Satisfaction Factor

This week, we’re talking to Jenna Jozefowski about diet culture in dance spaces... and so much more!

Jenna Jozefowski helps active women learn to lift and get strong with equal parts challenge and compassion. She is a certified personal trainer & kettlebell instructor, Trauma Informed Weightlifting coach, dance teacher, yoga teacher, and semi-retired professional dancer. After years of living and working in industries full of diet-culture, she got sick and tired of watching people (including herself) running themselves into the ground trying to uphold the narrow-minded image of what our culture sees as “healthy” and “fit”. But instead of giving it all up, she decided that she'd rather change the game, call out the BS, extract the good, and help others use movement to build themselves up rather than tear themselves down. 

We had an amazing conversation with Jenna about...

• how the dance world mirrors the weight stigma that exists in the larger world
• how she navigated the nuances of being a straight sized person in the real world, but the largest person in the room in the dance world & how she unlearned the body narratives of the dance world
• how the exclusive body standards of the dance world can keep people who don't fit those standards out of dance spaces (even just for fun!)
• why she chose to stay in the dance & fitness industry as a voice of change
• how she navigates the diet culture & body standards of the dance world & plants seeds of change with her dance students
• why it's so important for performance-based athletes to properly fuel, train & recover, and why she's always the dance teacher with snacks
• the importance of understanding the role of lived experience & genetics in body diversity
• why bodies shouldn't be business cards & you can't exercise your way to a "long & lean" body
• and the power of strength training for flipping harmful body narratives.

You can connect with Jenna on Instagram @itsjennaj, listen to her podcast Tough Cookie Talks wherever you listen to podcasts, and learn how to work with her at itsjennaj.com.

Stay in touch with the pod on IG @satisfactionfactorpod!

And here's where you can continue to find us:
Sadie Simpson: www.sadiesimpson.com or IG @sadiemsimpson
Naomi Katz: www.happyshapes.co or IG @happyshapesnaomi

This week, we’re talking to Melanie Losacco about embodiment practices for fat folks!

Melanie (she/hers) draws on her lived experience as a fat person as well as her professional background as a trauma informed somatic coach to help fat folx  become more embodied. Outside of work she fills her days mom-ing, laughing with friends, binging trashy tv and plotting ways to continue smashing the system. 

We had an amazing conversation with Melanie  about...

• how feminism is often missing the weight stigma lens 
• the problems with blank slate therapy 
• what somatic experiencing even is
• why being present in your body can be hard 
• how embodiment was a turning point in her own relationship with her body
• why embodiment is different for fat folks & folks in other marginalized bodies
• and what providers can do to better support their fat clients.

You can find Melanie on Instagram at @embodiedmelanielosacco, and you can find out more about her services here: https://www.reclaimingbeauty.com/embodiment-coaching.

Stay in touch with the pod on IG @satisfactionfactorpod!

And here's where you can continue to find us:
Sadie Simpson: www.sadiesimpson.com or IG @sadiemsimpson
Naomi Katz: www.happyshapes.co or IG @happyshapesnaomi

[This week's episode is a replay because we're on vacation/having surgery! But we'll be back on July 26th with a brand new episode for you!]

This week, we're deconstructing the common diet culture concepts of authority, discipline, and accountability. In particular, we're looking at: 

what systems are being upheld by these concepts

how these concepts can interfere with our self-trust and autonomy

how we address these concepts within our work with clients

and how interrogating the language we use can help us better identify & meet our needs.

Stay in touch with the pod on IG @satisfactionfactorpod!

And here's where you can continue to find us:
Sadie Simpson: www.sadiesimpson.com or IG @sadiemsimpson
Naomi Katz: www.happyshapes.co or IG @happyshapesnaomi

This week, we’re talking to Vivian Selles about yoga as a path to body liberation in eating disorder recovery and beyond! 

Vivian Selles is an experienced registered yoga teacher and Yoga Alliance continuing education provider. Yoga is action, and Vivian cultivates positive change in the yoga community through her practice and teachings. Vivian’s intention as a yoga teacher is to create and hold safer, accessible spaces for all people on their path to liberation. Vivian combines her extensive education and experiential expertise teaching yoga philosophy and practices in eating disorder recovery treatment centers and through national/international online trainings. She also teaches for Yoga For Eating Disorders and holds certifications in a number of modalities, including chair yoga, trauma-informed yoga, and as a Be Body Positive Facilitator. She obtained her 200 hour certification in 2014 and is currently studying to become a certified yoga therapist. Vivian’s passion is mindful, conscious living of her yoga practice on and off the mat.

We had an amazing conversation with Vivian about...

• how yoga can be supportive & accessible in eating disorder recovery, even when movement is out of reach
• how yoga can help us cultivate safety, autonomy & compassion
• the importance of taking the diet culture & white supremacy out of the mainstream understanding of yoga & its philosophy 
• why yoga can be a great entry point for conversations about diet culture as a social justice issue
• how the experience of long Covid has intersected with her work in yoga & her understanding of yoga philosophy
• yoga as a lived practice that goes well beyond movement or "wellness"
• and why it's important to bring a modern lens to the ancient yoga texts.

Want to learn more? Vivian is participating in a panel discussion called "Can Movement Be a Part of Recovery in BIPOC Bodies?" as part of the BIPOC Eating Disorders Conference from 7/19-22/23. Click here to learn more & register!

You can find Vivian on Instagram at @justanotheryogateacher or on Twitter at @ateacherofyoga.

Stay in touch with the pod on IG @satisfactionfactorpod!

And here's where you can continue to find us:
Sadie Simpson: www.sadiesimpson.com or IG @sadiemsimpson
Naomi Katz: www.happyshapes.co or IG @happyshapesnaomi

CW: medical weight stigma, BMI, bariatric surgery, and some discussion of restrictive post-surgical diets 

Last month, Naomi  had a really difficult medical experience, and when she shared about it on Instagram, she got a lot of responses from people saying how helpful it was to hear how she navigated it. Unfortunately, experiences like these are way too common, and hearing about how other people navigate them can both take the shame out of them, and also help us to prepare.

So, this week, we're unpacking Naomi's real life experience of weight stigma, including:

• How she navigated a contentious weigh-in request
• How she responded to an inappropriate recommendation for bariatric surgery
• Why her experience clearly illustrates how weight stigma exists on a spectrum, and how privilege and stigma can co-exist
• The complicated emotions this experience brought up, and why feeling bad is a normal response
• The tools she used to process these emotions after the appointment

Want to work on cultivating these kinds of skills & building resilience to diet culture? The waitlist is open for Naomi's new cohort of Nourish & Bloom, her 40 week group Intuitive Eating workshop! There's no obligation for joining the waitlist, but if you choose to enroll, you'll get a bonus 1:1 call with Naomi to use at any time during workshop, plus a fun snail mail gift! Get all the info & join the waitlist here!

Stay in touch with the pod on IG @satisfactionfactorpod!

And here's where you can continue to find us:
Sadie Simpson: www.sadiesimpson.com or IG @sadiemsimpson
Naomi Katz: www.happyshapes.co or IG @happyshapesnaomi

This week, we're busting 5 common anti-diet myths! In this episode we're talking about why being anti-diet definitely doesn't mean:

• Completely cutting out “diet” foods
• Avoiding workouts
• Hating fruits & veggies
• Always eating dessert
• Or always choosing to wear a bikini.

Instead, we're breaking down what it really means to be anti-diet, and what questions we can ask ourselves when making food, body, and clothing choices to make sure we're not falling back into diet culture.

Want to work on cultivating the skills to make your own anti-diet choices? The waitlist is open for Naomi's new cohort of Nourish & Bloom , her 40 week group Intuitive Eating workshop! There's no obligation for joining the waitlist, but if you choose to enroll, you'll get a bonus 1:1 call with Naomi to use at any time during workshop, plus a fun snail mail gift! Get all the info & join the waitlist here!

Stay in touch with the pod on IG @satisfactionfactorpod!

And here's where you can continue to find us:
Sadie Simpson: www.sadiesimpson.com or IG @sadiemsimpson
Naomi Katz: www.happyshapes.co or IG @happyshapesnaomi

This week, we're talking about all about the ways that conversations about financial freedom often overlap with conversations about food freedom, and how we can apply our anti-diet lens to our financial conversations.

We had a great conversation, including:

• The way the privilege in conversations about financial freedom mirrors the privilege in conversations about food freedom
• How concepts like moderation & restriction show up in budgeting
• And how we might be able to practice "budget respect" & "intuitive spending."

Referenced in this episode:
Retire 'Tightening the Belt': Why Fatphobia Doesn't Belong In Your 2022 Financial Goals by Virgie Tovar
Vee Weir - @veefrugalfox
Lexa - @theavocadotoastbudget

Stay in touch with the pod on IG @satisfactionfactorpod!

And here's where you can continue to find us:
Sadie Simpson: www.sadiesimpson.com or IG @sadiemsimpson
Naomi Katz: www.happyshapes.co or IG @happyshapesnaomi

This week, we’re talking about a very hot topic that has been requested of us multiple times - the weight loss drugs Ozempic & Wegovy (plus a little bit about Mounjaro & Saxenda)!

Note: We are not registered dietitians, or doctors, or medical providers of any type, and this podcast does not constitute medical advice!

Instead, this episode is more of a research roundup. We did all the Google searching & reading so you don’t have to if you don’t want to. (But also, if you do want to, we’ve provided links to everything below.) Generally, though, a great deal of our research was pulled from the work of Ragen Chastain, Dr. Asher Larmie, and Christy Harrison.

And, lastly, a content warning: A lot of the articles & studies we’ll provide will include the o-word, BMI references, references to body weights, and references to disordered eating behaviors. Also, even the articles that talk about the problems with these drugs still often paint them in a positive light.  We did our best with language within the episode, but use caution, especially if you decide to follow the links.

In this episode we're covering:

• The basics of how each of these drugs work & what they're prescribed for
• The marketing & popularity of these drugs (including a story from Sadie that will blow your mind!)
• Harmful drug side effects
• Why the risk/benefit analysis for taking these drugs is different for diabetes than it is for weight loss
• The impact that marketing of these drugs for weight loss is having on folks living with diabetes and eating disorders
• Why these drugs are actually not a miracle "cure" for fatness
• How these drugs (and other weight loss drugs) keep getting approved, despite their harms & ineffectiveness

Click here to get all the links for research referenced in this episode!

Stay in touch with the pod on IG @satisfactionfactorpod!

And here's where you can continue to find us:
Sadie Simpson: www.sadiesimpson.com or IG @sadiemsimpson
Naomi Katz: www.happyshapes.co or IG @happyshapesnaomi

We've done several episodes now where we deconstruct diet culture language, but this week, we wanted to take a look at some phrases we see in anti-diet spaces that can actually still be upholding some diet culture ideals.  In this episode, we're talking about the problems with how the concepts of moderation, food freedom, and health get used in anti-diet spaces.

We had a great conversation, including:

• The difference between moderation and unconditional permission
• How to tell if you're using moderation as restriction
• The privilege in food freedom, and why it's often not a realistic goal
• The problem with using "don't worry, you'll still eat healthy" as a defense against critiques of intuitive eating
• Why health is a meaningless concept without individual & societal context

Stay in touch with the pod on IG @satisfactionfactorpod!

And here's where you can continue to find us:
Sadie Simpson: www.sadiesimpson.com or IG @sadiemsimpson
Naomi Katz: www.happyshapes.co or IG @happyshapesnaomi

This week, just in time for Passover, we’re talking to Asher M. Seruya, LMSW, a gender-queer social worker, psychotherapist, and illustrator specializing in trauma-informed care, weight-stigma, and eating disorder recovery. They have a special focus within their eating disorder work on Jewish identity, neurodivergent conditions, fatness, and queerness. Asher also co-hosts the podcast, Kvetching on the Couch, a podcast about Jewish mental health. 

We had an amazing conversation with Asher about...

• The complicated & unique Jewish relationship to food
• How diets & diet culture can be attempts at assimilation & safety in marginalized communities 
• The pressure of white eurocentric beauty standards & media representation of Jews
• How anti-Blackness informs antisemitism & the conditional white privilege of Jewishness
• The importance of bringing a Jewish lens to eating disorder recovery & body liberation spaces
• The antisemitism in anti-diet spaces
• And how reconnecting to our identities can help us heal.

You can find Asher's work on their website at ashermseruya.com or on Instagram at @badashtherapy.

Stay in touch with the pod on IG @satisfactionfactorpod!

And here's where you can continue to find us:
Sadie Simpson: www.sadiesimpson.com or IG @sadiemsimpson
Naomi Katz: www.happyshapes.co or IG @happyshapesnaomi