Burnt Toast by Virginia Sole-Smith

Virginia Sole-Smith

Dismantling diet culture and anti-fat bias, especially in health, fashion, and parenting. (But non-parents like it too!)

  • 33 minutes
    Birds Are In, Social Media Is Out

    You’re listening to Burnt Toast!

    We are Virginia Sole-Smith and Corinne Fay, and today we’re getting into our Ins and Outs for 2025.

    Most Indulgence Gospel episodes are paywalled, but we’re releasing today’s conversation for free as a January-has-been-a-lot-aleady treat!

    If you enjoy this conversation, please consider supporting our work with a paid subscription.

    You can also subscribe to Corinne's newsletter, Big Undies, for 20% off using this special link. 

    To get all of the links and resources mentioned in this episode, as well as a complete transcript, visit our show page.

    Also, don't forget to order Fat Talk: Parenting In the Age of Diet Culture! Get your signed copy now from Split Rock Books (they ship anywhere in the USA). You can also order it from your independent bookstore, or from Barnes & NobleAmazonTargetKobo or anywhere you like to buy books. (Or get the UK edition or the audiobook!) 

    Disclaimer: Virginia and Corinne are humans with a lot of informed opinions. They are not nutritionists, therapists, doctors, or any kind of healthcare providers. The conversation you're about to hear and all of the advice and opinions they give are just for entertainment, information, and education purposes only. None of this is a substitute for individual medical or mental health advice.

    The Burnt Toast Podcast is produced and hosted by Virginia Sole-Smith (follow me on Instagram) and Corinne Fay, who runs @SellTradePlus, and Big Undiessubscribe for 20% off!

    The Burnt Toast logo is by Deanna Lowe.

    Our theme music is by Farideh.

    Tommy Harron is our audio engineer.

    Thanks for listening and for supporting anti-diet, body liberation journalism!



    This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiasolesmith.substack.com/subscribe
    16 January 2025, 10:00 am
  • 1 minute 48 seconds
    "You Can Count Your Protein and Still Be Nice to Fat People."
    This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiasolesmith.substack.com/subscribe

    Welcome to Indulgence Gospel After Dark! It's time for your January Extra Butter! 

    Today, we’re tackling two big topics:

    1. Can you do a diet-y thing and still be an anti-diet advocate?

    2. And can Corinne and Virginia divest from Amazon for one month?

    (Or is that…also kind of diet-y???)

    If you are already an Extra Butter subscriber, you’ll have this entire episode in your podcast feed and access to the entire transcript in your inbox and on the Burnt Toast SubstackTo get all of the links and resources mentioned in this episode, as well as a complete transcript, visit our show page.

    Otherwise, to hear the whole conversation or read the whole transcript, you'll need to join Extra Butter. It's just $99 per year, and is the hands down best way to keep Burnt Toast an ad- and sponsor-free space. 

    PS. Don't forget to order Fat Talk: Parenting In the Age of Diet Culture! Get your signed copy now from Split Rock Books (they ship anywhere in the USA). You can also order it from your independent bookstore, or from Barnes & NobleAmazonTargetKobo or anywhere you like to buy books. (Or get the UK edition or the audiobook!) 

    Disclaimer: Virginia and Corinne are humans with a lot of informed opinions. They are not nutritionists, therapists, doctors, or any kind of healthcare providers. The conversation you're about to hear and all of the advice and opinions they give are just for entertainment, information, and education purposes only. None of this is a substitute for individual medical or mental health advice.

    CREDITS

    The Burnt Toast Podcast is produced and hosted by Virginia Sole-Smith (follow me on Instagram) and Corinne Faywho runs @SellTradePlus and Big Undiessubscribe for 20% off.

    The Burnt Toast logo is by Deanna Lowe.

    Our theme music is by Farideh.

    Tommy Harron is our audio engineer.

    Thanks for listening and for supporting anti-diet, body liberation journalism!

    9 January 2025, 10:01 am
  • 35 minutes 24 seconds
    Your Five Favorite Episodes of 2024

    You’re listening to Burnt Toast!

    We are Virginia Sole-Smith and Corinne Fay, and we’re dropping in today with your Burnt Toast Podcast Year In Review.

    Don’t forget! Burnt Toast subscriptions are 20% off right now — but that deal ends tomorrow night. Don’t miss it!

    And if you haven’t donated to our NAAFA fundraiser yet, we could really use your help funding fat.

    You can always listen to our episodes right here in your email, where you’ll also receive full transcripts (edited and condensed for clarity). But please also follow us in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and/or Pocket Casts!

    The Burnt Toast Podcast is produced and hosted by Virginia Sole-Smith (follow me on Instagram) and Corinne Fay, who runs @SellTradePlus, and Big Undiessubscribe for 20% off!

    The Burnt Toast logo is by Deanna Lowe.

    Our theme music is by Farideh.

    Tommy Harron is our audio engineer.

    Thanks for listening and for supporting anti-diet, body liberation journalism!



    This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiasolesmith.substack.com/subscribe
    26 December 2024, 10:00 am
  • 1 minute 48 seconds
    Santa is a Fat Icon
    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit virginiasolesmith.substack.com

    It’s time for your December Indulgence Gospel. 

    Today’s episode is both holiday and sex-themed, which seems right! We’re getting into:

    ️ How diet culture and anti-fatness show up during the holiday season. Comments from relatives! Fitness equipment as gifts! Matching family PJs! Etc.

    ️ Our NEW Ask Corinne segment, where Corinne answers your fat sex and dating questions, like: What do you do when certain positions just don’t work for your body?

    To hear the whole conversation or read the whole transcript, you'll need to become a paid Burnt Toast subscriber. Subscribe here.

    If you are already a paid subscriber, you’ll have this entire episode in your podcast feed and access to the entire transcript in your inbox and on the Burnt Toast Substack. You can also subscribe to Corinne's newsletter, Big Undies, for 20% off using this special link. 

    To get all of the links and resources mentioned in this episode, as well as a complete transcript, visit our show page.

    Also, don't forget to order Fat Talk: Parenting In the Age of Diet Culture! Get your signed copy now from Split Rock Books (they ship anywhere in the USA). You can also order it from your independent bookstore, or from Barnes & NobleAmazonTargetKobo or anywhere you like to buy books. (Or get the UK edition or the audiobook!) 

    Disclaimer: Virginia and Corinne are humans with a lot of informed opinions. They are not nutritionists, therapists, doctors, or any kind of healthcare providers. The conversation you're about to hear and all of the advice and opinions they give are just for entertainment, information, and education purposes only. None of this is a substitute for individual medical or mental health advice.

    CREDITS

    The Burnt Toast Podcast is produced and hosted by Virginia Sole-Smith (follow me on Instagram) and Corinne Fay, who runs @SellTradePlus, and Big Undiessubscribe for 20% off

    The Burnt Toast logo is by Deanna Lowe.

    Our theme music is by Farideh.

    Tommy Harron is our audio engineer.

    Thanks for listening and for supporting anti-diet, body liberation journalism!

    19 December 2024, 10:01 am
  • 52 minutes 37 seconds
    A Pudgy Belly Can Be a Strong Core

    Today Virginia is chatting with Anna Maltby. 

    Anna is a health journalist, editor, content strategist, personal trainer, and author of the newsletter How to Move. Anna also created Pilates For Abortion Funds, a monthly online class that has raised about $30,000 for abortion funds since July 2022. She has been an ACE-certified personal trainer since 2015, and a certified mat pilates instructor since 2021. She’s also a certified prenatal and postpartum exercise specialist. Anna lives in Brooklyn with her husband, two kids, and two extremely cute cats.

    Anna was previously a guest on one of Burnt Toast’s most popular ever episodes, The Myth of Visible Abs. What’s so great about Anna—and what makes her different from a lot of fitness writers and personal trainers out there—is that she’s so smart about bodies, she’s truly anti-diet and size neutral as a fitness professional…and, she’s been in the belly of the beast. Anna worked in women’s magazines with me long enough to know all the diet culture tricks. So she’s one of my favorite people to talk fitness with, because she can dissect what is marketing, what is diet culture, and what is actually maybe useful for your body.

    Two content warnings for today:

    1. We are going to talk about specific forms of exercise. This will always be through a weight neutral lens, but if you’re recovering from an eating disorder or just otherwise in a place where exercise is not serving you, please take care.

    2. CW for Butter, because we ended up talking quite a lot about toilets! And while I feel it’s all incredibly practical information and you’re going to thank me for my great Butter recommendation this week, I do realize that toilet conversation is not for everyone. It’s usually not for me! So I get it! You’ve been warned.

    To tell us YOUR thoughts, and to get all of the links and resources mentioned in this episode, as well as a complete transcript, visit our show page.

    If you want more conversations like this one, please rate and review us in your podcast player! And become a paid Burnt Toast subscriber — subscriptions are just $7 per month! —to get all of Virginia's reporting and bonus subscriber-only episodes. 

    And don’t forget to check out our Burnt Toast Podcast Bonus Content! 

    Disclaimer: You’re listening to this episode because you value my input as a journalist who reports on these issues and therefore has a lot of informed opinions. Neither my guest today nor I are healthcare providers, and this conversation is not meant to substitute for medical or therapeutic advice.

    FAT TALK is out in paperback! Order your signed copy from Virginia's favorite independent bookstore, Split Rock Books (they ship anywhere in the US!). Or order it from your independent bookstore, or from Barnes & NobleAmazonTarget, or Kobo or anywhere else you like to buy books. You can also order the audio book from Libro.fm or Audible.

    CREDITS

    The Burnt Toast Podcast is produced and hosted by Virginia Sole-Smith and Corinne Fay. Follow Virginia on Instagram, Follow Corinne  @SellTradePlus, an Instagram account where you can buy and sell plus size clothing and subscribe to Big Undies.

    Our theme music is by Farideh.Tommy Harron is our audio engineer.Thanks for listening and for supporting anti-diet, body liberation journalism. 



    This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiasolesmith.substack.com/subscribe
    12 December 2024, 9:00 am
  • 1 minute 48 seconds
    The Tyranny of the Millennial Camisole
    This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiasolesmith.substack.com/subscribe

    Welcome to Indulgence Gospel After Dark! It's time for your December Extra Butter! 

    Today, we’re talking about bellies—and how we’ve been taught to dress them. You need this conversation if you have feelings about:

    Spanx

    Horizontal stripes

    The Millennial structured camisole era + long, flowy tops

    Always tucking in your shirt/never tucking in your shirt

    And so much more.

    If you are already an Extra Butter subscriber, you’ll have this entire episode in your podcast feed and access to the entire transcript in your inbox and on the Burnt Toast SubstackTo get all of the links and resources mentioned in this episode, as well as a complete transcript, visit our show page.

    Otherwise, to hear the whole conversation or read the whole transcript, you'll need to join Extra Butter. It's just $99 per year, and is the hands down best way to keep Burnt Toast an ad- and sponsor-free space. 

    PS. Don't forget to order Fat Talk: Parenting In the Age of Diet Culture! Get your signed copy now from Split Rock Books (they ship anywhere in the USA). You can also order it from your independent bookstore, or from Barnes & NobleAmazonTargetKobo or anywhere you like to buy books. (Or get the UK edition or the audiobook!) 

    Disclaimer: Virginia and Corinne are humans with a lot of informed opinions. They are not nutritionists, therapists, doctors, or any kind of healthcare providers. The conversation you're about to hear and all of the advice and opinions they give are just for entertainment, information, and education purposes only. None of this is a substitute for individual medical or mental health advice.

    CREDITS

    The Burnt Toast Podcast is produced and hosted by Virginia Sole-Smith (follow me on Instagram) and Corinne Faywho runs @SellTradePlus and Big Undiessubscribe for 20% off.

    The Burnt Toast logo is by Deanna Lowe.

    Our theme music is by Farideh.

    Tommy Harron is our audio engineer.

    Thanks for listening and for supporting anti-diet, body liberation journalism!

    5 December 2024, 10:01 am
  • 1 minute 48 seconds
    What Are We Doing All Day on Our Phones?
    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit virginiasolesmith.substack.com

    It’s time for your November Indulgence Gospel. Today, we’re doing an old fashioned mailbag episode for you.

    We are going to chat about grocery shopping.

    We’re going to talk about what to do if you are “not fat enough” to be in a fat space.

    We are going to talk about how to get divorced.

    We’re going to talk about a mom who wants to stop her adult daughter from getting diabetes.

    And we’re both going to dig into our phones and face up to…just how much time we spend on them and why.

    To hear the whole conversation or read the whole transcript, you'll need to become a paid Burnt Toast subscriber. Subscribe here.

    If you are already a paid subscriber, you’ll have this entire episode in your podcast feed and access to the entire transcript in your inbox and on the Burnt Toast Substack. You can also subscribe to Corinne's newsletter, Big Undies, for 20% off using this special link. 

    To get all of the links and resources mentioned in this episode, as well as a complete transcript, visit our show page.

    Also, don't forget to order Fat Talk: Parenting In the Age of Diet Culture! Get your signed copy now from Split Rock Books (they ship anywhere in the USA). You can also order it from your independent bookstore, or from Barnes & NobleAmazonTargetKobo or anywhere you like to buy books. (Or get the UK edition or the audiobook!) 

    Disclaimer: Virginia and Corinne are humans with a lot of informed opinions. They are not nutritionists, therapists, doctors, or any kind of healthcare providers. The conversation you're about to hear and all of the advice and opinions they give are just for entertainment, information, and education purposes only. None of this is a substitute for individual medical or mental health advice.

    CREDITS

    The Burnt Toast Podcast is produced and hosted by Virginia Sole-Smith (follow me on Instagram) and Corinne Fay, who runs @SellTradePlus, and Big Undiessubscribe for 20% off

    The Burnt Toast logo is by Deanna Lowe.

    Our theme music is by Farideh.

    Tommy Harron is our audio engineer.

    Thanks for listening and for supporting anti-diet, body liberation journalism!

    21 November 2024, 10:01 am
  • 1 minute 57 seconds
    The Curious Evolution of Emily Oster
    This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiasolesmith.substack.com/subscribe

    Welcome to Indulgence Gospel After Dark! It's time for your November Extra Butter! 

    This month we’re talking about Emily Oster—and her evolving views on kids, weight and health.

    We recorded this before the election. But as we all continue to grapple with how America slid to the right, the story of a public health advocate and scholar who is now aligned with conservative media feels especially timely. That said, we also want to hold space for how much Emily’s work has meant to so many of us (including Virginia!).

    If you are already an Extra Butter subscriber, you’ll have this entire episode in your podcast feed and access to the entire transcript in your inbox and on the Burnt Toast SubstackTo get all of the links and resources mentioned in this episode, as well as a complete transcript, visit our show page.

    Otherwise, to hear the whole conversation or read the whole transcript, you'll need to join Extra Butter. It's just $99 per year, and is the hands down best way to keep Burnt Toast an ad- and sponsor-free space. 

    PS. Don't forget to order Fat Talk: Parenting In the Age of Diet Culture! Get your signed copy now from Split Rock Books (they ship anywhere in the USA). You can also order it from your independent bookstore, or from Barnes & NobleAmazonTargetKobo or anywhere you like to buy books. (Or get the UK edition or the audiobook!) 

    Disclaimer: Virginia and Corinne are humans with a lot of informed opinions. They are not nutritionists, therapists, doctors, or any kind of healthcare providers. The conversation you're about to hear and all of the advice and opinions they give are just for entertainment, information, and education purposes only. None of this is a substitute for individual medical or mental health advice.

    CREDITS

    The Burnt Toast Podcast is produced and hosted by Virginia Sole-Smith (follow me on Instagram) and Corinne Faywho runs @SellTradePlus and Big Undiessubscribe for 20% off.

    The Burnt Toast logo is by Deanna Lowe.

    Our theme music is by Farideh.

    Tommy Harron is our audio engineer.

    Thanks for listening and for supporting anti-diet, body liberation journalism!

    14 November 2024, 10:00 am
  • 49 minutes 8 seconds
    Healthcare is Ground Zero for Fatphobia

    Today Virginia is chatting withMara Gordon, MD.

    Dr. Gordon is a family physician on the faculty of Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, as well as a writer, journalist, and contributor to NPR. Dr. Gordon also writes Chief Complaint, about her efforts to make medicine more fat friendly, and help her patients and herself explore body liberation and radical bodily autonomy.

    In our conversation today, Dr. Gordon and I get into why the healthcare system is set up the way it is, and what we can do to advocate for more weight-inclusive care—even when we’re not seeing weight-inclusive doctors.

    She also answers your questions about common weight-linked health conditions like acid reflux, sleep apnea, and prediabetes.

    To tell us YOUR thoughts, and to get all of the links and resources mentioned in this episode, as well as a complete transcript, visit our show page.

    If you want more conversations like this one, please rate and review us in your podcast player! And become a paid Burnt Toast subscriber — subscriptions are just $7 per month! —to get all of Virginia's reporting and bonus subscriber-only episodes. 

    And don’t forget to check out our Burnt Toast Podcast Bonus Content! 

    Disclaimer: You’re listening to this episode because you value my input as a journalist who reports on these issues and therefore has a lot of informed opinions. Neither my guest today nor I are healthcare providers, and this conversation is not meant to substitute for medical or therapeutic advice.

    FAT TALK is out! Order your signed copy from Virginia's favorite independent bookstore, Split Rock Books (they ship anywhere in the US!). Or order it from your independent bookstore, or from Barnes & NobleAmazonTarget, or Kobo or anywhere else you like to buy books. You can also order the audio book from Libro.fm or Audible.

    CREDITS

    The Burnt Toast Podcast is produced and hosted by Virginia Sole-Smith and Corinne Fay. Follow Virginia on Instagram, Follow Corinne  @SellTradePlus, an Instagram account where you can buy and sell plus size clothing and subscribe to Big Undies.The Burnt Toast logo is by Farideh.

    Our theme music is by Jeff Bailey and Chris Maxwell.Tommy Harron is our audio engineer.Thanks for listening and for supporting anti-diet, body liberation journalism. 



    This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiasolesmith.substack.com/subscribe
    7 November 2024, 10:00 am
  • 40 minutes 32 seconds
    We're Not Calling It Girl Dinner

    Today Virginia is chatting with Amy Palanjian. 

    You probably already know Amy as Yummy Toddler Food, which is her blog/Instagram/Tiktok. She’s also the bestselling author of Dinnertime SOS, and writes a great bi-weekly newsletter called YTF Community, which comes with super helpful meal plans. 

    Some of you may have listened to our old podcast, Comfort Food, or maybe you’ve just heard Amy on her previous appearances on Burnt Toast (one, two and three). But we realized that Amy hasn’t been on the pod since we both got divorced! Obviously a lot in our lives has changed, but specifically, a lot has changed in terms of how we feed our people and how we feed ourselves.

    So this is an episode about single mom dinner. I think you’ll enjoy it.

    To tell us YOUR thoughts, and to get all of the links and resources mentioned in this episode, as well as a complete transcript, visit our show page. 

    If you want more conversations like this one, please rate and review us in your podcast player! And become a paid Burnt Toast subscriber — subscriptions are just $7 per month! —to get all of Virginia's reporting and bonus subscriber-only episodes. 

    And don’t forget to check out our Burnt Toast Podcast Bonus Content! 

    Disclaimer: You’re listening to this episode because you value my input as a journalist who reports on these issues and therefore has a lot of informed opinions. Neither my guest today nor I are healthcare providers, and this conversation is not meant to substitute for medical or therapeutic advice.

    FAT TALK is out! Order your signed copy from Virginia's favorite independent bookstore, Split Rock Books (they ship anywhere in the US!). Or order it from your independent bookstore, or from Barnes & NobleAmazonTarget, or Kobo or anywhere else you like to buy books. You can also order the audio book from Libro.fm or Audible.

    CREDITS

    The Burnt Toast Podcast is produced and hosted by Virginia Sole-Smith and Corinne Fay. Follow Virginia on Instagram, Follow Corinne  @SellTradePlus, an Instagram account where you can buy and sell plus size clothing and subscribe to Big Undies.The Burnt Toast logo is by Farideh.

    Our theme music is by Jeff Bailey and Chris Maxwell.Tommy Harron is our audio engineer.Thanks for listening and for supporting anti-diet, body liberation journalism. 



    This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiasolesmith.substack.com/subscribe
    31 October 2024, 9:00 am
  • 1 minute 39 seconds
    We Could Buy Less Stuff From Target?
    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit virginiasolesmith.substack.com

    It’s time for your October Indulgence Gospel. And today… we’re going to look back at all of our Butters!

    If you’re new here, Butter is the recommendation segment that runs at the end of every podcast episode. Butter is sometimes things you can buy, but it can also be a show or book we love, something great that we ate, a current mood, etc. Butter is any small moment of joy. (It can also, ofc, be literal butter, which we all know to be synonymous with joy.) But sometimes joy is fleeting!

    So today, paid subscribers get to hear which Butters have stood the test of time:

    Is Virginia still wearing her trad wife dress?

    Does Corinne still love her $100 baseball hat?

    Are we still into the bra that made us break up with underwire?

    Plus a few low-key life-changing household appliances, Virginia’s favorite thing about her bedroom, and what we’re definitely going to STOP recommending from now on… 

    To hear the whole conversation or read the whole transcript, you'll need to become a paid Burnt Toast subscriber. Subscribe here.

    If you are already a paid subscriber, you’ll have this entire episode in your podcast feed and access to the entire transcript in your inbox and on the Burnt Toast Substack. You can also subscribe to Corinne's newsletter, Big Undies, for 20% off using this special link. 

    To get all of the links and resources mentioned in this episode, as well as a complete transcript, visit our show page. 

    Also, don't forget to order Fat Talk: Parenting In the Age of Diet Culture! Get your signed copy now from Split Rock Books (they ship anywhere in the USA). You can also order it from your independent bookstore, or from Barnes & NobleAmazonTargetKobo or anywhere you like to buy books. (Or get the UK edition or the audiobook!) 

    Disclaimer: Virginia and Corinne are humans with a lot of informed opinions. They are not nutritionists, therapists, doctors, or any kind of healthcare providers. The conversation you're about to hear and all of the advice and opinions they give are just for entertainment, information, and education purposes only. None of this is a substitute for individual medical or mental health advice.

    CREDITS

    The Burnt Toast Podcast is produced and hosted by Virginia Sole-Smith (follow me on Instagram) and Corinne Fay, who runs @SellTradePlus, and Big Undiessubscribe for 20% off

    The Burnt Toast logo is by Deanna Lowe.

    Our theme music is by Farideh.

    Tommy Harron is our audio engineer.

    Thanks for listening and for supporting anti-diet, body liberation journalism!

    24 October 2024, 9:01 am
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