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In this episode of Shoulders Down Podcast, Leah talks with Dr. Lauren Hartman, a double board-certified pediatrician and adolescent medicine specialist, about why dieting and weight-focused care can be especially harmful for children and teens — and what she’s seeing on the front lines of adolescent eating disorder treatment. Drawing from nearly 20 years of experience across hospital systems, outpatient care, and national leadership roles, Dr. Hartman explains why weight loss is rarely sustainable, how dieting increases eating disorder risk, and why a medicalized focus on weight often misses what young people actually need to thrive. Leah and Dr. Hartman also discuss the rise in eating disorders among adolescents, the role of social media and diet culture, and growing concerns around GLP-1 medications. You’ll hear about: A doctor’s perspective on why dieting and weight loss often backfireWhether eating disorders are on the rise among adolescents — and what’s driving the increaseHow social media and diet culture impact teens’ relationships with food and bodyGLP-1 medications and the risks of prescribing them to young peopleWhat informed consent should include when it comes to weight-loss interventionsHow parents can help protect children from diet culture and weight stigmaMore From Dr. Lauren Hartman: https://www.aspengroveayam.com/ More From Leah: 📚Download your free Intuitive Eating Starter PackApply to The Embodied Method, my 1:1 coaching programJoin my self-paced course, The ReturnSubscribe to Leah's Youtube ChannelSubscribe to my personal SubstackFollow me on Instagram for more intuitive eating content @leahkern.rdVisit my website to learn more about my coaching offeringsSubscribe to my weekly newsletter to get a nugget of intuitive eating inspiration delivered straight from my heart to your inbox each week.Send me a voice message on SpeakpipeEmail me: [email protected]

In this episode of Shoulders Down Podcast, Leah talks with therapist and certified intuitive eating counselor, Libby Supan, about her 15 years in Overeaters Anonymous (OA) — and why she ultimately believes the program worsened her eating disorder rather than healed it. Libby shares how OA’s abstinence-based model, the idea of food and sugar addiction, and rigid sponsorship dynamics fueled binge eating, shame, and co-dependency. Together, Leah and Libby unpack the concept of “fat serenity,” the fatphobia embedded in the OA ethos, and why abstinence backfires. Libby also explains how eating disorder treatment and intuitive eating helped her rebuild trust with her body, move away from restriction, and find a more sustainable path to recovery. You’ll hear about: What Overeaters Anonymous (OA) is and how it worksThe link between abstinence, restriction, and binge eatingWhy the Food addiction model is inherently flawedSponsorship, power dynamics, and co-dependency in OA“Fat serenity” & fatphobia in the OA communityHow Libby left OA after 15 years and found true healing  Mentioned in the episode: https://leahkernrd.com/are-you-addicted-to-sugar/ More From Libby: Website: https://www.libbysupan.com/ More From Leah: 📚Download your free Intuitive Eating Starter PackApply to The Embodied Method, my 1:1 coaching programJoin my self-paced course, The ReturnSubscribe to Leah's Youtube ChannelSubscribe to my personal SubstackFollow me on Instagram for more intuitive eating content @leahkern.rdVisit my website to learn more about my coaching offeringsSubscribe to my weekly newsletter to get a nugget of intuitive eating inspiration delivered straight from my heart to your inbox each week.Send me a voice message on SpeakpipeEmail me: [email protected]

In this episode, Leah's reflection on 6 wellness trends that shaped 2025. She covers: The proteinification of everything & whether or not its worth the hypeGLP-1s and the normalization of thinness at all costsIncreased body monitoring— Oura Rings, Glucose Monitors, & Apple Watches— & how this might impact intuitive eating Pilates culture: the matching sets, the "toned but not too muscular" promise,  &  the elitist, weight stigmatizing undertonesThe pros & the cons of our cultural obsession with stepsMentioned in the episode: 5 Reasons Why Your Weight Doesn't Determine Your Health episode: https://leahkernrd.com/%F0%9F%91%89-5-reasons-why-your-weight-doesnt-determine-your-health/More From Leah: 📚Download your free Intuitive Eating Starter PackApply to The Embodied Method, my 1:1 coaching programJoin my self-paced course, The ReturnSubscribe to Leah's Youtube ChannelSubscribe to my personal SubstackFollow me on Instagram for more intuitive eating content @leahkern.rdVisit my website to learn more about my coaching offeringsSubscribe to my weekly newsletter to get a nugget of intuitive eating inspiration delivered straight from my heart to your inbox each week.Send me a voice message on SpeakpipeEmail me: [email protected]

In this episode, I sit down with fat activist, author, podcaster, and feminist, Virgie Tovar. We cover: Virgie's experience growing up in a fat family and how that shaped her early relationship with her bodyFat activism vs body positivity & the evolution of these frameworks The intersection of queerness & fatness, & the having your heartbroken by the culture The ethics of GLP-1’s and prescribed starvationGLP-1s as a pump an dump marketing cyclingHow to cope with feeling the pressure of going on a GLP-1 for weight lossLiving a life of integrity vs a life of  apology More From Virgie:  Virgie's websiteVirgie's SubstackA 5 Stage Model of Fat Identity DevelopmentMore From Leah: 📚Download your free Intuitive Eating Starter PackApply to The Embodied Method, my 1:1 coaching programJoin my self-paced course, The ReturnSubscribe to Leah's Youtube ChannelSubscribe to my personal SubstackFollow me on Instagram for more intuitive eating content @leahkern.rdVisit my website to learn more about my coaching offeringsSubscribe to my weekly newsletter to get a nugget of intuitive eating inspiration delivered straight from my heart to your inbox each week.Send me a voice message on SpeakpipeEmail me: [email protected]

In this episode, Leah is joined by licensed therapist and body image expert, Bri Campos, to talk about picture grief. Learn more from Bri on her website. More from Leah: Download your free Intuitive Eating Starter Kit Apply to The Embodied Method, my 1:1 coaching program Join my self-paced course, The Return Subscribe to my personal Substack Visit my website to learn more about my coaching offerings Subscribe to my weekly newsletter to get a nugget of intuitive eating inspiration delivered  straight from my heart  to your inbox each week. Follow me on Instagram for more intuitive eating content @leahkern.rd Email me: [email protected]

In this episode, we cover: My story with navigating the holiday season before and after becoming an intuitive eater and healing my body imageCommon hurdles to navigating the holidays as an intuitive eaterSpecific tips for handling loved-ones still entrenched in diet cultureHow to avoid eating past comfortable fullness at the big holiday meal(s)Dealing with the desire to fill the void of unmet needs with food Moving through the sadness that can come up when a delicious celebratory meal is coming to an end. Navigating the situation where you’re being hosted for the holidays and don’t have control over food and mealtimesDownload the FREE Intuitive Eater Holiday Survival Guide 📣 Subscribe to our Youtube Channel! Download your free Intuitive Eating Starter Kit Apply to The Embodied Method, my 1:1 coaching program Join my self-paced course, The Return Subscribe to my personal Substack Visit my website to learn more about my coaching offerings Subscribe to my weekly newsletter to get a nugget of intuitive eating inspiration delivered  straight from my heart  to your inbox each week. Follow me on Instagram for more intuitive eating content @leahkern.rd Email me: [email protected]

In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Alexis Conason, Licensed Therapist and Certified Eating Disorder Consultant.  We discuss: How Alexis went from studying  Obesity Medicine to weight inclusive medicineWhat the Obesity Medicine research actually points toHow to navigate the tension between validating desire for weight change while also wanting food freedomWhat might really be underneath statements like, “I just felt better when I was X pounds lighter.”How working alongside her husband, another weight-neutral provider, has impacted her workTips for finding a  non-diet, HAES-aligned therapistMore From Alexis: https://drconason.com/https://www.conasonpsychologicalservices.com/aboutBuy her book!More From Leah: 📚Download your free Intuitive Eating Starter PackApply to The Embodied Method, my 1:1 coaching programJoin my self-paced course, The ReturnSubscribe to Leah's Youtube ChannelSubscribe to my personal SubstackFollow me on Instagram for more intuitive eating content @leahkern.rdVisit my website to learn more about my coaching offeringsSubscribe to my weekly newsletter to get a nugget of intuitive eating inspiration delivered straight from my heart to your inbox each week.Send me a voice message on SpeakpipeEmail me: [email protected]

In this episode, we discuss: How diet culture can steal our valuesValues-aligned living, resilience, & confidenceHow to tell if you're acting out of alignment with your valuesAn exercise for figuring out your values Resources Mentioned: Values Exercise: https://d11n7da8rpqbjy.cloudfront.net/leahkernrd/482_1669901562874Confidence_ValuesDrivenLiving_Module2.pdfBrene Brown values list: https://brenebrown.com/resources/dare-to-lead-list-of-values/👉Get on the waitlist for our new 10 steps to food freedom audio course More From Leah: 📚Download your free Intuitive Eating Starter PackApply to The Embodied Method, my 1:1 coaching programJoin my self-paced course, The ReturnSubscribe to Leah's Youtube ChannelSubscribe to my personal SubstackFollow me on Instagram for more intuitive eating content @leahkern.rdVisit my website to learn more about my coaching offeringsSubscribe to my weekly newsletter to get a nugget of intuitive eating inspiration delivered straight from my heart to your inbox each week.Send me a voice message on SpeakpipeEmail me: [email protected]

In this episode, Leah shares how diet culture sneaks into the wedding industry—from “bridal bootcamps” to being asked about “weight goals” at dress fittings—and how these pressures can rob us of joy on one of life’s most meaningful days. Through her own wedding dress shopping story and reflections from clients, Leah explores what it actually looks like to reject body shame, hold space for body grief, and choose presence over perfection. More From Leah: 📚Download your free Intuitive Eating Starter PackApply to The Embodied Method, my 1:1 coaching programJoin my self-paced course, The ReturnSubscribe to Leah's Youtube ChannelSubscribe to my personal SubstackFollow me on Instagram for more intuitive eating content @leahkern.rdVisit my website to learn more about my coaching offeringsSubscribe to my weekly newsletter to get a nugget of intuitive eating inspiration delivered straight from my heart to your inbox each week.Send me a voice message on SpeakpipeEmail me: [email protected]

In this episode we’re talking about why I’m worried that Chat GPT might be making intuitive eating harder for people. 👉Get on the waitlist for our new 10 steps to food freedom audio course More From Leah: 📚Download your free Intuitive Eating Starter PackApply to The Embodied Method, my 1:1 coaching programJoin my self-paced course, The ReturnSubscribe to Leah's Youtube ChannelSubscribe to my personal SubstackFollow me on Instagram for more intuitive eating content @leahkern.rdVisit my website to learn more about my coaching offeringsSubscribe to my weekly newsletter to get a nugget of intuitive eating inspiration delivered straight from my heart to your inbox each week.Send me a voice message on SpeakpipeEmail me: [email protected]

This episode will walk you through five powerful studies that challenge diet culture and reshape the way we think about food. These studies highlight how health is influenced by connection, compassion, satisfaction, and beliefs — not just calories or nutrients. I cover: The Rabbit Study and how kindness can influence health outcomesThe Roseto Effect and the role of community in protecting heart healthResearch on Thai vs. Swedish women showing that satisfaction impacts nutrient absorptionThe Sugar Drink Study proving that beliefs about food can affect blood sugar levelsMann et al.’s review of long-term dieting outcomes and why diets rarely work long-termResources mentioned: Join my self-paced course, The ReturnDownload your free research guide PDF: https://leahkernrd.kartra.com/page/8Tz18Lived Experience with Ozempic— Jamie's Story: https://podcasts.apple.com/il/podcast/lived-experience-with-ozempic-jamies-story-an/id1616910063?i=1000617648346Why your relationship with food matters on a physiological level: https://leahkernrd.com/how-intuitive-eating-impacts-your-metabolism-and-digestion/More From Leah: 📚Download your free Intuitive Eating Starter PackApply to The Embodied Method, my 1:1 coaching programJoin my self-paced course, The ReturnSubscribe to Leah's Youtube ChannelSubscribe to my personal SubstackFollow me on Instagram for more intuitive eating content @leahkern.rdVisit my website to learn more about my coaching offeringsSubscribe to my weekly newsletter to get a nugget of intuitive eating inspiration delivered straight from my heart to your inbox each week.Send me a voice message on SpeakpipeEmail me: [email protected]

When The Biggest Loser hit TV in the early 2000s, it  was a cultural force that shaped how we think about weight, health, and discipline. Now, the new documentary Fit for TV revisits the show’s legacy. In this episode, I share my reflections on the documentary through the lens of a non-diet dietitian who grew up watching The Biggest Loser.I break down what the documentary actually got right — and where it fell short. We’ll cover: The moments that  exposed the physical and psychological harms of the show.Where the doc reinforced fatphobia instead of unpacking weight stigma.The unsustainable and dangerous practices contestants endured How The Biggest Loser dehumanized people in larger bodies for entertainment and profit.The deeper truth about diet culture, capitalism, and who really benefits when you feel your body isn’t good enough.Resources mentioned:  Download your free research guide PDF: https://leahkernrd.kartra.com/page/8Tz185 Reasons Why Your Weight Doesn't Determine Your Health episode: https://leahkernrd.com/%F0%9F%91%89-5-reasons-why-your-weight-doesnt-determine-your-health/More From Leah: 📚Download your free Intuitive Eating Starter PackApply to The Embodied Method, my 1:1 coaching programJoin my self-paced course, The ReturnSubscribe to Leah's Youtube ChannelSubscribe to my personal SubstackFollow me on Instagram for more intuitive eating content @leahkern.rdVisit my website to learn more about my coaching offeringsSubscribe to my weekly newsletter to get a nugget of intuitive eating inspiration delivered straight from my heart to your inbox each week.Send me a voice message on SpeakpipeEmail me: [email protected]

What happens when your anti-diet values collide with the realities of a weight-obsessed medical system? In today’s solo episode, I respond to a deeply vulnerable listener story about being required to undergo weight monitoring during pregnancy as a gestational surrogate—after more than a decade of avoiding the scale as part of her healing from disordered eating. I unpack the emotional toll of being reduced to a number, the grief of not having full autonomy in medical spaces, and how weight stigma is baked into the system. I explore: Why mandatory weigh-ins can be so activating, even years into healingHow to move from “knowing” your worth isn’t tied to weight to feeling it in your bonesReflective tools to challenge internalized beliefs Practical strategies for protecting your peace during weigh-insThis episode is full of validation, support, and reminders that you are not the problem—the system is. Whether you’ve experienced this exact situation or just felt the pain of weight stigma in healthcare, this episode is for you. Resources Mentioned: Bri Campo's episode Nicola Smith of fat positive fertility episodeMore From Leah: 📚Download your free Intuitive Eating Starter PackApply to The Embodied Method, my 1:1 coaching programJoin my self-paced course, The ReturnSubscribe to Leah's Youtube ChannelSubscribe to my personal SubstackFollow me on Instagram for more intuitive eating content @leahkern.rdVisit my website to learn more about my coaching offeringsSubscribe to my weekly newsletter to get a nugget of intuitive eating inspiration delivered straight from my heart to your inbox each week.Send me a voice message on SpeakpipeEmail me: [email protected]

In this episode, we're covering 6 lessons I learned on the Appalachian Trail that can be applied to Intuitive Eating. Mentioned in the episode: Social Determinants of Health & Intuitive Eating blog post📚Download your free Intuitive Eating Starter PackMore from Leah: 📚Download your free Intuitive Eating Starter PackApply to The Embodied Method, my 1:1 coaching programJoin my self-paced course, The ReturnSubscribe to Leah's Youtube ChannelSubscribe to my personal SubstackFollow me on Instagram for more intuitive eating content @leahkern.rdVisit my website to learn more about my coaching offeringsSubscribe to my weekly newsletter to get a nugget of intuitive eating inspiration delivered straight from my heart to your inbox each week.Send me a voice message on SpeakpipeEmail me: [email protected]

In this episode, we revisit the topic of GLP-1 medications like Ozempic.  You’ll hear from 7 guests: therapists, dietitians, former clients, and people who’ve personally used GLP-1s Each person shares how they’re navigating intuitive eating and body acceptance in a culture obsessed with weight loss. This episode features several guests who have already appeared on the show. Here are links to their original episodes: Jamie’s Episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/il/podcast/lived-experience-with-ozempic-jamies-story-an/id1616910063?i=1000617648346Aaron’s Episode: https://leahkernrd.com/masculinity-body-image-and-disordered-eating-with-aaron-flores-rd/Kate’s Episode: https://leahkernrd.com/raising-intuitive-eaters-and-protecting-children-from-diet-culture-with-kate-morris/Amanda’s Episode: https://leahkernrd.com/perimenopause-our-ever-changing-bodies-with-amanda-mittman/Hannah’s Episode: https://leahkernrd.com/finding-pleasure-in-movement-with-hannah-husband/Bri Campos's Episode: https://leahkernrd.com/what-were-getting-wrong-about-body-image-with-bri-campos/More From Leah: 📚Download your free Intuitive Eating Starter PackApply to The Embodied Method, my 1:1 coaching programJoin my self-paced course, The ReturnSubscribe to Leah's Youtube ChannelSubscribe to my personal SubstackFollow me on Instagram for more intuitive eating content @leahkern.rdVisit my website to learn more about my coaching offeringsSubscribe to my weekly newsletter to get a nugget of intuitive eating inspiration delivered straight from my heart to your inbox each week.Send me a voice message on SpeakpipeEmail me: [email protected]