opts our care, and why self-care doesn’t need to be aesthetic to be valid. I also share my personal self-care menu—and...

In episode 33 of The Culture Of It All, we're digging into the diet industry's favorite disguise: health. But when "health" is actually code for thinness, who really benefits? And who gets left behind? I’m asking honest questions about trust, marketing, and the hidden shame of being sold weight loss in the name of self-care. If you've ever wondered whether that wellness pr...

This summer has been exceptionally warm and this time of year always reminds me of the unexpected lessons I’ve learned since ditching diets and divesting from diet culture. The lessons that had nothing to do with food or movement, and everything to do with my body image and the unrealistic beauty standards laid out by the patriarchy. You’ll hear 3 of these lessons today, and I’ll also be touching...

As I write this, it’s currently a gloomy summer day. The damp tension is in the air, a promise of thunderstorms and cooler temperatures just outside my office window. And whilst I impatiently wait for the real thing, I have a ‘Summer Storm’ soundscape playing on Insight Timer.  Gloomy weather is my vibe. My soul craves cosiness, even in the warmer months and over the past few years I’ve discovered...

Over the next couple weeks I’m taking some time to focus on a few creative projects, and will be replaying some of my most popular episodes, which also happen to be from last year's summer series ☀️ This week I’m resharing episode 05, From Pursuing Thinness to Prioritising Body Peace. I listened back through this episode, and it’s a great introduction to the summer months. We’ll explore the b...

NOTE: I am not a medical professional or therapist, this episode is not to be used as medical advice it is based on my experiences, thoughts and opinions. Welcome to episode 31 of The Culture Of It All! this week we’re exploring the term ‘food noise’. Since 2022, as weight loss jabs have become a casual part of conversation, so has the term ‘food noise’, but what does it mean? What is food noise,...

In this minisode, we’re sitting down for a ‘fat chat’ and exploring WHY people still believe that being fat is simply a choice. We’ll discuss the reasons why I continue to see comments repeating the same set of fatphobic beliefs, and challenge the pervasive myth that fatness is a choice, emphasizing the impact of diet culture and the societal pressures that lead folks to pursue weight loss. My hop...

In this episode, we’re delving into the complexities of diet culture, discussing the 3 red flags associated with every single diet, and the manipulative tactics of the diet industry. We’ll address the importance of understanding personal preferences in eating and the subjective nature of what constitutes “healthy eating”. I encourage you to practice discernment with your food choices and to recogn...

In this episode, Melanie shares her personal journey towards body neutrality and fat acceptance, exploring the negative impact which dieting had on her physical, emotional and mental health from a young age. She reflects on her childhood, and the struggles of being a teen and trying to fit in and conform to certain stereotypes. She discusses the challenges she experienced when starting a business,...

Unlearning my internalised fatphobia, ditching diets, and healing my body image is one of the best things I did for myself AND my kid. I don’t claim to be an expert, I’m doing my best and figuring it out as I go, but as I share in this episode a number of friends have asked me how I’m building this body positive relationship with my kid and it’s been a topic of conversation on my socials too. So I...

In last week's episode, I shared that fatphobia has always stemmed from the belief that weight is mostly controlled by diet and exercise. It’s why we’ve been subjected to decades of diet programs, products and books focused on calories in and calories out. It has also perpetuated the narrative that if you “try hard enough” you can also be thin, or manage your weight. With the rise in use of G...

Fatphobia is on the rise, so today, we’re going to talk about it. Fatphobia, or anti-fatness, is the often socially acceptable form of discrimination and negative attitudes towards folks in fat bodies. This includes stereotypes and misconceptions that fat folks are less disciplined or lack self-control compared to their smaller bodied peers. Fatphobia is not just name calling or bullying someone f...

We talk a lot about diet culture and the diet industry on the show, and I thought now would be a great time to revisit both of them and take a mini deep dive in this episode. My very first episode took a look at diet culture, but to be honest, my experience of diet culture, the diet industry, and understanding of the two has evolved in the last year. I have learned a lot more. I've experience...

Welcome to season 4 of The Culture Of It All!  We’re starting off the new season with a catch up, because whilst I took a break from recording I’ve been busy finding a wonderful fat community on TikTok . It all started with my fashion videos, sharing my experiences as a fat person trying to find their ‘casual style’ and it’s kinda snowballed from there. And then in early March I made a little vide...

This is a very special bonus episode for you to enjoy in between seasons. Season 4 will be arriving around April 8th. Below is a snippet of the written versions of today's episode, to get the full blog join us over on Substack. These are not confessions of a former fat girl, or a fat girl who lost 100lbs and wants to preach about how nothing tastes as good as thin. I’m not a fat girl with a s...

Content warning: this episode will contain conversations around my binge eating disorder, body image, anti-fat stereotypes, socioeconomics, and how these impact folks in larger bodies, specifically within the clothing industry. I’m finishing up this season of the show with a conversation that started in the comments of some of my TikTok videos. In one video I said: I’m sure we can all agree that t...

In this episode, I’m exploring the multifaceted nature of spirituality, sharing my personal journey and how it intersects with fat liberation. I’ll be discussing the evolution of my spiritual practices, particularly during the pandemic, and the challenges of reconciling these practices within spiritual spaces often permeated by diet culture. I’d like to note that these practices are often individu...