tough cookie
TALKS
Tough Cookie Talks is a podcast we’ll explore the intersection of fitness & anti-diet culture and all the gray areas in between. We’ll let go of “shoulds” and judgment and dig into tough conversations with curiosity.
Today's episode is taking the whole Ozempic conversation to another level! I am back today, talking to Paige F., who I was lucky enough to meet in person a few months ago at a local organizing event. We started talking about what we do for a living and what we're passionate about, and I quickly realized that she had one of the most unique takes on GLP-1's. She is someone who is literally taking it AND simultaneously questioning the implications of these medications on society as whole.
I know this convo can bring up a lot of feelings for a lot of people so listen with care. That being said, not talking about it at this point feels like the equivalent of abstinence based sex ed. So today we're going all in with it!
Paige is a writer, communications professional, and host of the political podcast Current Affairs Unfiltered. A Chicago native, she has worked across government, nonprofit, and communications roles and holds an M.A. in U.S. Foreign Policy and National Security and a B.A. in Sociology. Through her podcast and her Substack, She Knows the Score, Paige explores politics, current events, political psychology, and civic engagement. Driven by a lifelong curiosity about what shapes political beliefs and behavior, she is passionate about making complex issues accessible without sacrificing nuance. Her work combines policy expertise, thoughtful analysis, and a healthy dose of Midwestern candor. Drawing on nearly a decade of political involvement, she is particularly interested in polarization, democracy, and the human side of politics. Paige believes informed citizens are essential to a healthy democracy and is committed to fostering meaningful public conversations. She brings a sharp, engaging, and often witty perspective to the issues shaping America and the world.
On this episode we talk about:
- The story of how Paige found herself taking a GLP-1 in her 20's.
- The good, the bad, the ugly of what this experience has been like for her.
- Why I don't feel like I can ethically be for or against these medications as a straight sized woman.
- The shocking reason she was so into Soul Cycle for so many years.
- The surprising and maddening ways her experience in the world changed after she lost weight.
- What she wishes people understood more about her lived experience being in a larger body and then a smaller one.
- The social and political implications of GLP-1's.
- The social capital weight loss gives you and also what seems to be emerging as a hierarchy of morally superior ways to lose weight.
- The ways body/beauty standards trend towards extreme thinness alongside the rise of fascism.
- How she stays grounded in her values as a left leaning political commentator while recognizing this truth.
- How we think the rise in GLP-1 use might play out for us as a society in terms of widening the wealth gap.
- The ways people across the political spectrum take GLP-1's but but talk about it differently (or not at all).
- How to fight for a more weight inclusive world while still doing what you need to do to survive in your current reality.
- So many other good things!
Work with me
PODCAST
guest interviews
Prefer to listen on Spotify?
Here’s a Spotify playlist of all my guest episodes!