Appearance Matters: The Podcast!

Welcome back to Appearance Matters the podcast! This month we are kicking off our Appearance Matters 11 conference series.

This month Maia speaks with Phyllida Swift CEO of Face Equality international about her inspirational work with the organisation, her path into working into the visible difference field, some highlights of her career so far, as well as goals for the future. Phyllida also speaks about her previous AM conference highlights and key messages she hopes to share in her keynote in June.

Join us for a really reflective and insightful discussion about combining the personal and professional in the non-profit sector and to hear some teasers for Appearance Matters 11.

To find out more about the work of Face Equality International click here: https://faceequalityinternational.org/

Registration for Appearance Matters 11 is now open! Early bird registration fees will be available until the 31st of January 2026!

For more information about Appearance Matters 11 click here: https://www.uwe.ac.uk/research/centres-and-groups/appearance/news-and-events/am-conference

or follow this link to go directly to the registration page: https://www.uwe.ac.uk/research/centres-and-groups/appearance/news-and-events/am-conference/registration

Welcome back to Appearance Matters: The Podcast! In this month’s episode, Ella speaks to Dr Kerry Montgomery, who is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Appearance Research, about the STAR Project. Kerry’s work explores how people with conditions that affect appearance and that can be passed on to their children make decisions about starting a family.  They talk about research Kerry has carried out with prospective parents who have visible differences and genetic counsellors.

Please be aware that this episode contains discussion of pregnancy, family planning, and termination, which might be sensitive for some listeners. 

If you’re interested in hearing more about the Centre for Appearance conference, Appearance Matters 11 (9th – 11th of June 2026) click here:  https://www.uwe.ac.uk/research/centres-and-groups/appearance/news-and-events/am-conference

Photo by Warren Umoh on Unsplash https://unsplash.com/photos/a-chain-link-fence--qycBqByWIY?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditShareLink

Music by Sian Evans & John Landau: toplinefilm.com

Episode developed and produced by Ella Guest

Welcome back to Appearance Matters: The Podcast! In this month’s episode, Kat speaks to Dr Luciana Zuest (Towson University, US) and Dr Eva Pila (Western University, Canada) about weight bias and weight stigma in sport and exercise settings, and how to make physical activity spaces more inclusive for all bodies.

Dr Eva Pila: https://www.uwo.ca/fhs/kin/about/faculty/pila_e.html

Body Image & Health Research Lab: https://bihlab.com/, @bihresearch (Instagram)

Dr Luciana Zuest: https://www.towson.edu/chp/departments/kinesiology/facultystaff/luciana-zuest.html

Weight-Inclusive Thinking for Fitness Spaces: https://www.weightinclusivethinking.com/

If you’re interested in hearing more about the Appearance Matters Conference, hosted by the Centre for Appearance Research (9th – 11th of June 2026), click here:  https://www.uwe.ac.uk/research/centres-and-groups/appearance/news-and-events/am-conference

Appearance Matters 11 abstract submissions are now open and the deadline is the 7th of November!

Cover image by Trevor James

Music by Sian Evans & John Landau: toplinefilm.com

Episode developed and produced by Kat Schneider

Welcome back to Appearance Matters: The Podcast! In this month’s episode, Maia speaks to Prof. Di Harcourt about the development of The Visible Difference Support Hub, a brand new website that is aims to provide easy access to evidence-based support for people with visible differences and their families which has been developed at CAR. Di and Maia talk about the research that has gone into creating these support resources, the development process of the support hub, and the kind of materials people can find on the website.

If you’d like to explore or share The Visible Difference Support Hub please follow this link: https://visibledifferencesupporthub.com/

If you’ve spent time on The Visible Difference Support Hub and would like to provide us with some feedback, please click here: https://uwe.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_57m45grMC7LHeWa

If you’re interested in hearing more about the Centre for Appearance conference, Appearance Matters 11 (9th – 11th of June 2026) click here: https://www.uwe.ac.uk/research/centres-and-groups/appearance/news-and-events/am-conference

Appearance Matters 11 abstract submissions are now open and the deadline is the 30th of October!

Welcome to our 2025 Summer Short Series! We're back with bitesize episodes showcasing recent work from our team at the Centre for Appearance Research!

In this episode, we are joined by Dr Maia Thornton, Senior Research Fellow at CAR, who tells us about her recent paper entitled: The Visible Difference Parenting Toolkit: development of an ACT-based intervention to improve the well-being of parents and caregivers of children with appearance-affecting conditions and injuries.

Maia discusses a support intervention for parents of children with visible differences, which she developed during her PhD.

In this episode, we also introduce two new podcast hosts. Dr Kat Schneider and Dr Ella Guest are both Senior Research Fellows at CAR who will be joining the podcast team.

Read Maia's open access paper: https://academic.oup.com/jpepsy/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jpepsy/jsaf054/8205549

Find out more about the Visible Difference Support Hub https://visibledifferencesupporthub.com/

Cover image by Trevor James

Music by Sian Evans & John Landau: toplinefilm.com

Episode developed and produced by Maia Thornton & Ella Guest

Welcome to our 2025 Summer Short Series! We're back with bitesize episodes showcasing recent work from our team at the Centre for Appearance Research!

In this episode, we are joined by Emma Waite, Research Fellow at CAR, who tells us about her recent paper entitled: “Make sure that everybody feels there is a space for them”: Understanding and promoting appearance inclusivity at university." Emma discusses this qualitative piece of work and what it tells us about how we can improve appearance inclusivity in universities in a meaningful way.

To read the full paper follow this link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1740144524001311

Cover image by Nada via Unsplash

Music by Sian Evans & John Landau: toplinefilm.com

Episode developed and produced by Maia Thornton

Welcome back to Appearance Matters: the podcast!

In this episode, Maia speaks to Ginny Ramseyer-Winter, an Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota, and Savannah Roberts, a PhD student at the University of Pittsburgh. This episode focuses on appearance and body image through the lens of sexuality, sexual health, and gender.

Tune in to hear a great discussion reflecting on the role of appearance ideals and body image in the context of sexual health and relationships, appearance norms across different sexualities and genders, and the importance of intersectionality.

To find out more about the Centre for Appearance Research, follow us:

• On Instagram: www.instagram.com/car_uwe/

• On Facebook: www.facebook.com/AppearanceResearch

Cover image: Igor Rand via Unsplash

Music by Sian Evans & John Landau: toplinefilm.com

Episode developed and produced by Maia Thornton

Nadia, Kirsty and Harriet from CAR talk about an exciting project focused on boosting young children's body image.

Links:

Blippi's Wonderful Talent Show on Neflix https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81910281

Blippi's Wonderful Talent Show on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h281Ojvs0Bc

Research Papers

Protocol: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-20869-z

Outcomes: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2025.101851

Nadia's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nadia.craddock/

Nadia's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadia-craddock/

Music by Sian Evans & John Landau: toplinefilm.com

Episode developed & produced by Nadia Craddock

Welcome back to Appearance Matters: The Podcast! This month’s episode focusses on a project aimed at providing peer support for young people with cleft lip and/or palate. Abbi is joined by Kenny Ardouin, a speech language therapist and lecturer at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. As part of his PhD, Kenny has been involved in running a youth camp for children with cleft aged 10-18. In the episode, Kenny discusses his research background, how this project came about, the practical implications of running a camp and evaluating the camp’s impact on the campers’ wellbeing.

Thanks for listening!

Episode links:

• Kenny's website: www.kennyardouin.com

• Paper (open access): https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10556656251329297

• Camp resources (freely available): https://kennyardouin.com/supplementary-materials/

• Previous episode featuring Kenny: 58. Expanding Support for Adults with a Cleft Lip and/or Palate https://soundcloud.com/appearance-matters/expanding-support-for-adults-with-a-cleft-lip-andor-palate

To find out more about the Centre for Appearance Research, follow us:

• On X: x.com/CAR_UWE

• On Instagram: www.instagram.com/car_uwe/

• On Facebook: www.facebook.com/AppearanceResearch

Please share, subscribe, rate and review. It really does mean a lot.

Thank you!

Music by Sian Evans & John Landau: toplinefilm.com

Cover photo kindly shared by Kenny Ardouin.

Episode developed and produced by Abbi Mathews

Maia speaks to CAR's own Christine Ramsey-Wade (Associate Professor in Counselling Psychology) about her PhD exploring whether mindful eating programs can be beneficial for people experiencing disordered eating. Maia and Christine discuss the research, reflect on the PhD process, and even practice a mindful eating exercise together.

Content warning: Mindful eating exercise starts at 28:52

If you’re currently in recovery for anorexia, the mindful eating exercise focuses on sensations around your stomach which may be triggering and so this exercise might not be for you.

To find out more about mindful eating or try some exercises yourself:

The mindful eating mini meditation: https://www.uwe.ac.uk/research/centres-and-groups/appearance/resources

The mindful eating micro-intervention created and trialled during Christine's PhD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ih1gQTIdvNU

To access the ED support app for Eating Disorder self-help:

https://www.expertselfcare.com/eating-disorder-support-app/