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.
38episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Re-release! Eating Disorders, Dopamine, Salience, & The Status Quo with Molly Robbins
1w ago00:55:13Tap to summarizeMolly Robbins joins the show for a follow-up interview to Jessica's conversation with Dr. David Wiss, about his article, "Dismantling the Myth of 'All Foods Fit' in Eating Disorder Treatment." Dr. Wiss made some questionable claims during his interview and Molly joins the show to fact check them and provide context, new information and lived experience. Molly Robbins is a researcher and clinician with lived experience having gone through treatment for atypical anorexia while in a larger body. Molly has questions about whether Dr. Wiss and his coauthors were truly dismantling myths in their article or reinforcing the norm of the eating disorder field. She also poses questions about whether dopamine means addiction, and asks what we mean when we discuss reward pathways and brain activation. To expand our ideas of these words and phrases regularly tossed about, Molly references research done in fMRI machines. This episode was part 2 of a 3 part series. The third is Hedonism, Palatability, and the Science-ification of "Junk Food;" Same advice, different packaging Dr. Wiss's reply to Molly's episode. Molly on LinkedIn Molly's articles: Source #9- Retracted- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/2024/9792751 ADHD and food additives- Nigg et al, 2012https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4321798/ Those who strongly adhere to FODMAP for IBS are more likely to have EDs https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30543574/ Greater food variety (including UPFs) is associated with recovery- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36951232/ Ayton and Ibrahim 2020- Paper that perfectly demonstrated providers and patients fears of weight gain... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7682725/ An article about dietary restraint and control- "Flexible control demonstrated substantial overlap and entanglement with rigid control, precluding the clarity, validity, and utility of flexible control as a construct"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26162949/ Fear is a core component of EDs (AN, BN, BED, and OSFED) transdiagnosticaly. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36782316/ Attempting to avoid hyperpalatable food is an eating disorder safety behavior- https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/13/7/574 Dietary energy density and diet variety predicts recoveryhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18400701/ Citation 118 (Hay et al., 2022) found that over 12 months about 80% of participants failed to achieve ≥5% weight loss. Email the show: makingitawkwardpod@gmail.com Follow Jessica on Instagram @jessicawilson.msrd and TikTok @byjessicawilson You can watch this episode on Spotify and at https://www.youtube.com/@MakingItAwkwardPod How to support this podcast? Follow, rate and review and subscribe to Patreon membership with access to bonus content and announcements! Jessica's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies
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Is Health Science Up for Debate? Part 1 with The Conscious Lee
2w ago00:58:06Tap to summarizeThe Conscious Lee joins the show to debate the merits of his recent video about cured meats causing cancer and Jessica's video reply questioning the honesty of his presentation of the evidence. Both of them reference the World Health Organization's 2015 report about carcinogens, and Jessica attempts to provide nuance to the carcinogen designation by discussing how substances are labeled as carcinogens and how it's the strength of the research, not the level of risk that makes something a carcinogen. The Conscious Lee's video is part of a partnership with Farm Forward and references the Save Our Bacon Act. This is a multi-part episode and Jessica will be back with guests in a couple weeks to follow up on this conversation. If you have thoughts or feedback that you want to share you can email the pod and send voice memos to makingitawkwardpod@gmail.com. The Conscious Lee's services The Conscious Lee on Instagram The Conscious Lee on YouTube The Conscious Lee on Tiktok 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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Gay the Pray Away; Film Review: "Leviticus" with Blake Flaugher, MPH and Caleb Haven Draper
3w ago01:07:11Tap to summarizeBlake Flaugher, MPH and Caleb Haven Draper return to the show to review the horror film Leviticus from first time writer and director Adrian Chiarella. The film follows two queer teenage boys who live in an Australian town and are part of a small conservative church. In this review the three discuss the role that both fear and shame play in our lives and in society. The three of them break down the plot of the movie in detail so there are spoilers. There isn't a big reveal at the end of the film, though, so they won't give away a plot twist. During this episode we learn that Caleb's family is a founding family of a Christian mega church and more about Blake's Christian Evangelical fundamentalist upbringing. The two discuss the impacts of religion on their identity development. Caleb and Blake's episode on queer men, body image, peptides and peacocking 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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Self-Medicating ADHD with Exercise, Disordered Eating, Gender Identity and More! with Calvin Gilbert
4w ago00:51:31Tap to summarizeCalvin Gilbert returns to the show to talk about self-medicating ADHD with exercise and the intersections with gender and disordered eating. Calvin talks about their all-or-nothing thinking, their history with alcohol abuse, and their experiences competing in two Iron Man races. We get into the multiple times they've come out to friends and family over the last 20+ years and their path to knowing they are non-binary. The two start with new reflections of Jessica's recent trip to the ADA conference and how it brought Jessica to tears. Calvin reminds Jessica that her concerns about not being recorded were incredibly valid and offers support as the two recall their conference presentation that was disrupted by an unhinged attendee. At the end of this episode Calvin pledges to work on a couple of adulting tasks and will follow up with this audience! 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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Unfiltered and Uncensored: Reflections on Speaking at the ADA Conference with Sherene Chou, MS RDN
Jul 900:48:34Tap to summarizeDietitian Sherene Chou and Jessica had a drastically different experience at the ADA Scientific Sessions than the researchers who were removed! Sherene may have been the first person to include a Subway Take at a medical conference. Today's episode continues the conversation about the ADA conference, one that started a few weeks back with journalist Lindsay Lee Wallace. Just last week, the medical journal Lancet published a recap of what happened to the researchers. Jessica got to sit down with a representative at ADA and record her experiences as a clinician. You can catch her answers over on the Patreon! This episode mentions the work of children's educator Ms. Rachel, who also came up in the first ADA conference recap with Lindsay. Ms. Rachel on Dilley Detention Center Ms. Rachel on Instagram 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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Re-release: 5G, Conspiracies and the Post-Truth Era with Dr. Eoin Flaherty of Maynooth University
Jul 200:47:09Tap to summarizeHave you wondered how 5G conspiracies developed or what makes some people more vulnerable to conspiracy theories? Today Jessica talks with Dr. Eoin Flaherty, assistant professor at Maynooth University to find the answers to these questions and many others. The two talk about conspiracism and the post-truth era in which we're living. Dr. Flaherty explains 5G and why some people believe it's dangerous. The two talk about Wi-Fi and 5G-free chicken, RFK Jr., how conspiracies generate and spread and Jessica asks him if she could be the next one to spread a theory of her own. Jessica came to his work via the article "The conspiracy of Covid-19 and 5G: Spatial analysis fallacies in the age of data democratization", which he co-authored. NBC: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. falsely claims measles vaccine protection 'wanes very quickly' 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 How to support this podcast? Follow/subscribe, rate and review and share with a friend! Jessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies
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Queer Men and Body Image: Peptides, Peacocking, and Pick Mes
Jun 2500:57:29Tap to summarizeClosing out Pride Month with a conversation about body image in queer men. Blake Flaugher MPH returns to the show and joins Caleb Draper to talk about gym culture among queer men including a selfie-specific locker room mirror, peacocking among queer men, nudes, looksmaxxing, dating apps and body dysmorphia. The three of them got to be besties while playing kickball with Outloud Sports, stories about which you'll hear sprinkled in the episode. These two are a lot of fun and will be back next month with their reviews of the Australian horror film Leviticus. Caleb tried Monch Monch! Clavicular Leviticus trailer 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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Health Journalism and Disruption; What Happened at the American Diabetes Assoc. Conference? With Lindsay Lee Wallace
Jun 1800:54:40Tap to summarizeThe American Diabetes Assoc. conference got spicy! But was that intentional? Did it have to? Lindsay Lee Wallace returns to the show to talk about her recent trip to the Health Journalism 2026 conference and the ADA conference where police escorted researchers out of the venue after they distributed paper copies of a published editorial. The researchers detained were not allowed back, including those who were scheduled to speak. Health Journalism 2026 was in Minneapolis, and Lindsay shares how being there post Operation Metro Surge influenced some sessions at the conference. She also talks about what was missing from the presentations, and shares a unique and unhygienic experience while eating chicken tender sliders. Lindsay provides context for the no one is covering this effect that I am always asking her about and in a fun reveal she shares her story of getting kicked out of a Sundance event regarding AI, which may be featured in an upcoming documentary. There's some great bonus content coming from this interview including my dad in all of his Pride merch over on the Patreon! 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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Re-Release! Queerness, Christianity, & 50% Off Ozempic for Pride!? with Kent Thomas, MSW
Jun 1100:46:52Tap to summarizeHappy Pride month! 🏳️🌈 50% off Ozempic for Pride!!! Jessica traveled to NYC in 2024 and got to investigate an ad for Ozempic. Kent Thosmas, MSW joined Jessica to talk about this ad and her visit to the clinic offering the deal, and what this means for gay men. Kent shared how his Christianity played into his eating disorder and the two talk about queer men, and how religion, queerness, and health are connected. They also talk about the normate body and hardness for gay men. Kent's original reel Dr. Jeff Iovanonne Additional ad And salmon injections… Email the show: makingitawkwardpod@gmail.com Follow Jessica on Instagram @jessicawilson.msrd and TikTok @byjessicawilson You can watch this episode on Spotify and at https://www.youtube.com/@MakingItAwkwardPod How to support this podcast? Follow, rate and review and subscribe to Patreon membership with access to bonus content and announcements! Jessica's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies
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Tradwives, Motherhood and Traditional Values; Book Club: Yesteryear Part 2
Jun 400:58:49Tap to summarizeSpoilers! Meghan Cichy, trad wife Leslie Voorhees Means, Selena Salfen and Alison Pill are back on the show for Part 2 of a conversation about Yesteryear, a novel about a tradwife, Natalie, and her curated yet frightening life. Yesteryear offers the reader two lived experiences for Natalie. One in contemporary times, the other in the 1850s. The novel switches back and forth between these two lives without context or explanation. In this second episode the group discuss their thoughts about the twist in the book. They also share their thoughts on the book ending, including predictions they'd had. This conversation gets into the complexities of motherhood and the different places in which the novel struck a chord for the five of them. 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 @byjessicawilsonJessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies
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