In this episode of The Body GrieversⓇ Club, Bri interviews Kate Zigrang, founder of Viva Voce, a size-inclusive marketplace curating ethical, sustainable, quality brands to make inclusive shopping easier and more joyful. Kate and Bri discuss how anti-fat bias drives the fashion industry's lack of extended sizing despite most U.S. women wearing above size 14/16 and the purchasing power of plus-size consumers, plus myths about cost, style, and demand. They explore problems like inconsistent sizing, limited in-store access, and the stress of trying clothes on, and how pop-ups create community and allow people to try items in person.

TIMESTAMPS

08:07 Plus Size Myths

10:00 Clothing Desert Reality

11:02 How Viva Voce Works

13:28 Travel and Inaccessibility

20:16 Ethics Versus Fast Fashion

23:06 Buy Less Buy Better

24:23 The 80 20 Closet Rule

25:03 Viva Voce Mission

26:04 Pop Ups Across Cities

28:44 Brand Picks

36:15 How To Shop Viva Voce

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Episode 85. Unflattering: Clothing Grief with Dacy Gillespie

WANT MORE OF KATE AND VIVA VOCE?

https://vivavoce.live/

https://www.instagram.com/vivavoce.live/

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

*Bri's How to Rewrite Your Body Image Story eBook: https://www.bodyimagewithbri.com/offers/quLcwv48/checkout

In this episode of The Body GrieversⓇ Club, Bri shares why she regrets having bariatric surgery, reflecting on undergoing lap band surgery at 19 in 2010 after years of failed weight-loss attempts and undiagnosed Hashimoto's, PCOS, and thyroid issues. She describes how the promised relief and confidence never arrived, how complications mimicked eating-disorder behaviors, and how shame and fear of regain intensified alongside body dysmorphia. Bri discusses how long-term outcomes and the later obsolescence of lap band surgery shape her skepticism about newer weight-loss "solutions," and emphasizes that autonomy over body change remains personal. She explains how true relief came through mindset work: letting go of the thin ideal, rebuilding self-esteem, healing relationships with food and movement, seeking weight-neutral medical care, and finding meaning, joy, and community while living fully in the body she has.

03:23 Why I Chose Surgery

07:19 Dysmorphia After Weight Loss

10:43 Complications And Shame

12:55 Looking Back From 2026

14:13 GLP1 And Long Term Doubts

14:58 What I Was Never Told

17:09 My Healing Without Weight Loss

22:14 Ten Steps To Acceptance

28:24 Living Fully Now

31:03 Finding Joy In This Body

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

*Bri's How to Rewrite Your Body Image Story E-Book

In this episode of The Body GrieversⓇ Club, Bri talks with non-diet nutritionist and cognitive behavioral coach Stephanie Dodier about how many people move from rejecting diet culture into a new "health" identity that still moralizes food as healthy/unhealthy, keeping them stuck in food noise, shame, restriction, and weight cycling. Stephanie explains her "Beyond the Food" methodology, using coaching questions to unpack thoughts, beliefs, and identity, and emphasizes autonomy, self-trust, and "having your own back" through self-compassion and self-care. They discuss grief as a necessary part of radical body acceptance, health diversity, and acceptance in chronic pain, alongside practical movement recovery through lower-dose, supportive choices. The conversation also covers GLP-1s, bariatric surgery, informed consent, weight stigma in medical care, and navigating online fatphobia as fat creators.

02:33 CBT vs Coaching Explained

04:04 Unpacking Food Noise

11:54 Self Trust Over Food Rules

18:06 Health Diversity and Chronic Pain

22:23 GLP 1 Decisions and Informed Consent

28:25 Weight Stigma In Healthcare

33:13 Healing Movement Relationship

34:41 Movement And Chronic Pain

40:19 Fat Entrepreneurship Online

43:51 Handling Hate And Shame

46:48 Preparing For Doctor Visits

EPISODE RESOURCES:

"Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle" by Amelia Nagoski

Weight Loss and Informed Consent Newsletter by Ragen Chastain

WANT MORE OF STEPHANIE?

It's Beyond The Food Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/its-beyond-the-food-non-diet-health-coaching/id1172102796

Non-Diet Assessment Tool for Health Practitioners

Episode 380: Body Grief & Liberation

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