Making It Awkward

Lindsay Lee Wallace returns to talk about why she thinks women who have sex with men are drawn to Heated Rivalry. She wrote in, Yearning and Submission in 'Heated Rivalry', "Women who yearn and submit are often main characters—but they are simultaneously seen as frivolous and typical. Their yearning and submission aren't treated as meaningful, or as specific to them and their relationships… So it can feel easier and freer to step back from the equation entirely. Watch two men yearn for one another, which maintains their masculinity."

Lindsay and Jessica talk about that article and explore additional topics including parasocial relationships, what makes Heated Rivalry simply good television, and the pop culture pundit panic in late 2023 when a UCLA survey found that Gen Z wanted less sex in media.

Intimacy coordination

Dance parties

Heated Rivalry made in Canada

Good things that happened because of Heated Rivalry

Rachel Reid receiving Parkinson's treatment

Rachel Reid

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

Blake Flaugher, MPH returns to the show to chat about all things Heated Rivalry. He shares some topics that have been left out of the discourse, and teaches us about the importance of seeing romance in gay relationships, the role of hags in gay men's lives, and representation of bottoming. Blake and Jessica share their coming out stories, discuss if we're beyond conversations about coming out, and their thoughts on body norms in the show. The topics they discuss today will add to the story if you've watched it, it will give you a unique lens should you choose to watch it and will teach you things about queer culture if you never plan to watch.

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

Welcome back to MIA, Jessica Wilson, dietitian and author of IABO. you can find me on IG at.

F*** ICE. This bonus episode shares the stories of immigration and ICE occupation from Making it Awkward guests. Hear stories of immigrants in LA, what it's like to be on the ground in Minneapolis right now, and a story from a mom in Charlotte deliverying groceries to neighbors too afraid to leave their homes.

HCMC protest https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/breaking-the-news/hcmc-doctors-staff-protest-ice-impact-hospital-patients/89-3696c23f-6afb-44ea-8e02-7286543dabdd

Smitten Kitten https://smittenkittenonline.com/

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

Jessica Wilson, MS. RD. made a social media ad for Dr. Robert Lustig's Monch Monch; a fiber supplement that's supposed to act like a sponge in our digestive tract. Now listeners get to hear the ins and outs of the partnership and about the supplement from top to bottom. Our favorite podcast editor Jen Jacobs returns to this side of the show to hear about the whole commercial making process, behind the scenes conversations, science claims, typos and product reviews. The two have a great time!

This episode includes product reviews from former guests on the show, from buyers on reddit and amazon, and Selena's kiddo in her commercial acting debut.

Listeners should stay tuned after the interview for more reviews and the full commercial!

Howie Mandel is a partner of Monch Monch

Lustig's paper for the World Economic Forum

Lustig's article in Frontiers

Lustig's part 1 episode: "No Food is Better Than Bad Food"

Lustig's part 2 episode

Biolumen

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

Welcome back to MIA, Jessica Wilson, dietitian and author of IABO. you can find me on IG at.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are out RFK Jr decided to give us an inverted food triangle and tell us it's a new and improved food pyramid. Dietitian and public health badass Meghan Cichy, MPH RDN returns to the show to discuss the new dietary guidelines and the focus on "real food". She walks Jessica through all of the public health language and limitations and also asks who all of this is for.

• The two compare recommendations in old guidelines to the current ones, including protein serving sizes.

• The two chat about how RFK wanted to end corporate and industry influence and how there is still a tangled web of industry influence and private interest.

• They get into how the guidelines discussed ultra-processed foods after promising us a definition.

The dietary guidelines speak directly to the MAHA movement; those who can pay for "real food," have the resources and time to cook dinner every night, and shop at farmers markets. MAHA does not care about the health of the public.

RFK tells us he is ending the war on protein and saturated fat. The guidelines also include a section on testosterone. He's given us a manly man's meat-focused inverted food triangle for the manosphere, dudefluencers and pod bros.

One of Meghan's concerns was how alcohol was addressed in the DGA.

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

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

Like this episode? You can rate, review, subscribe, follow, share and comment!

Questions about the show? Guest pitches? Email [email protected]

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You can watch this episode at https://www.youtube.com/@MakingItAwkwardPod

Follow Jessica Wilson on Instagram @jessicawilson.msrd and TikTok @byjessicawilson

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