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Mentalhealth.org reports that 1 in 5 adults feels "disgusting" about their bodies. How do we break free from the toxic cycle of body shaming ourselves? How do create peace with our body image? Allison Ross,  eating and body image therapist and author of "Non-Dieting: How to Love your Body and Be Healthy in Diet Culture" discusses:the origins of body image issuesbody neutralityunderstanding the role of social media in our body image issuesYou can support the show at patron.com/unshaming. #StayUnshaming with us at instagram.com/unshaming and unshamingpodcast.com. Producers/Editors: Jor Gonsalves & Sam Stone

This episode contains explicit language around experiences with racial slurs. Tony Lee is a 27-year-old Asian-American journalist for NBC News. He has reported on COVID-19 and the rise in Anti-Asian hate attacks in depth. In this episode, he discusses his experiences growing up Asian-American in the United States, being fetishized as a gay Asian man, and the complexities of being an Asian-American journalist in 2021.Support the show (https://www.patron.com/unshaming)

What is like dismantling everything you believe in for your authentic self? In this episode, we explore the freedom and devastation that comes with relinquishing your former life. A letter from an Unshaming listener, this touching story about choosing yourself surrounds Anna Mouchref's decision to leave Islam. #StayUnshaming with us at instagram.com/unshaming and unshamingpodcast.com.Letter Author: Anna MouchrefEpisode Producers/Editors: Jor Gonsalves & Sam StoneSupport the show (https://www.patron.com/unshaming)

Quan Huynh murdered another human being in gang related violence and was charged with second degree murder in 1999. He entered prison without remorse and left prison, a changed man. His story is not about his crime though — it's about his transformation during his 22 years in prison: humanizing himself as a person with grief, ambitions, and potential.  He is the bestselling author of Sparrow in the Razor Wire: Finding Freedom from Within While Serving a Life Sentence.  He now works as the senior post release program manager for Defy Ventures, a non profit helping those with a criminal past transform their lives through entrepreneurship.  #StayUnshaming with us at instagram.com/unshaming and unshamingpodcast.com.

Barb Zablotoney was crowned Miss Wheelchair Pennsylvania in 2018. After a tragic car accident in 2007 that left her paralyzed from the waste down, she became a fierce advocate for women with disabilities. Although 61 million Americans live with a disability, why is that we know so little about this community? In this episode, Barb candidly shares how she navigates her daily routine, seeing friends, dating, and sex. She opens up about her own internalized ableism and how able bodied people can be more inclusive of folks with disabilities. #StayUnshaming with us at instagram.com/unshaming and unshamingpodcast.com.

What exactly is failure and why are we so afraid to admit that we've experienced it? Even harder to admit, is that we're currently experiencing some kind of failure. But can our failures teach us something about who we are and what we need? In this episode, Jasper Soloff, a high profile Hollywood photographer opens up about how successes in one area of his life inevitably equate to failures in others. #StayUnshaming with us at instagram.com/unshaming and unshamingpodcast.com.

This episode contains frank discussion about mental and sexual trauma. The Brain and Behavior Research institute estimates that up to 1/20 Americans have Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). If a person experiences 5/9 BPD symptoms, they can be diagnosed. In this episode Megan Brogdon speaks candidly about her BPD experience in an effort to end the stigma around living with a mental illness. You can learn more about BPD here. #StayUnshaming with us at instagram.com/unshaming and unshamingpodcast.com.

34 million Americans are low-income according to the US Census Bureau. What’s life like for them? In this episode, Xiomara Contreras shares her memories of growing up on food stamps and living in a home where she shared a twin bed. When she became a teenager, she was selected to attend a prestigious boarding school on scholarship and later graduated from Northwestern and accepted a job at Google — all the while going back and forth between these two worlds. #StayUnshaming with us at instagram.com/unshaming and unshamingpodcast.com.

This episode contains explicit language about sex and sex work. Host Jor Gonsalves interviews New York City Dominatrix Godess Talia. In what she describes as a career, she defines what a dominatrix is and discusses her business model, her clientele, and of course — her wildest stories. The mission of #Unshaming is to shine a light on communities that are otherwise silenced. The sex work community is no exception. #StayUnshaming with us at instagram.com/unshaming and unshamingpodcast.com.

A deeply underrepresented community: the people who take medication for their mental Illnesses. In this episode, we hear from health coach Claudia Canabal about her depression and decision to medicate for it. Claudia details her internal work to undo the "I'm not crazy" narrative and touches on fears of being medicated for life. #StayUnshaming with us at instagram.com/unshaming and unshamingpodcast.com.

Can regret actually be productive? Why get stuck on things you can never change? Won't it lead to unhappiness? In this episode with poet/actress/activist Shenny De Los Angeles, we dive into all of these questions and debunk the idea that regret is negative. We explore the importance of regret and how it can be a tool to hold ourselves accountable.

Alisha Gomez-Shah, a 4-year student athlete alum from Northwestern University discusses the shame of being a queer athlete and how toxic masculinity affects everyone. How do we call people in vs call them out? How do we successfully stop homophobia that’s rooted in our systems? What even is a system? #StayUnshaming with us at instagram.com/unshaming and unshamingpodcast.com.

Sadasia McCutchen discusses how she overcame her shame of being  a darker skinned black woman. She also explains her belief that your struggle is part of your ultimate path to finding and fulfilling your greatest purpose. #StayUnshaming with us at instagram.com/unshaming and unshamingpodcast.com.

Trans entertainer Ivana Black tells the story of finding and unshaming her womanhood in a time when America's transphobia was rampant. She openly discusses her experiences with the black market and what womanhood means to her. #StayUnshaming with us at instagram.com/unshaming and unshamingpodcast.com.

Erin Jorgensen has had four abortions and works for Shout Your Abortion, an organization dedicated to removing the stigma around abortion. In this episode she discusses how she unshamed her own abortions, the importance of representation in her community, and sense of belonging she found in telling her story proudly. If you'd like to learn more about abortion, visit Shout Your Abortion. #StayUnshaming with us at instagram.com/unshaming and unshamingpodcast.com.

Haley Johnston shares her story of unshaming body image. During her time at UT Austin, she struggled with disordered eating and over-exercising which resulted in her missing her period for two years. Her journey to body love has included regaining her period but also a passion for women’s health and self-love. #StayUnshaming with us at instagram.com/unshaming and unshamingpodcast.com.

Host Jor Gonsalves takes us on his unshaming journey of being gay. Jor discusses the pain, the shame, the freedom, and the joy of his coming out story. #StayUnshaming with us at instagram.com/unshaming and unshamingpodcast.com.

AIDS activist and health educator Jahlove Serano discusses his journey to unshame his HIV positive status: from being diagnosed at 15, running away from home, and dropping out of school in fear of others finding out to becoming the face of several global "end HIV" campaigns. #StayUnshaming with us at  instagram.com/unshaming and unshamingpodcast.com.