Have you been thinking clean thoughts and manifesting for 2026? Lindsay Lee Wallace returns to the show to talk about the idea of thought hygiene, OCD, magical thinking and manifesting.

Lindsay shares the highlights of the conversation she had with a manifestation coach and she brings her thoughts about wellness as a line item in your budget.

Lindsay and Jessica start the episode with a discussion about Dr. Robert Lustig and his company's first product, Monch Monch, a supposed fiber sponge that soaks up sugar.

A quick note that the Dietary Guidelines for Americans is out and that will be next week's episode!

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Jessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies

Re-release! Chrissy King joins Jessica Wilson, MS RD for a conversation about being childfree by choice. Chrissy talks about how she made her decision and how Jessica didn't ever think it was a choice she needed to make. Chrissy got to share her thoughts on many things including the marketing of parenthood, the idea of it taking a village to raise a child and aging like the Golden Girls.

The two talk about how they've been asked about their decision not to have kids 347 times but it's not the norm to randomly ask parents why they decided to have kids.

They both talk about how much their moms poured into their upbringing and how that impacted how they viewed them and their decision not to have kids. They also talk about what it's like to live in a society in which parenthood, particularly motherhood, is the norm.

After wrapping this conversation Chrissy and I discussed the potential for backlash from this conversation and that parents might take our choices personally. Either way we'd love to hear your feedback!

Motherhood Should Come with a Warning Label

Childfree Reddit

Chrissy King

Chrissy's book

Re-release! Jessica talks with Sherene Chou about the whiteness of the Mediterranean Diet and its origins. The two chat about their mixed reviews of speaking at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health's Healthy Kitchens Healthy Lives. Sherene discusses a variety of "healthy diets" out there and how they fall short of meeting the moment. She also spills the beans on the next superfood.

Jessica is very excited that Sherene has worked at the restaurant at the center of Bad Vegan! Should the two watch and review for an episode!?

Blue Zones, Planetary Diet/EAT-Lancet diet,

EAT-Lancet diet twitter war

Info on MedDiet research

The Whiteness of the Mediterranean Diet

https://www.sherenechou.com/

https://foodandplanet.org/

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Jessica's book: ⁠It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies⁠

Dietitian Sherene Chou returns to the pod, this time to talk about her experience having a confinement nanny for a month after giving birth. Confinement nannies families in the post-partum period, to help manage household tasks, and prepare nutritious meals according to Chinese postpartum rules, and also helps with feeding of the infant.

Leslie Voorhees Means, wife of White House food and nutrition advisor Calley Means, recently posted a video of everything that her confinement nanny had done for her during her confinement period, and it was dripping with appropriation. It was especially disturbing as Leslie actively supports and advocates for the current presidential administration which is dedicated to the deportation of immigrants. Asian immigrants are being targeted for deportation around the country, and today Sherene has a direct message to Leslie. People who drink the MAHA Kool-Aid have the luxury of taking from other cultures.

Sherene also has some advice for people who are on the fence about having kids.

Leslie Voorhees Means video about her confinement nanny

RFK talking about breast milk

Fei Zheng separated from son

Jessica got to interview the initial spokesperson of MAHA before Calley Means took the torch and ran with it

Myasiannanny.com

RFK and breast milk talk

Sherene talking about the Mediterranean diet with Jessica

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Calley Means has returned to the White House as a Senior Advisor supporting food and nutrition policy. Since his return the Dietary Guidelines have been delayed and should(may) now be delivered to us in January 2026. Additionally, TIME has reported that there may be a return to the Food Pyramid in the updated Guidelines.

Selena Salfen returns to the show to share the many reasons why Calley should be a White House intern and not a Senior Advisor, and definitely not in charge of nutrition policy.

Jessica and Selena discuss Calley's "documentary" Breaking Big Food; an infomercial that went on for way too long. The "doc" was presented by Jigsaw Health, which is a wellness company that sells supplements to consumers, and, of course, partners with Calley Mean's Truemed.

Jessica also shares details of Calley and Casey Means's childhood that have been left out of the narrative of their mother's illness and death. It seems like Gayle Means was quite a character!

Calley never registered as a lobbyist and was in a sweat lodge with RFK

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Jessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies

Cheryl Hines, wife of RFK Jr, wrote a memoir and "wrote" is used loosely in this context. Her publication team didn't do her any favors with this lightly edited, sprawling account of Cheryl's life and path to becoming the unwilling wife of the Secretary of HHS–or is he the secretary of HHR?

Cheryl doesn't understand that her choices have consequences, even as they continue to pile up, including the demise of her podcast and relationship with Tig Notaro.

Jessica talks to Natalie Ingraham and Alison Pill about the book and Cheryl's life.

Olivia Nuzzi's book

Secretary of HHR

Cheryl photoshoot

This would have been a better cover photo

RFK Poem

Slate article

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Jessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies

Selena Selfan, MPH, RD is back for the next installment in the re-grifting series! She is the resident Means Siblings Scholar and talks to host Jessica Wilson, MS RD about her deep dive! Dr. Casey Means is currently the presumptive nominee for Surgeon General. Her brother Calley Means is a special advisor to RFK Jr and cofounder of Truemed. The two are fervent MAHA supporters and foot soldiers in RFK's fight.

Listeners will learn about the Means siblings's upbringing and the love and support for their parents. And then plot twist: their father, Grady Means wrote a gender expansive children's book.

Selena shares how Cassie has evolved in her career, and spits Calley's facts like a pro. The two talk about the grift of the Means siblings and Selena's prediction for Calley's future.

The Means siblings have direct connections to Dr. Mark Hyman and Dr. Andrew Huberman, our first and second grifters. Stay tuned for the next one about Dr. Paul Saladino.

See Selena's bibliography below!

Calley's Politico interview

Tucker Carlson interview

Deadly Lightbulbs

Surgeon shortage

Oregon Medical Board

Casey's Instagram posts about Jessica:

August 28, 2024 - https://www.instagram.com/p/C_QjRljJ1mr/?hl=en

August 29, 2024 - https://www.instagram.com/p/C_N6qSPPcT2/?hl=en

Instagram - Never. Buy. Ultraprocessed. Food. Ever. Again.

Casey's sponsors with conflicted research:

Pendulum, newsletter, study funded by Pendulum

Mitopure, Newsletter, study funded by Mitopure

Life expectancy data

health insurance stat

FSA/HSAs:

https://www.numerator.com/resources/blog/fsa-hsa-consumer-spending/

https://www.ebri.org/content/new-analysis-of-3.2-million-flexible-spending-accounts-finds-average-contributions-increasing-while-half-forfeiting-funds-to-their-employers

Forbes list of growing industries

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Jocelyn Green of @audhd_academic joins Jessica to discuss the concept of "losing an autism diagnosis" and what's often missing when discussing autism research. The two discuss the limitations of autism statistics and how their misuse can become unethical. They also talk about disability, what conditions may present to make someone seek an autism diagnosis later in adulthood, support needs for autistic people, and of course RFK.

This conversation was inspired by last week's episode with Dr. Theresa Lyons and includes listener feedback. Dr. Lyons anchored her work in the idea that 37% of autistic kids will lose their autism diagnosis with behavioral changes. She based this on one study and didn't represent the research to the degree it deserved. Theresa also claimed that people don't learn to mask their autism until they're teenagers, when in fact young children can learn to mask.

Some parents want to split the autism spectrum

Referenced in last week's episode:

Life's Best Medicine Podcast

FDA approves leucovorin

Frat test

Suing tylenol

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Jessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies

Today Dr. Theresa Lyons, founder and CEO of Navigating AWEtism joins Making it Awkward. She reached out to Jessica sharing that as an Ivy League scientist and mom to a non-speaking autistic daughter, she's used her expertise to guide other parents of autistic children. Dr. Lyons introduces a study that says 37% of kids can go on to lose their autism diagnosis and Jessica has follow-up questions. Their conversation includes discussions about folinic acid, sleep, dysbiosis, diet, Tylenol and camel milk.

There will be follow-up episodes to come!

Teresa has offered to return to the show to answer any listener questions so if you have any feel free to email the pod!

Life's Best Medicine Podcast

FDA approves leucovorin

Frat test

Suing tylenol

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Jessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies

Dr. Bethany Johnson returns to the show to share the deep history of the plague, and how we should be thinking about it today. She talks about how anti-Chinese and anti-Mexican sentiment impacted the mitigation and spread of the plague in the early 1900s. Bethany also talks about how climate change may impact infectious disease, antibiotic resistance, lyme disease, pet safety, mitigation measures, and what the defunding of government organizations will mean for us.

She also has advice for all of those of us–and our dads out there–with wood piles in our backyard.

Plus a few updates about The Means Sibs.

Bethany's first episode on measles!

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How to support this podcast? Follow/subscribe, rate and review! Jessica's dad will read reviews and comments on the air!

Jessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies

ABC News: Casey Means Senate statement

Breaking Big Food

Calley Means has left the White House

1630 plague

WHO Manual for plague surveillance, diagnosis, prevention and control

CDC page on plague

Traces of life in the death registries of the 1630 plague in Milano