Making It Awkward

Having Grown Up with Jillian Michaels, Gen Z is Now Recovering

Today's ep is to wrap up the conversation about Jillian Michaels, phew! And will provide some brief initial feedback received on last week's episode with MAHA Mom Leslie Voorhees Means. Today you'll hear from two college students whose moms were influenced by Jillian Michaels and the continued impacts on their physical and mental health. You'll also hear a dietitian's path to her career via an almond mom and doing a workplace weight loss challenge before recognizing the harm of anti-fatness in our culture and our field.  Jessica shares an anonymous voicemail she received from a Jillian Michaels devotee and it's...a lot. Jillian Michaels on Surrounded Jillian part 1 episode Marcy x Jillian follow up episode Zane and his weight release Like this episode? You can rate, review, subscribe, follow, share and comment! Questions about the show? Guest pitches? Email makingitawkwardpod@gmail.com You can buy awkward merch! You can become a Patreon member! You can watch this episode at https://www.youtube.com/@MakingItAwkwardPod Follow Jessica Wilson on Instagram @jessicawilson.msrd and TikTok @byjessicawilson Jessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies     

Meeting a MAHA Mom in the Middle with Leslie Voorhees Means

MAHA Mom Leslie Voorhees Means joins the show to talk about people, politics and making the effort to be curious and find humanity. Leslie is the wife of Calley Means, a  senior adviser for the Department of Health and Human Services.  Their conversation covers a lot of ground! The two chat about how they got connected, healthcare as a human right, food access, universal healthcare, MAHA wins and goals, moms and ICE.  Jessica and Leslie may not agree on everything, but they found an opportunity to build a relationship that will continue their education and understanding. This is a conversation that invites curiosity and also knowing that one hour isn't the end!  Regular listeners of the podcast will know that for thought provoking episodes Jessica does a follow up episode. And the follow-up episode about MAHA moms will come in May, after she attends the People vs. Poison Rally at Supreme Court on April 27th.  Leslie Voorhees Means video about her confinement nanny Episode on confinement nannies Like this episode? You can rate, review, subscribe, follow, share and comment! Questions about the show? Guest pitches? Email makingitawkwardpod@gmail.com You can buy awkward merch! You can become a Patreon member! You can watch this episode at https://www.youtube.com/@MakingItAwkwardPod Follow Jessica Wilson on Instagram @jessicawilson.msrd

Debating Jillian Michaels and Winning with Tigress Osborn

Tigress Osborn debated Jillian Michaels about the health and wellness field on Jubilee Media's Surrounded–and won! Tigress, the Executive Director of NAAFA, comes back to the show to talk about her experience being one of (supposedly) 20 body positivity activists to debate Jillian. The two talk about her experiences including the production and editing of the show, how she ended up in one of the 20 seats, what it's like to sit across from Jillian, how Jillian likely knew who Tigress was before she sat down, and what she would have liked to have discussed with Jillian if given the chance. Tigress also shares critiques she may get for being on the show, and the two discuss whether or not to fact check Jillian on social media.    Events at NAAFA NAAFA's campaign for size freedom NAAFA blog Fat bias in news media Jillian part 1 episode Marcy x Jillian follow up episode Zane and his weight release Like this episode? You can rate, review, subscribe, follow, share and comment! Questions about the show? Guest pitches? Email makingitawkwardpod@gmail.com You can buy awkward merch! You can become a Patreon member! You can watch this episode at https://www.youtube.com/@MakingItAwkwardPod Follow Jessica Wilson on Instagram @jessicawilson.msrd and TikTok @byjessicawilson   Jessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies   

Jubilee's Surrounded Explained and Jillian Michael's Unhinged Right Turn

Jillian Michaels is a one hit wonder who keeps trying to make a comeback. She also is also loud about her changing politics. About her becoming a Conservative in 2020, "I was forever gone. Took the red pill." Today is a prequel to next week's episode with NAAFA Executive Director Tigress Osborne who got to debate Jillian for the newest episode of Jubilee Media's Surrounded.  In today's episode editor Jen Jacobs joins Jessica to explain how the show works and take a brief look at what Jillian has been up to lately. The two have concerns. And, also, Jillian stays basic and boring.    Content note: no clips of Jillian yelling at people!   Like this episode? You can rate, review, subscribe, follow, share and comment! Questions about the show? Guest pitches? Email makingitawkwardpod@gmail.com You can buy awkward merch! You can become a Patreon member! You can watch this episode at https://www.youtube.com/@MakingItAwkwardPod Follow Jessica Wilson on Instagram @jessicawilson.msrd    Jessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies  Welcome back to MIA, Jessica Wilson, dietitian and author of IABO.  

Leveling Down: Levels Health, CGMs and the False Promises of Data-Driven Health with Selena Salfen and Meghan Cichy

Would you ever add chia seeds to your latte? Levels Health, a health-tech startup co-founded by presumptive Surgeon General Casey Means, is a deeply unserious company and provides both hilarious and irresponsible guidance on its app.  Public health dietitians Selena Salfen and Meghan Cichy return to the show to discuss our 30 days of using a CGM paired with the Levels app.  Jessica didn't find what she was looking for in her CGM data and laughed at the app's inaccuracies.  Meghan thought she was working harder than Levels, and found both more helpful and nicer CGM feedback with ChatGPT.  Selena shared her history with health anxiety and her longer term use of a Stelo CGM. She shares how her experience was impacted when Levels provided her with incorrect data and biometric analyses.  The three get into whether we should be using CGMs and if so, under what conditions.  The three also discuss the most recent Levels podcast #280 and how it seems to answer a lot of concerns Selena and Jessica had in the CGM intro episode. The episode also discussed a lack of research to back up claims made by Levels and Casey Means herself. Host Ben Grynol and guest Dom D'Agostino, PhD took an unexpected turn and veered into the closed off "adult" section of Blockbuster; could there be a tie to food choices and curiosity?  Imprecision Nutrition? Intraindividual Variability of Glucose Responses to Duplicate Presented Meals in Adults Without Diabetes Casey's Instagram post with her food scores  Like this episode? You can rate, review, subscribe, follow, share and comment! Questions about the show? Guest pitches? Email makingitawkwardpod@gmail.com You can buy awkward merch! You can become a Patreon member! You can watch this episode at https://www.youtube.com/@MakingItAwkwardPod Follow Jessica Wilson on Instagram @jessicawilson.msrd and TikTok @byjessicawilson Jessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies