Every Body’s Story

Every Body’s Story

By Emily MickusSociety & Culture
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Every Body’s Story episodes

  • Jamie Spore: Living with a Disability, Body Image Challenges, & Advocating for Inclusiveness

    For the final episode of season one, Jamie joins the podcast to talk about her experiences living life with a disability. Jamie has Hydrocephalus and Spina Bifida, and has been paraplegic since birth. As a kid, she felt deeply self conscious, bitter, and angry that she was different than her peers. She talks about body image and her daily struggles to find confidence. Jamie also tells us how people constantly stare and point, avoid eye contact, and generally assume that she isn’t capable. Despite having some physical limitations, Jamie is a self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie and talks excitedly about skydiving, waterskiing, and the many other sports she enjoys. We also discuss dating, mental health, and the word “inspiring”.

    Later in life, Jamie became passionate about advocacy work. As Ms. Wheelchair Michigan 2016, she used her platform to spread awareness about physical and mental disabilities. Jamie gives practical advice for how able-bodied folks can be more respectful of those with disabilities, and envisions a more inclusive world where we’re all just treated like humans. To end, Jamie talks honestly about where she is now with accepting her body and helping others accept theirs.

    Find Jamie on Facebook at 'Ms. Wheelchair Michigan 2016-Jamie Spore' or email her at [email protected]. Follow the podcast on Instagram @everybodyspodcast, and be sure to like, rate, and share!

    1 hr 6 min
  • Emma Poole: Being Present, Body Pressures in Dance, & Getting Balanced

    Emma tells us about her childhood and the particular moment when she started feeling expectations around her body. These pressures to look a certain way, “like a dancer”, stuck with her through university as she went on to study dance. Emma talks about having a negative relationship with food, the struggles of looking in a mirror all day, and becoming slightly obsessed with what her body looked like. She describes the intense stress and anxiety that came with wanting to change her body. Emma later found a passion for aerial dance and delved into the art form. However, at one point she found herself overtraining and feeling guilty when she wasn’t training. We chat about body comments, social media, being present, and not feeling good enough.

    Emma has made amazing strides with her body image and now lives a much more balanced, sustainable life. She is working on listening to her body, eating and moving intuitively, and not judging foods as good or bad. Emma tells us how she hopes to help others with their mental health struggles - aiming to have less judgement, less pressure, and more balance.

    Find Emma on Instagram @tangledinair. Follow the podcast on Instagram @everybodyspodcast and go to buymeacoffee.com/everybodysstory to donate. Make sure to rate, review, and share!

    45 min
  • Aubrey Wall: Body Confidence Coaching, Eating Disorder Recovery, & Gaining Acceptance
    Aubrey joins the podcast to talk about her experiences dealing with an eating disorder (*trigger warning*), being an athlete, and her work as a body confidence coach. She tells us how her body image changed upon moving away from home and becoming a more competitive athlete. Aubrey started restricting her eating and was later diagnosed with anorexia. She went into intensive treatment and started to recover, though many disordered eating thoughts lingered. We talk about body comments, eating disorder stigma, and diet culture.
    After treatment, Aubrey noticed that there wasn’t much support out there to help someone mentally recover from an eating disorder. She was inspired to start her own business, which aims to provide tools for people who are sick of dieting, struggling with food, or simply just want to find body acceptance. We chat about measuring progress without a scale and the power of being vulnerable and imperfect. We get into social media and the importance of carefully choosing who we follow. Finally, Aubrey shares the difficulties of finding identity after leaving competitive athletics. She explains how 2020 has forced her to slow down, be kinder to herself, and reevaluate why she moves her body.
    Find Aubrey on Instagram @aubreywall and at her website www.trainingforbodyacceptance.com . She also has a podcast, Bodies In Motion, which you can find on major podcast platforms. 
    Follow us on Instagram @everybodyspodcast and go to www.buymeacoffee.com/everybodysstory to donate. Make sure to like, rate, review, and share!
    49 min
  • Oran Leong: Masculinity, Forming a Dance Identity, & Looking Inwards
    Oran talks about his teen years, growing up as many (or all?) of us do, not really loving the way he looked and not feeling like he fit in. Upon starting Irish dancing, gender norms were prevalent and he felt pressure to “be masculine” in his dancing. He talks about his experience in competitive dance - the pressure, criticism, and often unhealthy relationships with food that surrounded him. Oran tells us about getting into contemporary dance, and how it’s allowed him to be vulnerable and focus on the way his body feels. He also describes his experience with aerial dance and how it came into his life at the perfect time.
    We chat about toxic masculinity, gender as a spectrum, social media, and the issues that can come with caring deeply about image. Oran explains why he intentionally posts about all aspects of his life, especially the mundane, real parts. He talks about how far he’s come with accepting, letting go, and being comfortable with himself. Oran tells us about how challenging it can be to get respect as a dancer and how lockdown helped him slow down. Finally, he talks about injuries, not pushing through the pain, and being grateful for good health.
    Find Oran on Facebook at Oran Leong Dance and Instagram @ealaineyes. 
    Follow the podcast @everybodyspodcast and go to www.buymeacoffee.com/everybodysstory to donate. Make sure to like, rate, review, and share!
    58 min
  • Margo Mitchell: Finding a Fitness Community, Battling Brain Cancer, & Feeling your Feelings

    Margo talks about feeling like the biggest, tallest girl growing up, and how it affected her self-image. She restricted her eating from a young age and struggled to stop comparing herself to other girls. We talk about femininity, sports, and the expectations of other people. Margo opens up about dating, and how her body image sometimes held her back. We chat about seeking validation, feeling attractive, and settling. Margo tells us about a stranger’s comment in college and how it started her down a difficult path. However, after transferring schools, Margo found an amazing fitness community where she re-ignited her passion for moving and living healthily. She later found CrossFit, which helped her focus even more on strength rather than thinness.

    Margo then talks about getting diagnosed with brain cancer last year. She is incredibly open and honest about how the diagnosis has affected her - emotionally, mentally, and physically. Margo explains how she feels frustrated with her body but is trying to give herself grace. We discuss guilt, mental health, and accepting your feelings. Now, Margo is working hard to be more balanced (literally and figuratively), listen to her body, and do what feels good for her.

    Find Margo on Instagram @magicalmargo. Follow the podcast @everybodyspodcast and go to www.buymeacoffee.com/everybodysstory to donate. And make sure to like, rate, review, and share!

    55 min
  • Annabelle Bugay: Quitting Competition, Dancing and Living with Balance, & Making Your Own Path

    Annabelle talks about her experiences in the competitive Irish dance world. As a teen, she already had body image issues that were made worse in dance class, and she began focusing heavily on her appearance. We chat about wearing booty shorts, associating weight with skill, and disordered eating. Annabelle shares how she struggled with perfectionism, and how she felt that becoming the hardest working dancer would give her more respect. We discuss the toxic environment that can come with Irish dance (or any sport), and how Annabelle is breaking that cycle by creating a more positive teaching environment. Next, Annabelle tells us about her major transition out of competition and into new styles of dance. She talks about jumping off the deep end, starting over in a new city, and dealing with identity issues. While this transition certainly came with obstacles, Annabelle is much happier now and feels that she's truly in the right place. She explains that once she stopped comparing herself and doing things to please others, she was able to actually do what she enjoys and find her own path.

    Find Annabelle on Instagram @annabellebugaydance and Facebook @Annabelle Bugay Dance and Music. Follow the podcast @everybodyspodcast and go to www.buymeacoffee.com/everybodysstory to donate. And be sure to like, rate, review, and share!

    47 min
  • Aleshia Ali: Joyful Movement, Ignoring the Scale, & Realizing Your Power
    Aleshia, a Body Positive Personal Trainer and Movement Coach, tells us her story. She describes growing up as ‘the chubby kid’, and how she started dieting at a young age. Aleshia takes us through the ups and downs of her relationship with fitness, from her academic studies, to using fitness for her own wellbeing, to working in a toxic gym environment. Aleshia discusses the pressure she felt to become the smallest version of herself. She talks about feeling like a “before” picture, overtraining, and changing the media she consumes. Then, we delve into Aleshia’s current work as a coach. She helps clients find movement they enjoy, change their internal dialogue, and discover non-scale victories. We chat about racism, representation, and how many areas have limited access to gyms and healthy food. Finally, Aleshia shares how she’s finally found her power, community and purpose in the fitness world.
    Find Aleshia on Instagram & Twitter @leeshletics and at www.leeshletics.com. Follow the podcast @everybodyspodcast and go to www.buymeacoffee.com/everybodysstory to donate. And be sure to like, rate, review, and share!
    57 min
  • Sam Winter: Being Active, The Universality of Food Struggles, & Co-Existing with your Body
    Sam shares her experiences growing up as an active child and competitive diver. We talk about comparison, feeling that your body is wrong, and the subtle messages that are present in the diving world. As Sam got older and became more aware of her own body, she started forming an unhealthy relationship with food. This relationship became more complicated in college, as Sam studied opera performance and dealt with new body pressures. We discuss being judged, wanting to be the “cool girl”, and gaining weight.
    Sam then talks about her PhD and her work related to eating and bodies. She explains what drew her to this field, and the many lessons she’s learned. Sam is knowledgeable about numerous topics, from eating disorder stigma to the issue of equating weight with health. One of her research studies involved making a mental model of our bodies, and found that certain people view specific sections of their bodies as much larger than they are. She also worked for a company that made a 3D body scanner in an attempt to give users an objective view of their bodies. Sam discusses the great potential for the scanner, but also explains the struggles of working in this environment. Finally, Sam talks about her current relationship with her body, and how a recent boudoir photoshoot was the best thing she’s ever done for her body image.
    Find Sam on Instagram @wildsamon and read the article she mentions here: https://nakedlabs.com/bodystories/body-fat-what-does-it-look-like. Check out the podcast on Instagram @everybodyspodcast and head to www.buymeacoffee.com/everybodysstory to donate. And make sure to like, follow, review, and share!
    58 min
  • Danielle Stillman: Learning Your Worth, Eating Disorder Recovery, & Balance in Irish Dance
    Danielle talks about her experiences growing up, and how she received the message that thinness is valued and should be the goal. Upon entering the Irish dance world, Danielle became focused on being strong and healthy, which turned into an unhealthy mindset. We talk about the pervasive ideas in many competitive Irish dance environments, like rampant self-criticism, comparison, and an all-or-nothing mentality. Danielle explains how peoples' attitudes around her changed when she gained weight during college, and we discuss dating, fatphobia, working out, and catcalling. Danielle speaks openly about her struggles with food, self-worth, and body image, and how she was eventually diagnosed with an eating disorder (*trigger warning*). She discusses her recovery and how she’s now finding true balance and beating herself up less. We chat about Health At Every Size, the fitness community, and getting rid of the "good" and "bad" labels on food. To end, Danielle talks about mental health, what inspired her to become a social worker, and focusing on what our bodies CAN do. 
    Find Danielle on Instagram @dynam1te.dan. Follow the podcast @everybodyspodcast and make sure to rate, review, and share! Go to www.buymeacoffee.com/everybodysstory to donate the price of a coffee.
    Also, check out www.irishdanceglobe.com and read Dani's article on Medium: www.medium.com/@emailingdani/how-irish-dancing-fed-my-eating-disorder-689be75de78f
    50 min
  • Katie Hoad: Exercise Science, Pressure to Change your Body, & Helping Others through Movement
    Katie joins the podcast to talk about her journey as an aspiring exercise scientist. She describes her childhood and the important role that athletics played in her life. In college, Katie started feeling negatively about her body, and she opens up about her ongoing journey with body acceptance. We discuss how studying and eventually working in the exercise science field could lead to feelings of inadequacy and imposter syndrome. Still, Katie explains what inspired her to enter the field and how passionate she is about helping others. We chat about quality of life, being a picky eater, the benefits of exercise, and not knowing someone’s situation or needs by looking at them. Lastly, Katie talks about managing a mild form of epilepsy, its challenges, and how it's helped make her more self-aware and conscious of her limits.
    Find Katie on Instagram @kthoad. And follow the podcast @everybodyspodcast. Go to www.buymeacoffee.com/everybodysstory to donate the price of a coffee, and don't forget to like, follow, review, and share!
    53 min

About Every Body’s Story

From the publisher's feed

Discussing all things body-related in an open, inclusive environment. We cover body image, social media, dance/movement, mental health, the diet industry, body positivity, and more. Featuring a…