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
Jubilee's Surrounded Explained and Jillian Michael's Unhinged Right Turn
Mar 2000:51:37Tap to summarizeJillian 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.
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Leveling Down: Levels Health, CGMs and the False Promises of Data-Driven Health with Selena Salfen and Meghan Cichy
Mar 1201:16:31Tap to summarizeWould 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
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Casey Means Went to Congress, Will She Be Our Next Surgeon General? With Meghan Cichy MPH RDN and Selena Salfen MPH RDN
Mar 500:48:09Tap to summarizeDr. Casey Means went to Congress last week. On February 28 2026 she went before the Senate's committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions to make her case to be the next Surgeon General. During the hearing Casey was asked about her statements on vaccines, her medical license, birth control, and her social media sponsors, but were those the questions that needed to be asked? Today public health dietitians Meghan Cichy and Selena Salfen return to the show to share their thoughts on the hearing, what Senators could have asked Casey, and a potentially controversial chat about whether she should be confirmed. They discuss Mean's media training and her focus on "shared clinical decision making." Casey Means has been featured on her podcast in the past. We had one episode about her upbringing with brother Calley Means, and two on her health tech start up, Levels which provides constant glucose monitoring, a tracking app and lab tests for hundreds of dollars. Statement on the planned hepatitis B birth dose vaccine trial in Guinea-Bissau Filing FTC complaint Operation Metro Surge results in 203 million dollar impact on Minneapolis Trump celebrates 2.4 million Americans 'lifted' off SNAP benefits Want to support the show? You can rate, review, subscribe, follow, share, comment and become a Patreon member! Questions about the show? Guest pitches? Email makingitawkwardpod@gmail.com You can buy awkward merch! 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 Welcome back to MIA, Jessica Wilson, dietitian and author of IABO. you can find me on IG at.
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The Food Triangle's "Healthy Fats" and Olive Oil 101 with Dr. Selina Wang
Feb 2600:33:19Tap to summarizeRFK told us that "We are ending the war on saturated fats" with the release of his food triangle and accompanying Dietary Guidelines. Dr. Selina Wang, Faculty Director at the UC Davis Olive Center, returns to the show to talk about the triangle which emphasizes "healthy fats" like olive oil, butter and tallow. RFK has told us over and over that saturated fats are actually healthy for us, but is that true? Consumers are confused. Selina also shares how olive oil is made, the difference between virgin olive oil, extra virgin olive oils and what goes into refining oils. She also has helpful advice for us when choosing oils to cook with. 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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What Mike Tyson's MAHA Super Bowl Ad is Really Saying; with Tigress Osborn, NAAFA Executive Director
Feb 1901:02:59Tap to summarizeTigress Osborn, Executive Director of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance returns to the show to discuss Mike Tyson's Super Bowl ad for MAHA and the inverted food triangle. The fat shaming ad is part of an ongoing appeal to the manly man, providing us with boxer Mike Tyson telling us about how he wanted to kill himself when he was fat, and telling us all that "something needs to be done about processed food in this country." It's an ad for realfood.gov and was directed by Brett Ratner who directed the Amazon financed film Melania. Tony Lyons created the ad and financed it through the nonprofit MAHA Center. Tyson has since been at press conferences with RFK Jr and Brook Rollins, the head of the USDA. There are official government AI generated images of MAHA leaders with Tyson's face tattoo. Tyson joined Calley Means and RFK Jr for a Fox News interview. Donut violence video Mashable article: We need to talk about that Mike Tyson Super Bowl ad 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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Heated Rivalry: Parasociality, Straight Women's Sexuality, and the Cultural Response with Lindsay Lee Wallace
Feb 1200:52:32Tap to summarizeLindsay Lee Wallace returns to talk about why she thinks women who have sex with men are drawn to Heated Rivalry. She wrote in, Yearning and Submission in 'Heated Rivalry', "Women who yearn and submit are often main characters—but they are simultaneously seen as frivolous and typical. Their yearning and submission aren't treated as meaningful, or as specific to them and their relationships… So it can feel easier and freer to step back from the equation entirely. Watch two men yearn for one another, which maintains their masculinity." Lindsay and Jessica talk about that article and explore additional topics including parasocial relationships, what makes Heated Rivalry simply good television, and the pop culture pundit panic in late 2023 when a UCLA survey found that Gen Z wanted less sex in media. Intimacy coordination Dance parties Heated Rivalry made in Canada Good things that happened because of Heated Rivalry Rachel Reid receiving Parkinson's treatment Rachel Reid 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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Heated Rivalry: Queerness, Coming Out and the Hags That Move the Story Along with Blake Flaugher, MPH
Feb 500:59:21Tap to summarizeBlake Flaugher, MPH returns to the show to chat about all things Heated Rivalry. He shares some topics that have been left out of the discourse, and teaches us about the importance of seeing romance in gay relationships, the role of hags in gay men's lives, and representation of bottoming. Blake and Jessica share their coming out stories, discuss if we're beyond conversations about coming out, and their thoughts on body norms in the show. The topics they discuss today will add to the story if you've watched it, it will give you a unique lens should you choose to watch it and will teach you things about queer culture if you never plan to watch. 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 Welcome back to MIA, Jessica Wilson, dietitian and author of IABO. you can find me on IG at.
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Bonus Episode: Community Commitment and MAHA Hypocrisy; F*** ICE
Jan 2900:19:30Tap to summarizeF*** ICE. This bonus episode shares the stories of immigration and ICE occupation from Making it Awkward guests. Hear stories of immigrants in LA, what it's like to be on the ground in Minneapolis right now, and a story from a mom in Charlotte deliverying groceries to neighbors too afraid to leave their homes. HCMC protest https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/breaking-the-news/hcmc-doctors-staff-protest-ice-impact-hospital-patients/89-3696c23f-6afb-44ea-8e02-7286543dabdd Smitten Kitten https://smittenkittenonline.com/ 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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Jessica's Monch Monch Ad & Dr. Robert Lustig's Fiber Fail
Jan 2201:00:27Tap to summarizeJessica Wilson, MS. RD. made a social media ad for Dr. Robert Lustig's Monch Monch; a fiber supplement that's supposed to act like a sponge in our digestive tract. Now listeners get to hear the ins and outs of the partnership and about the supplement from top to bottom. Our favorite podcast editor Jen Jacobs returns to this side of the show to hear about the whole commercial making process, behind the scenes conversations, science claims, typos and product reviews. The two have a great time! This episode includes product reviews from former guests on the show, from buyers on reddit and amazon, and Selena's kiddo in her commercial acting debut. Listeners should stay tuned after the interview for more reviews and the full commercial! Howie Mandel is a partner of Monch Monch Lustig's paper for the World Economic Forum Lustig's article in Frontiers Lustig's part 1 episode: "No Food is Better Than Bad Food" Lustig's part 2 episode Biolumen 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 for as little as $3/month!! 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 Welcome back to MIA, Jessica Wilson, dietitian and author of IABO. you can find me on IG at.
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The Manly Man's Inverted Food Triangle: Dissecting the Dietary Guidelines with Meghan Cichy MPH, RDN.
Jan 1501:02:29Tap to summarizeThe Dietary Guidelines for Americans are out RFK Jr decided to give us an inverted food triangle and tell us it's a new and improved food pyramid. Dietitian and public health badass Meghan Cichy, MPH RDN returns to the show to discuss the new dietary guidelines and the focus on "real food". She walks Jessica through all of the public health language and limitations and also asks who all of this is for. The two compare recommendations in old guidelines to the current ones, including protein serving sizes. The two chat about how RFK wanted to end corporate and industry influence and how there is still a tangled web of industry influence and private interest. They get into how the guidelines discussed ultra-processed foods after promising us a definition. The dietary guidelines speak directly to the MAHA movement; those who can pay for "real food," have the resources and time to cook dinner every night, and shop at farmers markets. MAHA does not care about the health of the public. RFK tells us he is ending the war on protein and saturated fat. The guidelines also include a section on testosterone. He's given us a manly man's meat-focused inverted food triangle for the manosphere, dudefluencers and pod bros. One of Meghan's concerns was how alcohol was addressed in the DGA. 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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