E29: Well, Actually: Unpacking Wellness Culture In Pursuit Of True Well-Being

Most of us are unknowingly caught in a web of diet culture, weight stigma, and trauma responses that keep us disconnected from our true selves. In this eye-opening episode, Julie Norman joins Lisa to expose the hidden mechanisms fueling our societal obsession with shrinking and controlling our bodies—and reveal how these patterns are deeply intertwined with trauma, oppressive systems, and collective chaos. Julie has spent 30 years healing — personally and professionally. Beginning as a registered dietitian and now a yoga teacher specializing in recovery, she knows this terrain from the inside out. Together, they dissect the pervasive influence of diet culture, the rise of weight loss medications like GLP-1 drugs, and the insidious role of fawning—an often-overlooked trauma response—that pushes us to conform at the expense of our authenticity. They explore how social pressures, systemic abuse, and internalized shame foster a collective trauma that manifests as diet obsession, weight stigma, and the pursuit of safety through control.Connect with Julie Norman: https://julienormanyoga.com/On Instagram: @bodykarmahealingYou can find Lisa on Instagram @illuminatedrecoverypodcastOr by email: [email protected] NOTES:Minnesota starvation study: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Starvation_ExperimentFawning by Dr. Ingrid Clayton: https://www.ingridclayton.com/Nicole Sachs substack article: https://substack.com/@nicolesachslcsw/p-194819019Good Woman: A Reckoning by Savala Nolan: https://savalanolan.com/Needy by Mara Glatzel: https://maraglatzel.com/book/