Dating in Recovery: On Vulnerability, Diet Culture in Relationships, and Finding Someone Who Can Handle the Hard Stuff (Bonus Episode)

This week's episode is one I have been so excited to share. I'm joined by two brilliant, generous, and deeply thoughtful guests — writer, educator, and body liberation advocate Chrissy King, and creative and founder Claire — who have co-created the Child-Free Coven, a community and mutual aid space for people who are child-free, by choice or by circumstance.In this episode:*What the word “childfree” actually means — and why Chrissy and Claire are actively reclaiming it*Why being childfree is not anti-child, and the James Baldwin quote at the center of their community*Chrissy’s story: ending a marriage, being the first woman in her lineage to have this choice, and what liberation actually feels like*Claire’s story: knowing from her early teens, navigating a partner’s uncertainty, and how 25 years of undiagnosed endometriosis is inextricably linked to her childfree journey*The things people say to childfree women and what to make of them*The connection between body liberation and the childfree experience*Race, reproductive justice, and how this conversation is profoundly different depending on who you are*The political moment we’re in — bodily autonomy, forced birth, and what history tells us about these tactics*What it means to pour your love, attention, and energy into the world without motherhood as the vehicle*The difference between grief and regret*What Chrissy means when she says she wanted more than “fine”Resources:Find The Childfree Coven on Substack and InstagramChrissy’s book: The Body Liberation ProjectClaire on Instagram and Chrissy on InstagramRachel Cargill / Rich Auntie SupremeResmaa Menakem, My Grandmother’s HandsTricia Hersey / Rest is ResistanceSupport the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Substack for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribeApply for Abbie’s Group Membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcastFind Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit abbieattwoodwellness.substack.comThis is part two of my conversation with Kate Zigrang, founder of Viva Voce — and this is where everything shifts.To hear it: abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribeWe left off last week with Kate at a turning point: an OCD diagnosis, a doctor who finally told her the truth about her health, and something beginning to loosen. This episode is about what came next — the harder, slower, more relational work of actually stepping out of diet culture after a lifetime inside it.We cover:* Going no contact with her parents — the decision, the grief, and what space it created* The complicated dynamic with her mom: over-apologizing, enmeshment, and why leaving felt both impossible and necessary* The slow, specific work of separating her own body from her mother's — learning to look at herself without dread* Religious deconstruction happening simultaneously with the body acceptance work and the mental health work — all three threads unraveling at once* The Manhattan pants incident — eighteen months of traveling the world, unable to find a single pair of pants in her size anywhere in New York City, and the rage that became a turning point* What Viva Voce actually is — a marketplace vetting brands for ethics, sustainability, and genuine size inclusivity* Why she insists on carrying straight and plus sizes in the same space* The pop-up strategy — and why she's bringing it to smaller cities on purpose* A data project collecting real body measurements to understand how clothes could actually be made better* Why belonging is at the center of every decision she makes — and what that looks like in practiceThis episode is for paid subscribers. If you'd like access to this conversation and the full archive, you can subscribe here:abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribeFind Kate and Viva Voce at vivavoce.live and on Instagram @vivavoce.liveSupport the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Substack for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribeApply for Abbie’s 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-groupFind the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcastFind Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellnessPodcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroyPodcast Editing by Brian Walters

Kate Zigrang is an advocate, entrepreneur, impact investor, and the founder of Viva Voce — a size-inclusive fashion marketplace and community rooted in body justice. But before we get to what she's built, we go back to where it all started.In this first part of a two-episode conversation, Kate takes us through her personal history with her body — from watching her mom navigate the world in a larger body and absorbing the shame that surrounded her, to puberty changing her own body in ways she wasn't prepared for, to a disordered relationship with food that developed in her late teens and went unnamed for years. We also get into her OCD diagnosis at 31 — more than a decade after onset — and what it meant to finally have language for what her brain had been doing all along.This is a conversation about the things diet culture teaches us before we're old enough to question them, and what it actually takes to unlearn them.We talk about:*Growing up watching her mom be treated as a problem to be fixed, and inheriting that shame before she had words for it*How her body changed at puberty while she was already carrying that inherited weight*The food rules in her home growing up, the restriction and binge cycle they created, and how it planted seeds for a disordered relationship with food*Moving away from home at 21, marriage, pregnancy, and her body changing again in ways that felt out of her control*The wellness journey — naturopathic doctors, juice cleanses, a month-long juice fast, and crying in the shower*Getting an OCD diagnosis at 31 and finally understanding what her brain had been doing since she was a teenager*A doctor who told her, simply, that she was healthy — and how much that cracked open*Finding Maintenance Phase, Aubrey Gordon, and Fearing the Black Body by Sabrina Strings, and what it meant to finally have the research match what she'd livedFind Kate and Viva Voce at vivavoce.live and on Instagram @vivavoce.live.Books mentioned: What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon; Fearing the Black Body by Sabrina StringsGet 40% off of your Hungryroot order with code abbie40Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Substack for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe Apply for Abbie’s 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-groupFind the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcastFind Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellnessPodcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroyPodcast Editing by Brian WaltersThis podcast is ad-free and support comes from your support on Substack. Subscribe HERE. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit abbieattwoodwellness.substack.comAbbie sits down with Dana Colthart, LCSW, a therapist specializing in OCD and eating disorders, to explore one of the most under-diagnosed and misunderstood overlaps in mental health. From intrusive thoughts to diet culture to why you can’t logic your way into recovery, this conversation explores what's truly driving our fears, our coping strategies, and the compulsions holding us back.The first part of this episode is free for everyone. Paid subscribers can hear the entire conversation. You can upgrade here: https://abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribeIn this episode:* Why OCD is so much more than hand-washing and organization — and what it actually looks like* The key difference between OCD and generalized anxiety disorder, and why misdiagnosis is so common* How the OCD cycle works: the obsession, the compulsion, the temporary relief, and why that relief is the trap* What reassurance-seeking is, why it counts as a compulsion, and how it shows up in relationships with food and body image* Pure-O OCD — when the compulsions are entirely mental, and why this goes undiagnosed so often* Taboo and shameful intrusive thoughts: why the people most disturbed by a thought are almost never the ones who’d act on it* What ego-dystonic versus ego-syntonic means, and why that distinction matters in disentangling OCD from eating disorders* How diet culture functions like a mass OCD delivery system — rules, rituals, fear, and relief that never quite arrives* Why clinicians treating eating disorders are often the only voice in a client’s life saying “you don’t have to do this” — and how hard that is* The particular cruelty of food and body-related intrusive thoughts in a world that confirms them everywhere* How OCD and eating disorders mimic each other, overlap, and take turns — and what that seesaw can look like in recovery* What ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) actually is and why the discomfort is the point* Why your brain watches your actions, not your words — and what that means for recovery* The systemic piece: how disordered behaviors get praised in some bodies and diagnosed in others* What to do if you’re recognizing yourself in this episode but aren’t ready to call a therapist yetAbout Dana: Dana Colthart, LCSW, is the clinical director of Clear Light Therapy, a boutique practice based in Englewood, New Jersey. She provides evidence based treatment for OCD, anxiety disorders, and eating disorders, blending Exposure and Response Prevention, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and integrative mind body approaches. Dana is also a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist.Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Substack for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe Apply for Abbie’s 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-groupFind the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcastFind Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellnessPodcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroyPodcast Editing by Brian WaltersThis podcast is ad-free and support comes from your support on Substack. Subscribe HERE.

Abbie speaks with Anna Maltby — health journalist, personal trainer, and author of the How to Move newsletter — for a conversation that pulls back the curtain on the fitness industry. At the heart of this episode is: what does look like to rebuild a relationship with movement that isn’t rooted in shrinking, earning food, or “fixing” your body?They talk about how fitness media manufactures insecurity to sell us solutions, what people are unlearning when they come to weight-neutral movement, why decoupling exercise from aesthetics can temporarily leave people unmotivated (and what to do about that), and why your squat is probably fine.Tune in for more on:* The “body as business card” problem in fitness and nutrition* How magazine cover lines were engineered to exploit seasonal body insecurities* Anna’s origin story: from Eat This Not That to anti-diet fitness journalism* The Refinery29 moment that changed everything (shoutout to Kelsey Miller’s Anti-Diet Project column)* What people are unlearning: trusting their bodies, eating before workouts, modifications that aren’t lesser* Why losing aesthetic motivation can feel like losing all motivation, and how to find intrinsic intentions* The importance of where you are in recovery before reintroducing movement* How to experiment with movement without judging yourself on the first try* The “you’re doing it wrong” trend and why it’s harmful even in anti-diet spaces* Body diversity and squat mechanics (yes, really)For more from Anna: https://howtomove.substack.com/https://www.instagram.com/howannamoves/Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Substack for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe Apply for Abbie’s 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.podcastFind Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe

Body image researcher and Rutgers University psychology professor Dr. Charlotte Markey is back for a second time on the podcast. She has spent nearly three decades researching body image, and has written books for tweens, teens, boys, girls, and adults.We get into so much…including:* Body image as relational: how environment and relationships shape how we feel in our bodies* The father dynamic, achievement culture, and how a critical home environment affects girls* Biohacking and wellness culture as diet culture in disguise* What happens when food gets moralized into good and bad* Parents disparaging their own bodies and how it lands on daughters* Body dissatisfaction across racial, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds* Puberty: why normalizing it matters and why the conversation needs to extend beyond adolescence* How diet culture exploits women’s hormonal life stages* Whether there is a critical window for body image intervention* Social media’s impact on body shame and how to learn media literacy for critical thinking and protection* Body diversity and why the bodies we’re sold are not achievable for most people* The protein obsession in wellness culture and why it’s concerning in adolescents* What to do when your daughter is already struggling* How parents can audit their own relationship with food and body in service of their kidsCharlotte Markey, Ph.D., is a world-leading expert in body image research, having studied body image and eating behavior for nearly three decades. She is passionate about understanding what makes us feel good about our bodies and helping people to develop a healthy body image and relationship with food. Charlotte is an experienced book author, research scientist, clinician, speaker, and psychology professor at Rutgers University, Camden.Her books: https://www.thebodyimagebook.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/char_markeySubstack: https://drcharlottemarkey.substack.com/Find Full Plate on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fullplate.podcast/Find Abbie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbieattwoodwellness/Subscribe to the newsletter: https://abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/Listen to the first episode with Dr. Charlotte MarkeyFull Plate by Abbie Attwood is a reader-supported publication. To receive special posts, bonus episodes, and support this work, consider becoming paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit abbieattwoodwellness.substack.comAbbie answers a listener question about one of the most complicated intersections: dating (relationships) and diet culture — especially when you're carrying a history of body shame, disordered eating, and the ongoing, nonlinear work of recovery.Elizabeth, a listener in her early 30s, writes in about the men she keeps encountering on the apps — the gym-obsessed ones, the salad-only ones — and asks a question that cuts to the heart of it: is this my gut, or is this fear?What you'll hear:*Why "too sensitive" isn't a useful frame — and what to ask instead*Safety and self-worth as the foundation of dating in recovery*Learning to trust your intuition when diet culture has distorted it*When to share your mental health history (and when you don't have to)*The difference between a trigger and something to work through*Revisiting your dating app parameters — and the biases built into them*Abbie's own experience navigating ED recovery while datingThen Jeb, Abbie's husband, joins for an unplanned conversation about what it was actually like when they met — both carrying things they weren't sure how to share.*What happened when Jeb disclosed his sobriety on a rooftop, early on*Why vulnerability can work as a filter, not just a risk*What Jeb was looking for in a partner when he was newly out of treatment*The moment Abbie knew he was someone she could be with through hard thingsThis episode is ultimately about openness — what it costs, what it protects, and what becomes possible when you find someone willing to meet you there.This is a BONUS episode for paid subscribers on Substack. To hear it, upgrade here: https://abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe

There’s a lot of noise right now around GLP-1 medications—conflicting advice, emotional stories, and a cultural shift that feels hard to name.Abbie sits down with Virgie Tovar—author, activist, and leading voice on weight stigma—to slow things down and ask a deeper question: what is actually happening here?They talk about how GLP-1s work, how they’re being marketed, what ethics have to do with this, and why so many people are feeling confused, overwhelmed, and even destabilized—especially those with a history of dieting or eating disorders.As you listen, please remember: this episode zooms out and looks at the big picture and the culture around these medications. Body autonomy is not up for debate.Tune in for more on:What GLP-1s are—and how they drive appetite suppression and restrictionIs this really “new”? (dieting, weight loss, and long-term outcomes)The marketing machine: confusion and co-opting body positivityThe concept of “food noise”Virgie’s brilliant perspective on the big picture and why this feels so intense right nowWeight stigma vs. the promise of empowermentHunger explained: objective vs. subjectiveIs there true “peace with food” through this medication?The cultural shift: weight loss as expectation, not choiceThe business behind it all: profit, scalability, and the GLP-1 “gold rush”The core ethical question: is intentional starvation, at an industry and cultural level, ever justified?Staying grounded: navigating conversations, protecting recovery, and finding supportThis episode is available for free for everyone.To support the show, please consider upgrading to paid on Substack for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe​Virgie Tovar is a plus-size Latina author, lecturer, and leading expert on weight-based discrimination and body image with over a decade of experience. She is the founder of Body Image Reset, an AI app for people struggling with GLP-1 ad overwhelm. Tovar is a contributor for Forbes.com where she covers the plus-size market and how to end weight discrimination at work, and she's the host of GLP-1 Truth Serum, a podcast dedicated to asking critical health questions about the current explosion in injectable weight-loss medications.Resources mentioned:Virgie's Substack - https://virgietovar.substack.com/Abbie’s episode on the Minnesota Starvation StudyGLP-1 Overwhelm App - http://www.glp1overwhelm.comThe Body Positive Journal by Virgie TovarYou Have the Right to Remain Fat by Virgie Tovar GLP-1 Truth Serum Podcast: https://virgietovar.substack.com/podcast This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit abbieattwoodwellness.substack.comToday's episode is available in full for paid subscribers. You can upgrade right here. Thank you so much for your support!This is Part 2 of my conversation with Leslie Schilling, and we get into the harder, thornier stuff—the cultural forces that make all of this so difficult to navigate, and the clinical tools Leslie uses to help people find their way through.We cover:— What weight suppression actually means, and why it has nothing to do with body size — The physical toll of even "light" under-eating, and why it can feel like it's working until it suddenly isn't — GLP-1 medications, informed consent, and what most prescribers aren't telling their patients — The way exercise intersects with GLP-1s and why being told to work out more while your hunger cues are suppressed is a problem — Muscle loss, sarcopenia, and why fueling your body matters more as you age — RED-S and why it's not just for elite athletes — "Weaponized compassion" and the way diet culture and the medical system dress up restriction as care — How belonging and community drive so many of our behaviors around food, movement, and medication — Body grief and the real, valid loss that comes with a changing body — Why lowering the bar is not giving upThis episode is available in full for paid subscribers. Upgrade here to listen to the whole thing.Part 1 is free and available wherever you listen to podcasts.Find Leslie: Instagram: @LeslieSchilling Website: leslieschilling.comFind Full Plate: Instagram: @fullplate.podcast Substack: abbieattwoodwellness.substack.comAbout Leslie: Leslie Schilling, MA, RDN, CSCS, CEDS-C, owns a Las Vegas-based private practice specializing in nutrition counseling for disordered eating and performance nutrition for professional athletes, performers, and military personnel. In her more than 20 years in the fields of sport nutrition, eating disorders, and strength and conditioning, Leslie has served in many settings, including as a performance nutrition consultant for Cirque du Soleil and the NBA, and as an expert contributor to U.S. News & World Report. One of her favorite things to do is support registered dietitians, coaches, and other professionals working at the intersection of eating disorders and sport through professional supervision and mentorship in the Dietitian Development Hub Mighty Network Community. Check out Leslie’s latest book, Feed Yourself, about how diet culture shows up in our safest places, which is available anywhere books are sold.Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Substack for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribeApply for Abbie’s 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

In today’s episode, I chat with Leslie Schilling, a registered dietitian who specializes in working with athletes and disordered eating, about what it looks like when our relationship with exercise is no longer healthy. We get into so much, including:- what exercise dependence actually means (and why it’s often missed)- why it’s not about quantity—but compulsion, rigidity, and fear- the overlap between exercise dependence and eating disorders- signs your relationship with exercise might need support- why rest days can feel so distressing- exercise as a coping mechanism for anxiety, stress, and discomfort- the subtle difference between: “I want to move” vs. “I have to move”- how body image, food rules, and weight concerns drive compulsive movement- why most people are under-fueling (even when they don’t realize it)- “if you fuel it, you can do it”—and what happens when you don’tAbout Leslie: Leslie Schilling, MA, RDN, CSCS, CEDS-C, owns a Las Vegas-based private practice specializing in nutrition counseling for disordered eating and performance nutrition for professional athletes, performers, and military personnel. In her more than 20 years in the fields of sport nutrition, eating disorders, and strength and conditioning, Leslie has served in many settings, including as a performance nutrition consultant for Cirque du Soleil and the NBA, and as an expert contributor to U.S. News & World Report. One of her favorite things to do is support registered dietitians, coaches, and other professionals working at the intersection of eating disorders and sport through professional supervision and mentorship in the Dietitian Development Hub Mighty Network Community. Check out Leslie’s latest book, Feed Yourself, about how diet culture shows up in our safest places, which is available anywhere books are sold.Find more on Leslie: https://www.instagram.com/leslieschillinghttps://schillingnutrition.com/https://a.co/d/0blRJV9zSupport the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Substack for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribeApply for Abbie’s 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-groupSocial media:Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcastFind Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellnessSupport comes from your support on Substack. Subscribe HERE. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe