Nope, That's Not Normal

About Nope, That's Not Normal

You already know diet culture is BS. Now comes the harder part: living differently in a world still obsessed with shrinking, fixing, and controlling bodies. This podcast is for ongoing, layered healing—real conversations about food, identity, boundaries, and self-trust when there’s no finish line and no perfect way to “do it right.” https://nopethatsnotnormal.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast (nopethatsnotnormal.substack.com)

Publisher

Jessica Thiefels

Category

health & fitness · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

26 Nov 2024

Latest episode

16 Jul 2026

Latest episodes

63 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   16 Jul 2026

   63. Fat Positive Fertility and Navigating Diet Culture in Fertility Care

   In this episode, Jess and Nicola talk about systemic barriers to fertility care and support for folks in fat bodies, the importance of self-advocacy, and practical strategies for navigating healthcare systems where weight stigma is far too common. Connect with Nope on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicathiefels/ (https://www.instagram.com/jessicathiefels/) Connect with your host, Jessica, on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nopethatsnotnormal (https://www.instagram.com/nopethatsnotnormal/) Subscribe to Nope on Substack: http://nopethatsnotnormal.substack.com/ Meet Our Guest, Nicola Nicola Salmon (she/her) is an award-winning fertility advocate, Author of “Fat and Fertile” and fat-positive fertility specialist. She is passionate about supporting fat folks who feel excluded or dismissed by traditional fertility spaces, offering compassionate guidance and evidence-based support to help them navigate their fertility journey without diets, shame, or stigma. Nicola’s work challenges weight bias in the fertility industry and empowers people to trust their bodies and take control of their reproductive health. https://www.instagram.com/fatpositivefertility/ (https://calendly.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Ffatpositivefertility%2F&user_uuid=ECFEOBWWAQ5NLTSG&stage=1&hmac=13b9186c4f606f98ba997a7bec148ca8fa946e73909e64f1d2c0466f795ccbe8) https://fatpositivefertility.substack.com/podcast (https://calendly.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Ffatpositivefertility.substack.com%2Fpodcast&user_uuid=ECFEOBWWAQ5NLTSG&stage=1&hmac=3273649cf05ab1d0366cf53838dc101a3eaec303e42824e43952d709bb3260ab) https://nicolasalmon.co.uk/fat-and-fertile-book (https://calendly.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fnicolasalmon.co.uk%2Ffat-and-fertile-book&user_uuid=ECFEOBWWAQ5NLTSG&stage=1&hmac=970eab6e314598a382a7613530cc04d3fbaa77daa948a4091820d3d69fa29d3c) https://nicolasalmon.co.uk/fertility-roadmap (https://nicolasalmon.co.uk/fertility-roadmap)

2. 

   25 Jun 2026

   62. The Messy Middle of Disordered Eating Healing

   In this episode, Jess and Mallary chat about the complexities of disordered eating and the healing journey. They explore personal experiences with food, the concept of the 'messy middle' in recovery, and the importance of recognizing “slips” as part of the healing process. Bottom line: for many people, recovery is not a linear path but rather a spectrum of growth and learning, and recognizing this can make the journey a little easier to navigate. Connect with Nope on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicathiefels/ (https://www.instagram.com/jessicathiefels/) Connect with your host, Jessica, on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nopethatsnotnormal/ (https://www.instagram.com/nopethatsnotnormal/) Subscribe on Substack to get all of our podcast episodes plus more fresh content each week! https://nopethatsnotnormal.substack.com/ (https://nopethatsnotnormal.substack.com/) Meet Our Guest, Mallary Mallary Tenore Tarpley teaches journalism at UT Austin’s Moody College of Communication and writing at the McCombs School of Business. Her debut book, SLIP: Life in the Middle of Eating Disorder Recovery (Simon Element, August 2025), blends memoir and journalism to explore the realities of eating disorders and recovery, drawing on her own story along with clinicians, researchers, and others with lived experience. A 2023 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grant supported the book’s science reporting on the neurobiological and genetic sides of eating disorders. She previously served as associate director of UT Austin’s Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas and executive director of Images & Voices of Hope, where she created the Restorative Narrative storytelling framework. She began her career at The Poynter Institute as managing editor of Poynter.org. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, TIME, and Teen Vogue. She also writes a weekly newsletter, Write at the Edge. She holds a bachelor’s from Providence College and an MFA from Goucher College, and lives in the Austin area with her husband and two children. https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Slip/Mallary-Tenore-Tarpley/9781668035016 (https://calendly.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.simonandschuster.com%2Fbooks%2FSlip%2FMallary-Tenore-Tarpley%2F9781668035016&user_uuid=ECFEOBWWAQ5NLTSG&stage=1&hmac=d65acb221820c274dff1b1d38cbec819cf22ab99c7a59d5beb44e12554dfa988) https://www.instagram.com/mallarytenoretarpley/ (https://calendly.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fmallarytenoretarpley%2F&user_uuid=ECFEOBWWAQ5NLTSG&stage=1&hmac=36a4123c1ce6a14d8e000ca9a69ed786c1d59c8f4a7dc951bb45befe7d8cc9d8) https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallary-tenore-tarpley-6719484/ (https://calendly.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fmallary-tenore-tarpley-6719484%2F&user_uuid=ECFEOBWWAQ5NLTSG&stage=1&hmac=11819498cdd043816534188e2dbf6f999efeed45ae2e25b90e2fb23ab7742425) https://mallary.substack.com (https://calendly.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fmallary.substack.com&user_uuid=ECFEOBWWAQ5NLTSG&stage=1&hmac=a60d64a71c5e0a3e7820072be1cf575d81ac20b4f9ec71699c05f5a35c130442)

3. 

   11 Jun 2026

   61. Rediscovering Your Style as Part of Body Image Healing

   In this episode, Jess and Zariel talk about Zariel’s journey of exploring clothing as a healing tool, challenging societal norms, and embracing authentic self-expression. Tune into our conversation to discover how style can be a powerful form of self-care and body positivity. Connect with Nope on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicathiefels/ (https://www.instagram.com/jessicathiefels/) Connect with your host, Jessica, on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nopethatsnotnormal/ (https://www.instagram.com/nopethatsnotnormal/) Subscribe on Substack: http://nopethatsnotnormal.substack.com/ Meet Our Guest, Zariel Zariel Grullón is a passionate first-generation Dominican American dietitian who blends her love for culinary heritage with accessible wellness. Growing up as the family’s gordita, she understands cultural body image struggles and helps the Latine community embrace their bodies and confidently reclaim their cultural foods. Through her weight-neutral, Spanglish-infused approach at Love Your Chichos, Zariel guides individuals to heal from dieting and find joy in their health journey. With experience ranging from the farm to outpatient care, she empowers her clients to tackle health while honoring their culture and independence. Zariel holds a BS in Biology from Ramapo College of New Jersey and a BS in Nutrition from Montclair State University and completed her DI at the CUNY School of Public Health. https://www.instagram.com/loveyourchichos https://www.instagram.com/zarielcarmen/

Who has been a guest on Nope, That's Not Normal

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Marcia Dernie
• Deb Benfield
• Virgie Tovar
• Aaron Flores
• Katherine Metzelaar

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 38 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

45

Social presence

91

YouTube

0

Engagement

32

Contact Nope, That's Not Normal

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Shows with a similar audience

• 

  The Full Plate Podcast with Abbie Attwood, MS

• 

  The Midlife Feast

• 

  Becoming Recovered: Body and Soul

• 

  Real Health Radio

• 

  Diet Culture Rebel Podcast

• 

  Everything Happens with Kate Bowler