By Lydia Allaby
The podcast currently has 14 episodes available.
For our final episode of the Season, we are joined by author, radical dietitian and social action poet, Dr Lucy Aphramor. With a PhD in Advancing Critical Dietetics, Lucy developed Well Now – their compassionate, trauma informed approach to public health – while working in the NHS as a community dietitian. A radical voice in weight-inclusive health, Lucy’s practice and teaching focuses on building a society where people of all shapes, genders, ages, races and identities are treated with respect and dignity. And if that wasn’t enough, Lucy is also a talented social action poet – The Naked Dietitian – with standout reviews from their performances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Lucy graciously shares with us their journey towards questioning weight stigma in the NHS, leading to them developing their weight-inclusive dietetics practice, Well Now, and embodying the role of radical dietitian. We talk about the impact of weight loss and BMI-focused public health policy, and Lucy's alignment with - and subsequent step away from - Health At Every Size. Lucy also examines the importance of respect in patient engagement, we talk about the problematic role of pity in our inter-personal relationships, and as a truly fitting way to finish off the Season, Lucy shares with us an excerpt of one of their original social action poems.
If you want to hear more about Lucy's work, you can find out all about it through their website: https://lucyaphramor.com/
You can also find Lucy on Instagram using @poetlucywellnow
This Season of Well Undone is brought to in partnership with The Diet-Free Revolution, the new diet-debunking book from clinical psychologist Dr Alexis Conason. Out on the 29th June, and available to pre-order wherever books are sold, you can find a copy in all your usual bookshops.
If you want an even deeper dive, you can also get 30% off Alexis' online 6-week mindfulness-based anti-diet course using the code: WELLUNDONE30
Our guest this week is Dr Nadia Craddock. Body image researcher at the Centre for Appearance Research at the University of West England, Nadia has expertise in numerous facets of body image, including eating disorders, colourism, fashion warning labels, and so much more. With her PhD focused on body size representation in fashion, advertising and beauty, Nadia is a go-to expert in the area of body image and Corporate Social Responsibility, and is passionate about developing a society where we can all live happier, healthier lives, free of body image anxiety and obsession.
From her work developing and implementing body image programmes with the World Association Of Girl Guides & Girl Scouts, to collaborating with the Dove Self-Esteem Project and UNICEF on body image curriculum in Indonesia, Nadia gives us a whistle-stop tour of her amazing work in the body image space. We talk about her involvement in last year's open letter to the UK Government on addressing weight stigma on public policy, and Nadia shares with us her reflections on April's Women and Equalities Committee's body image public inquiry report, which she and her colleagues contributed to, on behalf of the Centre of Appearance Research. Nadia also shares some interesting insights from her PhD, and we talk about the role of the fashion, advertising and beauty industries in developing positive body image at a societal level.
If you want to hear more about Nadia's work, you can find her on Instagram using @nadia.craddock
You can also listen to more of that wonderful voice on Nadia's own brilliant podcasts: The Body Protest and Appearance Matters
This Season of Well Undone is brought to in partnership with The Diet-Free Revolution, the new diet-debunking book from clinical psychologist Dr Alexis Conason. Out on the 29th June, and available to pre-order wherever books are sold, you can find a copy in all your usual bookshops.
If you want an even deeper dive, you can also get 30% off Alexis' online 6-week mindfulness-based anti-diet course using the code: WELLUNDONE30
Our guest this week is Dr Alexis Conason. A New York-based clinical psychologist, Alexis specialises in the treatment of eating disorders – often overeating related - which she carries out alongside her extensive research into body image, overeating behaviours, and so much more. Passionate about weight-inclusive care, Alexis founded The Anti-Diet Plan in 2018, a programme designed to help people embrace a mindful, peaceful and compassionate approach to eating and body respect, and is very shortly releasing her new book: The Diet-Free Revolution (sponsor of this Season, no less).
In this episode, we talk about the impact Alexis sees in her patients of weight stigma, how it affects our mental and physical health, and what can (and should) be done differently when it comes to medical professionals engaging in conversations around weight and health. Alexis graciously talks us through her soon-to-be-released new book The Diet-Free Revolution, shares her own journey to discovering Health At Every Size, and answers one of the most important but often unasked questions in this space - what is a diet?
If you want to hear more about Alexis' work, you can find out all about it through her website: https://drconason.com/
You can also find Alexis on Instagram using @theantidietplan
This Season of Well Undone is brought to in partnership with The Diet-Free Revolution, the new diet-debunking book from clinical psychologist Dr Alexis Conason. Out on the 29th June, and available to pre-order wherever books are sold, you can find a copy in all your usual bookshops.
If you want an even deeper dive, you can also get 30% off Alexis' online 6-week mindfulness-based anti-diet course using the code: WELLUNDONE30
Our guest this week is the brilliant Dr Natasha Larmie. Weight-inclusive NHS GP by day and social justice advocate by way of – well, all other hours – Natasha believes passionately in bringing an end to weight stigma in the NHS. A relative newcomer to the Health At Every Size movement, Natasha has generated a significant online following over the past year as the ‘Fat Doctor’, and has since taken on the monumental challenge of speaking up against diet culture, advocating against weight stigma, and encouraging her NHS colleagues to do the same.
In this episode, we talk about Natasha's own body and mental health struggles, her journey to discovering Health At Every Size, and how she has since taken steps to incorporate a weight-inclusive approach into her professional GP practice. We explore the impact of weight stigma on the patient experience of engaging with the medical profession, and why it is this can be just so dangerous to public health outcomes. Natasha also shares with us a few very simple, practical steps any patient-facing medical professional can take to eliminate weight discrimination from their practice, and we explore what patients can do to feel more empowered to speak up about their medical needs.
If you want to hear more about Natasha's work, you can find out all her work through her website: https://www.fatdoctor.co.uk/
You can also find Natasha on Instagram using @fatdoctoruk
This Season of Well Undone is brought to in partnership with The Diet-Free Revolution, the new diet-debunking book from clinical psychologist Dr Alexis Conason. Out on the 29th June, and available to pre-order wherever books are sold, you can find a copy in all your usual bookshops.
If you want an even deeper dive, you can also get 30% off Alexis' online 6-week mindfulness-based anti-diet course using the code: WELLUNDONE30
Our guest this week is the amazing Virgie Tovar. Author, activist, and one of America’s leading experts and lecturers on fat discrimination and body image, Virgie has truly dedicated her life and academia to ending diet culture and weight discrimination, making few guests more apt to feature on this Season of the podcast.
In this episode, we explore fatphobia, and its common misconceptions. From feminism and sexuality, to racism and classism, Virgie gives us a crash course on the history and intersectionalities of weight discrimination, and touches on its mental health implications for all of us. Virgie also graciously explains the nuances between the fat activism and body acceptance movements (which, full disclosure, I had never really understood the difference between until reading her work!), and talks us through practical steps we can all take to acknowledge and address the unconscious biases which perpetuate weight stigma.
If you want to hear more about Virgie's work, you can find out all their work through her website: https://www.virgietovar.com/
You can also find Virgie on Instagram using @virgietovar
This Season of Well Undone is brought to in partnership with The Diet-Free Revolution, the new diet-debunking book from clinical psychologist Dr Alexis Conason. Out on the 29th June, and available to pre-order wherever books are sold, you can find a copy in all your usual bookshops.
If you want an even deeper dive, you can also get 30% off Alexis' online 6-week mindfulness-based anti-diet course using the code: WELLUNDONE30
Welcome back to Season 2 of Well Undone! For this special themed Season, we're taking a short intermission from our personal stories, and doing a deep dive on understanding why, for some, weight gain can feel so inexplicably terrifying. From delving into Health at Every Size, to getting to grips with weight stigma, fatphobia and discrimination, this six-episode Season is packed with experts both clinical and academic, to help us understand where this all comes from, and how it plays out in our own lives.
Our guest this week is the one and only Dr Lindo Bacon. Internationally renowned author, academic and researcher, Lindo is best known for their paradigm-shifting research and advocacy transforming the discourse on weight and health, and taking it one step further to champion a culture of – to steal their words - empathy, equity and true belonging.
In this episode, we explore Health at Every Size, the impact of weight stigma on health outcomes, and why terms like 'obesity' are just so stigmatising. Lindo addresses some of the common criticisms of Health at Every Size, and generously shares their own personal journey to body acceptance. Moving beyond weight alone, we discuss body privilege in all its forms, and Lindo shares their thoughts on how we can build a society in which all bodies experience respect.
If you want to hear more about Lindo's work, you can find out all their work through their website: https://lindobacon.com/
You can also find Lindo on Instagram using @lindobacon
This Season of Well Undone is brought to in partnership with The Diet-Free Revolution, the new diet-debunking book from clinical psychologist Dr Alexis Conason. Out on the 29th June, and available to pre-order wherever books are sold, you can find a copy in all your usual bookshops.
If you want an even deeper dive, you can also get 30% off Alexis' online 6-week mindfulness-based anti-diet course using the code: WELLUNDONE30
After an entire Season of delving into the minds of my brilliant guests, it seemed only right that I turn over the mic and offer the same of myself. So with huge thanks to my wonderful friend Alice Shaw (of Episode 1 fame, no less) for allowing a poetic full circle and taking up the mantle of host, our guest this week for our final episode of the Season is… well... me!
As is the case for so many others, the role of disordered eating in my life has in many ways been a manifestation of a broader struggle with my mental health, and a desperate grab at control in a world where I truly just didn’t understand what was happening, and why it was happening to me. So in this episode, yes we talk about food and exercise and eating disorder therapy and all those wonderful things which I care so passionately about, but we also peel back the layers that little bit further to touch on where, for me, it really all began.
(I should also add a gentle trigger warning here – we do touch on aspects of self-harm and suicidal thoughts, so make sure you’re feeling in the right headspace to give this one a listen.)
Words will never be able to fully express how grateful I am to my amazing Season 1 interviewees for their bravery in stepping up to the mic, nor my brilliant listeners for taking a punt and for sending me such unbelievably beautiful and heart-warming messages, but for what it’s worth… thank you! It’s been an absolute blast. See you all for Season 2 in just a few months’ time!
If you are personally struggling with any of the issues discussed in this episode, there are resources out there to help. A great first port of call, if you are in the UK, is the charity BEAT: https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/support-services/helplines
The UK charity Mind also provides great mental health resources, both in relation to eating disorders and beyond: https://www.mind.org.uk/
If you are keen to explore further the ideas around intuitive eating and the Health At Every Size movement, I would recommend taking a look at the work by Laura Thomas PhD (@laurathomasphd), author and founder of the London Centre for Intuitive Eating.
Well Undone is hosted and produced by Lydia Allaby.
In this penultimate episode of Season 1, I couldn’t be more excited to bring you the wonder that is Imme Leipnik.
Coming from a childhood of thinking sport and exercise was never ‘something for her’, Imme shares with us the evolution of her relationship with exercise into something she now recognises as being a vital part of maintaining her mental health. She talks honestly and openly about the mental barriers she had to unpick at university to push herself to embrace sport in a different way, and the role exercise has played in the ups and downs of her mental health since.
Beyond this, Imme reflects on what it looks like for her to embrace competition in sport whilst avoiding conflating it with a need for achievement to boost her self-worth, and explores how sometimes, you just need the courage to give something new a go.
If you are personally struggling with any of the issues discussed in this episode, there are resources out there to help. A great first port of call, if you are in the UK, is the charity BEAT: https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/support-services/helplines
The UK charity Mind also provides great mental health resources, both in relation to eating disorders and beyond: https://www.mind.org.uk/
If you are keen to explore further the ideas around intuitive eating and the Health At Every Size movement, I would recommend taking a look at the work by Laura Thomas PhD (@laurathomasphd), author and founder of the London Centre for Intuitive Eating.
Well Undone is hosted and produced by Lydia Allaby.
Our guest this week is the brilliant Ellie Miller. No eating disorders, no exercise obsessions, Ellie brings us back to the very core of the podcast – we don’t have to have a ‘problem’, to have a problem.
Approaching life from a place of a balanced, enjoyable relationship with food, Ellie shares with us her reflections on how diet culture really leaves no one unscathed. We talk about the powerful impact of how who we choose to follow on social media dictates our perception of health, her fleeting love affair with the world of fad dieting, and the turbulent evolution of her relationship with exercise and competitive sport.
And most importantly of all, we talk about the importance of sometimes, just learning to be that bit more of a slob.
If you are personally struggling with any of the issues discussed in this episode, there are resources out there to help. A great first port of call, if you are in the UK, is the charity BEAT: https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/support-services/helplines
The UK charity Mind also provides great mental health resources, both in relation to eating disorders and beyond: https://www.mind.org.uk/
If you are keen to explore further the ideas around intuitive eating and the Health At Every Size movement, I would recommend taking a look at the work by Laura Thomas PhD (@laurathomasphd), author and founder of the London Centre for Intuitive Eating.
Well Undone is hosted and produced by Lydia Allaby.
Our guest this week is Niall Tiller, a late-twenties, London-based paramedic.
There are few things that rile me up more than the suggestion that pressures around body image are 'just for women', and that men 'have it easy'. Whilst no doubt the challenges across the gender line are different, it goes without saying that damaging societal body image expectations and gender norms in no way discriminate. And if we think there is stigma around women talking about it, the stigma for men remains so much more.
So as Season 1's exceptionally brave, sole male guest, Niall shares with us his reflections of living in a male body in a world of gym culture, toxic masculinity and, of course, Love Island. He also speaks incredibly honestly about incredibly tricky topic of weight stigma in the medical field, and reflects on the terrifyingly damaging impact that telling someone to just 'lose some weight' can have on their mental health.
If you are personally struggling with any of the issues discussed in this episode, there are resources out there to help. A great first port of call, if you are in the UK, is the charity BEAT: https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/support-services/helplines
The UK charity Mind also provides great mental health resources, both in relation to eating disorders and beyond: https://www.mind.org.uk/
If you are keen to explore further the ideas around intuitive eating and the Health At Every Size movement, I would recommend taking a look at the work by Laura Thomas PhD (@laurathomasphd), author and founder of the London Centre for Intuitive Eating.
Well Undone is hosted and produced by Lydia Allaby.
The podcast currently has 14 episodes available.