Episode Details

In this episode of Shoulders Down, Leah sits down with Ragen Chastain, speaker, researcher, board-certified patient advocate, and leading voice in the fields of weight science, weight stigma, and healthcare.

Ragen shares her personal journey from years of chronic dieting and an eating disorder to becoming a weight-inclusive health advocate. She explains what happened when she conducted an extensive review of the weight loss literature and discovered that the evidence did not support many of the claims she had been taught to believe.

Together, Leah and Ragen explore the intersection of weight science, healthcare, and stigma, unpacking why weight-inclusive care is an evidence-based approach and how weight-centered healthcare can create harm for patients in larger bodies.

You’ll hear about:

• Ragen's experience with dieting, weight cycling, and eating disorder recovery
• Common misconceptions about weight science and healthcare
• The impact of weight stigma on patient care
• How Ragen became involved in fat activism and weight-inclusive healthcare advocacy
• What healthcare providers often get wrong about weight and health
• The growing influence of GLP-1 medications and how they are being marketed

More From Ragen:

• Newsletter: Weight and Healthcare
• Health at Every Size® Health Sheets
• Blog: Dances With Fat
• Instagram: @ragenchastain

More From Leah:

• 📚Download your free Intuitive Eating Starter Pack
• Apply to The Embodied Method, my 1:1 coaching program
• Join my self-paced course, The Return
• Subscribe to Leah's Youtube Channel
• Subscribe to my personal Substack
• Follow me on Instagram for more intuitive eating content @leahkern.rd
• Visit my website to learn more about my coaching offerings
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• Send me a voice message on Speakpipe
• Email me: Leah@leahkernrd.com