Bod Almighty

Do you shy away from the camera? Are you always behind the lens but not in front of it?

In this episode of Bod Almighty we talk to the incredible Meagan Kerr. Meagan (Ngāi Tahu / Kāti Māmoe / Ngāti Kahungunu) has been featured in Sunday Magazine, Stuff.co.nz and Woman Magazine and appeared on The AM Show, Newshub Live and Seven Sharp talking about body liberation and plus size fashion.

By day, Meagan is a social media community manager. By night, she writes about plus size style and her life as a fat woman. Meagan comes from a long line of photographers and used to retouch / digitally alter photos of other people in her day job. She always avoided being in front of the camera until something changed her mind…

If you wish you had more confidence to be in the photo do NOT miss these bits:

• No longer with us – who do you wish you’d taken a snap with? (09:35)

• Why Meagan ditched “thinspiration” and what happened next (15:40)

• How to “break up” with someone on social media (19:30)

• Meagan chats “thirst traps”! Raaaaow! (21:00)

• Dog ears and babies with moustaches: love ’em or hate ‘em? (23:40)

• Join the challenge! Post using the hashtag #bodalmightyphotochallenge (28:00)

If you loved this episode make sure to check out Season One of Bod Almighty including these guests:

• Monique Doy - How to Break out of your Safe Clothes Uniform

• Evie Kemp – How to Bare Your Arms

We just want to be confident, right? Feel secure in ourselves, our bodies, our talents and our lives? Walk into a room and feel like a BOSS?

In this episode of Bod Almighty we speak with Amanda LaCount who has been dancing since she was two years old and has performed with some of the biggest names in music including: Rihanna, Lizzo, Meghan Trainor, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Nicky Minaj. As an influencer Amanda has her own movement - #breakingthestereotype™ - via which she smashes the idea that all dancers must be tall, thin and blonde!

At age 21, Amanda radiates joy, purpose and that all-elusive confidence that so many of us crave. Check out this episode to grab some for yourself.

Don’t miss these bits!

• Amanda got kicked out of a dance studio because of the way her body looked. Listen up for what happened next… (3:50)

• Amanda tells us how to feel “like the hottest person in the world”! (7:30)

• Gettin’ bolder - How to wear a bikini (12:30)

• Amanda freaks out before the Savage X Fenty show where she has to dance in lingerie. Learn how she worked through it! (18:30)

If you loved this episode, make sure to check out Bod Almighty Season One guests including:

• Lillian Ahenkan / Flex Mami: How to Figure Yourself Out and Why Bother

• Kristina Bruce: How to Care Less About What Others Think of You

Who are we and why did we create this podcast? If you’re a nosy parker like us you are going to love this episode!

The Bod Almighty podcast is about confidence, freedom, compassion and community. Each episode is a clear and concise "How to" covering topics such as: nutrition, style, exercise, mental health, parenting and confidence. We make sure there are practical exercises, action steps and advice packed into every episode. But why did we make it and who the hell are we?? Introducing, your hosts, Michelle Sokolich and Hannah Tunnicliffe!

As creators, we have our own experiences with dieting, disordered eating and negative body image. As soon as we met - listen to find out how! - we knew we wanted to work together. Between us we have six daughters and want to leave a legacy of positive body image, confidence, courage and joy.

Join us in this special, one-off episode to learn about us and our journey with food, freedom and our bodies. There are some tears and lots of lols!

In this bare-all episode on Bod Almighty we cover:

- What we loved about our bodies when we were kids (around 1:00)

- When we learned that some bodies were more valuable in our society than others (around 2:40)

- How we learned those concepts (around 3:45)

- Hannah’s first diet (around 6:15)

- Michelle’s memory of getting praise after losing weight: “That was it: I was hooked!” (around 7:45)

- “The one thing in life I couldn’t conquer.” (around 8:45)

- The last diet Michelle ever went on (around 10:00)

- Cathartic tears! (around 10:30)

- “It was pretty dark…the constant obsession with food” (around 11:30)

- Hannah’s journey with disordered eating (around 12:50)

- The final straw (around 15:00)

- What a chump! When Hannah figured out all humans die (around 16:30)

- Michelle’s “aha moment” (around 18:00)

- Hot tip: For people who want to understand “Health at every size”: Check out “The Lindo episode” (around 18:30)

- When we find it hard to accept our bodies (around 19:30)

- Anxiety and dieting (around 20:00)

- “Can’t go under it, can’t go over it, just got to go through it” (around 21:30)

- We still struggle with our body image (around 22:40)

- Michelle loves being naked in the ocean! (around 23:30)

- Hannah’s favourite folk – um, you people! (around 25:00)

- What we wish we could tell our younger selves (around 25:30)

- The impact of The Karen Carpenter Story (around 26:00)

- Becoming thinner is not magic (around 26:30)

- Hot tip: Write down your magical life “When I am thinner…”

- What motivates us to continue working to accept our bodies (around 28:45)

- “They’re the reason I put on my togs and walk down to the water like it’s nothing” (around 30:00)

- Eek! Why Michelle doesn’t want anyone to listen to this episode! (around 32:00)

- The one thing Michelle really wants people to know about her (around 33:00)

- The one thing Hannah really wants people to know about her (around 34:30)

- When your husband calls you “righteous” (around 35:00)

- “We are here for the nuance” (around 36:15)

- We don’t think you are a bad person or wrong if you are trying to lose weight! (around 36:45)

- Final, very important questions: What’s your star sign and can you bear pineapple on pizza? (around 37:30)

Resources:

Join our Bod Almighty Pod Squad: www.bodalmighty.com

Bod Almighty IG: @bodalmightypodcast

Isabel Foxen Duke: https://isabelfoxenduke.com/

Has your child told you “I’m fat!”? How did you feel? How did you respond? Do you wish you had the perfect thing to say?

Emma Wright has the expert advice for you! Emma Wright is an internationally recognised expert in eating disorder prevention, parent training and public speaking. Having worked with hundreds of parents in her coaching practice & online programs as well as presenting in dozens of schools, Emma has proven that conventional parenting methods to prevent body image issues are flawed at best. Instead, Emma offers a powerful new approach to parents and family who are worried about body image. Emma is thoughtful, experienced and compassionate and we are so excited to share her findings with you!

In this episode you’ll get practical, step-by-gentle-step advice on how to talk to your kids about their bodies, body diversity and body size in ways that aren’t overwhelming!

In this jam-packed episode on Bod Almighty we cover:

- Why your child saying “I’m fat” is so emotional for parents (around 02:00)

- The incredible research that shows what kids think of people in larger bodies from as early as age five (around 05:00)

- Why this experience is surprisingly universal (around 06:00)

- Why “I’m fat” is actually not about size (around 06:30)

- What your kid is really saying when they say “I’m fat” and why their age makes a difference (around 07:00)

- Hot tip: Two incredible questions to give you “aha!” insights about your role in your child’s body image journey (from 09:00)

- A common belief you might have about protecting your child (09:40)

- Why protecting kids from pain and supporting kids through pain are two different things (around 11:00)

- The top three greatest hits of what NOT to say (around 12:00)

- Why these aren’t great responses and how it can impact your relationship and their views about fatness / larger bodies (around 13:00)

- Why you shouldn’t feel guilty if you have said any of these things (around 15:00)

- Hot tip: Emma’s simple challenge that can make a huge shift (around 17:30)

- What you could or should say when your child says “I’m fat” (around 21:20)

- Why curiosity is important (around 22:30)

- Hot tip: The easy thing to do if the statement is genuinely triggering for you (around 23:30)

- The amazing teenage brain expert who has informed Emma’s advice (around 25:20)

- When Emma drops the truth-bomb – “We’re not going to get kids who don’t have painful experiences, no-one gets to have one of those.” (28:30)

- How many times you might have to have this conversation and how and when to have it (around 29:30)

Resources:

Emma’s website: https://www.emmawright.co.nz/

Emma’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1295337737328192/

Emma’s amazing practical workbook – “Raising Body Confident Kids”: https://www.amazon.com/Raising-Body-Confident-Kids-practical/dp/0473495317

More about Teen brain expert Michelle Icard: https://michelleicard.com/

Do you wear the same clothes day-in, day-out? Do you feel like you are wearing a uniform every day? Do you wish you could break out of wearing all black or jeggings or the same-old, same-old but you just don’t know how?

Monique Doy is here to show you how! Monique is a stylist who specializes in women sized 14+. She runs a styling support group – “Own Your Style” - on Facebook and a plus-sized buy and sell group with over 18,000 members, is a Facebook Community trainer, writes about fashion for Stuff.co.nz, has been featured on Radio New Zealand and Breakfast on Television New Zealand and provides personalized styling services. She is vibrant, wise and funny and we are so excited to share her with you!

In this episode you’ll get practical, step-by-gentle-step advice on how to break out of your uniform to find and wear clothes that feel really good and express your personality.

In this jam-packed episode on Bod Almighty we cover:

- How many striped t-shirts Monique had in her wardrobe after having her children and how she really gets “the safe clothes uniform” (around 01:45)

- When Monique started thinking about herself again (around 03:35)

- Why Monique particularly enjoys working with women sized 14+

- Why Monique said: “I’ve had three hours sleep, I just need to not be naked!”

- What we really mean when we say “that looks flattering”

- Hot tip: how to simply change one thing and the power of Monique’s green cardigan (around 10:00)

- Where to find style inspiration and support

- When comfort clothes and a pair of jeggings are totally okay

- How to have fun with fashion and dopamine dressing

- Hot tip: Where to find incredible secondhand clothes (around 17:10)

- Why we don’t return clothes we’ve bought and how to

- Why shop assistants can be scary or amazing

- When Monique totally nails Michelle’s style (around 23:00)

- How Monique feels about “the capsule wardrobe”

- When Monique says “Your body is going to change every day, every single day for the rest of your life.” (around 25:20)

- Hot tip: How to figure out what the heck you like (around 27:00)

- What Michelle’s Pinterest board is chock full of (around 27:00)

- Who not to shop with (around 28:00)

- Hot tip: Where to find buddies! (around 31:00)

Resources:

Monique’s website: https://www.dressingup.co.nz/about

Joining Monique’s styling group: https://www.dressingup.co.nz/buy

Monique’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/monique_doy_/

Plus-sized buy and sell page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1508904566089154/

Jo from iCurvy (plus size woman in chambray shirt and giant tutu!) : https://www.instagram.com/icurvy/?hl=en

Are you hooked on exercise? Do you freak out when you can’t exercise exactly as you think you should? Or does exercise fill you with dread? How do you know if your relationship with exercise has become toxic and what can you do about it?

Sabine McKenzie is the sage for you, with real, lived experience of breaking up and making up with exercise. Sabine is an eating disorder recovery coach and passionate body image educator. After her own experience with an eating disorder Sabine founded her business – “Core Confidence” - to provide preventative education to schools and community groups, speak out against diet culture and encourage us all to value our worth beyond our image. Carolyn Costin Institute trained, Sabine now provides the 1:1 support she craved when she was struggling in her recovery – helping her clients to decrease feelings of loneliness, provide hope and set the example that full recovery is possible.

In this episode you’ll get practical, step-by-gentle-step advice on how to figure out if your relationship with exercise is uncool, what to do about it and how to move your bod in ways that are fun, freeing and enjoyable!

In this lol-filled episode on Bod Almighty we cover:

- How Sabine knew her approach to exercise was unhelpful (around 3:00)

- Why “the why” is so important! (around 3:30)

- Whether you should be looking for physical measures to understand if your relationship with exercise is toxic or if there are other key indicators (around 5:45)

- Who to talk to if you are unsure whether your relationship with exercise is healthy or not (around 7:30)

- Hot tip: An easy, revealing exercise to dig into your exercise intentions (around 7:45)

- Hannah’s “aha moment” (around 8:30)

- Okay, so your relationship with exercise is a bit funky, what should you do? (around 9:00)

- Sabine’s courageous decision (around 9:30)

- The conundrum with exercise and mental health (around 11:20)

- Uncovering and challenging beliefs around exercise (around 12:00)

- Hot tip: How to ease into taking it easy! (around 13:00)

- How to start “making up” with exercise (around 15:00)

- One thing you really should put to the side to have a better relationship with body movement (around 16:00)

- Sabine’s key measures to knowing when exercise is serving her, rather than her serving it (around 16:30)

- The one place Michelle, Hannah and Sabine aren’t keen on (around 17:30)

- Sabine’s genius hack! (around 18:30)

- Hot tip:  A fun way to explore types of movement you might be curious about (around 22:30)

- Have you thought about including “play” in your definition of movement? (around 25:30)

- Which one of us has been to a dance party at 6am… more than once? (around 26:00)

- Hannah’s secret exercise curiosity (around 28:30)

- Sabine’s secret exercise curiosity that we ALL want to do. Hint: it involves PUPPIES! (around 29:00)

- How to use social media to your advantage to get a great relationship with exercise (around 30:30)

Resources:

Sabine’s website: https://www.coreconfidence.net/eating-disorder-recovery-support

Sabine’s instagram accounts: https://www.instagram.com/coreconfidenceperth/

https://www.instagram.com/sabine.mckenzie/

Sabine’s Body Esteem Programme (a resource for educators): https://www.coreconfidence.net/bep-resource

If you’re confused about which carbs to eat, when to eat them and how much then join the club! It’s baffling out there! Nutritionist Kate Spina is here to help us understand our sweet potatoes from our white potatoes and sort fact from sales pitch. You might be surprised at what she has to say!

Kate Spina is a qualified nutritionist, chef and eating disorder survivor/thriver and there is no-one better equipped to help us understand the world of carbohydrates. Kate is also a trusted media expert and creator of the Diet Jailbreak program. She is currently based in Sydney, Australia and serves as a diet and super food debunker, striving to empower people overwhelmed by food to ditch the confusion and take charge of their physical and mental health.

In this episode you're going to learn what a carb is, how to eat carbs and why you should eat carbs.

In this fact-packed episode on Bod Almighty we cover:

- What are carbohydrates? (around 1:30)

- Did you know that dairy products are carbohydrates? (around 2:15)

- The difference between white potato and sweet potato and what the heck is sweet potato toast? (around 2:40)

- Why GI is not as important as we think (around 3:30)

- The link with a “plant-based” diet (around 4:30)

- How carbs have gotten bad press (around 5:00)

- Macro and micro nutrients (around 5:30)

- Why green vegetables are great but not everything (around 7:15)

- Hot tip: Try this exercise: which foods are you afraid of? Which foods do you avoid these days? Which foods do you feed others (e.g. your family) but not yourself? Think about your favourite foods from childhood (around 9:15)

- How to consider wholegrains and why (around 11:30)

- Kate’s secret, favourite carbohydrate! (around 12:30)

- What are the only foods with fibre in them? Do you know? (around 14:00)

- An unexpected reason why variety is critical (around 14:30)

- What Kate eats with her election day sausage. Hint: it’s not pumpernickel (around 15:30)

- If food is fuel then what is the air in your tyres? (around 16:30)

- How to find fibre if you are eating gluten-free (around 18:00)

- What lockdown taught us about the value of refined carbohydrates (around 19:00)

- Advice if you have dieted or restricted your food a lot in your past (around 20:00)

- Michelle and Hannah’s personal experiences with unpicking old dieting behaviours and beliefs (around 22:00)

- Hot tip: Kate shares an exercise to consider how our mood is impacted by how we are eating carbs (around 25:00)

- What led Kate to feel “murdery” (around 25:15)

- The links between stress, serotonin and carbs - this might surprise you! (around 26:30)

- How women react to some of the current fad diets compared to men (around 28:30)

- Hot tip: Kate’s super-yummy advice and exercise for where to start with exploring carbs

- How you know you are eating enough (around 32:00)

- Where to book a free chat with The Amazing Kate Spina (around 33:00)

Resources:

Kate’s website: www.katespinanutrition.com

Kate’s instagram: @katespinasnutrition

We all want success and hope to be special and important but how? How can we create a life for ourselves that feels like our version of success? Lillian Ahenkan has done exactly that and now has a book stuffed full of her tips, wisdom, experience, advice and warm vibes. At the heart of her success and confidence is self knowledge! Which is why this episode will tell you how to figure yourself out (and why bother).

Lillian Ahenkan, otherwise known as Flex Mami or Flex, is an As Seen Everywhere success story. She is a DJ, MTV presenter, Big Brother Australia Contestant, Social Commentator and Influencer and has not one but four podcasts. Flex is also the CEO and founder of the conversation card game: ReFlex.

Flex was the winner of E Online’s People’s Choice Award for Influencer of the Year in 2020, winner of Instagram Australia’s Young Entrepreneur of 2020 and a finalist for Cosmopolitan’s Beauty Influencer of the Year in 2018. Flex describes herself as “a doer of things” and now, in June this year she added “author” to her resume, releasing “The Success Experiment”, published by Pantera Press, which is described as “A joyful, confident, razor sharp and exquisitely modern plan to creating success in a way that is meaningful to you.”

In this episode you are going to find out why learning about yourself may be the best thing you can do for your confidence.

In this super helpful episode on Bod Almighty we cover:

- How Dean Winchester from Supernatural and the Hogwarts sorting hat inspired Flex to seek out personality tests (around 2:30)

- Which Hogwart’s house Flex is in – can you guess? (around 4:15)

- Hot tip: One of the incredible benefits of learning about yourself (around 6:00)

- What people thought of Flex in high school (around 8:00)

- The link between self awareness and confidence (around 8:30 )

- Conviction and trusting yourself (around 9:00)

- Why Flex knows for sure she is special and important (around 11:00)

- “Pretty privilege” and the beauty standards Flex grew up with (around 11:30)

- Our favourite story - What Flex’s Mum did to her teeth! (around 12:00)

- Two opposing things can be true! (around 16:00)

- How the world lies to us about who can be successful (around 18:00)

- What Flex does when “Miss Insecurity” drops by (around 19:30)

- “Your insecurity is showing you the blueprint” (around 20:00)

- Flex’s current insecurity (around 21:00)

- How Hannah invited her eating disordered mindset to help her (around 22:00)

- Why this conversation might be hard for lots of people (around 23:00)

- Hot tip: Do your insecurities still exist if you strip away external validation? Try this thought exercise (around 23:30)

- How to challenge body change goals – and why you might be resisting doing so! (around 25:30)

- How this relates to Flex’s experience with dating (around 26:30)

- The interesting reason why you might resist the ideas of body positivity and intuitive eating (around 29:00)

- Why you can’t just “sit in your flesh sack” and hope to feel better about yourself (around 31:00)

- A story about one of Flex Mami’s Instagram posts (around 32:00)

- Hot tip: Flex’s eleven critical questions for self reflection from page 76 of her book “The Success Experiment” (around 33:00)

- Michelle’s favourite question from Flex’s list (around 33:30)

- Hannah’s favourite question from Flex’s list (around 35:30)

- “I feel like a baby porcupine” (around 37:30)

Resources:

Flex’s instagram: @flex.mami

Do you hate your arms? Do you wear long sleeves and cardigans even when it is boiling hot? Do you wish you could free your arms and wear all sleeveless things?

Evie Kemp is the inspiration for you! Evie is a multi-hyphenate Creative and Creative Cheerleader in all things colour, design and home. She is an illustrator, artist and designer who design homes and things to go in homes including prints, textiles and interiors. She has supported various charities with her interior design skills and artwork including Pet Refuge NZ, Woven Earth and Te Whānau Rangimarie. Evie is also the author of the interior design e-book and enthusiasts guide to maximalist décor entitled “Much”.

In this joy-filled episode you’ll get practical, personal advice on how to be more confident and free in baring and sharing your arms with the world. Lots of belly laughs and personal stories plus three challenges you can try at home!

In this special, personal episode on Bod Almighty we cover:

- When Evie became “hung up on arms” (around 1:00)

- The family member whose arms Evie has never seen (around 1:30)

- Evie’s confession about a judgement she made as a child (around 3:15)

- A vulnerable story from Evie (around 5:30)

- Hot Tip: An activity to consider the people in your life who use their arms to show their life #hugspo (around 6:50)

- What the pashmina scene from Shrill and Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak have to do with it (around 9:30)

- Psychological discomfort versus physical discomfort – shame versus sweat (around 10:40)

- What finally lead Evie to think “I’ve got to get over this!” (around 11:30)

- Who on instagram inspired Evie and how she changed her brain (around 13:00)

- Why Michelle feels like she has taken the red pill in the Matrix (around 14:30)

- How Evie feels about her arms now (around 15:30)

- Evie’s clever bribe and “sweetener” to help her love her arms (around 16:15)

- Hot tip: Something fun to incentivize you to show your arms! (around 17:40)

- How showing her arms has made a difference to Evie’s life (around 19:00)

- Hurrah! Confidence and weather-appropriate clothing! (around 20:20)

- Michelle asks “Do you think other even people care about your arms?” (around 21:50)

- Are you judging others as well as yourself? (around 22:50)

- Evie comes up with THE BEST quote that we want to put on a (sleeveless) t -shirt! (around 23:45)

- The beautiful thing that happens when you drop the self-loathing (around 24:00)

- Hot tip: Evie’s very cool (literally!) exercise: The Seven Day Sleeveless Challenge (around 27:00)

Resources:

Evie’s website: https://www.eviekemp.com/

Evie’s instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eviekemp/?hl=en

Evie’s delicious artwork for sale: https://www.eviekemp.com/shop

If you’re exhausted from worrying about what other people think of you or find yourself held back because you’re scared of what other people might think – this is the episode for you!

Kristina Bruce is a Certified Integrative Life Coach and Body Trust® Provider. She specializes in helping people break free from dieting and negative body image. Calling upon her education in health studies, sociology, yoga, meditation, and self-inquiry methodologies, Kristina works one-on-one to help people develop a positive relationship with themselves so they can live empowering and fulfilled lives, in the bodies that they have. In this episode Kristina helps us understand why we care about what other people think and what to do about it.

In this vital, moving episode on Bod Almighty we cover:

- Why we care about what other people think of us (around 1:00)

- What looking for other people’s approval has to do with survival (around 2:30)

- How we can pick up approval / disapproval “by osmosis” (around 4:30)

- How empathy and sensitivity might impact your comprehension of social cues (around 6:00)

- Questioning where your thoughts and self judgments have come from (around 7:45)

- How thoughts become habitual (around 10.00)

- Hot tip: A question for “digging deeper” into judgments you worry others might have about you (around 11.00)

- If other people are thinking something about you – why does it matter? (around 12:30)

- How to create separation between ourselves and our thoughts and feelings (around 13:30)

- Pulling away the layers of conditioning and belief (around 15:30)

- Hot tip: An incredible visualization exercise for beliefs and judgments you have about your body (around 16:00)

- What this exercise brought up for Michelle (around 17:00)

- What this exercise brought up for Hannah (around 18:00)

- How to put into perspective other people’s judgments (around 19:30)

- If you feel triggered by someone else’s judgment what could actually be going on for you (around 20:30)

- Having compassion for the person judging you (around 21:00)

- Empowering yourself rather than focusing on others (around 25:00)

- Do you feel like you are unworthy? (around 25:30)

- Hot tip: An empowering exercise to figure out which of our thoughts and beliefs are unhelpful or untrue (around 26:00)

- How to work with the thought “I am ugly” (around 27:45)

- The benefits to aging (around 30:30)

Resources:

Check out the free “Body Acceptance Jumpstart Guide”, available on Kristina’s website: www.kristinabruce.com

Instagram: @Kristinabrucecoach

Facebook: Kristina Bruce coach