In this episode of The Body Grievers® Club, Brianna interviews TikTok creator and author Allora Dannon, who describes herself as a plus-size "accidental late bloomer spokesperson." Allora explains how she reframed "late bloomer" to mean not dating or experiencing physical intimacy until her thirties, and she shares how growing up as the oldest of ten in a supportive religious family still left her feeling embarrassed, isolated, and "left behind" as her sisters married while she received little romantic attention.

Together, Bri and Allora discuss the cultural whiplash around sex and inexperience, the impact of fatphobia on dating, the desire to be wanted without tying worth to men's attraction, and how platitudes about dating can be more harmful than validation.

TIMESTAMPS:

01:27 Meet the Guest: 'Accidental Late Bloomer' Allora Dannon

04:13 Her Background: Big Family, Faith, and Feeling 'Too Much'

10:25 Wanting to Be Desired Isn't a Moral Failing

13:16 Modern Dating Is Brutal: Apps, Anxiety, and Outdated Advice

21:12 Season of Bravery: Dating Apps, Rules, and Asking People Out

33:13 First Relationship After Late Blooming: Beautiful Firsts & Red Flags

36:14 A 'Season of Bravery': Dating Apps, One-Month Rule & Meeting Her Fiancé

40:31 Do It Scared, Not Traumatized: Nervous System, Anxiety Meds & Expanding Attraction

46:26 Intimacy as Healing: Sleeping Naked, Loving Your Shape & Protecting Your Progress

51:16 Ode to the Apron Belly: Body Dysmorphia, Moving Goalposts & Finding Neutrality

56:47 Closing Advice & Community: The Memoir Plug, Where to Start Healing, and Where to Find Her

EPISODE RESOURCES:

"Who Is She? A Late Bloomer's Survival Guide" by Allora Dannon

"Thank You, More Please: A Feminist Guide to Breaking Dumb Dating Rules and Finding Love" by Lily Womble

WANT MORE OF ALLORA DANNON?

https://www.alloradannon.com/

@alloradannon On All Social Channels

WANT MORE OF BRI?

*Instagram: @bodyimagewithbri


*Website: https://bodyimagewithbri.com/

*Bri's Free Resource: 7-Step Guide to Shift Body Grief to Radical Body Acceptance

https://www.bodyimagewithbri.com/seven-steps

WANT MORE OF BRI?

*Instagram: @bodyimagewithbri


*Website: https://bodyimagewithbri.com/

*Bri's Free Resource: 7-Step Guide to Shift Body Grief to Radical Body Acceptance

https://www.bodyimagewithbri.com/seven-steps

In this episode of The Body GrieversⓇ Club, Bri sits down with Kimmie Singh, a registered dietitian specializing in PCOS and eating disorders, to discuss the complex journey of body liberation. They explore the societal assumptions faced by fat dietitians, the challenges of navigating professional spaces, and the stigmas around PCOS and body image. Kim breaks down her unique approach to nutrition, which emphasizes body liberation and destigmatizing food and body size. They delve into the importance of self-care, the limitations of behavior change alone, and the nuanced role of medications like GLP-1 in managing PCOS. The conversation also touches on their personal friendship dynamics, the diversity in movement preferences, and the importance of creating supportive and non-judgmental spaces for clients. Whether you're managing PCOS, grappling with body acceptance, or just looking to learn more about holistic and compassionate health care, this episode is packed with insights and practical advice.

01:59 The Role of a Non-Traditional Dietician

03:52 Personal Stories and Professional Challenges

07:07 Understanding PCOS: Personal Journey

15:07 Common Misconceptions and Myths about PCOS

22:20 Weight Neutral Management for PCOS

28:44 Healing Relationship with Movement

31:23 Gentle Encouragement vs. Pressure

39:03 Explaining PCOS in Simple Terms

42:06 Behavior Change and Medication

48:11 Final Thoughts and Resources

WANT MORE OF KIMMIE SINGH?

https://www.bodyhonornutrition.com/

https://www.instagram.com/bodyhonornutrition/

WANT MORE OF BRI?

*Instagram: @bodyimagewithbri


*Website: https://bodyimagewithbri.com/

*Bri's Free Resource: 7-Step Guide to Shift Body Grief to Radical Body Acceptance

In this episode of The Body GrieversⓇ Club, Bri goes live and bears all about the complexities of body image and the radical notion of body acceptance. As a body image coach, she challenges societal norms and misconceptions around health and body size, dives deep into the emotional and psychological toll of weight discrimination, and introduces the concept of 'body grief.' The discussion includes common fears that hinder radical body acceptance and highlights the importance of grieving the loss associated with societal body standards. Bri also explores the transition from pursuing weight loss for social privilege to embracing one's body through a lens of compassion and dignity. Join Bri on your body grief journey – you are not alone in this transformative process.

TIMESTAMPS
01:55 Challenging Conventional Health Beliefs
03:33 The Reality of Body Image and Health
04:25 Common Hurdles to Radical Body Acceptance
05:15 Litmus Tests for True Health Motivation
06:34 Personal Journey and Professional Insights
07:57 Understanding Body Positivity and Fat Phobia
08:41 Shocking Statistics on Body Image and Health
11:41 The Turning Point: Personal Therapy Experience
16:54 The Concept of Body Grief
22:24 The Path to Body Liberation
31:08 Navigating the In-Between: Body Grief and Healing
35:46 Conclusion: Starting with Body Grief

WANT MORE OF BRI?
*Instagram: @bodyimagewithbri

*Website: https://bodyimagewithbri.com/
*Bri's Free Resource: 7-Step Guide to Shift Body Grief to Radical Body Acceptance

In this episode of The Body Grievers Club, Bri sits down with Registered Dietitian and Certified Body Trust® Specialist Aaron Flores, RDN. They dig into how grief shows up in men's body image work, why "optimization culture" keeps so many dudes stuck, and what it really means to move from control to trust without the shame-fix-rush.

Bri and Aaron unpack the lifelong messages men receive about "fixing" their bodies, the pressure to perform masculinity, and the quiet grief of losing the hope of thinness, rippedness, or former abilities. They talk about straddling two ships, diet culture and body liberation, and why permission to be in the in-between is often the bridge to values-aligned change.

They also explore community as an antidote to isolation, how empathy (not fixing) rewires the story, and why acceptance = "the willingness to receive my body as it is." From Big Mouth's "shame wizard" to Yoda's wisdom, this convo uses metaphor to make the work doable. If you've ever felt like you should just "hack" your way to a better body, this episode offers a different path: zoom out, name the grief, and build trust - slowly, gently, on purpose.

TIMESTAMPS:

02:10 Aaron's story: from running a VA weight-loss program to Body Trust


06:05 Men, diagnosis, and why eating disorders are under-recognized


09:30 The two ships: straddling diet culture and body liberation


13:20 Masculinity, "optimization," and the illusion of control


17:45 Grief themes: anger, fear, urgency, shame—and moving without a rush


22:15 Community + witnessing: why healing must be seen to be felt


25:40 Body Trust basics: zooming out, C-level work, and self-compassion
2

9:20 Partners & attraction: unlearning beauty standards + holding your ground


33:10 Parenting & modeling: the relationship you want your kids to have with their bodies


36:00 Big Mouth's "shame wizard," parts work, and building new neural grooves


39:20 Star Wars metaphors: fear, the dark side, and choosing values over control


42:10 Final takeaways for dudes: your body isn't a project; find your people

RESOURCES:

Mentioned in this episode:

* Center for Body Trust® (rupture → reckoning → reclamation)

* Big Mouth (Netflix): The "shame wizard" metaphor

* Star Wars quotes & metaphors (Yoda, fear → suffering)

* Book: Manhood: The Bare Reality by Laura Dodsworth (photo essays + narratives)

* Aaron's 5-module body image course for dudes (via his website)

WANT MORE OF AARON FLORES, RDN?

* Instagram: @aaronfloresrdn

* Website: www.aaronfloresrdn.com

* Substack: The Unscripted Journey

* Podcast: Men Unscripted

WANT MORE OF BRI?

*Instagram: @bodyimagewithbri


*Website: https://bodyimagewithbri.com/

*7 Steps Guide from Body Grief to Body Acceptance

In this episode of The Body Grievers Club, Bri sits down with Registered Dietitian and Intuitive Eating Counselor Jenna Talleda. They talk about what it really looks like to advocate for yourself at the doctor's office. Together, they unpack the realities of weight stigma in healthcare, the pressure to shrink as a provider in a larger body, and the emotional labor of holding boundaries when your care is on the line.

Bri and Jenna name the hidden agendas behind routine weigh-ins, the harm of ignoring eating disorder histories, and the frustration of being gaslit by providers who reduce complex health concerns to a number on the scale. This conversation isn't just about weight. It's about agency, self-advocacy, and refusing to co-sign harmful narratives about your body.

They also explore the people-pleasing tendencies that make "no" so hard to say, why fawning is a trauma response, and how anger can sometimes be the most protective force in recovery. If you've ever left a doctor's office feeling dismissed, shamed, or unheard, this episode will remind you: you're not alone, and your boundaries matter.

TIMESTAMPS:

02:05 What weight stigma looks like in healthcare

05:20 Correlation vs. causation in weight + health

08:40 The pressure of being a provider in a larger body

12:10 Imposter syndrome + perfectionism in the work

15:45 Saying no at the doctor's office: Jenna's story

20:25 People-pleasing, fawning, and boundary holding

24:10 Anger as protection + why your boundaries matter

27:00 Advice for advocating for yourself at appointments

RESOURCES:

Other episodes mentioned:

Ep 29: Healing the Medical Narrative

Ep 36: Advocating For Yourself at the Doctor

Bri's Free Resource: 7-Step Guide to Shift Body Grief to Radical Body Acceptance

Get in Touch with Jenna HERE!

WANT MORE OF BRI?

Instagram: @bodyimagewithbri

Website: https://bodyimagewithbri.com/

Join the Body Grievers VAULT: https://www.bodyimagewithbri.com/the-vault

Use the coupon code BODYGRIEVERSCLUB for $50 off your purchase.

In this solo episode of The Body Grievers Club, Bri gets real about the question she hears constantly: "Can I be fat and healthy?" She unpacks why "health" is not a moral scorecard, why definitions matter, and how fear and shame sneak into our health journeys. Drawing from her clinical background and lived experience, Bri reframes health as amoral, explores correlation vs. causation in weight research, and offers practical ways to pursue care without handing your humanity to a BMI chart.

TIME STAMPS:

02:10 Why your personal definition of health matters

06:00 How medical fatphobia shows up and why health ≠ morality

13:20 What the research really says

16:00 Why food/movement is only 30% of the picture

20:45 Why "doing everything right" doesn't guarantee health

27:10 Practical tips for navigating doctors

29:40 Exploring what it means to choose health behaviors (or not) without shame

RESOURCES:

• Health Without Weight Loss (with Mackenzie Woolwich)
• Medical Fatphobia (with Ragen Chastain)
• Diagnosed With Diabetes: Coaching Through Shame
• Healing the Medical Narrative
• Advocating For Yourself at the Doctor

• Concepts: Social Determinants of Health, Patient Bill of Rights, Stacey Bias's "Fat Archetypes"
• Bri's 7 Steps from Body Grief to Body Acceptance

Want more of Bri?

Instagram: @bodyimagewithbri

Website: https://bodyimagewithbri.com/

Join the Body Grievers VAULT: https://www.bodyimagewithbri.com/the-vault

Use the coupon code BODYGRIEVERSCLUB for $50 off your purchase.