Shoulders Down

🎥 Behind the Scenes of the "Jillian Michaels vs Body Positivity" Debate with Edie Stark

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In this episode of Shoulders Down, Leah sits down with therapist Edie Stark, LCSW, to unpack their experience participating in a debate with fitness personality Jillian Michaels on the popular YouTube channel Jubilee.

Leah and Edie reflect on what it was like to step into a highly produced debate environment discussing body positivity, weight stigma, and health claims — and how the format of viral media can shape the conversation in ways that prioritize spectacle over nuance.

Together, they discuss the challenges of debating weight stigma in a reality-TV style setting, the misconceptions about body positivity and Health at Every Size®, and why conversations about weight and health must account for systemic factors like stigma, access to care, and social determinants of health.

You’ll hear about:

  • What it was like to participate in a debate with Jillian Michaels
  • Why debating weight and health in a reality-TV format creates major limitations
  • Common misconceptions about the body positivity movement
  • How weight stigma and systemic factors impact health outcomes
  • Why shame and blame are ineffective tools for supporting behavior change
  • What Leah and Edie hope viewers take away from the debate

Mentioned in this episode:

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