#86: From Conforming to Belonging: Your Body is Not Your Forever Project with Savala Nolan
The incredible Savala Nolan joins us on this week’s episode of the Full Plate podcast to talk about belonging versus conforming, understanding the body as our home, and how to walk away from a lifetime of disordered eating.
I recorded this conversation while I was on my August hiatus from the pod, so I actually got the chance to listen back to the episode and it hit me even harder the second time around.
Savala is warm, funny, kind, smart as hell, and she will blow your mind open when she explains really hard, complex, and nuanced topics. I felt so at home speaking with her, and I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.
Our conversation covers…
Growing up with many dualities of race, body size, and class
Being put on a diet starting at age 4
Rebelling and conforming
Our mothers, their diets, and our dieting
The bond of dieting
Our body as our home
Unlearning the language of diet culture
Quitting diets not being a choice for some
The body is inescapable
The cake we all need to have, and eat too
Savala Nolan is the author of the critically acclaimed Don't Let It Get You Down: Essays on Race Gender and the Body. Her writing has been featured in Vogue, The New York Times Book Review, NPR, Time, Harper’s Magazine, and more. She holds a law degree from the University of California at Berkeley, where she lectures on identity and law and directs the Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice. Her second essay collection, Good Woman, is forthcoming from HarperCollins.
Enjoying this podcast?
Please support the show on Patreon for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at Patreon.com/fullplate
Patreon is also home to the episode transcripts (which are publicly available to everyone, not just our patrons!). If you’re looking for those, head over to Patreon.
Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast
Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness
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
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
Credits
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