Podcast
Making It Awkward
Hosted by Jessica Wilson, MS RD · EN
What's going on with health and food policy right now? Each week dietitian and author Jessica Wilson shares her conversations with experts in their field or on their farm and figures out how we got here and why. Jessica has followed the ultra-processed food hysteria to trad wife pipeline and the direct path from COVID conspiracies to RFK Jr to the current administration.
From her conversation with the Make America Healthy Again spokesperson to the Oregon beef farmer this podcast connects it all. Listen each week as she brings something new to the conversation and at times makes it awkward.
28episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Tradwives, Motherhood and Traditional Values; Book Club: Yesteryear Part 1
6d ago00:50:20Tap to summarizeNo spoilers! Meghan Cichy, trad wife Leslie Voorhees Means, Selena Salfen and Alison Pill are back on the show for Part 1 of a conversation about Yesteryear, a novel about a tradwife and her curated yet frightening life. Each of them shares who, if any, of the characters they connect with. They also discuss trad wives and whether we can define them, the idea of family values and the valuing of what is typically thought of as women's work. They spend a lot of time discussing motherhood. They get into what a possible difference in Progressive and Conservative values may be, though that topic isn't fully resolved today! Part 2 will come next week with the spoilers of the book and our analysis of the protagonist. 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
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Re-release! Pronatalism, Eugenics, Fertility and Climate Justice with Dr. Eoin Flaherty
2w ago01:17:58Tap to summarizeDr. Oz has made up a new description of American women: under-babied. So it was a good time to return to this conversation with Dr. Eoin Flaherty. The Trump administration has talked about using awards, scholarships and cash as incentives to have more children. People see Elon as a leader in pronatalism conversations. Dr. Eoin Flaherty is back on the show to connect the dots between population control, pronatalism, and the environment. Eoin talks with Jessica about the Better Baby fairs of the 1900s and the two talk about how race is the underpinning of pronatalism even if no one speaks about it directly. The two talk about fertility hysteria, and the difference between fertility rates and birth rates. Eoin shares what research is next for him, and Jessica thinks that he might get the attention of Make America Healthy Again evangelists. Eoin on YouTube Some mentions from the episode: Alison Pill's episode Dr Paul Saladino AKA Captain Cotton Underpants Adriana Smith Timeline of Ireland abortion laws Maternal death rates in the US Dr. Harvey Kellogg RELATION OF PUBLIC HEALTH TO RACE DEGENERACY 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
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Anti-Hunger Policy and MAHA's Creep into Public Health with Meghan Cichy, MPH. RD.
3w ago01:07:19Tap to summarizePeople are hungry in America, in a country of billionaires, where food should be a human right, and the administration will no longer collect data on food insecurity in the US saying that it is "redundant, costly, politicized, and extraneous" and that number is only going to grow as people attempt to renew their benefits and the work requirements for SNAP go into effect. In this episode Meghan Cichy, MPH RD returns to discuss her and Jessica's recent trip to DC for the National Anti-Hunger and Policy Conference, and their time walking the halls of Congress. They chat about the Farm Bill that will go before the Senate. Meghan and Jessica get into one conference presentation in particular, and its surprising similarities to MAHA talking points. They also reference the People vs Poison rally. Next episode's topic will be Yesteryear. Sec of USDA Brook Rollins said that "we now have moved 4.3 million Americans off of the food stamp program." Food insecurity vs nutrition insecurity SNAP work requirements 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
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The People vs Poison Rally RoundUp with Trampus Harmon
4w ago00:59:16Tap to summarizeJessica attended the People vs Poison rally that was held in Washington DC on April 27th and Trampus Harmon comes back to the show to hear all about it. She shares her conversation with a Bernie Sander door knocker turned Trump supporter and the two talk about Alex Clark's speech, Cory Booker's appearance, and whether things were truly bipartisan at the rally. Trampus also shares his thoughts and experience with SNAP, from his farmer perspective. Watch the rally Del Bigtree Liana Werner-Gray Trampus's previous episode Steak and Shake MAHA officer 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 and my dad will welcome you to the community! 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
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Re-release: The Ultra-Processed Food Hysteria to Trad Wife Pipeline with Lindsay Lee Wallace
Apr 3000:39:53Tap to summarizeJessica's UPF experiment has been in the news again! She invited journalist Lindsay Lee Wallace back to the show to see if the two could answer some questions: How has the ultra-processed food hysteria impacted politics today? And what the heck is happening with the news media? The two talk about gender, the recent UPF coverage, who has been interviewing Jessica recently, the feedback she's gotten, and a surprise email Jessica received. Articles discussed in this episode: Slate and Daily Mail NYT UPF week Washington post had this The New Yorker had its own contribution Cuomo You can buy awkward merch! You can contact the show at makingitawkwardpod@gmail.com Follow Dietitian, Jessica Wilson on Instagram @jessicawilson.msrd and TikTok @byjessicawilson You can watch this episode at https://www.youtube.com/@MakingItAwkwardPod How to support this podcast? Follow/subscribe, rate and review! Jessica's dad will read reviews and comments on the air! Jessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies
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Glyphosate & the People vs Poison Rally: Fear vs Facts
Apr 2300:55:00Tap to summarizeHow much should we fear glyphosate? We get drastically different answers depending on who you ask. Trampus Harmon, Making it Awkward's farmer in residence, returns to the show to provide us the facts, context and nuance that was missing from podcaster and Wellfluencer Courtney Swan's Realfoodology podcast episode about glyphosate. Trampus loves facts over fearmongering, and prefers nuance and complexity with statements about the state of farming. Trampus points out the dichotomies of Swan discussing the distrust in corporations while doing ads for them throughout the podcast and on social media. The two discuss the claim from the MAHA Moms "this is not what we voted for" and Swan's false assertion that "the dose makes the poison" no longer applies. Trampus gives Jessica some things to listen for when she attends the People vs Poison rally on April 27th at the Supreme Court. Additionally Trampus shares a bit about the grant proposal he wrote in college titled "A study of long-term effects of herbicides on the American Farm Family" and he couldn't leave without Jessica asking him about potential cuts to SNAP. Supposedly glyphosate free foods RFK's glyphosate statements Executive order on pesticides Glyphosate article retraction Glyphosate in kids 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
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Food Fearmongering at the Center for Science in the Public Interest with Sherene Chou, MS RD
Apr 1601:02:03Tap to summarizeThe Center for Science in the Public Interest is the original nutrition influencer. It has used the same alarmist language that gets traction currently used on social media for over 50 years. Sherene Chou returns to the show to talk about our shared experiences reading CSPI's Nutrition Action Healthletter, and how calories are the things that the org cares about. The two of them find multiple examples of CSPI's racism and sh*ting on cultural foods. CSPI is a lobbying organization, and if they're setting the priorities what does that mean? "1993: CSPI publishes the first in a series of landmark investigative reports (beginning with Chinese-restaurant food)." DON'T EAT SALT DON'T EAT BACON Counting calories in Thai, Chinese, Mexican, Italian, and other cuisines CSPI's list of food additives CSPI's vegan burgers and their list CSPI's MLK Day post. CSPI's dietary guidelines Archived timeline of CSPI wins CSPI x Dr. Jessica Knurick 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
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Having Grown Up with Jillian Michaels, Gen Z is Healing
Apr 900:29:40Tap to summarizeToday'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
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Meeting a MAHA Mom in the Middle with Leslie Voorhees Means
Apr 200:53:14Tap to summarizeMAHA 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
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Debating Jillian Michaels and Winning with Tigress Osborn
Mar 2601:20:18Tap to summarizeTigress 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
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