16. Fatness Fiction

Ellise, PHD… in academics, humor, experience, and life. And we cover it all on this one. It was day 3 of Be Golden Conference and we just so happen to find the perfect recipe for a 2.5 hour laugh packed and passion filled podcast (write this down, Grandma said so): knowledge + education + persistence + patients + libations + the past + the future + tangents = pure gold and some noteworthy life lessons/skills. We cover the art of the “intentional doer” and the even bigger art of the larger order and the unintentional plays that have built the path. Knowing that, is it all worth the school loans? We think so. Perhaps we are packaged accordingly to fulfill our journey’s purpose. Speaking of, we dive into society’s unacceptance of fat people. Where does this come from? Our families, our friends, today- social media? If you look a certain way, what does that say about who you are? If anything at all? It doesn’t. Ellise graciously shares her road thus far and what her Fatness Fiction brand: podcast, magazine, and digital presence, were initially inspired by. If being fat is associated with being unhealthy, does looking “fit” mean that you are healthy? Hailing from the fitness space on the business and athletic side, I can assure one thing- that is not so. Physically or mentally. You need to dig into what healthy even means and what it means for you. The fitness space is a magical one, but every person in the mix of it can tell you not to judge a book by its cover. We would be fools to believe that rule doesn’t work on both sides of the coin. All humans can feel hyper invisible, one more thing that can bond us all, even if we are packaged differently. Ellise’s responsibility around her message and art set the bar for influencers everywhere. Know what you are saying, why, and carry the consciousness close that the gift of your impact just might positively inspire another’s reality and their day to day.  Get to know yourself and never, ever be the world’s side chick.

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Highlights: Fatness Fiction, stereotypes, OPPORTUNITY IS EVERYWHERE. Generational poverty, impact of our immediate surroundings- human and marketing. The roles of parents and kids. The similarities and difference in generations. Finding purpose. Affirmations and self-belief. More tangents. Brain health. Stigmas. Facts and fiction in general around beliefs. DRAMASTICALLY. Responsibility… some weed and tequila. Balance friends.   

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Ellise Antoinette Smith

Artist, PHD Student, Founder of Fatness Fiction and Plus Size Magic Radio

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Ellise Antoinette Smith is a doctoral student from Detroit, MI with a research interest on the experiences of bodies that identify as fat. With an interdisciplinary focus, Smith uses photography (#VisualActivism), podcasting, and social media to center the narratives of fat bodies. As an emerging artist and scholar, Smith has dedicated her life to creating celebratory spaces for marginalized identities that she also holds.

@fatnessfiction

@ellisesmithphotography

@plussizemagic

@shuggarcubes

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More info at www.TurmericAndTequila.com