In this episode, Jessica and Marcia explore the journey of body acceptance and the importance of redefining movement. They discuss the toxic aspects of fitness culture, the need to understand health beyond just exercise, and how movement can be viewed as a form of play rather than punishment. The conversation emphasizes listening to one's body and recognizing the societal pressures that shape our beliefs about fitness and health.

* Connect with Nope on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicathiefels/

* Connect with your host, Jessica, on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nopethatsnotnormal/

Meet Our Guest, Marcia

Dr Marcia Dernie (she/they) is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, accessible yoga teacher, child of Haitian immigrants, dancer, and chronically ill strength athlete. Their book Movement for Every Body serves as an inclusive roadmap for folks of all abilities, shades, and sizes to enjoy movement. She also provides free and affordable online resources to help folks move better through her platform @MoveWithMarcia.

* https://www.doctormarcia.com/links

* https://www.instagram.com/MoveWithMarcia

Watch The Conversation: Making Movement Neutral, Nourishing and Playful

In this episode, Jessica and Deb explore the complex relationship between aging, body image, and societal expectations. They discuss the impact of diet culture and ageism on women’s perceptions of their bodies, the influence of celebrities on body image, and the importance of body autonomy. The conversation also touches on the fear of mortality, the privilege of aging, and the challenges of navigating menopause.

* Connect with Nope on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicathiefels/

* Connect with your host, Jessica, on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nopethatsnotnormal/

Subscribe on Substack to get all of our podcast episodes plus more fresh content each week! https://nopethatsnotnormal.substack.com/

Meet Our Guest, Deb

Deb Benfield, M.Ed., RDN, LDN, RYT is a registered dietitian/nutrition therapist, eating disorder specialist, and author of the book Unapologetic Aging: How to Mend and Nourish Your Relationship with Your Body. With over 40 years of experience, Deb helps women in midlife and beyond untangle from diet culture, resist internalized ageism, and cultivate body liberation.

Her work blends evidence-based nutrition, embodiment practices, and deep compassion to support women in building a peaceful and respectful relationship with food, movement, and their changing bodies. Deb is also the founder of Body in Mind Nutrition, a group practice dedicated to eating disorder prevention and recovery.

She’s been featured on podcasts including Burnt Toast, The Midlife Feast, and The Full Plate, where she speaks about how diet culture infiltrates menopause and longevity spaces, the hidden risks of ageism, and why women in midlife are uniquely vulnerable to eating disorders.

Passionate about helping women feel at home in themselves, Deb’s mission is to empower others to approach aging not with fear, but with vitality, freedom, and body respect.

* https://www.debrabenfield.com

* https://www.instagram.com/agingbodyliberation/

* https://substack.com/@debbenfield1

Watch The Conversation: A Chat on Neutral Aging

In this episode, Jessica and Virgie explore the complexities of body neutrality, the impact of fat phobia, and the rise of GLP-1s as a weight loss solution. They discuss the historical context of diet culture, the allure of quick fixes, and the importance of body autonomy. Tovar emphasizes the need for empathy in discussions about weight loss while advocating for a long-term perspective on body positivity and activism. The conversation highlights the challenges of navigating societal pressures and the importance of informed choices regarding body image and health.

* Connect with Nope on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicathiefels/

* Connect with your host, Jessica, on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nopethatsnotnormal/

Subscribe on Substack to get all of our podcast episodes plus more fresh content each week! https://nopethatsnotnormal.substack.com/

Meet Our Guest, Virgie

Virgie Tovar is a plus-size Latina author, lecturer, and leading expert on weight-based discrimination and body positivity with over a decade of experience. She is a contributor for Forbes.com where she covers the plus-size market and how to end weight discrimination at work.

In 2011, Tovar completed a Master’s degree focused on the study of how weight-based discrimination impacted lifelong gender trajectories in women of color. In 2012, she edited the anthology Hot & Heavy: Fierce Fat Girls on Life, Love and Fashion (Seal Press). In 2013 she started the hashtag campaign #LoseHateNotWeight, and in 2018 Tovar gave a TedX talk on the origins of the campaign.

She’s the author of You Have the Right to Remain Fat (Feminist Press, 2018), which was placed on the American Library Association’s Amelia Bloomer List, The Self-Love Revolution: Radical Body Positivity for Girls of Color (New Harbinger, 2020), and an interactive book, The Body Positive Journal (Chronicle Books, 2022).

Tovar was named one of the 50 most influential feminists by B***h Magazine in 2018. She has received the Inspire Award from Project HEAL as well as Yale’s Poynter Fellowship in Journalism. Virgie has been featured by the New York Times, Tech Insider, BBC, MTV, NPR, and Yahoo Health. She lives in San Francisco. Please include all the links you want included in our shownotes.

* virgietovar.substack.com

* instagram.com/virgietovar

Watch The Conversation: Body Neutrality in a World Obsessed With GLP-1s