The Culture Of It All!

This weeks bonus episode is a little different, I’m releasing it on all platforms, and I’m pulling up my microphone to read you the blog I wrote a couple months back. When I wrote it, we were just a few weeks into this new administration, shit was already going as expected and as I had predicted anti fatness has only gotten worse since. Below is the written version, and I recorded video for the fi...

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...

Content Warning: In this episode I will be referencing the COVID-19 pandemic, and a specific weight loss related conversation that led me to ditch dieting and pursue intuitive eating. I recently made a TikTok video in which I said that the solution to more accessibility within clothing isn’t weight loss. In fact I said “I think we can all agree that the solution to more accessibility within clothi...

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...

In this episode, we’re exploring slow living and its significance in today's fast-paced world. I’ll be sharing my personal journey towards embracing a slower lifestyle, the challenges I’ve faced, and the intersection of slow living with diet culture. We’ll be discussing the importance of self-care, and how rest is an act of rebellion against societal expectations that dictate our worth based on pr...

My friend Hilary encouraged me to share this story with you. Whilst part of this story is about how I found myself taking part in a topless - just my undies - photo shoot in Wales… it’s really about the way our perspective of past experiences can shift once we divest from diet culture and start to heal our body image. This retreat happened in 2021, about five months before I had a defining anti di...

Welcome to a new season of The Culture Of It All, and our first episode of 2025! You may have guessed, I’m still fat, and I’m choosing to stay fat 🥰 No need to sugar coat it, this first month of 2025 has felt like a metric fuck ton of hot garbage. Like so many of you, most days I’ve struggled to find the fuzzy line between staying well informed and falling into a spiral of sadness, empathy and an...

Welcome pals, to our final episode of 2024!! In this reflective episode, I’m sharing my journey over the past eight months of podcasting, discussing 8 lessons learned, personal growth, positive shifts in my body image, and the importance of having my own back. Takeaways The journey of podcasting has been transformative and fulfilling. Reflection is essential before setting intentions or goals. Con...

Last week I was chatting with the hosts of ‘Fat & Fucked’ and they asked me about how I’d got ‘here’, and what led me to starting a fat liberation podcast. The truth is that a lot of moments that led here… * Being fat my whole life * Losing a parent as a teen * Losing myself amongst the waves of grief * Feeling even less like myself when I spent pockets of time existing in a smaller body * Working...

Weight stigma has become a socially acceptable form of discrimination. People who seem to be horrified by other discriminatory stereotypes, behaviours and jokes, will still find humour in a fat joke, or openly pass judgement on someone's change in body size without considering for a moment that their fat friends and family can hear or see their comments. And I understand that many people, myself i...

Following on from our wonderful conversation with Naomi Katz in episode 16, I’m going deeper into my own Intuitive Eating practice. Prior to starting this practice, I felt very anxious about hunger and fullness, and truly believed that I was just broken. The feeling of ‘fullness’ completely eluded me, I wasn’t sure what it felt like or if it was supposed to be uncomfortable. I’ll always remember w...

We’re kicking off November talking about food and intuitive eating with our very first guest, Naomi Katz from Happy Shapes Coaching. We’re exploring the complexities of intuitive eating, particularly during the holiday season, but as you’ll learn, these hot takes are not just for the holidays!! It’s not what you’re doing, it’s why you’re doing it. - Naomi Katz We discuss the emotional responses to...

In this episode, we’ll be exploring the cycle of fear and blame the diet industry has created and how this impacts our body image and relationship to food. We’ll also look at some of the nuances, including the erasure of fat folks from history, and why it appears to be socially acceptable to discriminate against someone based on their body size/weight. We’ll also take a look at how the diet indust...

In this episode, Melanie discusses the themes of food, body positivity, and the impact of diet culture, particularly during Halloween. She emphasises the importance of food neutrality and intuitive eating, sharing personal experiences and insights on how to navigate societal pressures around food. The conversation challenges fear-based messaging and promotes self-acceptance, encouraging listeners...

Welcome to your October Myth Busting Minisode! Following on from last weeks regular episode, I wanted to highlight some of the shameful language used when talking about fitness and movement. Personally, this language feels outdated but I recognise this is only because I left business and fitness spaces where the idea that “we all have the same 24 hours” is commonplace. "We don't owe anybody fitnes...

This week our ‘F-word’ is fitness; specifically the negative associations many of us have with fitness and dieting. I’ll be sharing some of my experiences growing up, from learning to dislike sports in high school, and always focusing on ‘all or nothing’. You’ll also hear how, despite my lack of athleticism, I decided to pursue a career in fitness and the negative impact this left on my mental and...

Welcome to episode 12, today we are chatting about 3 connected f-words that have negatively impacted my body image, confidence, and love of fashion.  Flattering.  Femininity.  Fitting-in.  In particular, we will be focusing on the impact these words have had on folks growing up in larger bodies, and the ways in which I’ve found my way back to myself BEFORE the world told me I was too much. Content...

Phewf, who knew I could cover so much in less than 15 minutes? In this episode, I wanted to explore the rise of wellness gurus in the 2010s and the way in which they have manipulated us into believing they are not just another fad diet. What I quickly realised, is that we cannot do this, without covering the definition and red flags of dieting itself. You’ll hear some of my personal experience wor...

Welcome to a brand new season of The Culture Of It All! I’m back this season to explore and discuss the F Words with y’all. You’ll hear from me, and some incredible guests as we chat about topics such as the Fashion Industry, Fat Representation, Fiction, Plus Size Fitness, and Food. There are so many F words associated with diet culture, and not even the ones you’re thinking of… also feel free to...

We’ve made it to our final episode of the Summer Series, and today I’m reflecting on 10 things I’ve learned about myself this summer. I’ll be discussing lessons in business, and marketing as well as the importance of community and my struggle to trust my body. We’ll of course be talking about how I’ve felt both physically and emotionally this summer and what my plans are for The Culture Of It All!...

In this penultimate episode of our summer series, I’m sharing one of my favourite past times with you; reading. I’ll be sharing not only my passion for reading, but exploring the importance and power of fat representation within the stories I read. I’ll share a few wonderful plus size reads from this summer from cosy romances, to dark paranormal relationships. And because I have so many recommenda...

As Jordan Underwood recently wrote on Instagram: “Thinness will never your get out of jail free card. We are all held captive by anti-fatness.” No matter our body size, diet culture and anti-fatness has seeped into our lives, our minds and behaviours. It is the ocean we swim in on a daily basis. In this -slightly chaotic - bonus episode we’re chatting about the roots of Non Scale Victories, our re...

In this episode, I’m sharing five practical summer self-care tips for folks in larger bodies. We’ll be exploring the definitions of self care, and what self care practices can mean for folks in larger bodies. We’ll also discuss the barriers that marginalised bodies face in accessing self-care and the need for allies to challenge these barriers. The Culture Of It All! Podcast is a reader-supported...

The body positive rhetoric that shows up at this time of year is failing folks in larger bodies. So in this episode, I’m rewriting the narrative, and sharing 7 ways in which you can prioritise joy and honour your needs, especially during the uncomfortable summer months. We’ll explore the difference between joy and happiness and some of the ways I struggle with the concept of joy in a larger body....

In this episode, Melanie discusses her experience as a parent in a larger body and navigating the stereotypes and biases that come with it. She shares a conversation she had with her son about feeling slower than his friends and how she helped him navigate it. Melanie also talks about her decision to not make her son participate in sports day and the societal pressure she feels as a parent in a la...