Leslie Jordan Garcia (she/her) experienced a racially motivated betrayal that started her eating disorder. Recovery led her to specialize in coaching racialized people through their own eating disorders. She shares how we can individually liberate ourselves, engage in intersectional healing, and stop demonizing our cultural foods.  

Leslie is a multi-certified ED recovery and fitness professional who is on a mission to dismantle barriers to ED treatment and fitness. She holds dual master’s degrees in business administration and public health, with a career across healthcare, education, and non-profit sectors. She feels fortunate to combine her expertise with the additional lived experience at the intersections of binge eating disorder recovery and joy-filled life in a larger body and loves being the Hype ED Recovery Coach!

Please connect with Leslie on Instagram and Ko-fi. And check out her podcast too. 

This episode’s poem is called “Gather” by Rose McLarney.

Connect with Fat Joy on the website, Instagram, subscribe to the Fat Joy newsletter, and watch full video episodes on YouTube. 

Want to share some fattie love? Please rate this podcast and give it a joyful review. 

Our thanks to Chris Jones and AR Media for keeping this podcast looking and sounding joyful.

A bonus minisode where each guest answers 10 surprising questions with unexpected results. Hilarity ensues.

Manny Martins-Karman (she/her) was stuck in Covid lockdown thinking she would have lots of time for her abstract art. But that didn’t happen. Instead, she felt disconnected. So, she posted a fashion video like what she’d seen her fave influencers do. A few videos later, Manny went viral. She shares how playing with clothes has led to her being told that she’s changing people’s lives. 

Manny Martins-Karman is an artist, graphic designer, fashionista, wife, mother, coffee drinker, and people watcher. During the Covid lock-downs, inspired by her favourite creators, she posted videos and quickly became part of an inspiring community that uses fashion as a form of creativity. She uses her closet and outfits to bring joy to those who follow her. #wearwhatmakesyouhappy

Please connect with Manny on Instagram and tiktok. 

Link to Deepa Iyer’s Social Change Map. 

This episode’s poem is “Triple Sonnet for my Aggressive Forehead”  by Dorothy Chan

Connect with Fat Joy on the website, Instagram, subscribe to the Fat Joy newsletter, and watch full video episodes on YouTube. 

Want to share some fattie love? Please rate this podcast and give it a joyful review. 

Our thanks to Chris Jones and AR Media for keeping this podcast looking and sounding joyful.

A bonus minisode where each guest answers 10 surprising questions with unexpected results. Hilarity ensues.

Aaron Flores (he/him) talks to men about their body stories. As a fat man, he spent years weight cycling and then advising others on weight loss as a dietitian. He shares his own experiences with diet culture and masculinity and how he found his way to intuitive eating, which completely changed his professional dietitian practice. Aaron and Sophia discuss how diet culture shows up differently for men, and Aaron describes how dieting can be explained by Star Wars.  

Aaron Flores is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Body Trust® provider with a private practice in Calabasas, CA.  Aaron uses Intuitive Eating, Health at Every Size®, and Body Trust® as the framework to help individuals develop a more compassionate, non-judgmental approach to food and their body.  In addition to his individual work with clients, he is also a podcaster. His two shows are Men Unscripted and, Dietitians Unplugged. 

Please connect with Aaron through his website and Instagram.

This episode’s poem is “Teller of Tales” by Gabriela Mistral.

Connect with Fat Joy on the website, Instagram, subscribe to the Fat Joy newsletter, and watch full video episodes on YouTube. 

Want to share some fattie love? Please rate this podcast and give it a joyful review. 

Our thanks to Chris Jones and AR Media for keeping this podcast looking and sounding joyful.

A bonus minisode where each guest answers 10 surprising questions with unexpected results. Hilarity ensues.

Annie Nardolilli (she/her) and Louisa Hall (she/her) are the singers/songwriters behind the musical comedy group, Griefcat. In this hilarious conversation, they share how they became ‘musical soulmates,’ what sparked their maximalist on-stage aesthetic, and why being fat is their superpower. Also, they sing to us.

Griefcat is an all-women musical comedy duo hailed as “local favorites” by Washington City Paper in their hometown of DC. Often referred to as “Tenacious Double D’s” due to their musicality and hilarious lyrics, their sequin studded shows have brightened stages across the country. They’ve dazzled social media too —just one of their tunes, Revolution (Poop at Work) has over 15 Million views across tiktok and Instagram. Relatability for all is at the core of their lyrics; as Questlove commented on a recent clip, “I feel seen.”

Please connect with Griefcat on their website, Instagram, YouTube, and Spotify. 

This episode’s poem is “I love you to the moon &” by chen chen.

Connect with Fat Joy on the website, Instagram, subscribe to the Fat Joy newsletter, and watch full video episodes on YouTube. 

Want to share some fattie love? Please rate this podcast and give it a joyful review. 

Our thanks to Chris Jones and AR Media for keeping this podcast looking and sounding joyful. 

A bonus minisode where each guest answers 10 surprising questions with unexpected results. Hilarity ensues.

Mermaid Chè Monique (she/her), one of the stars of the Netflix documentary “MerPeople,” shares how each time she puts her tail on, she’s defying stereotypes of what it is to be fat and Black. She’s the founder of the Society of Fat Mermaids and developing an online school for folks interested in learning about mermaiding. She practices living from a place of joy and gives tips for how we can also. 

Mermaid Chè Monique is a DC area based mermaid performer, model and MERtivational speaker. She is the founder of Society of Fat Mermaids, a size inclusive clothing line and celebratory community. Chè is a leader in the mer world who encourages education and inclusivity through work such as her online panel discussions, serving as an advisor for the Mermaid at Any Age community and online movements such at #MerfolkForBlackLives. Education and water safety are very important to Chè who is building out an online learning platform called, School for Fish. Chè Monique is also a NAUI Mermaid Instructor and partners with the Rising Tide Effect to spread messages on water safety. 

Please connect with Chè Monique through her website and Instagram as well as the Society of Fat Mermaids Instagram. 

This episode’s poem is called “Country of Water ” written by Mahogany L. Browne.

Connect with Fat Joy on the website, Instagram, subscribe to the Fat Joy newsletter, and watch full video episodes on YouTube. 

Want to share some fattie love? Please rate this podcast and give it a joyful review. 

Our thanks to Chris Jones and AR Media for keeping this podcast looking and sounding joyful.

Kristy Elesko (she/her) is back to talk about three common injuries: plantar fasciitis, knee pain, and tension headaches. In this very practical conversation, she shares exercises that can help heal these injuries, obstacles that may be encountered because of body size, and some practical ways to self-advocate.

Kristy Elesko is a massage therapist and massage therapy educator in Victoria BC (lands of the Songhees, Esquimalt and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples). She has a diverse practice where she treats health care workers, new parents, infants and patients of every size.

Mentioned in this episode: fat friendly/weight neutral providers, Meg Boggs, Tamara Walcott episode, runningfatchef.

Please connect with Kristy on her website and Instagram.

This episode’s poem is by maggie anderson and is called “The Thing You Must Remember.”

You can connect with Fat Joy on the website, Instagram, Fat Joy newsletter, and YouTube (full video episodes here!). Want to share some fattie love? Please rate this podcast and give it a joyful review.

Our thanks to Chris Jones and AR Media for keeping this podcast looking and sounding joyful.