What I’m working on-New Podcast announcement!
Did you know that 50% of American girls ages 11-13 feel they are overweight? And more than half of the women I’ve interviewed for my body survey reported feeling self-conscious about how they look more than ten times a day—some far more than that. From the dozens of interviews I have conducted for my survey I’ve seen we have a raging body image problem in this country. Women of all sizes, ages, ethnicities, races, and socio-economic backgrounds seem to be able to agree on how poorly they measure up to the Western body ideal and this thinking is wreaking havoc on our personal and collective peace of mind.
To do my part in dismantling diet culture, in February I’ll be launching season 1 of The Body Myth—a limited podcast series featuring interviews with women about their body experience in the US from childhood on. Hear from experts and average American women about what they’ve come to understand their size and weight means and doesn’t mean, how they have navigated diet culture, and their strategies for living true to themselves. Every episode will feature a 200-300 word body image anecdote from listeners. If you have one to share please email me at YourBodyAndTheWorld@gmail.com and note whether or not you’d like me to identify you or keep you anonymous.
If you’d like to complete the 19-question body image survey I’m conducting, here is the link:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ugVxGFwYVHJCC_PV5F_qrU-gx_rEWUhVKWzNID6Xlz0/
Where I’ll be-Appearances
I have two upcoming appearances for my memoir When She Comes Back in February and would love you to join me! The first is at the JCC Boca Raton on 2/1 at 12pm PST and the second on 2/9 at JCC West Nyack at 11am PST. Details and registration links are here:
-Feb 1 event
https://levisjcc.org/culture/literaryspecialevents/
-Feb 9 event
Recent conversations-New Interview
I recently got to talk with Maria Olsen Leonard about pattern-breaking, self-clarity, and being able to accept intimacy in your life. Part of what came up was how you can think you’ve done a lot of work, that you understand your weak and strong areas, and then realize—all over again—there is more work to do on yourself.
I had a long road to learning how to be vulnerable in part because I felt so vulnerable as a child which I wrote about in my memoir When She Comes Back. I think I assumed I already had my lumps and so could not hurt other people. That was easy to believe and kept me from seeing where I could still grow.
I dug in some more and saw I was capable of change—and that so much in my life transformed when I committed to honestly looking at myself and the sources of my behavior. It takes courage but is so powerful how life and relationships can shift because of our actions. It really is possible to change; to create your life the way you want to.
If you’d like to listen to my interview with Maria on Becoming Your Best Version here is a link:
https://podcasts.apple.com/…/becoming…/id1562910379…
Recent conversations-New Interview
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Thank you so much for being here.
XO,
Ronit