…does that mean you SHOULD? #TransparentTuesday What If You Actually Want to Change Your Body? Hi friend, After last week’s podcast episode about GLP-1s sparked countless conversations with people about their own health goals, I keep thinking about what it means for people to have the option to change something now, that they previously didn’t have the option to change. In my field, we’ve known for a long time that diets don’t work, and there was previously zero reliable inte

I’ve been afraid to write about this! #TransparentTuesday Hi friend, So—kinda big reveal time—I’ve been on a GLP-1 for a little while now. And I really want to tell you about it. I’ve been very worried about writing this, because I’m so aware that GLP-1s are incredibly polarizing, and that it could be upsetting, triggering, or potentially harmful for some readers to read about my experience. After all, GLP-1s are marketed (and heralded) as a sort of magical “weight loss dru

I’m searching for my next big problem to solve. #TransparentTuesday Hi friend, I think I’m getting ready for a big business rebrand soon! For a handful of years now—more or less since my book was published—I’ve been feeling a persistent pull to evolve the direction of my work, my business, and my brand. It’s not that I necessarily want to move away from body image or body neutrality entirely (although I’m open to that). It’s more like I’ve allowed my work to become very wide

Purity culture just taught us it should be. #TransparentTuesday Hi friend, Hot take: sex isn’t “special.” Now hear me out, because I’m not telling you what sex is (or should be) for you. I’m just asking that together we examine and dismantle a bit of a sacred cow: the belief that sex is (or should be) special. Years ago, a client was telling me about an intimate experience in which she participated in certain sexual activities but drew the line at participating in others, an

Why I started T, what it's changed, and what I've learned. #TransparentTuesday Hi friend, A good number of you responded to last week’s “pre 40 glow up” email, asking for more details about my testosterone HRT (hormone replacement therapy) journey, and since I feel so passionately about this topic, I’m happy to share everything I can! I have to start with a little disclaimer though, because I am not a doctor (obviously), and I am not giving anyone advice. I’m not suggesting t

How I’m prepping to THRIVE in my 40s. #TransparentTuesday Hey friend, My “half birthday” is coming up, which means I’m only about 6 months away from turning 40, and halfway through the year-long “glow-up” experiment I set for myself! I haven’t written much about this experiment yet but it’s been incredibly rewarding, and now that I’m halfway through I’ve decided I’m ready to share! To be clear, I know the term “glow-up” is most often used to describe an “aesthetic improvement

I think the Gottmans got this one wrong. #TransparentTuesday Hi friend, This week I heard a disgustingly fatphobic clip from Mel Robbins interviewing John and Julie Gottman, and I am PISSED. If you don’t know who these people are, Mel Robbins is an annoying “white girl feminism”-style motivational speaker and author who I’m not a fan of…. so it’s really not a big surprise to me that her work wouldn’t click with me. But John and Julie Gottman happen to be world-renowned clini

The hidden assumptions behind "romantic" gestures. #TransparentTuesday Hi friend, A few weeks ago, a man tried to twirl me, and I hated it. No shade to anyone who enjoys being twirled here—I know plenty of people who do! And maybe you’ll hear this story and be like “Jessi it’s just a twirl, it’s not that deep.” But as a person whose literal job it is to point out when things are deeper than they appear, I have thoughts, so buckle up! Ok, so what happened was that this guy and

Seeing ourselves helps us heal. Seeing each other helps us grow. #TransparentTuesday Hi friend, I'm reading a book right now called Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao, and I am completely obsessed with it. It’s the first book in a YA science fantasy trilogy, which is very much my jam already. But then it’s also written by a Chinese non-binary author, it features a non-binary protagonist (so rare!!) and it takes ideas that are already deeply interesting to me—think: gender, identity

Approval ≠ Understanding #TransparentTuesday Hi friend, Lately I’ve been thinking about the subtle differences between feeling validated, and feeling seen… and why we often think we crave one, when we actually need the other. In my experience, people tend to conflate the two because they can feel similar from the outside. Both can calm us down when we’re upset. Both can make us feel more connected and less alone. Both can make us feel like we’re being understood, valued, or