Two returning guests join us (who happen to be my amazing friends and colleagues): therapist Edie Stark and fat activist Sharon Maxwell. We're getting into the impact of GLP-1s (like Ozempic, Wegovy, etc.) on disordered eating recovery, body acceptance, and generally navigating this world in a human body amidst the constant chatter about weight loss medications.
Edie and Sharon share their wisdom and lived experience as we talk about how we can keep hopeful in the face of increasingly problematic diet culture messaging, GLP-1s, and general uncertainty in the world. We explore the differences between individual and macro change, and the need for tangible ways to resist diet culture and comparison. It gets real, and honest, and I think it is a timely episode for anyone who has felt hope waiver these past few weeks.
Tune in to hear more about:
This episode is the first of two parts, so stay tuned for next week's second act!
About Edie:
Edie Stark, MSc, LCSW is a licensed clinical social worker and the owner of Stark Therapy Group, a psychotherapy group practice specializing in eating disorders, trauma, and anxiety from a humanistic, fat-positive, and inclusive lens. She believes in the value of lived experience being met with clinical knowledge to create a collaborative therapeutic experience for all of the clients. Edie is passionate about Trader Joe's snacks– we talk a little bit about that–dismantling the US healthcare system, and the complete and total takedown of diet culture in no particular order.
Learn more at https://starktherapygroup.com/
About Sharon:
Sharon Maxwell (She/Her) is a mental health advocate and fat activist. She works as a weight inclusive consultant, providing education to treatment centers and healthcare providers on the immense harms of weight stigma. Due to her lived experience facing weight stigma, Sharon provides unique insight and offers practical tools to make treatment centers and healthcare settings safe and accessible for fat folks. Sharon is passionate about breaking down the stigma around eating disorders and working to eradicate societal anti-fat bias. When she’s not studying or engaged in her activism work, Sharon can be found exploring San Diego with her dog and her best friend.
Read "You Don't Look Anorexic" in New York Times Magazine
Connect with Sharon on IG: @heysharonmaxwell
Learn more about Sharon: https://www.heysharonmaxwell.com/
Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Patreon for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at Patreon.com/fullplate
Group program:
Looking for more support and concrete steps to take to heal your relationship with food and your body? Apply for Abbie's next 10-week group program: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/group-coaching
Group membership:
Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group
Social media:
Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast
Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness
Transcripts: If you’re looking for transcripts, you can find those on Abbie's website, www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/podcast
Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy
Podcast Editing by Brian Walters
This podcast is ad-free and support comes from our Patrons on Patreon: Patreon.com/fullplate
Shana Spence, a registered dietitian (who you might know as @thenutritiontea on social media), joins the pod to bust myths about processed foods and to discuss how family, culture, privilege, and societal influences shape our relationship with food.
We recorded this conversation before the election, but given the outcome, we're going to see an influx of misinformation about wellness, health, and nutrition -- so this episode feels timely.
Shana shares how her initial career path and disordered eating fueled her decision to become a dietitian, and reflects on how dietetics education perpetuates diet culture, focusing on BMI and stereotypes. She talks about her perspective shift over time, the process of moving toward an anti-diet and weight-inclusive approach, and why the social determinants of health matter more than individual food choices.
Tune in to hear more about…
The pressure of food restriction as a badge of honor
Privilege affecting food choices
The misleading fears about processed foods
The oversimplification of food into good vs. bad categories.
How family and cultural background impact dieting
External societal pressures on our relationship with food
Diet culture and healthism
Dietitian education's role in perpetuating diet culture
Stereotyping in healthcare
Shana’s perspective shift on nutrition and dieting
Restriction as a form of validation
Black-and-white thinking in nutrition
Shana Spence is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist based in New York, who considers herself an “eat anything” dietitian, and counsels on a HAES (Healthy At Every Size) and an Intuitive Eating approach. She is also the author of Live Nourished - Make Peace with Food, Banish Body Shame, and Reclaim Joy. Find her website here https://www.thenutritiontea.com/ and find her on instagram at @thenutritiontea.
Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Patreon for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at Patreon.com/fullplate
Group program:
Looking for more support and concrete steps to take to heal your relationship with food and your body? Apply for Abbie's next 10-week group program: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/group-coaching
Group membership:
Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group
Social media:
Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast
Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness
WalkingPad Discounts:
Use code ABBIEATTWOODWELLNESS for 30% off their WalkingPad Use code ABBIEWELLNESS for 20% off their treadmills
Transcripts: If you’re looking for transcripts, you can find those on Abbie's website, www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/podcast
Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy
Podcast Editing by Brian Walters
Podcast Administrative Support by Alexis Eades
Listen Ad-Free on Patreon: www.patreon.com/fullplate
Hi, my friends. In this last-minute episode, I am talking to you about election anxiety, and why times of political and personal uncertainty can stir up disordered eating thoughts and behaviors. From control to distraction, we often tend to turn to bodies as a coping tool. Join me for this brief (but hopefully meaningful) conversation about these thoughts, why they surface, and supportive tools to nurture yourself through challenging times. I hope this is a compassionate reminder on why and how we are reclaiming our power when we choose food, rest, and radical self-care. We're in this together -- you are not alone.
PS: This is an expanded version of my newsletter from Friday. You can read that newsletter as a member of Patreon right here.
Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Patreon for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at Patreon.com/fullplate
Group program:
Looking for more support and concrete steps to take to heal your relationship with food and your body? Apply for Abbie's next 10-week group program: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/group-coaching
Group membership:
Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group
Social media:
Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast
Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness
Transcripts: If you’re looking for transcripts, you can find those on Abbie's website, www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/podcast
Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy
Podcast Editing by Brian Walters
This podcast is ad-free and support comes from our Patrons on Patreon: Patreon.com/fullplate
This is a free preview of a BONUS episode! To hear the full episode, make sure you're subscribed on Patreon. Your support is what keeps the lights on around here, so, thank you!
It's Halloween time. And that means...plenty of candy. Maybe more than usual? Maybe not. In this special bonus episode, I'm answering a listener question about what to do if you feel like you can't eat candy without binge-eating it, how to approach candy with your kids, and whether we can truly give ourselves unconditional permission to eat all that sugar.
👉 Listen to the full episode right here!
You'll hear more on:
Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Patreon for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at Patreon.com/fullplate
That's where you'll find this bonus episode, right at the top of the feed.
If you’re looking for transcripts, you can find those on Patreon or on my website, www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/podcast
Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast
Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness
Enroll for Group Support:
Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy
Podcast Editing by Brian Walters
This podcast is ad-free and support comes from our Patrons on Patreon: Patreon.com/fullplate
Author and well-being educator Nakeia Homer joins us to talk about releasing things (habits, people, beliefs) we've clung to for years—sometimes decades. As Nakeia beautifully explains, letting go is rarely about the thing or person itself, but rather what it symbolizes for us.
We discuss self-forgiveness, finding our people, making peace with other people’s opinions of us, and what real self-care is all about. Nakeia also walks us through the process of building habits that help us heal; that help us become whole; that help us find ourselves.
Things that stood out to me most:
Nakeia Homer is a Well-Being Educator, Author, and the founder of Heal & Grow Daily, a well-being community and private membership.
Through programs, speaking, workshop facilitation, and corporate wellness consulting, Nakeia helps people sustain their well-being, operate in their brilliance, and show up in their lives and work as the best versions of themselves. Her first books, I Hope This Helps (2020) and All the Right Pieces (2022), have been great resources for those seeking healing and growth all over the world. Her thrid book, Habits For Healing: Reclaim Your Purpose, Peace, & Power was released in the Fall of 2024 and is already dubbed "A Roadmap to Healing".
Nakeia is a sought-after wellness & well-being expert and trauma-informed educator, facilitating powerful workshops and keynotes on the power of story, self-love/self-care, and purpose. You can find her course, Healing Inequality Through Allyship, at David Eccles School of Business, University of Utah.
To stay connected, hire her to speak at your next event, or join her community, visit nakeiahomer.com and follow Nakeia on social media @nakeiahomer.
Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Patreon for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at Patreon.com/fullplate
Group program:
Looking for more support and concrete steps to take to heal your relationship with food and your body? Apply for Abbie's next 10-week group program: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/group-coaching
Group membership:
Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group
Social media:
Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast
Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness
Transcripts: If you’re looking for transcripts, you can find those on Abbie's website, www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/podcast
Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy
Podcast Editing by Brian Walters
This podcast is ad-free and support comes from our Patrons on Patreon: Patreon.com/fullplate
Chrissy King is BACK for her second round on the pod. This time, we’re diving deep into the intricate ways diet culture, body autonomy, dating culture, and yes, even childless cat ladies, are all connected. I promise there’s a through-line here—and it’s more liberating than any “hot girl summer” meme you’ve ever scrolled past.
Some of the things we chat about...
Good news! Enrollment is open for Abbie's next group program:
Looking for more support and concrete steps to take to heal your relationship with food and your body? Apply for Abbie's next 10-week group program: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/group-coaching
Group membership:
Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group
Buy Chrissy's book "The Body Liberation Project" right here.
Chrissy King is a writer, speaker, strength coach, and educator with a passion for creating a diverse and inclusive wellness industry. She empowers individuals to stop shrinking, start taking up space, and use their energy to create their specific magic in the world. She has been featured in SELF, SHAPE, Health, Cosmopolitan, BuzzFeed, Muscle and Fitness, and Livestrong, among others. With degrees in Social Justice and Sociology from Marquette University, Chrissy merges her passion for Social Justice and her passion for fitness to empower individuals within the fitness and wellness industry to create spaces that allow individuals from all backgrounds to feel seen, welcome, respected, and celebrated.
She empowers individuals to stop shrinking, start taking up space, and use their energy to create their specific magic in the world. When she’s not serving her clients by empowering them to create stress-free and sustainable lifestyles and feel confident and empowered in their skin, she spends her time lifting all the weights, reading, traveling, and hanging with friends and family.
Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Patreon for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at Patreon.com/fullplate
Social media:
Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast
Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness
Transcripts: If you’re looking for transcripts, you can find those on Abbie's website, www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/podcast
Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy
Podcast Editing by Brian Walters
This podcast is ad-free and support comes from our Patrons on Patreon: Patreon.com/fullplate
This is a free preview of a paywalled episode. To hear the FULL episode, join Patreon here. Patreon supporters make this show possible and keep the lights on around here, so, thank you!
In this bonus episode, I'm answering a listener question about why seeing photos of ourselves—especially in group settings—can trigger feelings of body shame and comparison. The question is specifically about hating a photo and feeling the strong desire to lose weight (despite knowing intellectually that all bodies are worthy bodies, and believing in the anti-diet culture movement).
Tune in to hear more about:
body neutrality and emotional triggers
how diet culture conditions us to view our bodies through a critical lens
why photos can be another form of body checking
how to cope with photos we hate
social comparison theory and why we compare ourselves to others
unraveling the habit of comparison
intersectionality and body hierarchies
using self-compassion as a tool for navigating body grief
practical tips for how to reclaim your body from guilt and shame
using mindfulness to separate our thoughts from our self-worth
actions we can take to reduce the negative feelings that accompany photos
GOOD NEWS! Enrollment has opened for my next 10-week group program:
Looking for more support and concrete steps to take to heal your relationship with food and your body? Apply for the next 10-week group program: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/group-coaching
You can also apply to join my monthly group membership:
Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for a compassionate community-based monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group
Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Patreon for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at Patreon.com/fullplate
Social media:
Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast
Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness
Transcripts: If you’re looking for transcripts, you can find those on Abbie's website, www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/podcast
Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy
Podcast Editing by Brian Walters
This podcast is ad-free and support comes from our Patrons on Patreon: Patreon.com/fullplate
Have you ever wondered how alcohol fits into diet culture, or how it can intersect with and impact restrictive eating? We're diving into the connection between drinking and diet culture in this episode. Lael Atkinson, a recovery coach, joins Abbie to share their experiences with disordered eating, alcohol, and body image, how these issues have intersected with queerness, and other manifestations of these coping tools in their life. The conversation also explores the differences and similarities between drinking and dieting, how shame and body disconnection can show up in both, the overlap of substance abuse and disordered eating, and how this shows up in gender and sexuality.
If you want to hear a full episode all about whether "food addiction" is an evidence-based concept, Abbie went deep on that in this bonus episode.
Important note: Lael's group program will now be launching in October, rather than September. You can learn more about it right here!
Lael Atkinson (they/them) is a certified professional recovery coach who works at the intersection of drinking and dieting. They support folks who struggle with alcohol and/or with disordered eating & body image issues. Lael also runs the Beyond Shrinking & Drinking course and group coaching program. Grab her free resource on how to avoid feeling "addicted" to food and sugar right here.
Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Patreon for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at Patreon.com/fullplate
Group program:
Looking for more support and concrete steps to take to heal your relationship with food and your body? Apply for Abbie's next 10-week group program: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/group-coaching
Group membership:
Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group
Social media:
Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast
Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness
Transcripts: If you’re looking for transcripts, you can find those on Abbie's website, www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/podcast
Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy
Podcast Editing by Brian Walters
This podcast is ad-free and support comes from our Patrons on Patreon: Patreon.com/fullplate
Summer returns for her second (!!) time on the pod to speak with Abbie about the challenges of body image during perimenopause. With the ever-present pressure from diet culture -- preying on our insecurities, selling us anti-aging creams, 'fixes' for menopause symptoms, and endless diets to keep our bodies as small as possible -- it’s exhausting. This conversation takes a deeper look at what's happening as we age out of the beauty standard, the challenges we face with body grief, and how we can truly support ourselves and our changing bodies.
We chat about so much in this one, including...
Summer Innanen is a professionally trained coach specializing in body image, self-worth and confidence. She is the host of the podcast Eat The Rules and creator of You, On Fire – an online group coaching program dedicated to helping people get free from body shame. She also co-runs the Body Image Coach Certification program with Danni Adams to train professionals to be better equipped to work with clients around body image. She helps people all over the world to stop living behind the numbers on their scales through her private and group coaching at summerinnanen.com.
Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Patreon for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at Patreon.com/fullplate
Group program:
Looking for more support and concrete steps to take to heal your relationship with food and your body? Apply for Abbie's next 10-week group program: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/group-coaching
Group membership:
Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group
Social media:
Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast
Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness
Transcripts: If you’re looking for transcripts, you can find those on Abbie's website, www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/podcast
Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy
Podcast Editing by Brian Walters
This podcast is ad-free and support comes from our Patrons on Patreon: Patreon.com/fullplate
Welcome to a very special bonus episode, where Abbie hosts a live Q&A call with the Full Plate Patreon community. This is a FREE preview of the conversation, but you can hear the FULL episode right here as a member of Patreon.
To join Patreon and hear the episode, as well as all future bonus episodes and newsletters, visit: www.patreon.com/fullplate.
In this episode...
We really hope you enjoy this amazing conversation with beloved supporters of the show. It was so fun to have folks join live, and we'll be doing this again soon!
Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Patreon for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at Patreon.com/fullplate
Group program:
Looking for more support and concrete steps to take to heal your relationship with food and your body? Apply for Abbie's next 10-week group program: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/group-coaching
Group membership:
Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group
Social media:
Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast
Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness
Transcripts: If you’re looking for transcripts, you can find those on Abbie's website, www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/podcast
Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy
Podcast Editing by Brian Walters
This podcast is ad-free and support comes from our Patrons on Patreon: Patreon.com/fullplate
Natalie Rose (@wakeupandsmelltherosay), therapist and wonderful human, joins us to share her journey with disordered eating, which began during her high school years due to social pressures and a desire for acceptance. We talk about her struggles with body image that led to a cycle of restriction and binge eating, exacerbated by a heart condition that limited her ability to exercise. Natalie also shares how her mother’s cancer diagnosis reignited her obsession with "healthy eating", pushing her into orthorexia.
We explore perfectionism, health anxiety, relationships, and what it actually means to lean into self-kindness over self-hatred (plus how that line can be so thin).
Eventually, exposure to anti-diet culture on social media helped Natalie challenge her disordered relationship with food and begin her true recovery. She reflects on how her obsession with health distanced her from others and how realigning with her values was crucial to healing. This is such a beautifully honest, vulnerable conversation, and you'll walk away with hope and tangible ideas for navigating your own experience with food and body image.
Natalie Rose is a therapist and coach who helps women improve their relationship with food and their body. She runs an online membership platform and teaches psychological skills to help her members overcome chronic dieting, disordered eating, and body image issues. Follow her @wakeupandsmelltherosay and learn more at wakeupandsmelltherosay.com
This show is supported by YOU on Patreon: If you're enjoying the pod, please support the show on Patreon for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at Patreon.com/fullplate
Group membership:
If you've been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community, continued learning, and ongoing support, you can now apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group
Group program:
If you're looking for a higher level of support alongside concrete steps to take to heal your relationship with food and your body, apply for Abbie's next 10-week group program: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/group-coaching
Social media:
Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast
Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness
Transcripts: If you’re looking for transcripts, you can find those on Abbie's website, www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/podcast
Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy
Podcast Editing by Brian Walters
This podcast is ad-free and support comes from our Patrons on Patreon: Patreon.com/fullplate
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