What does pelvic floor rehab often get wrong? What's one thing that happens during perimenopause that pelvic floor rehab can help with? What should you look for in a pelvic floor therapist? Cait Van Damm, a pelvic floor occupational therapist and pain coach, is going to help us find out.

We're going to talk about what pelvic floors really do and how they impact our bodies.

And on Indulgence Gospel!

Corinne and I will be discussing my journey on Invisalign. Is cosmetic dentistry a diet?!

Indulgence...

People posting before and after pictures. Influencers using weight loss as a health journey, or rebranding opportunity. The silent weight loss: friends visibly losing weight and not talking about it. Celebrities losing weight and making a coy reference to needing to buy new clothes, "feeling better," or posting more workout content. Plus-size influencers talking about a size change without talking about weight loss.

Today we are asking one big question: Is there ever a right way to talk about intentional weight loss?

And on Indulgence...

You're listening to the Burnt Toast Podcast! I'm Virginia Sole-Smith and today my conversation is with health teacher and author Christopher Pepper.

Christopher is joining me to talk about the Cornell 7 case and why too many boys are not learning about bodies, consent and control.

This is a hard conversation. Content warning if any of that sounds not helpful to you today, but it is an important one, and Christopher has lots of strategies and scripts to help.

On Indulgence Gospel:

Corinne and I will be talking about what men aren't...

You're listening to the Burnt Toast podcast! I'm Virginia Sole-Smith and today my conversation is with Laura Thomas, PhD.

Laura is going to help me dissect the new book Feed Them Well by Jennifer Anderson, MSPH, RDN—the dietitian and influencer behind Kids Eat in Color.

SO many of you have asked for this episode, and there is SO much to get into — so no Indulgence Gospel this week! Free listeners will get the first half of our conversation, and paid subscribers will get the whole shebang, including our analysis of what Kids Eat In Colo...

You're listening to the Burnt Toast podcast! We are Virginia Sole-Smith and Corinne Fay, and today we are talking about The Weigh In, a new podcast about GLP-1s ... from Weight Watchers.

And on Indulgence Gospel!

Corinne and I will be discussing a very controversial topic: Cold calling your friends.

Indulgence Gospel segments are for paid subscribers, who also get transcripts and commenting privileges. Don't miss out — join us here!

So, there's a new podcast from Weight Watchers. It's called The Weigh In and it's hosted by Samhita Mukhopadhyay. The first tw...

You're listening to the Burnt Toast podcast! I'm Virginia Sole-Smith and today my conversation is with Mary Mahoney of @Landline - Pop Culture & History with Mary Mahoney | Podcast + Newsletter.

And we're talking about... Dolly!!!

Meanwhile on Indulgence Gospel:

Corinne and I are asking: Is breaking up with your phone a diet?

Indulgence Gospel segments are for paid subscribers, who also get transcripts and commenting privileges. Don't miss out — join us here!

You're listening to the Burnt Toast podcast! We are Virginia Sole-Smith and Corinne Fay, and today our conversation is with Amy Palanjian.

And on Indulgence Gospel!

Corinne and I will be discussing table manners, and Amy is staying on to get into that with us.

Indulgence Gospel segments are for paid subscribers, who also get transcripts and commenting privileges. Don't miss out — join us here!

Meet today's guest!

Amy Palanjian is the creator of Yummy Toddler Food and the author of the New York Times bestselling cookbook, Dinnertime SOS. Amy h...

You're listening to the Burnt Toast podcast! We are Virginia Sole-Smith and Corinne Fay, and today our conversation is with actress Jen Ponton about what it's really like to be fat and working in Hollywood.

And on Indulgence Gospel!

We're tackling one of your questions: Does your family have siblings with different body types? How does everyone feel about that? Because this listener is struggling.

Indulgence Gospel segments are for paid subscribers, who also get transcripts and commenting privileges. Don't miss out — join us here!

You're listening to the Burnt Toast podcast! I'm Virginia Sole-Smith and today my conversation is with Angel Austin, the executive director of ASDAH, the Association for Size, Diversity and Health.

And on Indulgence Gospel!

Corinne is out this week, so producer Kim Baldwin is joining me, and we're going to talk about fall books!

Indulgence Gospel segments are for paid subscribers, who also get transcripts and commenting privileges. Don't miss out — join us here!

You're listening to Burnt Toast! We are Virginia Sole-Smith and Corinne Fay and today we are discussing longevity final boss, Bryan Johnson.

Bryan Johnson is a person I did not know existed, but Corinne says is the most famous toxic man trying to live forever through diet culture and technology. Wish I knew less! But he's a major driving force in diet culture right now, so we're getting into:

⭐️ What is a "Blood Boy" and who needs one?

⭐️ Why Bryan tweets his son's nightly erection data.

⭐️ A girlfriend who has the "top 1% of al...

You're listening to Burnt Toast! I'm Virginia Sole-Smith, and today my conversation is with Zoë Bisbing.

Zoë is an internationally recognized therapist, speaker, and content creator who helps people feel more at home in their bodies. She is the founder of Body-Positive Therapy NYC, a group practice specializing in the treatment of eating disorders, and the creator of the bestselling Substack Body-Positive Home. Her work reaches more than 100,000 caregivers, educators, clinicians, and adults learning how to nurture body image resilience in the next generation while transforming their own relationships with food and their bodies along the way.

You're listening to Burnt Toast! I'm Virginia Sole-Smith, and today my conversation is with Cole Kazdin.

Cole is an Emmy Award-winning television journalist and author of What's Eating Us: Women, Food, and the Epidemic of Body Anxiety.

Cole joined us as an eating disorder expert, and as a fellow woman in perimenopause who is reeling from all the diet culture nonsense coming for us in this stage of life. Cole will help us answer: Is menopause a diet? And we’ll also talk about everyone’s favorite menopause influencer, Dr. Mary Claire Haver. Is SHE a di...

You're listening to Burnt Toast! I'm Virginia Sole-Smith, and today my conversation is with Savala Nolan.

Savala is a writer, public speaker and professor at UC Berkeley. Her brand new book, Good Woman: A Reckoning is out now. Her first book, Don’t Let It Get You Down: Essays on Race, Gender and the Body, was shortlisted for the William Saroyan Prize and celebrated as a “standout collection” by the New York Times. Savala's writing has been featured in Vogue, Harper’s Magazine, the New York Times, NPR, TIME and more.

This conversation originally ran as a payw...

You're listening to Burnt Toast! I'm Virginia Sole-Smith, and today my conversation is with Ash Brandin of Screen Time Strategies, also know as The Gamer Educator on Instagram.

Ash is also the author of the book, Power On: Managing Screen Time to Benefit the Whole Family. Ash helps caregivers navigate screen time boundaries, to ensure it benefits the whole family. I turn to Ash’s work whenever I am feeling panicked about our family’s relationship with screen time — which happens every summer around this time, so it seems like a good moment to revisit this conversation!

🧈...

You're listening to Burnt Toast! I'm Virginia Sole-Smith and today my conversation is with Lindy West.

Lindy is the author of four books, The New York Times bestselling memoir, Shrill, as well as the essay collections, The Witches Are Coming and Shit, Actually, and her brand new memoir Adult Braces, out now. Lindy is the co-host of the comedy podcast, Text Me Back!!! and the author of the newsletter Butt News. Lindy was a writer and executive producer on Shrill, the Hulu comedy adapted from her memoir, and she co-wrote and produced the independent feature film, Thin...

You're listening to Burnt Toast! We are Virginia Sole-Smith and Corinne Fay and today we are discussing the rise of extreme thinness in Hollywood.

This is a subject many of you have asked about, and honestly, I think we've been resistant to talking about, but it is time. We're getting into:

⭐️ Ariana Grande, Olivia Wilde and Demi Moore

⭐️ How do we find compassion for these folks while still having a conversation about the larger, insidious system.

⭐️ What would we say to the younger generation?

🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈

Housekeeping note: We've changed things up a bit to solve some behind-the-scene...

You're listening to Burnt Toast! I'm Virginia Sole-Smith, and today my conversation is with Diana Rice.

Diana is a registered dietitian, Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor and certified parent educator on a mission to help families enjoy a healthy relationship with food. She is the voice behind the online platform Anti-Diet Kids which helps parents bring the concepts of intuitive eating and rejecting diet-culture into raising their kids. She is the co-author of the book, Food Positivity: How to Ditch Diet Culture and Talk to Kids About Food. Diana is based in Oklahoma City, where she lives with...

You're listening to Burnt Toast! We are Virginia Sole-Smith and Corinne Fay, and today we're answering LISTENER QUESTIONS!

⭐️ Are AI headshots a diet?

⭐️ What are our go-to beach snacks and how are we protecting our folds and rolls as summer heats up and sweat is everywhere?

⭐️ Plus, I will talk about whether I think it's worth it to write a book. Much to discuss!

🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈

Housekeeping note: We've changed things up a bit to solve some behind-the-scenes tech issues, so here's how to get your Burnt Toast fix:

FREE LISTENERS can find this episode on Apple, Spotify...

You're listening to Burnt Toast! I'm Virginia Sole-Smith. Today Corinne Fay is in conversation with Lasara Firefox Allen.

Lasara (they/them/Mx.) is a trans and genderqueer author, educator, menopause doula and coach, and the Founder and CEO of Genderqueer Futures, LLC. Lasara is the author of Genderqueer Menopause (North Atlantic Books, 2026) and Magickal Menopause (Llewellyn, forthcoming), and the creator of the Gender-Affirming Menopause Care Certification Course, which trains healthcare providers and allied professionals in inclusive, affirming, dysphoria-aware menopause care. Their work integrates clinical education, lived experience, somatic practice, and social justice frameworks to support gender-expansive people...

You're listening to Burnt Toast! We are Virginia Sole-Smith and Corinne Fay, and today we're talking about Nabela Noor.

Nabela is a beauty/lifestyle influencer with 2.8 million followers on Instagram. She also has a new show on Tubi called Hosted by Nabela Noor.

In this episode we're asking:

⭐️ How does Nabela's recent IWL journey square with her body positivity message?

⭐️ Isn't a warm smoothie just soup?

⭐️ Why is her husband so bad on camera?

🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈

Housekeeping note: We've changed things up a bit to solve some behind-the-scenes tech issues, so here's how to get yo...

You're listening to Burnt Toast! We are Virginia Sole-Smith and Corinne Fay, and today our conversation is with Julia Turshen.

Julia is a New York Times bestselling cookbook author. She writes a twice-weekly newsletter, teaches online cooking classes, farms part-time at Long Season Farm, and is a competitive powerlifter. The Washington Post called her latest cookbook, What Goes with What, “absolutely genius.” Julia lives in the Hudson Valley with her spouse Grace and their many pets. Her debut romance novel, Down to Earth, is out now.

Corinne and I are both here because Julia is one...

You're listening to Burnt Toast! We are Virginia Sole-Smith and Corinne Fay, and today we're talking about women's shoes.

This is a topic you have all been asking for, and today we're going to answer the question: Are women's shoes are a diet?

We're getting into:

⭐️ Virginia's fraught history with high heels;

⭐️ The lie that high heels are comfortable;

⭐️ It's fatphobic for brands to keep making their shoes narrower.

Housekeeping note: We've changed things up a bit to solve some behind-the-scenes tech issues, so here's how to get your Bur...

You are listening to Burnt Toast. I'm Virginia Sole-Smith. Today my conversation is with Hayley DeRoche.

Hayley is a humorist, poet, and the creator of the viral “Sad Beige” TikTok series. Her work has been covered by the BBC, Washington Post, New York Times, and more. She lives with her family near Richmond, Virginia, where she is also a public librarian.

Hayley joined me to chat about her new book Dress Your Baby in Sage and Taupe, the origin story of "Sad Beige," perfectionism and performative parenting, plus the beauty and power of mom groups and...

You're listening to Burnt Toast! We are Virginia Sole-Smith and Corinne Fay, and today we're talking about ableism and GLP-1s.

Lately, the cultural conversation around GLP-1s has started to get weird. We've noticed how little the conversations around these medications center, or even consider, people who are taking these medications for actual illnesses. It's starting to feel ableist.

We're getting into:

⭐️ How mainstream media centers people like Clavicular, celebrities, or thin rich people taking GLP-1s.

⭐️ Why are people taking GLP-1s for diabetes not being included in the conversa...

You are listening to Burnt Toast. I'm Virginia Sole-Smith. Today my conversation is with Tracy Clark-Flory.

Tracy  is a journalist, essayist, and author of the new memoir My Mother's Daughter: Finding Myself in My Family's Fractured Past, which Kirkus calls "powerful," "deeply researched," "lyrically written," "trenchant," and "moving." She's also the author of Want Me: A Sex Writer’s Journey into the Heart of Desire, an NPR Best Book of the year. Tracy writes a weekly newsletter and co-hosts Dire Straights, a feminist podcast critiquing hetero love, sex, politics and culture. You can find more at tracyclarkflory.com...

You're listening to Burnt Toast! We are Virginia Sole-Smith and Corinne Fay, and today we're talking about DINNER!

⭐️ What we feel guilty about—and why dinner brings up such Big Feelings.

⭐️ Takeout and delivery. How often is too often? Virginia is asking for a friend.

⭐️ What we've been cooking and eating lately, including favorite recent recipes!

Housekeeping note: We've changed things up a bit to solve some behind-the-scenes tech issues, so here's how to get your Burnt Toast fix:

🎧FREE LISTENERS can find this episode on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or the podcast pl...

You’re listening to Burnt Toast! Today my conversation is with Jamilah Lemieux.

Jamilah is an award-winning writer, cultural critic, and leading voice in digital feminism, known for shaping online conversations around race, gender, and relationship. She writes the Care and Feeding Parenting Advice column for Slate, and her work has appeared in outlets like the Los Angeles Times, Vanity Fair, and the Washington Post.

Jamilah is also the author of the brand new book, Black. Single. Mother. Real Life Tales of Longing and Belonging.

I've been a fan of Jamilah from Slate's Ca...

You're listening to Burnt Toast! We are Virginia Sole-Smith and Corinne Fay, and today we're talking about PEPTIDES.

This new diet trend is the cursed love child of the protein bros and the RFK stans, and it's supposed to make you thin, tan, and maybe horny. What could go wrong?!

We're getting into:

⭐️ What the heck is a peptide? Why would one stack them?

⭐️ Clavicular, the 20-year-old looksmaxxer extraordinaire.

⭐️ Why Bro Science is exhausting and deliberately hard to fact-check. 

⭐️ Why are so many peptide fans... also anti-vax?

You’re listening to Burnt Toast! I’m Virginia Sole-Smith. Today my conversation is with Emma Copley Eisenberg.

Emma is the author of the nationally bestselling novel Housemates and the story collection Fat Swim. Her essays, literary criticism and reporting have appeared in The New Republic, Granta, and Esquire among others, and she writes the Substack newsletter Frump Feelings. She lives in Philadelphia.

Emma joined me to chat about her new short story collection Fat Swim, fat characters in fiction, what thin authors get wrong, why we’re over Jonathan Franzen and so much more.

...

In the original episode, we asked, "Is Mel Robbins a Diet?"

Plot Twist (or is it?): Mel is now selling nutritional supplements. Protein shots, to be exact—so we decided to give them a try.

Paid subscribers can listen or WATCH Corinne try Mel Robbins' Pure Genius protein shot and give us her honest review. 👀

Free list: You won't want to miss this! Subscribe here. 

EPISODE CREDITS

Co-hosts: Virginia Sole-Smith and Corinne Fay.

Producer: Kim Baldwin.

Logo design: Deanna Lowe.

Theme Song: Faride...

We are Virginia Sole-Smith and Corinne Fay and it’s time for your April Just Toast episode!

This is a special episode because we recorded in person! I traveled to New Mexico to see Corinne, have new Burnt Toast headshots taken and visit Meow Wolf with my kiddo and my boyfriend. It was a glorious trip and I'm excited to share some of the behind the scenes with you today.

In this episode we're talking about:

⭐️ Why it's so hard to have your photo taken.

⭐️ Thin friends not putting their fat friends on...

You are listening to Burnt Toast. I'm Virginia Sole Smith. Today my conversation is with Keri Harvey.

Keri is an NASM certified personal trainer and a pain-free performance specialist specializing in beginner strength. She's a part owner of Form Fitness Brooklyn and has recently gotten into powerlifting. She just competed in her first sanctioned meet and won first place in her weight class.

Keri began her career in personal training after her own fitness journey transformed from aesthetic focused to working on feeling strong and capable in everyday life, a very Burnt Toast trajectory. Her...

We are Virginia Sole-Smith and Corinne Fay, and it's time for your April Extra Butter episode!

This normally where we would say "Welcome to Indulgence Gospel After Dark, " but today we're saying, "Welcome to Extra Butter."

Longtime listeners know that we used to call the Virginia and Corinne episodes "Indulgence Gospel" in honor of a troll comment. We still love the name and are having a hard time letting it go, but we wanted to make it easier to know what kind of episode you're listening to when you listen to Burnt Toast.

...

We are Virginia Sole-Smith and Corinne Fay and it’s time for your March Just Toast episode!

Today we are talking about:

⭐️ The new, skinny American Girl dolls

⭐️ Does taking a GLP-1 make you a better parent?

We're also answering listener questions about:

⭐️ The diet culture voice in your head

⭐️ Colonoscopy prep and the feelings it brings up

⭐️ Virginia's review of the Heated Rivalry books

You need to be a paid Just Toast subscriber to listen to this full conversation. Membership starts at just $5 per month! Lea...

You're listening to Burnt Toast. I'm Virginia Sole-Smith. Today is the second part of my conversation with Savala Nolan.

Savala is a writer, public speaker and professor at UC Berkeley. Her brand new book, Good Woman: A Reckoning is out now. 

Her first book, Don’t Let It Get You Down: Essays on Race, Gender and the Body, was shortlisted for the William Saroyan Prize and celebrated as a “standout collection” by the New York Times. Savala's writing has been featured in Vogue, Harper’s Magazine, the New York Times, NPR, TIME and more.

Today is...

You're listening to Burnt Toast. I'm Virginia Sole-Smith. Today my conversation is with none other than the beloved, the brilliant, Lindy West.

Lindy is the author of four books, The New York Times bestselling memoir, Shrill, as well as the essay collections, The Witches Are Coming and Shit, Actually, and her brand new memoir Adult Braces, out now.

Lindy is a former contributing opinion writer for The New York Times. Her work has appeared in This American Life, The Guardian, Cosmopolitan, GQ, Vulture, Jezebel and many others. She is the co-host of the comedy podcast...

You're listening to Burnt Toast. I'm Virginia Sole-Smith. Today my conversation is with the brilliant Savala Nolan.

Savala is a writer, public speaker and professor at UC Berkeley. Her brand new book, Good Woman: A Reckoning is out now. 

Her first book, Don’t Let It Get You Down: Essays on Race, Gender and the Body, was shortlisted for the William Saroyan Prize and celebrated as a “standout collection” by the New York Times. Savala's writing has been featured in Vogue, Harper’s Magazine, the New York Times, NPR, TIME and more.

I have a lot...

We are Virginia Sole-Smith and Corinne Fay and it’s time for your February Indulgence Gospel!

Today we are talking about influencers who show their expensive influencer grocery hauls, as well as people who spend A LOT OF MONEY on food delivery. (If you too had feelings about that ChrisLovesJulia reel...let's get into it!)

We also talk about our own spending on groceries and food delivery....and our complicated feelings about both. 🥴

You're listening to Burnt Toast! We are Virginia Sole-Smith and Corinne Fay.

Today our conversation is with Kim Baldwin, the newest member of the Burnt Toast team.

Kim is the former digital editor for the Nashville Scene. Her culture writing can be found in places like the Nashville Scene, Parnassus Books’ Musings and on her Substack. Kim has interviewed folks like Sarah Sherman, Trixie Mattel, John Waters, Samantha Irby and Tess Holliday.

Originally a blogger, Kim started The Blonde Mule in 2006 and later turned her popular interview series “These My Bitches” into a podcas...

Welcome to Indulgence Gospel After Dark!

We are Virginia Sole-Smith and Corinne Fay, and it's time for your February Extra Butter episode!

Listen to hear about:

⭐️ Anti-diet GLP-1 life

⭐️ Who gets left out when the tradwife aesthetic takes over influencer culture

⭐️ Interrogating the ableism of not wanting to be on medication your whole life

Plus, serious stuff, like:

⭐️ Corinne in a prairie dress

⭐️ How long Virginia will last in a zombie apocalypse

⭐️ Why hot cheese is in for February

To hear the whole thing...