Andy Neal’s (he/him) grumpy hiker video went viral in January 2022, and he abruptly found himself representing fat & plus-size bodies in the outdoor space. Andy shares his journey from never being an outdoorsy kid to his binge eating diagnosis to going on his first hike at the request of his therapist. And how one person from a plus-size hiking group changed how he felt about his body and kick-started his own body liberation journey.

Andy is a plus-size men’s outdoor and fashion model, actor, and social media influencer. Andy has worked for national brands CNOC Outdoors, Eddie Bauer, Every Man Jack, US Foods, Bear Vault, Sawyer Products, Gregory Packs, Columbia Sportswear and many more. Andy has a strong social media following with over 170K on Instagram and 25k TikTok with millions of views on TikTok and Instagram Reels having “gone viral” numerous times. As well as modeling, Andy is also the host of The Hiker Podcast, a top 100 Wilderness/Outdoor Podcast on Apple Podcasts.

Organizations we mentioned in the episode: Unlikely Hikers and Gregory Packs.

Connect with Andy on his website, Instagram, and TikTok.

This episode’s poem is called “Lost in the Woods III” by Dagne Forrest.

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Hello sweet listener, Sophia here! You’re going to love this episode with Andy, and there’s bonus content for you through Apple Subscriptions or Patreon with every episode. Producing a weekly podcast takes time and resources from several wonderful people, and paid subscriptions will make continuing our work possible. So, as you’re able, please consider subscribing to “Some Extra Fat Joy: 10 Qs” where each guest answers 10 unexpected questions. Want to know what Andy’s big dream is?

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