This week on Thrive Beyond Size, Michelle dives into a growing narrative in the trauma-informed wellness world: that if you heal your trauma, you’ll lose weight.

While well-meaning, this belief is not only overly simplistic—it’s harmful.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why trauma can influence weight—but doesn’t always
• What the ACEs study really tells us about trauma and health outcomes
• How intergenerational trauma may shape body size
• Why assuming fatness is always trauma-based reinforces stigma, not healing
• The truth about emotional eating (hint: we all do it!)
• How simply living in a larger body in a fatphobic world can itself be traumatic
• Why searching for trauma to “explain” your body can backfire and deepen shame

And most importantly: you can be deeply healed and still live in a larger body

Michelle reminds us:

“Your body is not your failure. It’s not your fault. And it’s not unfinished business.”

If this episode gave you something to think about—or a little relief—please share it with someone who needs to hear it.

Want to continue the conversation? Email Michelle at michelle@wayzahealth.com

Follow along:
🌐 Website: www.wayzahealth.com
📬 Substack: Rebellious Nourishment

In this urgent and deeply moving episode, Michelle sits down with Emma Cloney and Diana Dimmock—two powerful advocates from Lipedema Canada—to talk about the medical condition most clinicians have never even heard of, despite its potential to affect 1 in 9 women.

Together, they dive into:

• What lipedema actually is—and how it differs from lymphedema and obesity
• Why lipedema is painful, progressive, and devastating when left untreated
• The staggering lack of awareness in Canadian medical schools and healthcare systems
• How fatphobia, gender bias, and medical gaslighting keep patients in the dark
• The emotional and financial toll of living with an unrecognized condition
• Practical resources for patients and clinicians
• What needs to change—and how we can all be part of that change

This episode is more than just a discussion—it’s a rallying cry for justice, compassion, and recognition.

Whether you're a clinician, patient, or simply someone who cares about women's health, you don’t want to miss this conversation.

Lipedema Canada – For patient info, clinician resources, advocacy tools & support

Lipedema.org (US-based) – Diagnostic tools and educational materials

Follow @LipedemaCanada on social media for shareable awareness content

Emma Cloney

Emma Cloney is a Women’s Health Nurse and the Vice President and co-founder of Lipedema Canada / Lipœdème Canada, the national nonprofit association for lipedema dedicated to raising awareness, improving access to care, and advancing research for people living with lipedema—a chronic and often misdiagnosed fat disorder that primarily affects women.

Emma brings over ten years of clinical experience and a deeply personal connection to this work. Diagnosed with lipedema in 2021, she became the first Canadian to receive multiple mobility-preserving surgeries for the condition funded through provincial healthcare—after successfully advocating for policy change in Manitoba. Her experience highlighted the serious gaps in diagnosis, treatment, and public awareness across Canada.

In response, Emma co-founded Lipedema Canada in 2023 alongside a group of passionate patients from across the country. Today, she leads the organization’s clinical outreach and education efforts, working to empower patients and healthcare providers alike. Whether she’s speaking to policymakers, clinicians, or fellow patients, Emma is committed to changing the narrative around lipedema and ensuring that no one faces this condition alone.

Lipedema Canada

Diana Dimmock

Diana Dimmock is the founder of Accessibility 4 Every Body Consulting, a size-inclusive consulting firm based in Sherwood Park, Alberta. As an advocate, educator, and speaker, Diana is passionate about promoting accessibility and inclusivity for people of all body sizes and abilities. Through her work, she challenges the marginalization of larger bodies and assists organizations in creating more welcoming, inclusive environments. Through her business, Diana offers valuable insights into the intersection of size, ability, and access, making her a powerful voice in the push for equity and inclusion.

Recently diagnosed with lipo-lymphedema, Diana has identified this condition as a long-standing aspect of her health since adolescence. While struggling to seek appropriate medical care and experiencing discrimination based on her body size, Diana became dedicated to ensuring that all individuals receive equitable healthcare. She is deeply committed to self-advocacy and raising awareness with the public and with healthcare professionals about lipedema in Canada. Diana is dedicated to supporting efforts in advocating for improved diagnosis and management strategies for this condition with Lipedema Canada.

https://linktr.ee/accessibility4everybody

Find Diana on LinkedIn here.

What happens when you ask your husband for his unfiltered opinions on diet culture, fitness myths, and wellness fads? You get Hot Takes with Rob—a lighthearted, totally unscripted episode where Rob and I riff on everything from gym selfies and cheat days to dad bods, fat jokes in movies, and whether "no pain, no gain" still has a place in our lives.

Expect laughter, surprising insights, and some real talk about body image, food rules, and why the number on the scale doesn’t tell the full story. We definitely didn’t agree on everything—but that’s the point.

In this episode, we cover:

• Are gym selfies empowering or cringey?
• Why cheat days felt self-destructive to Rob
• How going vegetarian (ish) works in our marriage
• The double standard of the dad bod
• Fat jokes in media—and why they still matter
• Emotional eating (yep, men do it too)
• Buying bigger clothes: defeat or self-care?
• The real reason we ditched our bathroom scale
• Why Rob says "life is better without the scorecard"

Whether you’re in a relationship or just love seeing how these everyday conversations play out in real life, this episode offers a refreshing, funny, and relatable take on what it means to live beyond the rules of diet culture.

🎧 Listen now, and let us know—what’s your hot take?