Messy Liberation: Feminist Conversations about Politics and Pop Culture

Check out Flick'N'Beans podcast at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2227504New year, same bullshit? In this first episode of the year, Becky Mollenkamp and Taina Brown tear into the pressure cooker that is “New Year, New You”—and why it’s a capitalist scam designed to make you feel broken so someone else can profit.They talk honestly about aging, bodies, wrinkles, weight loss drugs, and the impossible beauty standards women are asked to carry—especially as hyper-thin culture makes its deeply unwelcomed comeback. Becky and Taina reflect on what it means to age in public, to feel tenderness toward softness, greys, and change, and to reject the idea that looking older is a personal failure.The conversation also widens to business: the pressure to “start fresh” every January, the myth of endless growth, and the exhausting reality that there is no finish line—just maintenance, repetition, and showing up again. They share how they’re approaching the year differently: slower, more collaboratively, more honestly, and more in tune with their actual capacity.This episode is a permission slip to stop reinventing yourself on capitalism’s timeline and start listening to your own body, rhythms, and seasons instead.🎤 WE ARE PROUD MEMBERS OF THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE

Check out Flick'N'Beans podcast at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2227504Our friend Nicole just dropped the trailer for her new podcast Just Rest — and we're SOOO excited! We’re both part of the Feminist Podcast Collective, and watching this show come to life has been such a joy. Just Rest is for people who care deeply, work hard, and are tired of being told burnout is just the price of caring.This podcast is all about rest as resistance, sustainable change, and staying human in a grind-obsessed world. It’s thoughtful, grounded, and deeply compassionate — the kind of show that feels like a long exhale.Give the trailer a listen, then rate & review if it resonates. It makes a huge difference for indie, values-driven podcasts.🎧 https://justrest.buzzsprout.com

Check out Flick'N'Beans podcast at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2227504As 2025 winds down, Becky and Taina sit with the mess—grief, burnout, political devastation, small joys, and the complicated work of staying human inside it all. This isn’t an episode about toxic optimism or shiny New Year’s resolutions. It’s about telling the truth: some years are brutal. Some losses are enormous. And still, we have to find ways to keep living.In this end-of-year reflection, they talk candidly about personal and collective loss, fluctuating capacity, negativity bias, and the practice of holding multiple truths at once. They explore what it means to scale expectations down (way down), to let “10% better” be enough, and to build rituals that help us remember that not everything is awful—even when the world feels like it is.This episode is an invitation to stop demanding perfection from yourself, to release the fantasy of static capacity, and to enter the new year with honesty, presence, and gentleness.In this episode, we talk about:Why 2025 felt like a year of loss—personally, politically, and collectivelyGrief, privilege, and the discomfort of holding both at the same timeThe myth of static capacity and why fluctuating energy is deeply humanSpoon theory, disability wisdom, and why you can’t “borrow” energy from the futureNegativity bias and why our brains remember the worst moments most clearlyMicro vs. macro living: how daily life is different from the headlinesPractices for tracking how days actually feel (not how we assume they felt)Holding multiple emotions at once—anger and love, grief and joyWhy “10% better” might be the most radical New Year’s intention availableCreating spaciousness during the holidays without disappearing entirely🎤 WE'RE PROUD MEMBERS OF THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE: http://feministpodcastcollective.com/

Check out Flick'N'Beans podcast at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2227504Some days aren’t fixable. They aren’t mindset problems. They aren’t invitations to “reframe.” They’re just heavy, painful, vulnerable days—and pretending otherwise only makes them worse.In this episode, Becky and Taina talk honestly about what it looks like to live inside a bad day instead of trying to hustle your way out of it. From chronic pain and perimenopause to caregiving, grief, financial stress, and the impossible emotional math of deciding when it’s time to let go, this conversation holds the mess without trying to clean it up too fast.This is an episode about asking for help when it feels like failure. About how self-gaslighting drains more energy than rest ever could. About the quiet power of naming your limits—and letting them be real.If you’re feeling raw, overwhelmed, or stretched thin right now, this one’s for you.In this episode, we talk about:• Why some days can’t be “turned around” without doing more harm• Chronic pain, perimenopause, and the emotional toll of living in a body that hurts• The vulnerability hangover that comes after creating something meaningful• How comparison and money talk can activate shame—even in values-aligned spaces• Why asking for help can feel like failure, concession, or loss of power• Parenting, partnership, and the guilt of needing rest• Caregiving grief: loving someone (or a pet) while knowing the end is coming• The impossible responsibility of deciding when to say goodbye• Avoidance, coping, and why comfort isn’t the same thing as denial• Letting a day be bad—and why that can actually prevent a spiralIf today feels heavy, you’re not broken—and you’re definitely not alone. Sometimes the most radical thing you can do is call it a bad day, ask for help, and let yourself rest without earning it.🎧 Messy Liberation is a proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective, supporting independent, values-aligned shows and the people who make them. Learn more at: https://feministpodcasterscollective.com

Check out Flick'N'Beans podcast at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2227504This week’s episode goes straight for the tender spots—disability, guilt, surrender, messy healing, cultural expectations, accountability, and, yes… Beyoncé. It’s one of those conversations that reminds you why we started this show in the first place: to tell the truth about being human in a world that keeps demanding performance.Taina opens with a vulnerable (and infuriatingly relatable) mess about navigating life with a disability while recovering from intense medical trauma, and the complicated guilt that comes with needing care instead of giving it. Becky names what’s underneath it all: grief for the life we thought we’d have. What follows is a wide-open, nuanced conversation about surrender, agency, capitalism’s lies about productivity, and the lifelong work of unlearning parentification. From there, we spiral beautifully into:What accountability actually looks like (BD Wong, RF Kuang, publishing vs. Hollywood power, and why identity + industry shape what’s possible)How nuance gets flattened on the internet, and why that harms marginalized people mostJay-Z and Beyoncé attending a Brandy concert and the absolutely chaotic discourse about whether they “should” have said hi (Ray J… buddy… please log off)Spotify Wrapped: joy, community, surveillance capitalism, FOMO, manipulation, and why we’ll still post ours anywayThe ways pop culture reveals our own longing to belong—and the pressure to be ethically perfect inside systems built on exploitationIt’s tender. It’s political. It’s petty. It’s deeply liberatory. In other words: peak Messy Liberation.🎤 WE'RE PROUD MEMBERS OF THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE

Check out Flick'N'Beans podcast at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2227504We didn't record a new show this week, but we're happy to share this episode of The Empowered & Embodied Show with Taina Brown. It's so good! Enjoy!

Check out Flick'N'Beans podcast at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2227504This week’s episode of Messy Liberation is exactly what the name promises: deeply human, a little chaotic, politically charged, creatively fueled, and threaded with the kind of vulnerability most people only share with their therapist.Becky opens up about the messy joy and stomach-turning self-doubt of writing her first book — including imposter syndrome, fears of co-opting liberatory work, the ethics of citation, and the tension between wanting to be seen and fearing the inevitable rejection that visibility invites.Then Taina dives into her own mess: the viral rumor about Donald Trump allegedly performing a sexual act on Bill Clinton (yes, really), the cultural fallout, the misogyny underneath homophobia, and the horrifying normalization of sexual violence in politics and media.It’s an episode that moves from book-writing anxiety… to Brene Brown… to Epstein… to consent… to cult dynamics… to “underage women” as a media phrase… to slow-burn lesbian jokes… to the existential absurdity of trying to hold nuance in a collapsing empire.In This Episode, We Discuss:The behind-the-scenes process of writing Becky’s liberatory business bookImposter syndrome, power, privilege, and the fear of getting it wrongThe ethics of citation, accountability, and writing through a white lensWhy visibility feels both intoxicating and terrifyingHow to engage in liberatory work without replicating harmThe alleged Trump/Clinton sexual scandal and why it’s blowing up onlineMisogyny, homophobia, femininity-as-weakness, and power dynamicsWhy the phrase “underage women” is a dangerous media trapThe GOP’s terrifying attempt to normalize sexual violenceLaughing at the absurdity as a survival strategyUpdates from last week’s messes (the school-board situation + relationship boundaries)The difference between mess that moves us forward and mess that destroys democracyResources + Mentions"Emergent Strategy" by adrienne maree brownThe Messy Liberation Coaches Circle🎤 Proud members of The Feminist Podcasters Collective; join us if you have a podcast at http://feministpodcastcollective.com/

Check out Flick'N'Beans podcast at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2227504In this week’s episode, Becky and Taina dive straight into the deep end of real-life mess: school-district politics, equity vs. “equality,” the exhausting reality of advocating inside systems designed to fail kids, and the tender, complicated terrain of queer marriage, desire, and boundaries. This one is personal, raw, a little chaotic, and very us. Becky shares what it’s like preparing to speak at a school board meeting about inequitable resource distribution in her son’s district — while naming the discomfort of doing that work as a white parent in a predominantly white room. Then Taina opens up about the complexities of being pansexual, married to a lesbian wife, and navigating attraction, boundaries, and emotional intimacy when your partner is also your best friend.In This Episode, We Discuss:• The messy reality of advocating for equity in a school system still clinging to “equal” funding• Why diversity in schools matters — and what’s at risk when privileged families leave• The tension of being a group of white moms pushing for equity without falling into saviorism• How to strategically communicate about equity in political spaces• The emotional labor of teachers and staff in under-resou🎤rced schools• Taina’s coming-out journey, late blooming, and the truth about queer identity development• What happens when you marry the first person you date (and why that’s not the red flag people think it is)• Navigating attraction, boundaries, and “is this appropriate to say to my wife?” moments• Why partners cannot and should not be expected to meet every emotional need• Cheesecake, green beans, and other metaphors we’ll never be able to forget🎤 Proud members of the Feminist Podcasters Collective — join us at: https://feministpodcasterscollective.com

Check out Flick'N'Beans podcast at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2227504This week, Becky and Taina sit down with client experience designer and “business cousin” Portia Michele Osumaré for a liberatory conversation about the beauty of being “messy”—and why it’s not something to fix. Together they explore what it means to live outside the boxes that capitalism, patriarchy, and white supremacy build for us.From being multi-hyphenate creatives to dismantling productivity culture, this conversation dives into queerness, control, and community—and how letting yourself be delightfully, unapologetically human can actually make your work (and your joy) more sustainable.Portia reminds us that liberation isn’t theoretical; it’s something we practice every day—in our businesses, our relationships, and even the way we talk about money, success, and each other.Connect with Portia:The Business Cousins CollectiveFollow Portia on InstagramDiscussed in this episode:Redefining “messy” as freedom, not failureThe power of multi-hyphenate creativityQueerness as a practice of expansion and self-creationHow control, order, and “clean” systems uphold oppressionBuilding liberatory business models rooted in joy and humanityCommunity as a messy, necessary space for collective growthResources mentioned:Lucille Clifton, “won’t you celebrate with me”Maya Angelou, “Be a rainbow in someone’s cloud”Ocean Vuong on how being queer saved his life🎤 WE’RE PROUD MEMBERS OF THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE

Check out Flick'N'Beans podcast at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2227504Becky and Taina try something new in this episode—a looser, more conversational format inspired by their friends from BRB, Crying. Each host brings a “messy situation” to unpack together.Taina starts with a real-life scare: police chasing a man through her backyard in Baltimore. The conversation unfolds into a raw discussion about policing, white conditioning, racialized fear, and what “abolish the police” really means. Together, they pull apart the myths of “good cops” and community safety, tracing policing back to its roots in slavery and exploring what real care-centered community safety could look like.Then Becky brings her own messy topic: a threads debate about whether all landlords are unethical. As a small-scale landlord herself, she wrestles with her own complicity in a capitalist system while still trying to do right by her tenant. The pair examine how housing, like policing, reflects deeper systemic issues—and why nuance matters when we talk about ethics and liberation.The conversation winds into reflections on whiteness, masculinity, and how even our attempts to “opt out” of oppressive systems (like calling yourself a “non-practicing white”) can be another form of avoidance. This one is layered, uncomfortable, and exactly the kind of conversation Messy Liberation is built for.🧠 ThemesThe conditioning of fear and trust around policingHow racialized power shows up even in “liberal” white responsesThe difference between policing and community accountabilityEthical gray areas in housing and capitalismWhy abolition is about care, not chaosReckoning with privilege, whiteness, and the myth of neutrality🔗 Resources MentionedDesigner Terrence WilliamsThe BRB, Crying podcast🎤 WE ARE PROUD MEMBFRS OF THE FEMINIST PODCAST COLLECTIVE

Check out Flick'N'Beans podcast at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2227504Becky and Taina are joined by fitness coach Laura Thomas for a brutally honest conversation about body image, aging, and what it really means to feel at home in your body.They unpack how diet culture is a tool of patriarchy and capitalism, how the “male gaze” shapes even the most “empowering” wellness trends, and how we can start to reclaim movement as a way to care for ourselves rather than control ourselves.This episode invites all of us, especially those socialized as women, to stop outsourcing our worth and start listening to our bodies againDiscussed in this episode:Why gyms can feel unsafe (and how to reclaim movement on your own terms)How diet culture and anti-fatness are rooted in anti-BlacknessDecentering men and re-defining beauty on your own termsThe emotional labor of unlearning body shameHow patriarchy, racism, and capitalism keep us disconnected from our bodiesWhy movement is resistance, not punishmentResources mentioned:“Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia” by Sabrina Strings“The Body Liberation Project” by Chrissy King“The Body Is Not an Apology” by Sonya Renee Taylor“Why Does Patriarchy Persist?” by Carol Gilligan and Naomi Snider“More Than a Body: Your Body Is an Instrument, Not an Ornament” by Lindsay and Lexie Kite💪 Learn More About Laura ThomasWebsite: laurathomasfitness.comInstagram: @laurathomasfitness🎤 PROUD MEMBERS OF THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE

Check out Flick'N'Beans podcast at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2227504What happens when two podcasts built on honesty, healing, and humor come together?In this special crossover between Messy Liberation and brb crying, Becky and Taina sit down with Angela (“Nins”) and Ariana (“Arns”), lifelong best friends and co-hosts of brb crying, for a heartfelt, hilarious, and deeply real conversation about what it means to feel your feelings in a world that rewards suppression.They unpack why crying is a radical act of self-trust, how vulnerability is a muscle that takes practice, and what it looks like to de-armor yourself in a culture that treats emotions like weakness. They also talk about creative rebirth through fan fiction (yes, really), the burnout cycle of podcasting, and how anti-capitalist rest practices can help us find joy again.This one’s equal parts therapy session, slumber party, and masterclass in liberation.Check out brb, crying:Website: https://www.brbcryingpodcast.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brbcrying.podcastYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB3O5-2SWBN4AYpb061iipgDiscussed in this episode:The power of crying as emotional liberationWhy vulnerability is a practice — not a personality traitCreative healing through fan fiction and rediscovering joyThe burnout cycle of podcasting under capitalismSafety, embodiment, and learning to feel at home in your bodyThe balance between vulnerability and humorPartnership, community, and the importance of feeling seenRest and joy as acts of resistanceHuman Design, astrology, and honoring your energy typeReleasing capitalist urgency and redefining success🎤 PROUD MEMBERS OF THE FEMINIST PODCAST COLLECTIVE: http://feministpodcastcollective.com/

Check out Flick'N'Beans podcast at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2227504In this fiery, messy conversation, Becky Mollenkamp and Taina Brown dive headfirst into celebrity culture, capitalism’s endless hunger, and the idea of enough. What started as a chat about Taylor Swift’s latest grift spirals—naturally—into reflections on fascism, fire-hose overwhelm, and why local action matters more than ever.They talk about:• Why celebrity “side hustles” and billionaire branding keep us chasing more• How capitalism turns “enough” into failure• The illusion of American exceptionalism and what fascism actually looks like• Why your local school board might matter more than Congress• What iteration (not hustle) really means for liberation• How collective care—and choosing one or two issues you actually have energy for—is the real resistanceResource mentioned:• Deepa Iyer’s Social Change Ecosystem Map🎤 PROUD MEMBERS OF THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE

Check out Flick'N'Beans podcast at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2227504👉 On October 9, 2025, Feminist Founders is hosting The Weight We Carry, a free, focus-group-style conversation on invisible labor. We’ll share stories, hold space, and imagine what collective relief might look like. And your stories will directly shape a white paper we’re writing to push this issue into wider conversations where it belongs. ✨ Reserve your free spot hereIn this episode of Messy Liberation, Becky Mollenkamp and Taina Brown are joined by their dear friend and collaborator Faith Clarke. Faith is a workplace culture strategist who challenges extractive systems and works to build restorative, liberatory environments rooted in belonging.Together, the three dig into what “belonging” really means—not as a buzzword, but as an embodied experience of communal care, shared responsibility, and accountability. Faith shares stories from her corporate and nonprofit experiences, connects belonging to invisible labor, and explains why true belonging requires honesty about what spaces can and can’t hold.This is a conversation about work, family, faith, identity, power, and the hard truth that belonging isn’t something leaders “create”—it’s something communities must practice together.In this episode, we discuss:What belonging feels like and how to recognize its absenceWhy extractive work systems can never truly foster belongingThe violence of having to self-advocate in spaces that won’t meet your needsInvisible labor and how marginalized folks often hold it all togetherWhy belonging must be a community responsibility and not left to leaders aloneSigns your workplace or organization lacks true belongingHow Faith and Becky are partnering on an upcoming container to address invisible labor🎤PROUD MEMBERS OF THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE

Check out Flick'N'Beans podcast at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2227504Becky’s sick, Taina’s tired, and somehow that makes for the best kind of messy conversation. From writing smut to why summer feels like winter, this grab bag episode runs the gamut of sex, TV, astrology, and systemic injustice.Discussed in this episode:What it’s really like to write sex scenes (and why it’s more about logistics than lust)Becky’s prudish confessions about watching intimacy on screenLove Is Blind: Brazil – Over 50 and why watching older women date is surprisingly joyfulBritish comfort TV vs. American sensory-overload reality showsAstrology, natal charts, and why New Year’s actually starts in Scorpio or Virgo seasonWhy summer feels like winter and autumn brings the most creativityBecky’s son’s “welcome to capitalism” moment with a half-empty bag of chipsActivism that disrupts power at the table, not just in the streetsThe parallels between Baltimore and St. Louis: segregation, schools, and systemic inequitiesInfrastructure failures, unsafe water, and the privilege required to access safety🎤 PROUD MEMBERS OF THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE

Check out Flick'N'Beans podcast at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2227504THIS IS FOR COACHES (or anyone who uses coaching skills)...Join Becky Mollenkamp and Taina Brown for a free live workshop on October 30th at 2 p.m. ET where we’ll explore what it really takes to grow as a coach rooted in liberation, not just business.🌟 In this session, you’ll learn:What liberation can look like for you and your clientsThe 3 essentials every coach needs for a sustainable, liberatory practiceHow community can fuel your growth with fresh ideas, accountability, and supportThis isn’t just another workshop—it’s a doorway into deeper connection with coaches who share your values.👉 Reserve your free spot today: https://evt.to/eodmahasw (If you can’t make it live, sign up anyway—replay will be available!)

Check out Flick'N'Beans podcast at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2227504This week, Becky and Taina cut through the noise—what “compromise” really means in a deeply divided America. Triggered by Jerry Greenfield’s exit from Ben & Jerry’s, Tad Stoermer’s critique of liberal nationalism, and the recent killing of Charlie Kirk, we unpack how stories are told, how power is preserved, and who gets to be the “martyr.”We talk about:How Christian nationalism (via figures like Charlie Kirk) has evolved — from campus provocateur to media force to mythic martyr.Why “compromise” is pitched as a virtue — but often functions to protect white supremacy, heteropatriarchy, and nationalism.How grief and the narrative around someone’s death (Kirk’s, especially) are weaponized in service of myth-making and mobilization.The difference between compromise and surrender—and why that distinction matters in politics and in lifeJerry Greenfield’s choice to leave Ben & Jerry’s rather than mute his values for corporate comfortTad Stoermer’s warning about liberal nationalism, American mythology, and the weaponization of compromiseThe powder keg moment America is in, and what it means for those with privilege vs. those withoutCulture as propaganda: from Star Trek to 9/11 broadcasts to the cult of celebrityHow white liberals cling to the dream of compromise and why it only leads to deeper harmWhat legacy really means—not just what you build, but what you walk away fromThis is a heavy one. We name the fear, the grief, and the hope in imagining a future beyond duct-tape solutions. And, as always, we find a little levity at the end (Cardi B, Beyoncé, and witchy weekends).Resources Mentioned:Tad Stoermer video: “Why U.S. Historians Keep Reinforcing American Nationalism (Even When They Think They Aren’t)”“A Resistance History of the United States” by Tad Stoermer (coming 2026)🎤 PROUD MEMBERS OF THE FEMINIST PODCATERS COLLECTIVE

Check out Flick'N'Beans podcast at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2227504Death isn’t something most of us are taught to face with honesty, compassion, or ritual. In this episode of Messy Liberation, hosts Becky Mollenkamp and Taina Brown sit down with Nikki Smith, The Death Doula, to explore what it means to navigate dying, grief, and collective loss with more humanity.Nikki shares how her personal experiences with loss led her to become a death doula and grief coach, and why she believes grief doesn’t have to suck. Together, we talk about how our culture fails us in grief (three days of bereavement leave? really?), the myths of the “stages of grief,” what collective grief looks like in moments like COVID and global injustice, and why rituals matter.We also touch on end-of-life dignity, hospice care, and what Nikki has learned about her own mortality from walking alongside others in their final days. This conversation is real, tender, and surprisingly hopeful—it’s about love, legacy, and finding joy even in the hardest moments.If you’ve ever felt alone in your grief, questioned how to support someone through loss, or wondered what it means to prepare for your own death, this episode will meet you right where you are.Discussed in this episode:How Nikki became a death doula and grief coachWhy toxic positivity is harmful in griefThe many forms of grief, including disenfranchised griefThe limitations of bereavement leave and how workplaces fail grieversRituals and cultural approaches to deathThe myth of “stages of grief” and why grief is nonlinearCollective grief in times of crisis (COVID, genocide, natural disasters)The dignity (and indignity) of dying, and hospice careTalking with kids about deathFinding joy, ritual, and love inside griefResources:Nikki Smith’s website (and podcast info)Nikki and Taina’s upcoming session on collective grief (Sept. 25)🎤 PROUD MEMBERS OF THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE

Check out Flick'N'Beans podcast at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2227504What does it mean to rest in a world that’s constantly demanding more from us—and why is rest such an essential part of resistance?In this episode, Becky and Taina sit down with Jordan Maney (aka The Radical Joy Coach) to talk about rest as resistance, how to distinguish between anger and rage, and why “rest so you can rage” is a mantra worth remembering.Together they unpack:The difference between anger (short-term) and rage (sustainable)Why rest, joy, and care are essential for sustaining activism and justice workWhat Audre Lorde meant when she said “anger is loaded with information and energy”How shame and defensiveness show up when we’re called in or called outThe tension between white women co-opting “rest as resistance” vs. acknowledging privilegeRest equity and who most urgently needs access to true restorationWhy rest isn’t the absence of doing, but the presence of restoration—creative rest, social rest, emotional rest, and moreJordan reminds us that rest isn’t an excuse to check out. It’s a strategy for sustaining ourselves in the long fight against oppressive systems. Without it, burnout wins.If you’ve ever felt guilty about slowing down, or wondered how to balance caring for yourself while also showing up for justice, this episode will leave you with a radical new lens on why rest isn’t optional—it’s part of the work.Jordan Maney is The Radical Joy Coach and the host of Rest Lab podcast. She helps “bleeding hearts”—people who deeply give a damn—center rest, joy, and care in their lives as an act of resistance.Resources & LinksRestLab Report and Podcast, Jordan’s Substack“Joy Is a Strategy: The White Leftist Struggle with Spirit”“Uses of Anger” by Audre Lorde“Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto” by Tricia Hersey🎤 PROUD MEMBERS OF THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE

Check out Flick'N'Beans podcast at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2227504Becky and Taina sit down with Tiana Dodson, a body liberation facilitator who helps people reconnect with their bodies, destigmatize fatness, and confront the oppressive systems that keep us at war with ourselves.Together, we dig into the messy, nuanced truths about body liberation: what it really means beyond “body positivity,” why loving your body isn’t always possible (or required), and how systemic oppression—not personal failure—shapes our relationships with our bodies.Tiana shares her four-step framework for body liberation—education, reframing, resilience/self-care, and advocacy—and we talk about the real-life challenges of living in a fat body in a fatphobic, racist, capitalist culture. This conversation unpacks how liberation isn’t a destination but an ongoing practice of resistance, reclamation, and joy.Discussed in this episode:The limits of body positivity and why “just love your body” is often inaccessible.The political realities of having a marginalized body and why they matter.Tiana’s journey from engineer to body liberation facilitator (with a spreadsheet love story in the mix).How trauma complicates body acceptance and why neutrality can be liberatory.The role of storytelling and representation in dismantling shame.Why reclaiming pleasure—from sex to ice cubes—is a radical act of liberation.Resources Mentioned:"Fearing the Black Body" by Sabrina Strings"Fat Girls in Black Bodies" by Dr. Joy Arlene Renee Cox"The Body Is Not an Apology" by Sonya Renee Taylor"Pleasure Activism" by adrienne maree brownConnect with Tiana Dodson:Instagram: @iamtianadodsonWebsite: tianadodson.comTikTok: @iamtianadodson🎤 PROUD MEMBERS OF THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE