Podcast
Millennial Body Image Project
Hosted by Dana Monsees & Cristina Hoyt · EN
Raise your hand if your body image has been personally victimized by almond moms, wellness culture, or the rise of ozempic. You're not alone - it's in our DNA as millennials; we're here to flip the script. Welcome to the Millennial Body Image Project, where we empower you with the tools to dismantle wellness culture, challenge weight stigma, and discuss the intersectional systems shaping the way we view our bodies. Because your body is not a problem to be fixed. Cristina Hoyt, MS CNS LDN and Dana Monsees, MS CNS LDN are on a mission to call out harmful messaging, discern fact from fiction, and ultimately guide you through the messiness of body image, how it impacts your health and your relationship with food.
21episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The Functional Medicine to Disordered Eating Pipeline
2w ago00:42:57Tap to summarizeHow elimination diets, gut health protocols, and functional medicine can lead to food stress and disordered eating patterns If you've ever felt dismissed, turned to food to find answers, and ended up more overwhelmed than before—you're not alone. We're diving into the functional medicine pipeline and the fine line between supportive healing and harmful restriction. This episode offers a more compassionate, sustainable lens on navigating chronic symptoms. Find your host: @millennialbodyimageproject @danamonsees_cns www.realfoodwithdana.com Related Episodes: IBS, Gut Health & Disordered Eating: Breaking the Cycle of Food Fear with Samina Qureshi Lab testing 101: the Whole-Hearted Eating way Can you manage chronic health conditions without food restriction?
Transcribe →GLP-1's, Food Noise, and Your Relationship with Food, with Jessica Brown
Apr 1500:48:18Tap to summarizeA compassionate, real-talk look at how GLP-1 medications impact appetite, food noise, nutrition, and your relationship with food. In this episode, I'm joined by Jessica Brown—clinical nutritionist, self-compassion teacher, and author of Beyond the Shot—to explore GLP-1 medications and the deeper work of healing your relationship with food. We discuss what these medications can (and can't) do, key nutrient deficiencies to watch for, and their potential role in chronic and inflammatory conditions. We also talk about how to use the "space" GLP-1s can create to build self-awareness, challenge food rules, and shift long-standing beliefs about food and body. Disclaimer: This episode includes general discussion of weight and GLP-1 medications, so if that's in any way triggering for you, I suggest you skip this episode. None of this is medical advice—my goal is to provide balanced, evidence-based information so you can make informed decisions with your healthcare team. Find our guest: Instagram @thelovingdiet Book: Beyond the Shot Find your host: millennialbodyimageproject.com @millennialbodyimageproject @danamonsees_cns
Transcribe →ADHD, Burnout & People Pleasing: The Hidden Struggles Women Face with Liz Lewis
Apr 100:44:20Tap to summarizeEver feel like you're doing everything "right"… but still completely burned out? It might not be you—it might be ADHD. In this episode, Dana sits down with Liz Lewis to talk about the real experience of ADHD in women—think chronic burnout, people pleasing, and masking so well no one (including you) saw it coming. They dig into why so many women are getting diagnosed later in life, how societal pressure to "hold it all together" plays a role, and why productivity hacks aren't the solution. This is a conversation about unlearning, self-trust, and finally understanding your brain in a way that actually helps. Find Liz! Book: You are Not the Problem - Late-Diagnosed ADHD Women and the Invisible Forces That Shape Us {coming June 2026} Substack: Yes, And… with Liz Lewis Instagram: @lizlewisliterary Bonus! If you preorder the book, you can get access to Liz' private podcast (check out the details here!) Find your host: millennialbodyimageproject.com @millennialbodyimageproject @danamonsees_cns
Transcribe →IBS, Gut Health & Disordered Eating: Breaking the Cycle of Food Fear with Samina Qureshi
Mar 1800:46:36Tap to summarizeWhen gut health advice starts to feel like a list of foods you can't eat, it might be making your IBS—and your relationship with food—worse. IBS, gut health issues, and food fear often get tangled together—and untangling them isn't as simple as cutting out more foods. In this episode, I'm joined by GI dietitian Samina Qureshi to talk about the very real overlap between IBS and disordered eating—and why more restriction isn't always the answer. We get into how long-term low FODMAP, expensive functional testing, and supplement-heavy protocols can sometimes backfire, making symptoms (and anxiety around food) worse—not better. You'll also walk away with practical strategies for constipation, bloating, and those tough body image days. Plus: we're myth-busting bread, white rice, and cultural foods—and calling out the kind of "gut health advice" that might be doing more harm than good. Find our guest: Samina Qureshi on Instagram: @inclusive.ibs.dietitian https://www.wholesomestart.com/ Find your host: @danamonsees_cns @millennialbodyimageproject Dana Monsees Nutrition
Transcribe →What to Wear When Your Body Changes: reclaiming personal style in eating disorder recovery with Nicole Garfunkel
Feb 2500:41:20Tap to summarizeWhat do you wear when your body changes? In this episode, personal stylist Nicole Garfunkel joins us to talk about reclaiming personal style during eating disorder recovery—without body shame or size rules. Nicole shares her own journey with body image and PCOS, the powerful parallels between food and fashion, and how clothes can either reinforce body shame or support healing. We discuss her trauma-informed approach to closet clearing, why keeping clothes that no longer fit can be emotionally harmful, and how to build a wardrobe that works for your body right now. Listen in for practical, body-neutral tips for navigating shopping, experimenting with personal style, and reclaiming confidence without chasing trends or sizes. Find Nicole: Website: https://stylingconfidential.com IG & TikTok - @styling_confidential Resources mentioned: Whering, Index Find your host: www.realfoodwithdana.com for all our episodes! @millennialbodyimageproject @danamonsees_cns
Transcribe →Sturdy girl season: body image, strength, and non-diet nutrition with Maria Terry
Feb 1100:42:24Tap to summarizeDietitian Maria Terry is back — and we're talking about how to have a "sturdy girl season" for body image, resilience, strength and nutrition. From navigating body image in a post-Ozempic world, to embracing strength and self-trust over aesthetics, we dig into grief, aging, and the messy middle of doing health without diet culture. Find Maria: Instagram: @vitamin_ri Sign up for Sunday brunch! - https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/450781/90970568407385754/share Website: marriaterrynutrition.com Find your hosts! @millennialbodyimageproject @danamonsees_cns
Transcribe →Best books of 2025!
Jan 2800:59:00Tap to summarizeWelcome to our annual best books episode! This year we're switching things up and doing book awards and superlatives for each category, like best book of the year, best series, biggest gut punch, etc. We hope you get lots of recommendations from this episode, and send us your recommendations with favorites from this year too! Full list of recommendations here: https://www.realfoodwithdana.com/best-books-of-2025/ Find your hosts: @danamonsees_cns @kara_mccartney
Transcribe →Body image, wellness, and the perfectionism trap
Jan 1400:27:32Tap to summarizeWhy "healthy habits" can make us feel like we're failing — and how body image, perfectionism, and all-or-nothing wellness get tangled together. Feel like you need to earn body acceptance through your healthy habits? Let's talk about the all-too-familiar spiral—when the things we do to support our health start to feel like they're never enough… and our body image takes the hit. In this episode, we're unpacking what happens when body image struggles get wrapped up in our "healthy habits"—and how easy it is to feel like we're failing when those routines shift. What we cover: Why tying health behaviors to body changes can backfire How to spot all-or-nothing thinking in your routines - and how to build in flexibility instead What acceptance-based therapy actually means Boundaries, balance, and the beauty of ebb and flow If you've felt this way, you're definitely not alone - listen in! Find your hosts: millennialbodyimageproject.com @millennialbodyimageproject @danamonsees_cns
Transcribe →What to do when listening to your body doesn't work
Dec 3100:45:35Tap to summarizeAs the new year begins, many people want to support their health with nutrition — without falling back into rigid resets, rules, or diets. But if you've spent time in the non-diet space, you've likely heard the advice: "Just listen to your body." What happens when that advice feels confusing, overwhelming, or even shame-inducing? In this episode, we unpack why "just listen to your body" often doesn't work for people recovering from disordered eating, chronic dieting, or managing chronic illness. We explore why hunger and fullness cues can feel unreliable or nonexistent, what actually builds body trust, and how to use gentle structure and support — without returning to diet culture — to nourish your body in a sustainable way. Episodes mentioned: "Why can't I stop eating?" Real talk on overeating, binge eating, and scavenger eating So you broke up with dieting…now what? Overcoming new year body image sunday scaries When you know too much about diet culture (and don't know what to do now) Find your hosts: millennialbodyimageproject.com @millennialbodyimageproject @danamonsees_cns @cristinahoytnutrition
Transcribe →Hypermobility and hEDS: how it affects nutrition, gut health, and more with Cheryl Harris
Dec 1700:46:57Tap to summarizeWhat's the difference between being "just bendy" and hypermobile EDS? Dietitian Cheryl Harris joins us to bust hypermobility myths, explain why diagnosis is so difficult, and talk through connections with the gut, nervous system, POTS, mast cells. Plus, how do hypermobility and hEDS impact nutrition and our relationship with food? Cheat sheet: EDS = ehlers danlos syndrome HSD = hypermobility spectrum disorder hEDS = hypermobile EDS POTS = post orthostatic tachycardia syndrome Find our guest: Cheryl Harris - https://www.harriswholehealth.com/ Find your hosts: millennialbodyimageproject.com @millennialbodyimageproject @danamonsees_cns A few studies referenced: Garcia-Fischer I, Abber SR, Silvernale C, Rodis J, Burton-Murray H, Staller K. Exploring Transdiagnostic Eating Disorder Symptoms and Disorder of Gut-Brain Interaction Symptoms in Individuals With Connective Tissue Disorders. Int J Eat Disord. 2025 Oct 20. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.24576 Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41116197. Pollack B, von Saltza E, McCorkell L, et al. Female reproductive health impacts of Long COVID and associated illnesses including ME/CFS, POTS, and connective tissue disorders: a literature review. Front Rehabil Sci. 2023;4:1122673. Published 2023 Apr 28. doi:10.3389/fresc.2023.1122673 Monaco A, Choi D, Uzun S, Maitland A, Riley B. Association of mast-cell-related conditions with hypermobile syndromes: a review of the literature. Immunol Res. 2022;70(4):419-431. doi:10.1007/s12026-022-09280-1
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