episode 286: the cult of diet culture with paula d. atkinson
I finished recording this episode with body liberation psychotherapist Paula D. Atkinson and immediately knew:
This is one of my favorite conversations I've ever had on the podcast.
Not because we agreed on everything (although we agreed on a lot), but because Paula made me think in entirely new ways.
About body image.
About dieting.
About permission.
About rage.
About why so many of us have spent decades believing our bodies are the problem.
This conversation challenged me, validated me, made me laugh, and honestly blew my mind more than once.
If you've ever wondered why you think the way you do about food or your body, this episode is going to give you the answers.
We cover:
why diet culture functions more like a cult than a wellness practice
the connection between women's rights and beauty ideals
The role and impact of GLP-1s
The mindset shift that is non negotiable
Why the goal isn't fixing your body...it's questioning the beliefs that convinced you it needed fixing in the first place.
Paula D. Atkinson is a queer, woo-woo desert witch and a liberation-focused psychotherapist. She has been working for over 15 years with those who suffer from disordered eating, food obsession, exercise addiction, and body hatred. Paula created and taught a course on the history of fat phobia and our culture's thin worship as a professor of Weight & Society at George Washington University. She trains professionals, clinics, and organizations in doing less harm in a thin-obsessed world. She has been interviewed for various articles, podcasts and broadcasts, including on NPR, and co-hosts a podcast that explores how psychotherapy conspires with the many systems that cause mental suffering. She is a second-generation yoga teacher, a psychic witch, an artist, and an aspiring DJ! Paula grew up in the Bay Area, lived in DC and NYC for over 20 years, and recently relocated to Palm Springs CA where she is grateful every day for the dry heat, big sky and the desert vibrations.
Insta: @pauladatkinson
Website: https://www.pauladatkinson.com/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pauladatkinson/
TikTok: @pauladatkinson5
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WINWWY
Episode of Surrounded: https://youtu.be/M7K87rGoGps?si=KPjMLmxc4KPfp0nJ