Aleen is joined by Ella Halikas who is a 2021 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model, a world-class curve model and the self-proclaimed CEO of Confidence. We kick off the episode by talking about some of Ella’s hilarious TikToks, including her “alternate reality series” where she highlights body image imperfections with Victoria Garrick. Ella then shares how she went from being a small-town Cali native with big dreams of becoming a model to how she booked her first gig. She shares how her hard work and perseverance helped her dreams become a reality and that being rejected from jobs motivated her even more to succeed. She then gives us a BTS look of what it’s like to be an SI swimsuit model, how she deals with turning off the negative thoughts in her head and how she deals with trolls. Next, Ella gives us tips on how to be more confident and reminds us that confidence is an internal strength that can be learned, even though it may not always come naturally. Ella then tells us all about her “Thick Girls Can Rock It Too” series where she recreates *out there* looks from celebs like Julia Fox. Finally, we wrap up by getting Aleen and Ella to confess some of their “weird” traits and then Ella shares an exciting announcement.

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This week, Workout Woman aka Ashley Fern (@disco_infern0) shares her latest workout review. The episode kicks off with Aleen and Ashley catching up and then they share their DSTW of the week. Ashley’s is about finally hitting a workout goal she was striving for and Aleen’s is about getting rid of things from her closet that were no longer serving her. Aleen then reads a listener DSTW about learning to be more comfortable with wearing crop tops and how the listener was able to overcome her internal dilemma in time for a big performance. They then get into the workout report of the month, which came highly recommended: CorePower Yoga. To start off, they address the bad press that the company has gotten, but remind DST’ers that this review is about the workout and not the business itself. Ashley then breaks down what her class experiences have been like at different CPY studios, if it’s worth going back, and her overall thoughts on the workout aka if the workout is worth needing to wash your hair. Don’t forget to submit your recommendations for workout classes for Ashley to try by dming @dietstartstomorrow or emailing [email protected].

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Aleen is joined by Liza Lieberman (@liza.lieberman), the Betches co-founders’ most stylish friend, a mom of two and a professional stylist who focuses on styling women for bridal, vacation, corporate and special events. Liza gives us all of her styling advice and tips for feeling good in your own skin. The episode kicks off with Liza sharing how she became so fashionable, why she started her blog, “Girl On Fifth'' and how it’s now turned into a side hustle of styling women for bridal parties, big lifetime events, or—in Aleen’s case—photoshoots. Aleen and Liza then talk about how many of us are currently struggling with our post-pandemic style after only wearing sweatpants for 2+ years and how many women are dealing with body dysmorphic thoughts in their post-pandemic bodies. Next, they chat about the power a good outfit can have on your confidence and some easy ways to dress for success. Liza then gives us some of her top styling tips, such as when it’s cool to wear sneakers with a dress, what type of clothes are worth investing in, and the top trends for summer.

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Aleen is back for DST Thursday with Brittany Levine, Betches Art Director, the face behind @betchesmoms and her co-host on the Betches Moms podcast. The episode kicks off with a convo about their parenting styles and how they differ from their parents. Let’s be real, being a parent in the 80s & 90s is VERY different than it is today. Aleen and Brittany then jump into the DST Wins of the week. Aleen’s is about trying a new workout for the first time (ever) and Brittany’s is about getting back on the tennis court. They then play a listener voicemail sharing a DSTW about giving your body the same grace that you give your child’s body. We don’t shame our kids for growing, so why are we shaming ourselves? Next, Aleen reads the Dear DST of the week, which was submitted by a DST’er who’s nervous to project her body issues on her future children like her mom did to her. We then wrap up the convo talking about how to talk to our partners if they have a different approach to body image conversation around the kids and how lucky parents are now to have so many resources out there for support.

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Shana Minei Spence (@thenutritiontea), who calls herself a "eat anything" Registered Dietitian, joins Aleen this week. The episode starts with Shana sharing how and why she made a career shift from the fashion industry to nutrition. Shana then talks about her education as an RD and why it made her become an anti-diet culture practitioner. Next, Shana breaks down diet culture euphemisms like “clean eating” and other language that is often thrown around in diet culture talk. She then reminds us that eating “healthy” is a privilege that not everyone has, which is something we should all be mindful of while scrolling social media. Aleen and Shana end the episode by talking about the red flags in diet culture and why we need to stop judging other people’s food choices (esp. if they’re adults).

Workout with DST on 6/7 in NYC for a 30-minute dance cardio class led by Obé Fitness presented by Heineken 0.0 - register now: https://betches.co/fittogether.

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It's DST Thursday, and Aleen is rejoined by Victoria Garrick, mental health advocate, host of “Real Pod” podcast, former D1 athlete, and social media star with more than 1.5M followers. The episode kicks off with some DST Wins: Victoria’s is about going back to therapy and Aleen shares how she’s going to the doctor, even though it can be such a pain. Then onto the Dear DST of the week, all about approaching that mother-in-law who makes inappropriate, body shaming comments. Aleen and Victoria share their advice on how they’d approach the situation. They also remind the DST’er of the importance of putting yourself first, over a sassy MIL. Don’t forget to call into the DST hotline with all of your questions, stories and DST wins - 212-287-5650 or email them to [email protected]‬.

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Victoria Garrick—mental health advocate, the host of “Real Pod” podcast, and former D1 athlete with more than 1.5M followers—is back on the show this week. Victoria hasn't been on the show since December 2020, so there's obvi a lot to catch up on. Victoria tells Aleen why she’s not shedding for the wedding (she was also on Betches Brides recently—check it out) and then they chat about Victoria’s “alternate reality” videos, where women actually celebrate their body insecurities. Next, Victoria tells us what it was like to be a collegiate Volleyball player, who was struggling from mental health challenges and how that experience has helped her to love her body for what it is, and not what it could be. Victoria then tells Aleen about her non-profit, The Hidden Opponent, which raises awareness for student-athlete mental health and aims to end the mental health stigma in sports culture. The episode wraps up with Victoria confessing something that she doesn’t share on social media. Get excited, Victoria's coming back again this week for DST Thursday.

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Nicole Pellegrino is back for another DST Thursday! Nicole and Aleen start by catching up and sharing their DST Wins of the week. Aleen’s is about being nine months postpartum and learning how to ignore baby weight comments/expectations and Nicole’s is about surviving her first week as a puppy mom (ICYMI, Nicole got the cutest pup). Then they read a listener DSTW from a bride-to-be, who successfully handled family members' unsolicited comments about her weight. Next they listen to a voicemail, all about hating your bridesmaids dress and how to let the bride know you're uncomfy—we've all been there. Aleen and Nicole are here to help and share how they’d approach this situation, plus get into regrets from their own weddings. Don’t forget to call into the DST hotline with all of your questions, stories and DST wins - 212-287-5650‬.

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It’s all about therapy this week as Aleen is joined by Jordana and her sister, clinical psychologist Dr. Naomi Bernstein. They fill us in on their new podcast Oversharing, which is all about the challenges we face in all kinds of relationships; from friendships to family to long term partnerships. Aleen tells us just how long she’s known Jordana and Naomi (hint: it’s long af) then we get to know Dr. Naomi and the work she does. She tells us what made her want to become a therapist, the types of issues her clients face, and the best advice she’s ever given to Jordana. Then we dig into the Dear DST emails of the week (with an actual expert on hand this time). The first listener asks for advice on how to handle a boyfriend’s mom who makes too many questionable body image comments. Next, we read an email asking for advice on how to know when to speak up for the sake of a loved one’s health. To wrap up the ep, Dr. Naomi gives us some of her top tips for what to ask when looking for a new therapist.

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Workout Woman, aka Ashley Fern (@disco_infern0), is back to share her latest workout report. Ashley starts off by clearing the air from the last Workout Woman ep - let’s just agree to disagree that, no matter how Lagree is pronounced, it’s a hard AF workout. Aleen then reads a listener submitted DST Win (new & improved NSW) about not comparing yourself to others in workout classes, then she and Ashley share their own, which are about getting back into the kitchen and waking up before the sun to get that workout in. Ashley then gives her first-timer workout report of the highly recommended Orangetheory Fitness. From the vibes to the quality of the class, they break it all down. Don’t forget to submit your recommendations for workout classes for Ashley to try by dming @dietstartstomorrow or emailing [email protected].

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