The Body Competence Podcast

Note: This episode was recorded on January 31, 2024, and is being posted nearly a year later due to the host (me!) being tied up with things like pregnancy and adjusting to life with two children. Michelle relied heavily on this episode, and Veronica's wisdom, during early postpartum and is happy to be able to publish this episode as one of the first as The Body Competence Podcast (hopefully) gets back up and running.

Join Michelle (she/her) and Veronica Dress (she/her) in this episode for a candid and cozy conversation that spans rethinking pleasure, exploring resistance, and talking about the role that religion plays in how we understand our bodies and our roles in the world.

Veronica is part sex educator, part theater-kid, part queer survivor of purity culture, and part friend who helps you brainstorm the perfect text. She has a gift for holding space for everyone’s most-avoided topics: sex, intimate relationships, the joys of queerness, pleasure, shame, and communication. Her work has transformed the way I think about pleasure! Veronica was trained as a sex educator through Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Social Work’s Sexual Health Certificate Program and am a member of the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists. She was trained as a coach through the Gateway Training Center, a CCE accredited life coach training program, and is in the process of becoming a Board Certified Life Coach. Follow Veronica on Instagram @the.dressrehearsal and find out about her upcoming offerings HERE.

The Body Competence Podcast explores what it means to be and raise body competent humans. In each episode Michelle and her guests talk about getting back in touch with our needs, wants, and desires that were suppressed by the power hierarchies of patriarchy, white supremacy, capitalism, anti-fat bias, ableism, and even our own families.

Michelle navigates topics like body positivity, body neutrality, cycle breaking, food neutrality and so much more. This podcast is for you if you are a human or parent trying to imagine a future without diet culture and other toxic intergenerational cycles  but aren’t quite sure where to begin.

Find Michelle on Instagram @foodbodiesfamilies.
Find Michelle on TikTok @foodbodiesfamilies.

Michelle (she/her) reflects on becoming a mom of 2, her break from social media and podcasting, and the very-broad-strokes future of @foodbodiesfamilies and The Body Competence Podcast.

The Body Competence Podcast explores what it means to be and raise body competent humans. In each episode Michelle and her guests talk about getting back in touch with our needs, wants, and desires that were suppressed by the power hierarchies of patriarchy, white supremacy, capitalism, anti-fat bias, ableism, and even our own families.

Michelle navigates topics like body positivity, body neutrality, cycle breaking, food neutrality and so much more. This podcast is for you if you are a human or parent trying to imagine a future without diet culture and other toxic intergenerational cycles  but aren’t quite sure where to begin.

Find Michelle on Instagram @foodbodiesfamilies.

Find Michelle on TikTok @foodbodiesfamilies.

Join Michelle (she/her) and Jeff Ash (he/him) in this episode for a conversation about toxic masculinity, the impacts of diet culture on men and boys, and how to support our boys in developing a balanced relationship with food and body.

Jeff (he/him) is a nutritionist, Intuitive Eating Coach, personal trainer, and host of the Men's Intuition Podcast. In his work, he is passionate about helping other men transform their relationship with food, exercise, and body all without restriction, guilt, or shame. Jeffhas also recently developed a brand new app called the Non-Diet Companion designed to help support those taking a non-diet and/or Intuitive Eating approach to caring for their body.

Connect with Jeff:

IG: @intuitive.eating.men

Web: https://nondietcompanion.com (app) or https://hopedrivesme.com (main site)

Webinar for partners to understand how to support their loved one on their IE journey:

https://hopedrivesme.com/help-without-harming-webinar/

The Body Competence Podcast explores what it means to be and raise body competent humans. In each episode Michelle and her guests talk about getting back in touch with our needs, wants, and desires that were suppressed by the power hierarchies of patriarchy, white supremacy, capitalism, anti-fat bias, ableism, and even our own families.

Michelle navigates topics like body positivity, body neutrality, cycle breaking, food neutrality and so much more. This podcast is for you if you are a human or parent trying to imagine a future without diet culture and other toxic intergenerational cycles  but aren’t quite sure where to begin.

Find Michelle on Instagram @foodbodiesfamilies.

Find Michelle on TikTok @foodbodiesfamilies.

Join Michelle (she/her) and Kayla Stansberry (she/her) in this episode for a candid and cozy conversation that spans rethinking the "twenties checklist", how to talk to kids about bodies (even when we aren't comfortable with our own), getting validation outside of parenthood, dressing for sensory needs, and so many more incredible gems.

Kayla (She/Her) is a Licensed Therapist who specializes in Fat Activism & Fat Liberation Education. She is the founder and owner of Intuitive Growth Counseling and provides training to fellow mental health providers on anti-fat bias. Kayla is passionate about spreading Fat Liberation and facilitates retreats to promote fat community and explore body freedom. The foundation of Kayla's work focuses on social justice and how racism and ableism facilitates body oppression. Follow Kayla on Instagram @fatpositivetherapist and find out about her upcoming offerings here.

The Body Competence Podcast explores what it means to be and raise body competent humans. In each episode Michelle and her guests talk about getting back in touch with our needs, wants, and desires that were suppressed by the power hierarchies of patriarchy, white supremacy, capitalism, anti-fat bias, ableism, and even our own families.

Michelle navigates topics like body positivity, body neutrality, cycle breaking, food neutrality and so much more. This podcast is for you if you are a human or parent trying to imagine a future without diet culture and other toxic intergenerational cycles  but aren’t quite sure where to begin.

Find Michelle on Instagram @foodbodiesfamilies.

Find Michelle on TikTok @foodbodiesfamilies.

Join Michelle (she/her), and registered dietitians Emily Sylvester (she/her) and Chacha Miller (she/her) of Mother of Fact for a conversation about the health of birthing people in the United States, and the platform they’ve developed to provide timely, individually tailored, culturally sensitive professional nutrition guidance to people who are in various stages of their reproductive journeys. They have generously offered to open up their platform to listeners of The Body Competence Podcast and you'll learn all about how to get access to their services at the end of this episode (52:30, to be exact). Mother of Fact is currently only open to birthing people in certain healthcare systems so this is an incredibly unique opportunity, and Emily explains why during our conversation.

• Head to this link to book your appointment with a Mother of Fact registered dietitian.

Emily Sylvester, MS, RD, LDN, IBCLC -  CEO, Founder Mother of Fact: Emily has worked as a pediatric Registered Dietitian and board-certified lactation consultant for over 12 years serving birthing people, NICU babies, and infants and toddlers who need help to grow and thrive by providing nutrition care in telehealth programs, homes, schools, and outpatient clinics to 1000s of families. Emily is the president of the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition and was recognized as the 2018 Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year through the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Her experience managing physicians and support staff in large pediatric and women’s health clinics gives her a deep understanding of the value of appropriate nutrition care using telehealth.

Alicia 'Chacha' Miller is a Registered Dietitian specializing in maternal, pediatric, and family nutrition. Chacha has a passion for health equity as her work is focused on bridging the gap in health disparities between historically marginalized communities of color and other races by making nutrition education available, accessible, and easy to understand.⁠ Chacha currently works as the Lead Dietitian for telehealth nutrition start-up, Mother of Fact. She also manages her growing social media platform, @ItsTheCardamom. She is a military wife, mom of 2 girls, and her favorite food is tacos. 

The Body Competence Podcast explores what it means to be and raise body competent humans. In each episode Michelle and her guests talk about getting back in touch with our needs, wants, and desires that were suppressed by the power hierarchies of patriarchy, white supremacy, capitalism, anti-fat bias, ableism, and even our own families.

Michelle navigates topics like body positivity, body neutrality, cycle breaking, food neutrality and so much more. This podcast is for you if you are a human or parent trying to imagine a future without diet culture and other toxic intergenerational cycles  but aren’t quite sure where to begin.

Find Michelle on Instagram @foodbodiesfamilies.

Find Michelle on TikTok @foodbodiesfamilies.

Join Michelle and Chacha Miller (she/her), in this episode to discuss picky eating in children, what it means to her to be a plant forward mama, postpartum bodies, and the social justice issues involved in food access. Alicia 'Chacha' Miller is a Registered Dietitian specializing in maternal, pediatric, and family nutrition. Chacha has a passion for health equity as her work is focused on bridging the gap in health disparities between historically marginalized communities of color and other races by making nutrition education available, accessible, and easy to understand.⁠ Chacha currently works as the Lead Dietitian for telehealth nutrition start-up, Mother of Fact. She also manages her growing social media platform, @ItsTheCardamom. She is a military wife, mom of 2 girls, and her favorite food is tacos. 

You can connect with Chacha on Instagram @‌ItsTheCardamom.

The Body Competence Podcast explores what it means to be and raise body competent humans. In each episode Michelle and her guests talk about getting back in touch with our needs, wants, and desires that were suppressed by the power hierarchies of patriarchy, white supremacy, capitalism, anti-fat bias, ableism, and even our own families.

Michelle navigates topics like body positivity, body neutrality, cycle breaking, food neutrality and so much more. This podcast is for you if you are a human or parent trying to imagine a future without diet culture and other toxic intergenerational cycles  but aren’t quite sure where to begin.

Find Michelle on Instagram @foodbodiesfamilies.

Find Michelle on TikTok @foodbodiesfamilies.

Join Michelle and Oona Hanson (she/her), in this episode all about navigating hard body conversations with our adolescent children. Oona Hanson is passionate about helping parents and guardians raise kids who have a healthy relationship with food and their body. In addition to her private practice as a parent coach, Oona has worked as a Family Mentor at Equip, an eating disorder treatment program. Oona holds a Master's Degree in Educational Psychology and a Master's Degree in English. Her work has been featured widely, including on CNN, USA Today, Good Morning America, US News & World Report, People, and Parents Magazine. She lives in Los Angeles.

You can connect with Oona on her website and on Instagram @‌Oona_Hanson.

This episode is for you if you have older kiddos, maybe even teens OR if you’re trying to imagine a future when you have older kiddos and you’re navigating conversations around social media, puberty, athletics and the team environment, body image issues, all while trying to preserve your child’s sense of self. This episode is filled with a lot of hope which is why I’ve saved it for the last episode of the year when diet talk is running high and parent morale around raising kids who have balanced relationships with their bodies might be running low. In this episode, Oona tells us about how it’s never too late. 

The Body Competence Podcast explores what it means to be and raise body competent humans. In each episode Michelle and her guests talk about getting back in touch with our needs, wants, and desires that were suppressed by the power hierarchies of patriarchy, white supremacy, capitalism, anti-fat bias, ableism, and even our own families.

Michelle navigates topics like body positivity, body neutrality, cycle breaking, food neutrality and so much more. This podcast is for you if you are a human or parent trying to imagine a future without diet culture and other toxic intergenerational cycles  but aren’t quite sure where to begin.

Find Michelle on Instagram @foodbodiesfamilies.

Find Michelle on TikTok @foodbodiesfamilies.

Join Michelle and Damali Fraiser (she/her), the non-diet trainer behind Lift Off Strength and Wellness for this thoughtful episode about non-diet fitness, and Damali’s theory of the body as a community. Damali is a Canadian Kettlebell Instructor, Nutrition Coach, and author passionate about exploring fitness from an intersectional lens. Founder of Lift Off Strength & Wellness, Damali is a compassionate coach and student of strength who teaches hardstyle kettlebell technique, inclusive fitness and sustainable nutrition that supports you in meeting you wherever you are and confidently moving forward to where you want to be.

• Start your journey with Kettlebell Basics (which is the program Michelle is doing this winter!). 
• And for the coaches out there? Check out The Coaches Corner and Damali’s other coaching resources here.

You can connect with Damali on her website liftoffstrength.ca, on Instagram @‌Damali.Fraiser, and on TikTok and on YouTube.

The Body Competence Podcast explores what it means to be and raise body competent humans. In each episode Michelle and her guests talk about getting back in touch with our needs, wants, and desires that were suppressed by the power hierarchies of patriarchy, white supremacy, capitalism, anti-fat bias, ableism, and even our own families.

Michelle navigates topics like body positivity, body neutrality, cycle breaking, food neutrality and so much more. This podcast is for you if you are a human or parent trying to imagine a future without diet culture and other toxic intergenerational cycles  but aren’t quite sure where to begin.

Find Michelle on Instagram @foodbodiesfamilies.

Find Michelle on TikTok @foodbodiesfamilies.

Join Michelle and Marisol, the creator behind the instagram account @thesexedmum in this episode. Marisol is a passionate sexologist and coach who specializes in sex education. She provides valuable support to young people and offers expert guidance to parents regarding sex education.

This is a topic that Michelle is both passionate about, and knows very little about, so Marisol was the obvious choice to bring in to this conversation. She’s funny, straight forward, easy to talk to, and created an incredible amount of space for Michelle to think and stumble through this important conversation about sex education, consent, sexual abuse, and how to be the parents that our children deserve. We hope this episode helps you connect to your children on a deeper level, and perhaps even to yourself.

The Body Competence Podcast explores what it means to be and raise body competent humans. In each episode Michelle and her guests talk about getting back in touch with our needs, wants, and desires that were suppressed by the power hierarchies of patriarchy, white supremacy, capitalism, anti-fat bias, ableism, and even our own families.

Michelle navigates topics like body positivity, body neutrality, cycle breaking, food neutrality and so much more. This podcast is for you if you are a human or parent trying to imagine a future without diet culture and other toxic intergenerational cycles  but aren’t quite sure where to begin.

Find Michelle on Instagram @foodbodiesfamilies.

Find Michelle on TikTok @foodbodiesfamilies.

Join Michelle and Alexa Reidenauer, the creator behind the instagram account @tellingourtails in this episode. Alexa shares about her journey to a PMDD diagnosis (premenstrual dysphoric disorder) and the changes that she’s made to living her life cyclically so that she can balance her mood disorder.

Michelle has learned so much from Alexa about menstruation and the way that the bodies and moods of menstruators might change over the course of a cycle. Alexa’s self awareness is striking, and she demonstrates how living cyclically has made not only her life better, but her dog’s life better, and the lives of the people around her. Michelle has always been significantly impacted by her cycle while also feeling like she had to “suck it up” in order to exist in our society. Alexa is teaching us that there might be a middle ground.

The Body Competence Podcast explores what it means to be and raise body competent humans. In each episode Michelle and her guests talk about getting back in touch with our needs, wants, and desires that were suppressed by the power hierarchies of patriarchy, white supremacy, capitalism, anti-fat bias, ableism, and even our own families.

Michelle navigates topics like body positivity, body neutrality, cycle breaking, food neutrality and so much more. This podcast is for you if you are a human or parent trying to imagine a future without diet culture and other toxic intergenerational cycles  but aren’t quite sure where to begin.

Find Michelle on Instagram @foodbodiesfamilies.

Find Michelle on TikTok @foodbodiesfamilies.