My Grandpa Called Me "Chubbs"

Summary

Podcast Summary: Dr. Laura Call of the Day

Episode Title: My Grandpa Called Me "Chubbs"
Date: October 8, 2025
Host: Dr. Laura Schlessinger
Guest Caller: Tracy

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Dr. Laura Schlessinger talks with Tracy, a caller struggling with the lasting emotional impact of a childhood nickname, “Chubbs,” given by her step-grandfather and echoed by step-uncles. The discussion focuses on how to process old hurts, build real self-esteem through accomplishments, and let go of childhood slights that no longer define adult identity. As always, Dr. Laura offers her frank and practical wisdom, challenging Tracy to move beyond her past and embrace her present worth.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to the Problem (02:19–03:40)

• Tracy shares that her step-grandfather and uncles called her “Chubbs” as a child because she was a “little chunky.”
• She reveals she’s never talked about this before but feels it deeply affected her as a girl and may have influenced decisions later in life.

2. Dr. Laura’s Immediate Response: Reframing Childhood Nicknames (03:40–04:55)

• Dr. Laura shares her own experience:

  “My dad called me Monkey Face.” (03:46)

• She downplays the significance of such nicknames, framing them as simply a small part of a person’s life:

  “To be 53 and not have built an identity beyond Chubbs is sad. That's your doing... Are you smart? Ingenious? Clever? Kind? Creative? Athletic? Well, then, what the hell? Chubbs is one of them.” (04:28)

• Dr. Laura bluntly challenges the idea that this old nickname is central to Tracy’s self-worth.

3. Self-Esteem Comes from Accomplishments, Not Labels (04:55–11:03)

• Tracy discusses her fluctuating weight due to thyroid cancer and shares her professional achievements in the medical field.
• Dr. Laura presses for specifics:

  “Give me one specific thing. I don't need your resume. One specific thing. One. Are you a nurse? Are you a doctor?” (09:08)

• Tracy responds she’s “technology smart,” saving lives as an X-ray technologist.
• Dr. Laura prods Tracy to reject the emotional baggage:

  “Stop crying over crap. Come on, you're tearing yourself up.” (09:40)

• Emphasizes that self-esteem is earned:

  “You have fine self esteem. Every time you got a degree and accomplished and saved a life, that was your self esteem.” (10:13)

4. Public Criticism and Shrugging Off Insults (10:37–11:56)

• Dr. Laura shares her own experience with being publicly insulted for being “scrawny” or presumed to have “a facelift.”
• She impresses upon Tracy that others’ opinions, especially those targeting appearance, are meaningless compared to one’s real-life contributions:

  “Would you rather be skinny and never have saved a life? Pick one. Tell me. Pick one. Stay chubby and save lives.” (11:44)

• Tracy affirms:

  “I’d rather be chubby and save lives.” (11:52)

• Dr. Laura sums up:

  “Right? And I'd rather be scrawny and wrinkles, deep wrinkles in my face, than not being here helping you right now.” (11:56)

5. Whether to Confront the Family (12:25–12:57)

• Tracy asks if she should confront her family about the nickname.
• Dr. Laura advises against it:

  “Sweetheart, if I were you, I would never admit that I've been carrying this around for 40 years.” (12:31) “Grandpa was just being affectionate. He had nicknames for everybody. Geez Louise, Tracy.” (12:46)

6. Final Thoughts on Self-Esteem and Moving On (13:00–14:55)

• Dr. Laura reassures Tracy that, based on her accomplishments, she has no reason to claim low self-esteem:

  “Of most of the people that I talk to, who call me about self esteem. You're the last person on the list who should complain about low self esteem.” (13:00)

• Emphasizes what matters is the positive impact on the world, not past names or poor relationship choices.
• Concludes with a message of encouragement, stating that both have overcome negative labels ("Scrawny. Me. Chubby. You." 13:41), and are stronger for it.

7. Practical Advice for Health and Confidence (14:25–15:04)

• Dr. Laura encourages Tracy to focus on health, highlighting the value of walking:

  “Walk. Walk. My number one thing is walk at least a mile and a half. At least a mile and a half. Good sneaks. Mile and a half. Keep posture. Chest up, chin in. Walk. Let your arms swing. Don’t be holding a phone. Your arms have to swing to get the most out of walking.” (14:32)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dr. Laura: “Are you still chubby?”
  • Tracy: “Well, I’ve been up and down due to thyroid cancer.”
    (04:55)
• Dr. Laura: “Come on, you’re tearing yourself up. Stop crying over crap.” (09:40)
• Dr. Laura: “That's how we build self esteem. Not by virtue of a nickname. Not even by virtue of fat.” (10:21)
• Dr. Laura: “Would you rather be skinny and never have saved a life? Pick one. Tell me.”
  Tracy: “I’d rather be chubby and save lives.” (11:44–11:52)
• Dr. Laura: “If I were you, I would never admit that I’ve been carrying this around for 40 years.” (12:31)
• Dr. Laura: “You have made the world a better place by being in it... That’s self-esteem.” (13:00–13:33)
• Dr. Laura: “Walk. My number one thing is walk at least a mile and a half… Good sneaks… Keep posture… Let your arms swing...” (14:32)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:19] Tracy introduces her childhood issue with the nickname “Chubbs”
• [03:46] Dr. Laura shares her own nickname: “Monkey Face”
• [04:55] Discussion of Tracy’s weight and self-image
• [09:08] Tracy’s medical field accomplishments
• [10:13] Dr. Laura on building self-esteem through action
• [11:44] “Would you rather be skinny and never have saved a life?”
• [12:31] On confronting family about the nickname
• [13:00] Emphasizing true self-esteem and real achievements
• [14:32] Dr. Laura’s practical health advice

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Tone & Style

This episode features Dr. Laura’s signature blend of tough love, humor, and directness. She is insistent, almost brusque, but ultimately compassionate, driving Tracy to see her worth through real accomplishments and not the lens of old wounds.

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In Summary

Dr. Laura drives home the message that identity is not defined by childhood nicknames or old insults, but by what one does and contributes in life. She validates Tracy's feelings, but then forcefully—and lovingly—pushes her to see the bigger picture: her professional successes and her positive impact in the world outweigh any lingering emotional scars from being called “Chubbs.” Dr. Laura’s advice is decisive: let go, focus on health and what truly matters, and never let a silly childhood label limit your adult sense of self-worth.

Transcript

[Dr. Laura Schlessinger]

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[Tracy]

Hi Dr. Laura. For that but I just have a question as far as like how I should proceed with do I do counseling?

[Dr. Laura Schlessinger]

I'm sorry ma'. Am. Ma', am. Ma'. Am. You don't call me to ask me if you should go into counseling. That has nothing to do with me. Okay, just tell me what the problem is that you might go into counseling for.

[Tracy]

So when I was growing up as a child and all through my teenage years my grandfather came up with this. My step grandfather came up with this nickname for me that then his two sons, which were my uncles, which were my step Uncles. So they were kind of close to my age. Maybe, you know, six to eight years older than me. So they were like teenagers when I was, you know, like 7, 8, 9. And they would call me Chubbs because I was a little chunky. And I believe that. And this is, like the first time I'm talking about it. But I think it had a lot of effect on me as a girl.

[Dr. Laura Schlessinger]

May I throw in something? May I throw in something?

[Tracy]

Yes.

[Dr. Laura Schlessinger]

My dad called me Monkey Face.

[Tracy]

Oh, okay. How do. Like, how do you.

[Dr. Laura Schlessinger]

Doesn't mean anything to me. And if you're 10 years old and you're tubby and you get a nickname as Chubbs, so what? You were chubby. Nicknames usually associated with red if your hair, carrot top, glasses, two eyes. I mean, to be 53 and not have built an identity beyond Chubbs is sad. That's your doing. I mean, is that the sole recognizable thing about you? Are you smart? Are you ingenious? Are you clever? Are you kind? Are you creative? Are you athletic? Well, then, what the hell? Chubbs is one of them. But you have all the rest of them. You have all the rest of things that you are. Chubbs is one of them. Are you still chubby?

[Tracy]

Well, I've been up and down due to thyroid cancer.

[Dr. Laura Schlessinger]

Okay, so.

[Tracy]

And I feel.

[Dr. Laura Schlessinger]

All right. We don't count the thyroid. So you go up and down. And being chubby, so what? Who cares? I mean, for you to make a deal about this, as though it's the quality of you as a human. This is not your humanity. If I called you Two Eyes because you wore glasses or Carrot Top or something awful because you were smart, I mean, so what? Stop crying over something so minimal. There's so much more. Don't say I just. It still hurts me. Don't do any of that. You've done so many things in your life since you were called Chubby. Why don't you put one of those in there? Are you reasonably smart? Are you a good reader? Give me something you're good at. Did you know that skin care can start in the laundry room? The Dr. Laura program is happy to be partnering with our sponsor, All Free Clear Laundry detergent. My peeps with kids are especially thrilled to use it because it's 100% free of dyes and perfumes. All Free Clear is the number one laundry detergent brand. Recommended for sensitive skin by pediatricians, dermatologists and allergists. For a clean you can feel good about. All you need is All Free Clear.

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[Tracy]

Well, I went on, got degrees in the medical field and I've done a lot in that.

[Dr. Laura Schlessinger]

Give me one specific thing. I don't need your resume. One specific thing. One. Are you a nurse? Are you a doctor?

[Tracy]

What X ray? I'm technology smart.

[Dr. Laura Schlessinger]

That's right. I'm a techie chub.

[Tracy]

Yeah. Computer smart. Techie smart.

[Dr. Laura Schlessinger]

Right.

[Tracy]

Saved a lot of Lives right now.

[Dr. Laura Schlessinger]

Stop crying over crap. Come on, you're tearing yourself up.

[Tracy]

I'm like, never. I haven't. I haven't cried about it until I spoke, and I've never spoke about it. So I was just wondering why not. Why not create? You could have self esteem and.

[Dr. Laura Schlessinger]

Oh, please.

[Tracy]

Is that why I made bad decisions or is it just.

[Dr. Laura Schlessinger]

Okay, Tracy, stop talking. Talking before you sound dumber than the tech smarts you just expressed to me. Stop it. You have fine self esteem. Every time you got a degree and accomplished and saved a life, that was your self esteem.

[Tracy]

Okay?

[Dr. Laura Schlessinger]

That's how we build self esteem. Not by virtue of a nickname. Not even by virtue of fat.

[Tracy]

Okay?

[Dr. Laura Schlessinger]

I got letters. I get letters now and then, not often more when I did television appearances. Insulting me horrendously for two things. You ready?

[Tracy]

Yeah.

[Dr. Laura Schlessinger]

Being scrawny. The truth is, I'm very muscular. Being scrawny.

[Tracy]

Right.

[Dr. Laura Schlessinger]

And I must make enough money to have a facelift.

[Tracy]

So it's like all. Yeah, like, yeah, okay. Because I still deal with other people. Besides, I don't.

[Dr. Laura Schlessinger]

Stop it.

[Tracy]

Stop it.

[Dr. Laura Schlessinger]

I don't give a shit. Stop it, Tracy. Yes, they do. And for your grandfather, step or otherwise, he was being affectionate. Just like my father was in calling me monkey face. It's normal for a child to say, oh, he doesn't love me and thinks I'm awful because I'm fat. But at this point in your life, you know who you are. You have saved freaking lives. Who cares if you're chubby? Would you rather be skinny and never have saved a life? Pick one. Tell me. Pick one. Stay chubby and save lives.

[Tracy]

I'd rather be chubby and save lives.

[Dr. Laura Schlessinger]

Right? And I'd rather be scrawny and wrinkles, deep wrinkles in my face, than not being here helping you right now.

[Tracy]

Come.

[Dr. Laura Schlessinger]

You are my self esteem. You calling and trusting me and letting me yell the hell out of you. That's right. My self esteem. Not from scrawny or wrinkles.

[Tracy]

Because I was like, do I confront them and tell them how it affects me or do you. Ridiculous.

[Dr. Laura Schlessinger]

I would. Sweetheart, if I were you, I would never admit that I've been carrying this around for 40 years.

[Tracy]

Thank you. True. I thought about that too. I was like, okay, I'm calling her because I don't want to embarrass myself. And I just.

[Dr. Laura Schlessinger]

Yes, they would look at you with crossed eyes. Grandpa was just being affectionate. He had nicknames for everybody. Geez Louise, Tracy.

[Tracy]

Okay?

[Dr. Laura Schlessinger]

Of most of the people that I talk to, who call me about self esteem. You're the last person on the list who should complain about low self esteem. If you've made stupid choices, you've made stupid choices, but you didn't make a stupid choice in your education and what you do in this world. And that's the most important thing. If you've gotten into dumb relationships with men, I don't care. But you have made the world a better place by being in it.

[Tracy]

Okay?

[Dr. Laura Schlessinger]

That's self esteem.

[Tracy]

That's what's important. Okay.

[Dr. Laura Schlessinger]

Yes, yes. Scrawny. Me. Chubby.

[Tracy]

You. Which I know that.

[Dr. Laura Schlessinger]

We're a good team.

[Tracy]

We're a good team. We're a good pair. Right? It's good to hear that other people, like, have had that, like, and they still, you know, hear it and stuff, because it's like you think it. Once you grow up, you didn't have to hear that many more from people. But I still do, so.

[Dr. Laura Schlessinger]

Okay, well, because you are and I am, right? Scrawny looking.

[Tracy]

Muscular.

[Dr. Laura Schlessinger]

That's it. We're doing a million squats. I have my butt back, so I'm pretty thrilled.

[Tracy]

I'm working on. I'm hitting the gym. I know. And it's because of you. Like, I want to be healthy.

[Dr. Laura Schlessinger]

Walk. Walk. My number one thing is walk at least a mile and a half. At least a mile and a half. Good sneaks. Mile and a half. Keep posture. Chest up, chin in. Walk. Let your arms swing. Don't be holding a phone. Your arms have to swing to get the most out of walking.

[Tracy]

Okay, thank you. I appreciate your advice.

[Dr. Laura Schlessinger]

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