Ep 3. - Honestly, we have a problem every BODY should care about

During this episode, I talk with a friend, Kira, in an open and honest conversation about bodies and anti-fatness, especially in healthcare. This episode is the first in a series on big topics that have been on my mind and heart. After a lot of reflection, I've come to believe that this matrescence period is about finding our way back to ourselves... mind, body, and soul. As a wise friend said, if I've been percolating on a topic, it's very likely others will find the conversation helpful and interesting too. As a mom, a woman, or any person really... how can I truly love anyone if I don't first love myself? This episode is an especially vulnerable one exploring what I believe to be the societal pressures holding us back from that love of our bodies and therefore ourselves that many of us struggle with. I share stories of those challenges during pregnancy and delivery that may be tough to hear. I invite you to sit with that discomfort and let it percolate for you to see what it brings up. The main goal of Austique is more love in the world.  Hopefully this series will inspire more love in everyday life and maybe even within yourself. Honest, transparent, shocking, and inspiring, are the Austique vibes I hope you feel. Inspired by my fan-girling of Brene Brown and Sonya Renee Taylor. Further reading: The Body Is Not an Apology, Second Edition: The Power of Radical Self-Love Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat Roxane Gay's Hunger Black Maternal Health Week Resources: Black Mamas Matter Alliance - BMMA People to follow on Social Media: Brene Brown Sonya Renee Taylor Brown Skin Matters Aubrey Gordon The Fat Lib - Podcast episode referenced by Kira Research referenced: Weight Bias in Health Care When doctors fat-shame their patients, everybody loses Maternal Mortality and Maternity Care in the United States Compared to 10 Other Developed Countries Understanding maternal mortality in women with obesity and the role of care they receive: a national case-control study