Millennial Body Image Project

Welcome to our semi-annual best books episode! We're talking about the best of the best (so far) for this year, and hope to give you lots of fun reading recommendations for the summer. Kara and I share 5 of our top favorites from 2026 so far. We'd love to hear from you - what have your favorite reads been so far this year?

A few of the recommendation categories you'll hear in this episode:

• Best fantasy that's not a billion pages
• Most unique magic system
• Best rom com
• Most unique fantasy world
• Best overall fantasy
• Book that will get you out of a reading slump

Tune in for the details!

Find your hosts:

• @millennialbodyimageproject
• @danamonsees_cns
• @kara_mccartney

It's a new era for diet culture, and body image is TOUGH right now. What do you do when it feels like all your friends are on a diet, a GLP-1, or talking about it??

In this episode, I sat down with Caitie Corradino — registered dietitian nutritionist, breathwork facilitator, yoga teacher, fitness instructor, and body image specialist — for a conversation about the pressure so many of us feel to look a certain way, and what we can actually do about it. Plus, the absolute insanity of hollywood and beauty standards, and how no one can escape the mindf*** of GLP-1's.

Grab your free non-diet Gut Health Audit here! - https://bit.ly/3RVZfLT

We unpack:

• Why the recent buzz around GLP-1 weight loss drugs is stirring up old body image wounds
• What the Devil Wears Prada 2 cast's appearances sparked in conversations around aging, Hollywood, and body dysmorphia
• How social media amplifies unrealistic beauty ideals — and why it's not just "in your head"
• Caitie's mind-body-soul toolkit: from affirmations and mindset work to breathwork, yoga, and emotional reflection
• Why community and honest conversation are the antidote to unrealistic beauty culture

Find Caitie:

• Instagram @caitie.c.rd
• Full Soul Nutrition
• Podcast: Deep Breaths and Dance Breaks

Find your host:

• millennialbodyimageproject.com
• @millennialbodyimageproject
• @danamonsees_cns

What happens to your body image when you live in a body the world labels as "different"—and how does finding the right community change everything?

In this episode, I'm talking with filmmaker Julie Forrest Wyman about body image, identity, and what it actually means to belong in your body. Through her film The Tallest Dwarf, Julie shares her experience navigating multiple identities—including dwarfism, queerness, and the fat positivity space—and how those intersections shape body image and belonging.

We dig into the blind spots in mainstream body positivity, why representation alone isn't enough, and how community can fundamentally shift your relationship with your body. We also talk about what real inclusivity looks like in practice—not just in theory.

Watch the film The Tallest Dwarf for free on Youtube thru July 4th, and then on the PBS app after!

Resources mentioned:

• Link to watch the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsoDZ7hu0xg
• Instagram: @thetallestdwarffilm / @julieforrestwyman
• Independent lens films

Find your host:

• @millennialbodyimageproject
• @danamonsees_cns
• realfoodwithdana.com

How elimination diets, gut health protocols, and functional medicine can lead to food stress and disordered eating patterns

If you've ever felt dismissed, turned to food to find answers, and ended up more overwhelmed than before—you're not alone. We're diving into the functional medicine pipeline and the fine line between supportive healing and harmful restriction. This episode offers a more compassionate, sustainable lens on navigating chronic symptoms.

Find your host:

• @millennialbodyimageproject
• @danamonsees_cns
• www.realfoodwithdana.com

Related Episodes:

• IBS, Gut Health & Disordered Eating: Breaking the Cycle of Food Fear with Samina Qureshi
• Lab testing 101: the Whole-Hearted Eating way
• Can you manage chronic health conditions without food restriction?

A compassionate, real-talk look at how GLP-1 medications impact appetite, food noise, nutrition, and your relationship with food.

In this episode, I'm joined by Jessica Brown—clinical nutritionist, self-compassion teacher, and author of Beyond the Shot—to explore GLP-1 medications and the deeper work of healing your relationship with food. We discuss what these medications can (and can't) do, key nutrient deficiencies to watch for, and their potential role in chronic and inflammatory conditions.

We also talk about how to use the "space" GLP-1s can create to build self-awareness, challenge food rules, and shift long-standing beliefs about food and body.

Disclaimer: This episode includes general discussion of weight and GLP-1 medications, so if that's in any way triggering for you, I suggest you skip this episode. None of this is medical advice—my goal is to provide balanced, evidence-based information so you can make informed decisions with your healthcare team.

Find our guest:

• Instagram @thelovingdiet
• Book: Beyond the Shot

Find your host:

• millennialbodyimageproject.com
• @millennialbodyimageproject
• @danamonsees_cns

Ever feel like you're doing everything "right"… but still completely burned out? It might not be you—it might be ADHD.

In this episode, Dana sits down with Liz Lewis to talk about the real experience of ADHD in women—think chronic burnout, people pleasing, and masking so well no one (including you) saw it coming. They dig into why so many women are getting diagnosed later in life, how societal pressure to "hold it all together" plays a role, and why productivity hacks aren't the solution. This is a conversation about unlearning, self-trust, and finally understanding your brain in a way that actually helps.

Find Liz!

• Book: You are Not the Problem - Late-Diagnosed ADHD Women and the Invisible Forces That Shape Us {coming June 2026}
• Substack: Yes, And… with Liz Lewis
• Instagram: @lizlewisliterary
• Bonus! If you preorder the book, you can get access to Liz' private podcast (check out the details here!)

Find your host:

• millennialbodyimageproject.com
• @millennialbodyimageproject
• @danamonsees_cns

When gut health advice starts to feel like a list of foods you can't eat, it might be making your IBS—and your relationship with food—worse.

IBS, gut health issues, and food fear often get tangled together—and untangling them isn't as simple as cutting out more foods. In this episode, I'm joined by GI dietitian Samina Qureshi to talk about the very real overlap between IBS and disordered eating—and why more restriction isn't always the answer.

We get into how long-term low FODMAP, expensive functional testing, and supplement-heavy protocols can sometimes backfire, making symptoms (and anxiety around food) worse—not better. You'll also walk away with practical strategies for constipation, bloating, and those tough body image days. Plus: we're myth-busting bread, white rice, and cultural foods—and calling out the kind of "gut health advice" that might be doing more harm than good.

Find our guest:

• Samina Qureshi on Instagram: @inclusive.ibs.dietitian
• https://www.wholesomestart.com/

Find your host:

• @danamonsees_cns
• @millennialbodyimageproject
• Dana Monsees Nutrition

What do you wear when your body changes? In this episode, personal stylist Nicole Garfunkel joins us to talk about reclaiming personal style during eating disorder recovery—without body shame or size rules.

Nicole shares her own journey with body image and PCOS, the powerful parallels between food and fashion, and how clothes can either reinforce body shame or support healing. We discuss her trauma-informed approach to closet clearing, why keeping clothes that no longer fit can be emotionally harmful, and how to build a wardrobe that works for your body right now.

Listen in for practical, body-neutral tips for navigating shopping, experimenting with personal style, and reclaiming confidence without chasing trends or sizes.

Find Nicole:

• Website: https://stylingconfidential.com
• IG & TikTok - @styling_confidential
• Resources mentioned: Whering, Index

Find your host:

• www.realfoodwithdana.com for all our episodes!
• @millennialbodyimageproject
• @danamonsees_cns

Dietitian Maria Terry is back — and we're talking about how to have a "sturdy girl season" for body image, resilience, strength and nutrition. From navigating body image in a post-Ozempic world, to embracing strength and self-trust over aesthetics, we dig into grief, aging, and the messy middle of doing health without diet culture.

Find Maria:

• Instagram: @vitamin_ri
• Sign up for Sunday brunch! - https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/450781/90970568407385754/share
• Website: marriaterrynutrition.com

Find your hosts!

• @millennialbodyimageproject
• @danamonsees_cns

Welcome to our annual best books episode! This year we're switching things up and doing book awards and superlatives for each category, like best book of the year, best series, biggest gut punch, etc. We hope you get lots of recommendations from this episode, and send us your recommendations with favorites from this year too!

Full list of recommendations here: https://www.realfoodwithdana.com/best-books-of-2025/

Find your hosts:

• @danamonsees_cns
• @kara_mccartney