Episode 1: Why I'm Done With Professionalism and Respectability

On the 7th January 2024 at 9:02pm, Asher went on LBC radio and had a massive go at Rachel Johnson, disgraced Prime Minister Boris Johnson's younger sister.  Find out why and what Asher learned in the process in this episode. 

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Transcript

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So welcome back to the Fat Dr. Podcast. It's been like 8 months, I think, since I last did this and I'm really excited.

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To be restarting. And this time I'm going to be doing things a little bit differently or maybe kind of the same.

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Maybe this is just a an evolution. Of the same podcast. But one of the things I've been working on over the last few months is showing up imperfectly.

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I'm not feeling like I have to be. You know. Sort of perfectly edited with the absolute perfect sound quality and no mistakes and no loud breath sounds like this.

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And anything like that, you know, like I'm, I've always been trying to be slick and I've decided I'm gonna go the other way now because I'm not particularly perfect person and I'm also not one of these people that is very interested in other perfect people.

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So I am going to do this. All in one go without doing any other thing. And I'm going to make mistakes and I would apologise but I'm not going to.

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This is the first I hope of many episodes where I'm just going to talk. About things that are important to you and I should say that I am opening up the floor that any questions if you have something that you'd like me to discuss in upcoming episodes of this podcast, then let me know.

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Email me. Contact me through the websites if you are already a contact. Get in touch.

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If you're part of my incredible online community, you've already given me some fantastic ideas. So that's the waiting room folks.

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I'll be talking about that later. But today I am going to be talking about a little incident that occurred late last night.

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Well, no, by the time I released this there will be a few nights ago, but it's late last night when I'm recording it.

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So without further ado, welcome to series 4, season 4. S, season, I'm not sure.

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One of the 2. Of the fat talk to podcast.

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All right, so basically I was invited at around 5 pm on a Sunday. I received a phone call.

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I was invited to be a guest on LVC radio now for those who don't know, LVC, S, LBC, the stands for leading Britain's conversation.

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And it's a pretty sensationalist right wing talk radio station lots of their not all of them some are great but a lot of their presenters are Yeah, pretty crappy really and have very crappy opinions as far as I'm concerned.

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And I have been on it before a few times and every single time has, you know, been really unpleasant because the people who ask the questions are not interested in facts and opinions, they're just interested in creating.

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A bit of a sensationalist scandal. Not quite scandal, scandal's too big a word, but you know, they're just trying to go people in saying things so that they can Get ratings.

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And so, I usually say no, I get off. So many times, people fame me, I don't know how they've got my number, I think it's because I said yes once and have lived to regret it and normally I say no.

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But I was asked if I would. Talk about a book that's just come out by Kate Man.

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Called oh i should have written this down unshrinkable Oh dear, I'll put a link to it in the show notes.

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Apologies, Kate. And it's, it's brilliant. The premise of the, of the radio.

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Talk show bit was. Should that people be trying to shrink themselves or should the world? Start growing to accommodate them.

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That was basically. The angle and I was like, well, I quite like this. Sounds quick kid.

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The producer, you know, seemed to imply that it, you know, it wasn't a controversial issue as far as I was concerned because I agreed, normally I don't agree with whatever people are saying, but in this case I was like, yeah, a hundred percent agree with that.

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So yes, we should be accommodating that people. Let's do it. So basically what happens is, They bring you on a few minutes beforehand, makes you do a sound check and everything and and then you listen to the radio presenter.

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Giving that little talk and then you are life and whilst the presenter was giving her talk. I realized I'd been completely set up once again.

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And I was talking with a radio presenter who does let's remember the 7 to 10 pm on a Sunday slot so not exactly the most popular radio presenter.

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Her name is Rachel Johnson. And I'm just going to read out some things I found out about her from her Wikipedia page.

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She is a British journalist, TV presenter and author. She was on the 20 first series of Celebrity Big Brother in 2,018 and evicted second.

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You can't see this if you listen to broadcast, but I am smacking. And she is the younger sister of Boris Johnson.

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And for those of you who don't know who Boris Johnson is or where on earth have you been?

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And so, I mean, we should stop there, right? She's the younger sister of Boris Johnson.

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That should be enough. But I'll come. She's private school educated, obviously.

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And you know born to 2 rich and upper class parents. There's another one we've been private school educated, but, you know, just to point out that that's been her lived experience wealthy, privileged whites.

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And private school educated did a degree I believe in journalism and then became, Seesia's reporter she's basically a columnist which slightly different from a reporter, right?

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She just puts her opinion down on a piece of paper. She doesn't have to fact check or anything.

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She's worked primarily for right wing papers like The Daily Telegraph. And in was then editor of the lady.

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Again, I'm smoking. So I think we have a bit of an idea of what Rachel Johnson is like now from Helen and bio and if you want to land more you could just go Wikipedia like I did.

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Anyway, I say all this to say that she is absolutely not an expert in any way shape and form she is.

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A columnist, I'm not going to say journalist, a colonist. Tv presenter she's often asked to go on like panel discussions usually to make a bit of a stink.

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And, yeah, she's been the editor of the lady. That's, that's where she's coming from.

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And in the 3 min that I was waiting to go live on air, she opened her mouth and I went from like thinking oh maybe this will be a decent piece to thinking what actual fuck.

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Not what I got myself into because I've got myself into these spots many a time before but what the actual I mean I I instantly loathed her.

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Now to be fair, I didn't know who she was. I googled her afterwards. So I think if I'd known this was Boris Johnson's, I probably would have said other things and they probably wouldn't have been very nice.

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I'm glad I didn't. But she, oh god. She's so boring, nothing else.

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She was so boring and unoriginal. You know, these people. These.

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Who's shop? It is just a stare up a little bit of shit. They always go for the same all old.

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Boring troops. They never come up with anything interesting. They have nothing original or interesting to say.

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You know, they don't know what they're talking about. But these are some of the troops that she brought into 3 min.

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And, well, a 3 min introduction and then probably like a 5 10 min. Conversation and I said conversation.

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I felt like it was a row. I was unimpressed and I I made that very clear in the way that I behaved.

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I make no apologies for that. Anyway, so some of the tropes, I've written them down, and for those who are not watching because I'm recording this and so you be able to watch this on YouTube if you prefer to watch a video.

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But if you just listening, you won't know, but I have like, a little.

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Like notebook with handwritten notes because I am a professional. And you can't read them because I'm a doctor and therefore my handwriting sucks but I can read them so I'm gonna read some of them out.

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And talk about them. So first of all, she used the ugly, a word, a lot of course.

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And the words, those kind of like dog whistles, pandemic, crisis, you know. Whoa, all these kind of horrible dog whistles that make us feel like crap.

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Because when you're told that you Your body is a pandemic, right? Sort of virus, sort of bacteria.

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It's not a, you know, it's not fungus, it's your body, your body itself is a pandemic.

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It's, it's, it's a plague on, on the entire planet.

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When you're told things like that, yeah, of course it's going to evoke. Anger and you know and it's and it makes you feel massively disrespected but it's a dog whistle.

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They use these words deliberately. It is all part of a campaign to shame and humiliate that people over and over and over again, whether whether she's aware of it or not.

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I think at 1 point in time I said what was the word I used? I can't remember now.

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But it was something like it wasn't patronized. It'll come to me in a second, but I basically accuse her of treating fat people poorly. I never did that.

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Really? You didn't? You wanna listen back to the word to use? How would you like it if I was like Oh, the wool on which upper class Twat, which she is and there is a wall on rich upper-class twats and I'm all for eating the rich, but you know she would find out very offensive and she'd get really upset about it.

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How dare you pick on me? But it's not, saying when she uses words like, you know, obesity pandemic, that's fine, that's OK.

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She was literally reading starts from the WHO fact sheet. Not even like the website just the fact sheet you know they're like distilled distilled the still version.

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And I hate that WATCH because it's full of crap. And again, it's just part of a campaign, a strategy.

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To blame the individual, to talk absolute shit. There's no evidence behind the stuff that she was saying, which said it anyway.

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And there was a lot of kind of like, you know, You know, just look at pictures from 1975 people went.

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Then look at them now! I mean, yes, you weren't fat in 1975 because they were in a bloody photo and they're still not in the photo. And again, noticed.

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But this idea that we're getting faster and faster, there is some degree of truth to it. In that sort of, it was the late eighties, beginning, early ninetys.

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I think as the society as a whole, the global north, there was an uptrent in weight and I think on average it was about 3 to 5 kg, something like that.

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But there was definitely an uptrend in way and there was a noticeable up trend in fat people and by fat people I mean like you know really actual fat people not people who think they're fat.

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So And that's not that's not I'm not disputing that and then it kind of leveled out and it's been pretty much the same ever since, but of course in during that time between the 19 seventys and now we have continuously and updated.

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Our definition of the eyewED, right? It's completely changed since the 19 seventies.

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And it's all based on BMI now, which is a completely useless inaccurate, a measure of health with with racist.

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Disgusting historical context. It was. Created. I, speaking with biogenesis. So I won't go into that.

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Most of you know this and if not I'm going to that most of you know this and if not I'll do another podcast about it but yeah I mean this is kind of like fear mongering about the numbers is actually a manipulation at the statistics.

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And this could be a reason why the WHO is doing it when we get into it. And she talks about how being fat was preventable, which we know is not.

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And when I came at her with evidence about genetics she disputed it because of course what would I know.

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She talked about parental responsibility. You know, it's a parents job to stop their child from getting fat.

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Of course. She talks about, you know, fitness and children. Just have to bring children into it.

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Wife Fat Shame Adults, when you can fatchain children and adults, of course.

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She talked about parental responsibility. She actually put herself in there was like, you know, I had a responsibility to my children to make sure they ate helpfully.

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I didn't just let them eat whatever they wanted. And then she questioned whether that was the right thing or not.

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And I was just like, well, I don't know, you're gonna be paying for your children's dirty bills, you know, when they get older, I don't know.

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I imagine her children are all now. Do you know what? I'll do you a freebie.

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Feel free to contact me anytime. Oh, okay, 2 things she did that made that this is when I basically lost the plot the first thing Was that she demonized?

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Oh, that's what I used demonized. She demonized the fact I gave an example of a fat person in a mobility scooter and all.

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My goodness, it really boils my piss when people do this. Because not only are you demonizing fat people, you're also demonizing to sacred people and that kind of intersection between fat phobia and ableism.

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Very much. I'm sure a lot of people who can who are listening can relate.

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It's disgusting. It's it's disgusting. It's disgusting because you can really hear the, the sort of well disgust and and kind of judgment and assumptions and the nastiness of toxicity when people talk about a fat person and a mobility scooter.

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And I happen to know lots of fat people who use mobility aids. One, wonderful people. And the level of hostility they encounter, you know, as a fat person walking through the world, you encounter a lot of hostility.

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But if you're a fat disabled person walking through the world, my goodness, it's like I wouldn't even say it's twice as much.

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I imagine it's 10 times as much. You know, I imagine the 2 intersect in exponentially because people are just nasty.

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Just nasty. And by the way, when you see a thin person using mobility aids, they're, I'm not suggesting it's, it's fun to be disabled if you're thin.

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I'm not stressing it for 1 s. But people tend to be slightly less judgmental. Oftentimes they might be, oh, you know, if you see a thin person who is hobbling, say, because, you know, they're on crutches or, or whatever, was having to use a wheelchair.

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And there's often a lot of kind of like, Pity. Pity is gross. Like, stop pitting people.

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That's But you do tend to see that, right? There's a kind of like, oh, it's not their fault, but when you see a fat person hobbling along or on crutches or or in a wheelchair or whatever.

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It's the automatic assumption is that's your fault. The reason you're in that wheelchair is your fault.

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Even if the purse, the thin person and the fat person have exactly the same diagnosis. It wouldn't matter.

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One would be playing the other wouldn't. And. So I don't listen, I'm not trying to suggest that it's easy to be thin and disabled.

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I'm not disabled and nor my thin, but I'm sure it's not like, you know, I believe the thin disabled people out there who tell me how difficult it is.

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I'm just saying it's harder when you're fat and disabled. Multiple marginalized identities obviously make life harder.

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And in this case you just hear the venom. Like she was just being so nasty.

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Just me one of them. And I at this point time I swear I brought off air and I am throwing around the worst curse words that I can think of like I'm literally I live in Scotland.

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Right, like we throw around the C word on a regular basis and she. And the producer, the nasty producer who set this up in the first place, he blatantly baited me into getting to this conversation.

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Was like, are you still happy to do this? You can't be swearing on the radio.

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I was like, excuse me, have you, I've done many radio shows I've never sworn on the radio before.

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Fuck you. This is my podcast. I can swear whenever I want. Anyway, so I should have hung up or maybe I shouldn't.

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I don't know. Maybe it was okay to have a row with her because by that point in time literally when she put me on air and introduced me.

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I was just ready for a fight. And I went in there fighting. She talks about how fat people are unhappy people.

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That was the other thing that did before I went on air. She talked about how fat people aren't happy and she gave an example.

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I've got one fat person in my family. And then she kind of qualified that, so I'm not saying all that people are unhappy.

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But if you can't even guess, stand up with it and just sit down after a few minutes, you know, and that's just not a good way to live is it?

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I don't know what to say about that. I don't, I just don't understand how people can be that nasty.

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Hello, we're talking about human beings here, right? You get it. How could you possibly know if they're happy or not?

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And to assume that they're not, it just says everything about you. You know, and nothing about that person.

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Disgusting. But like I said, same old, tired, boring, unimaginal traips.

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She said a few other stupid things as well. What else did she say? She talked about how, well, as I said, she said that it's preventable being facts preventable.

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Now I was like, no, it's not. It's not preventable actually. You know, I talked about genetics.

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She try to disprove my theory whatever I like read the papers I know she hasn't just cause you can quote something from website that she, know her producer looked up in the 5 min that I've been talking doesn't mean she is more than I do.

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But anyway, she talks about she did the whole burden on bird and on the health care system. The cost.

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The cost of fatness. We are a burden. We are we are. Just wasting everyone else's time and money.

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Be thin. Yes. Oh, and then let me. And at the end, she had to get in a bit about ultra process feed, right?

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Like because she hadn't, she hadn't done them all. She'd missed one out.

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She'd missed the troop so right before we finished it was the arch process. Let's demonize ultra process food.

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Are you saying that if you know people would stop eating off process foods, they wouldn't be fat.

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You know, they would stop, they would, they would still be fat. I was just like, oh my god.

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Like could you be any more of a stereotype? But yeah, that's what we do.

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We're, we're, we's lots of processed food at the moment, that's the new thing.

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Blame the food. Don't blame the person. Because the powers that be want us to start taking drugs to fix our fatness.

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And so we have to go from blaming the individual. Which. You know, it's hard to sell drugs.

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Surely the individual has responsibility to do something about it, not just take a drug. That's the weak way out, right?

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Like that's the cheat swear out. So they, so the narrative has to change. The narrative has to evolve, it's now about blaming the sort of huge and the environment no we can't do anything about that apart from analyze the food companies and we don't penalize the food companies we penalize the food companies who pass on the financial penalty.

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That to their customers. So in the end the individual does end up. Poor, right? So for example, and the sugar tax.

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That has come out as a result of. penalizing . Sugary drinks, fizzy drinks.

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And that's happened in the UK and has happened, I think in a lot of other countries, lots of areas of the world.

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And the problem is that now you can't get a drink that isn't chock-a-block full of sweetness and if you can't handle sweeteners, if you, you know, if you're allergic to them or if they cause you, you know, upset your stomach or if you just want to stay away from them because you've heard that they might not actually be.

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Safe or quote unquote healthy as they're led, you know, as we were led to believe, then you have no choice but to pay extra for your drinks.

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And they're trying to do the same thing to Quick process feet. So if you want to buy those things, those convenient foods that, you know, you need to exist, no, you're going to be penalized for that.

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And I say you need to exist. Some people depend on quote unquote process food. It doesn't mean there's something wrong with A, their diet or B, them.

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But again, I digress and that's not what I want to talk about today. And but yeah, demonizing ultra process food.

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I think that's a that's definitely a podcast episode in of itself. Nothing said, there are amazing people talking about this.

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Jessica Wilson is one that comes springs to mind straightaway. Whitney Trosser as well.

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Who else? Yeah, there's quite a few who are talking about the nonsense that is.

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The term, even the term ultra process food because we have no definition. Of what that means. It's just a term that people throw around.

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To go check them out. Anyway. The question was Should we as should we as flat people?

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And should should should that people be shrinking themselves or since we're unshrinkable because that's the title of the book.

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Should society. Be growing and trying to accommodate fat people by making bigger hospital bears, bigger plane seats, bigger clothing, etc.

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I hope that those of you who follow me know what they are, what my opinion is, what I believe the answer is.

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But just in case you aren't. He is my opinion. It's not something I was able to get across.

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Particularly. Articulately. That I was able to articulate properly yesterday because I'm so angry.

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But I will say it now. Until there is a safe and effective. Way to shrink myself. Long term, where the benefits outweigh the risks.

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Then fat people are here to stay. And the world has to accommodate us.

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Because if you're fat And there is no safe and effective way to shrink yourself.

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Not in a way where the risks outweigh the benefits anyway Then by refusing to accommodate us, you are discriminating against us.

00:22:58.000 --> 00:23:08.000

Right? People often say we're being fat as a choice. That is not a choice. And even If it were, we have the right to make that choice but

00:23:08.000 --> 00:23:17.000

If being, isn't a choice or at least Shrinking yourself is not an option and that's the point that the book is trying to make, right? Unshrinkable.

00:23:17.000 --> 00:23:27.000

I've not read the book yet, by the way, but you know, it's called unshinkable and that's what the conversation was about so I'm hoping that's the point that Kate Man's trying to make I'm sure it is.

00:23:27.000 --> 00:23:35.000

And we're unshrinkable. We're unshrinkable because there isn't a safe and effective way.

00:23:35.000 --> 00:23:43.000

To lose weight in the long term. That any option that we have available to us, the risks that way the benefits.

00:23:43.000 --> 00:23:52.000

And so if there is no way to shrink ourselves. And you know, that therefore we will remain fat no matter what.

00:23:52.000 --> 00:24:00.000

Then the world has to stop, you know, discriminating against us. The world has to stop saying, shrink yourself or you can't have that.

00:24:00.000 --> 00:24:06.000

Because it's the equivalent of saying stop being disabled or you can't have that. That's not how it works.

00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:19.000

It's not. It's the equivalent of saying. Stop. Believing in a certain religion or stop being trans or stop being gay.

00:24:19.000 --> 00:24:25.000

I know a lot of people did that for a really long time. Like, even when I was a teenager and I came out, I came out in 1994.

00:24:25.000 --> 00:24:30.000

People were still of the belief and people are still of the belief even that you should just stop being gay.

00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:34.000

It's a lifestyle choice. Just stop. Stop being queer. You need to be quick.

00:24:34.000 --> 00:24:41.000

If you want to have the same rights and liberties as everyone else, you need to stop being queer.

00:24:41.000 --> 00:24:46.000

No, that's not how the world, it should work. I know it's how the world does work, but it's not how the world should work.

00:24:46.000 --> 00:24:54.000

And we fought and we fought and we fought until Somebody somewhere said you can have the same rights. As Heterosexual people.

00:24:54.000 --> 00:25:01.000

For the most part, although they're trying to walk those rights back in many places and in some places you still have the same rights but you know what I'm talking about right?

00:25:01.000 --> 00:25:09.000

It's the same thing for disabled people, disabled people have been fighting. For decades, centuries. See, we're not going anywhere.

00:25:09.000 --> 00:25:18.000

Like we are disabled. That's the end of it. You have to accommodate us and the world is like, oh, got make us, you know, what are you going to do?

00:25:18.000 --> 00:25:30.000

And it's just not right and disabled people continue to fight today. For justice. And, you know, as a trans person, I mean, I'm, I'm I have been told.

00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:41.000

Repeatedly to stop being friends. Just stop. Black I can stop it. But if you want to have the same rights as cisgender people, you just need to stop being trans is not the answer.

00:25:41.000 --> 00:25:47.000

And it is the same thing for fat people. If you want to have the same rights as thin people, shrink yourself.

00:25:47.000 --> 00:25:52.000

It's not the answer. It's not acceptable. It is not right. It is not fair.

00:25:52.000 --> 00:26:06.000

It is not just and I am done. Arguing this point to people. Until you can find me proof that there is a safe and effective way to shrink myself in the long term with the benefits outweigh the risks.

00:26:06.000 --> 00:26:14.000

I'm not going anywhere. It is not my job to prove to you that I'm unshrinkable.

00:26:14.000 --> 00:26:19.000

It is your job to prove to me that I am shrinkable. You need to provide the evidence.

00:26:19.000 --> 00:26:25.000

It doesn't exist and until it does, I'm done arguing with you. And that's why I'm at this stage.

00:26:25.000 --> 00:26:38.000

That's what I wanted to have said. That was too mad to do it. I'm that kind of brings me on to My next point and I think.

00:26:38.000 --> 00:26:47.000

So basically I was read. I was hostile, I was argumentative, I wasn't professional, I wasn't calm, I didn't keep my cool.

00:26:47.000 --> 00:26:54.000

And that's time I ever went. On what wasn't radio, it was international television. Was 2021.

00:26:54.000 --> 00:26:59.000

I think. Yeah, beginning of 21. And it was on a program called This Morning. With disgraced presenter.

00:26:59.000 --> 00:27:07.000

Phillips Gofield. And the other one, Holly and Willoughby. Will it be?

00:27:07.000 --> 00:27:10.000

Oh gosh, I've said that now. I don't even know that's her name.

00:27:10.000 --> 00:27:17.000

But anyway, it was. And then Holly? Sounds right. And I.

00:27:17.000 --> 00:27:25.000

I knew what I was getting myself in. I knew it was going to be unpleasant and I had a really good friend who was sort of like coaching me, how to handle.

00:27:25.000 --> 00:27:33.000

This conversation and was like he said keep calm Smile, be nice, be approachable, people, you know, give.

00:27:33.000 --> 00:27:36.000

Give off the right vibes, don't be too confrontational, don't do this, don't do that, be this, do that.

00:27:36.000 --> 00:27:42.000

I tried really hard. I don't know if I succeeded. Cause a lot of Kosovo.

00:27:42.000 --> 00:27:48.000

And drama on the day people still talk about it. People are still making videos about it, which come on.

00:27:48.000 --> 00:28:00.000

This is like 3 years ago, now calm down. But, yeah, I remember. The pressure of trying to show up as perfectly as I possibly could as professional and as respectable as I possibly could.

00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:12.000

And I have Bind doing that ever since for the most part. I know that sometimes I'm a bit disgraceful, but you know when I'm on TV or radio, whatever, right?

00:28:12.000 --> 00:28:16.000

I try to be professional. And I'm really wasn't professional. I don't know what it was.

00:28:16.000 --> 00:28:26.000

I can't even blame the full mean because it's not even remotely full anymore. I I just, I'm sick of it.

00:28:26.000 --> 00:28:30.000

I'm sorry, I'm done. And I'm just, I'm sick of it.

00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:34.000

I'm sick of having to deal with these people. They know less than I do about this topic.

00:28:34.000 --> 00:28:38.000

I'm not suggesting I know everything, I don't, absolutely not, but about this topic.

00:28:38.000 --> 00:28:55.000

I have a pretty educated opinion. I have done a lot of research. I have actually read the papers rather than the WHO fact sheets and so I don't see why I have to defend myself and and and be respectable when this person is not being respectable or respectable.

00:28:55.000 --> 00:29:07.000

If you're going to demonize fat people I'm gonna be And I realized that during the interview and I came away and the first thing was I, you know, that washed out me with shame.

00:29:07.000 --> 00:29:17.000

Oh my gosh, I can't believe I did that. Worrying about the repercussions and this is actually a hangup I realized that comes from 20 years of medicine.

00:29:17.000 --> 00:29:23.000

And beyond because obviously it was medical school beyond that before that. I mean, I, I joined the NHS when I was 18 years old and I'm 43 turning 44.

00:29:23.000 --> 00:29:32.000

So, yeah. I've been in health care for a long time and We are taught. To be professional.

00:29:32.000 --> 00:29:39.000

And respectable at all times. Because failing to do so is grounds for a lawsuit.

00:29:39.000 --> 00:29:47.000

That's the reality. You can get in trouble at 1 point you can get sued. We're told to practice medicine.

00:29:47.000 --> 00:29:57.000

The, you know, sort of def defensively. You know, be prepared to get sued at all times so that when they try to see, you know, you're prepared and you've got your notes, you've done this, you've done that.

00:29:57.000 --> 00:30:06.000

So we spend a lot of time and energy trying to protect ourselves and trying to appear, appear professional and trying to appear respectable.

00:30:06.000 --> 00:30:21.000

But at the same time, we get away with so much Sheets. Because I know, I know the majority of people listening to me today have gone and seen at least one doctor who treated them like garbage.

00:30:21.000 --> 00:30:34.000

Who was rude, disrespectful, made fun of them, humiliated them, shamed them, stigmatized them, traumatized them, possibly even and assaulted them.

00:30:34.000 --> 00:30:40.000

And again, that's another conversation, perhaps another podcast. And got away with it because that's the culture.

00:30:40.000 --> 00:30:54.000

There's a difference between acting professional and being a professional. There's a difference between. Appearing respectable and actually being a respectable person And I am done with professional professionalism and respectability politics.

00:30:54.000 --> 00:31:05.000

I really am. Stuck that noise. I am done with it. Because it's so hypocritical and I would rather show up, show up authentically and imperfectly.

00:31:05.000 --> 00:31:16.000

And be a bit embarrassed. And a bit ashamed about the way that I conducted myself. But then get over it pretty quickly and carry on.

00:31:16.000 --> 00:31:23.000

Then I would Look good. But be a fake. I've spent a lot of time being a fake.

00:31:23.000 --> 00:31:29.000

I realised that and I Oh, I said quite often. I have a little red in my ledger.

00:31:29.000 --> 00:31:34.000

Yes, I stole that from the Avengers, but I have a lot of right in my ledger.

00:31:34.000 --> 00:31:43.000

Because I spent a long time. Walking the walk, talking in the talk. Trying to be the quote unquote professional.

00:31:43.000 --> 00:32:05.000

To prevent lawsuits. And complaints which I successfully did 20 years. But, but what happened was I sold my soul really and in a way, you know, as I was a hypocrite because I I wasn't the one that was shaming and humiliating my patients for the most part.

00:32:05.000 --> 00:32:10.000

I'm sure I have done. I certainly wasn't a salting patients, but.

00:32:10.000 --> 00:32:15.000

I wasn't doing anything about it either. I wasn't stopping my colleagues. I wasn't standing up to them.

00:32:15.000 --> 00:32:20.000

I was complicit and being complicit is just as bad as doing it as far as I'm concerned.

00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:27.000

So yeah, I've got a lot of manager. I just, I don't know, I'm not a big believer in kind of like It's 2024.

00:32:27.000 --> 00:32:33.000

Let's make news. Resolution. First of all, for me, we're in the middle of winter.

00:32:33.000 --> 00:32:40.000

Things don't. Change for another 3 months. The we've got to get to the end of Pisces and then.

00:32:40.000 --> 00:32:52.000

We'll talk about, we'll talk about changes. But for those of you who are into astrology, I am very new to astrology, but I'm learning and one of the things I know is about to happen in a couple of weeks time is Pluto is moving into Aquarius.

00:32:52.000 --> 00:33:02.000

Leading Capacorn and moving into Aquarius and it has kind of did for a little bit last year and is now like Mealing in for real and we got what?

00:33:02.000 --> 00:33:12.000

15 over a decade 15 years I think it is of this coming up and we are going to be burning down a whole lot of shit over the next few years.

00:33:12.000 --> 00:33:25.000

The world is going to have to change. And evolve. And we have to either dig our heels in and say, no, I'm gonna stick with the old ways or we just jump on board and we go with it.

00:33:25.000 --> 00:33:36.000

And we embrace the changes and we embrace. The passion and the fire. And the movement.

00:33:36.000 --> 00:33:45.000

I am also embracing the change. And. Yeah, I think part of that has to be let go of certain things and one thing that I'm letting go of.

00:33:45.000 --> 00:33:55.000

Is being a respectable professional person. I am showing up. Unfilted unedited and if you fuck with me I will fuck with you back.

00:33:55.000 --> 00:34:04.000

I will clap back and there's nothing you can do about it. I am not going to be positive all the time because the world is burning and there's nothing to be positive about.

00:34:04.000 --> 00:34:05.000

I am not going to defend myself because I've got nothing to defend. My right to exist is my right to exist.

00:34:05.000 --> 00:34:13.000

My right to be fat is my right to be fat. And if you've got a problem with that, fuck off.

00:34:13.000 --> 00:34:25.000

If the evidence supports what I say and you choose to ignore the evidence that's your problem not my problem I am not here to convince you I put my resources out there.

00:34:25.000 --> 00:34:31.000

The evidence is out there. Go fucking Google it yourself. But even if you don't, like even if you choose not to meet and that's your problem.

00:34:31.000 --> 00:34:34.000

I, it's not my job to make you believe me. It's not my job to convince you that I have a right to exist.

00:34:34.000 --> 00:34:47.000

It's not. Professionalism and respectability can go in the bin. And all these tired boring, unoriginal.

00:34:47.000 --> 00:34:52.000

That we come across and we come against all the time. Yeah, they're not, I'm not gonna pretend they're pleasant, they're not.

00:34:52.000 --> 00:34:58.000

I'm not going to pretend that this is going to be fun. Yeah, let's just embrace the movement and move.

00:34:58.000 --> 00:35:09.000

I know it's going to come at a great cost. Emotionally, physically, financially, you know, environmentally, culturally, socially, it's going to come at a great cost.

00:35:09.000 --> 00:35:14.000

I'm aware of that. I'm not. I'm not going into this, you know, with a positive attitude.

00:35:14.000 --> 00:35:22.000

I'm going into this. Bitter and angry and Ready to fight anyone that gets in my way.

00:35:22.000 --> 00:35:28.000

That's that's the attitude I'm carrying into the next few years. With a bit of a positive too, I think.

00:35:28.000 --> 00:35:37.000

But, yeah. I'm I'm I'm done the burden of proof is not mine, you know?

00:35:37.000 --> 00:35:52.000

I've done the research. I know I'm right. Willing to stay I have stayed my career on it my career is my career in medicine is over that's fine it's gone I'm done with that but I will not stop doing what I'm doing.

00:35:52.000 --> 00:35:58.000

And if you want to join me, then please do. There are so many ways that you can engage with me and with my work.

00:35:58.000 --> 00:36:05.000

I am trying to provide as many free resources as possible. So this podcast, one of the reasons I'm bring it back.

00:36:05.000 --> 00:36:06.000

Also I have a mailing list and for a long time I didn't know what to do that mailing list.

00:36:06.000 --> 00:36:27.000

It was a bit kind of like what do I, how do I, why, what's, I mean, and I, I, for a while I got caught up in what you're supposed to do you know Like I listened to all the people out there that told me what was supposed to do and I I tried all of that and nothing fit.

00:36:27.000 --> 00:36:31.000

So with my mailing list now, the way it goes is every day you can ask me a question.

00:36:31.000 --> 00:36:38.000

You just reply to my email and asking a question and ideally I will reply and say, cool, cool.

00:36:38.000 --> 00:36:45.000

I'll get back to you, or, you know, it'll, or whatever, and sometimes I won't reply, but I will try and include that question.

00:36:45.000 --> 00:36:58.000

Into my you know into the next available email and every day I'm gonna be sending out an email which is kind of like think of it as a You know, like a deer, a dear Abbey, collimore.

00:36:58.000 --> 00:37:04.000

Yeah, when you write in and ask for advice, dear Abbey, I, I don't know, I've heard the term, I think that's American tender.

00:37:04.000 --> 00:37:12.000

I'm gonna use it. But that, you know. Dear Abby meets.

00:37:12.000 --> 00:37:19.000

Dear Abby meets kind of Web MD. Or Dr. Google. Meets radical.

00:37:19.000 --> 00:37:30.000

That liberationist. Yeah, cross between the 3. So I can answer medical questions. I can answer.

00:37:30.000 --> 00:37:43.000

I can't say any question that you think could really ask me anything. Just ask me anything and I will try and include it in my emails and every day if you want to obviously you don't have to read the emails but if you're subscribed to the mailing list you can just open up the email and you can see my response to.

00:37:43.000 --> 00:37:55.000

You know, would have question and you can ask your name. Same goes with this podcast if you've got something that you want me to tackle on a podcast then please ask me As I said, if you're a member of my membership.

00:37:55.000 --> 00:38:05.000

Myself with my exclusive online membership community then you can just message me. Or you can contact me through the website.

00:38:05.000 --> 00:38:15.000

Try answers to contact me through my socials because to be honest, I get so much trolling on a lot of my social media accounts that I Don't always check my messages because I don't want to deal.

00:38:15.000 --> 00:38:19.000

But when I don't wanna deal with the hate, I just ignore my messages. Instagram's pretty cool.

00:38:19.000 --> 00:38:22.000

I have to say I'm not controlled much there but I've probably just jinxed it.

00:38:22.000 --> 00:38:33.000

Facebook's hideous apparently I have been added to a hate list on Facebook and there are some people saying that I need to Do something about that, like clean up all the trolling messages.

00:38:33.000 --> 00:38:42.000

I'm not doing that. I don't see where I. Should be punished. For people hating on me.

00:38:42.000 --> 00:38:48.000

I don't, if you don't like comments, don't read the comments. I am not going to go through them individually myself.

00:38:48.000 --> 00:38:56.000

To make other people feel happy right and if that makes sure uncomfortable don't follow me but yeah, Instagram seems pretty safe.

00:38:56.000 --> 00:39:02.000

TikTok is TikTok, but I I might be on there I might not it's kind of sporadic at the moment.

00:39:02.000 --> 00:39:07.000

So you can find me on my socials as well. And I obviously will continue to provide free contact through content through there.

00:39:07.000 --> 00:39:09.000

I've also got some freebies on my website. If you haven't looked already, you go to my website. Fat.

00:39:09.000 --> 00:39:25.000

Dot.co.uk and you navigate to the bit that says, freebies. I have a five-day email course where I talk about advocating for yourself at the doctor's office.

00:39:25.000 --> 00:39:32.000

You also have 3 online webinar, like a recording that you can watch. And I'm going to be adding more and more resources as well.

00:39:32.000 --> 00:39:38.000

Trying to get the hashtag no way campaign off the ground. Hey, you never know, maybe this will this year will be my year.

00:39:38.000 --> 00:39:47.000

And yeah, my online community is a, it is a paid membership and some people have a real problem with that.

00:39:47.000 --> 00:39:55.000

And that's fine. And it's pay membership for 2 reasons. Number one, I have to make money because I have had to give up my career in medicine because it's not possible for me to do what I'm doing now.

00:39:55.000 --> 00:40:00.000

And have a career in medicine. Now that's my choice. I'm not, I'm not asking you to feel sorry for me.

00:40:00.000 --> 00:40:07.000

But if you like what I'm doing. And you are getting something out of it, then I kind of need you.

00:40:07.000 --> 00:40:13.000

To support you financially. Now, some of you can't. I get that. I don't want you to support me financially.

00:40:13.000 --> 00:40:16.000

If you can't really can't afford it, then I don't want you to do it.

00:40:16.000 --> 00:40:21.000

But, for those of you who can, and I know a lot of people like, well, I can't, but.

00:40:21.000 --> 00:40:22.000

So, you know, there's, I can't and then there's I can't.

00:40:22.000 --> 00:40:37.000

And so if you're the I can't, people find don't. And I am trying to do scholarship places and things like that so that people, to address the injustice.

00:40:37.000 --> 00:40:39.000

Because the more marginalized identity to hold, the less likely you are to be able to afford my services.

00:40:39.000 --> 00:40:50.000

I am well aware of that. So I'm trying to combat that and if you want to know more about my business practices I have written all about it again on my website.

00:40:50.000 --> 00:40:56.000

Go and check it out, go and see how I operate, what I believe in, how I choose to conduct myself.

00:40:56.000 --> 00:41:05.000

But for those who are like, can I, can't I? For 15 pound a month and you get 2 weeks free, a 2 week free trial, so you'd have to, you don't have to buy straightway, you can check it out first.

00:41:05.000 --> 00:41:15.000

For 15 pounds a month you can join my online community and what you get out of that is a fantastic small, passionate community.

00:41:15.000 --> 00:41:38.000

Who support each other. And I support them and they support me and it's amazing and it's lovely and it's quite intimate and we we don't just talk about weight stigma we wear everything like we've had conversations about remodeling bathrooms we've had conversations about news resolutions, we've had conversations about going to the doctor, and whenever people have a question they ask it and other people sort of chime

00:41:38.000 --> 00:41:49.000

in it's great it's a fantastic community it's whole it's held on discord Very few people are familiar with discord myself included, but it's pretty self-explanatory and it's a really great way.

00:41:49.000 --> 00:41:57.000

To host community because I have different chats, sort of different set areas. For people to join in and not join in.

00:41:57.000 --> 00:42:06.000

So there might be things that you don't want to have to deal with. You just avoid them and there might be things that you really want to deal with and you just go into there.

00:42:06.000 --> 00:42:12.000

So yeah, that's my discord community. And it's called the waiting room because I'm honey.

00:42:12.000 --> 00:42:17.000

And you pull it, you will have heard me talking about, I've been talking about it quite a while.

00:42:17.000 --> 00:42:21.000

I'd encourage you if you're interested just to have a look, as I said, 14 day free trial.

00:42:21.000 --> 00:42:32.000

So you got nothing to lose. And If you want to buy membership for the entire year, then you get 2 months for free.

00:42:32.000 --> 00:42:38.000

I think. We're gonna end it there. Yeah, I don't know how long it's been, but.

00:42:38.000 --> 00:42:44.000

Goes long enough. I'm going to try and do one every week. Next week I already have a question.

00:42:44.000 --> 00:42:52.000

But as I said, ask me anything. And don't forget to sign up to my mailing list and don't forget the free resources.

00:42:52.000 --> 00:43:05.000

Don't forget the waiting room. And I'll see you next week.