Heather Creekmore is a podcaster, mom of four, body image coach, and author. In our time together, Heather describes what inspired her to write her latest book, The 40-Day Body Image Workbook, as well as why she’s so passionate about guiding women out of diet culture and into truth.

Heather also describes what has helped her improve her own relationship with her body, she exposes lies associated with diet culture, and helps us reframe aging in a helpful way. If you have ever struggled with body image or beauty ideals, my hope is that Heather’s story and authentic reflections will help you feel less alone and bring you greater freedom.

Dr. Markey is a body image expert, professor of psychology and director of the Health Sciences Center at Rutgers University-Camden. She has authored several books, including The Body Image Book For Girls: Love Yourself and Grow Up Fearless, Being You: The Body Image Book for Boys, and the forthcoming Adultish: The Body Image Book for Life. 

In our time together, we talk about recent trends related to social media use and body image, how to build body confidence in ourselves and the next generation, as well as what’s behind the increasing rates of body dissatisfaction and eating disorders among males.

John Van Sloten is a Calgary-based writer, teacher, and pastor who is passionate about helping people engage God everywhere. Over the past ten years he has preached dozens of creation and Bible-based sermons on topics like radiation therapy, river hydrology, chemical catalysts, tree branches, human knees, and DNA repair mechanisms.

In my time with John, we talk about his latest book, God Speaks Science: What Neurons, Giant Squid, and Supernovae Reveal About Our Creator. John teaches that we can not only learn about God through the Bible, but through creation as well. John also shares how his conversion to following God caused him to change his vocation, as well as about the new journey God is leading Him on.

Diane Summers, MS, RDN, CD is the founder of Hope Nutrition Therapy and a nationally registered and state certified dietitian. Diane has treated the full spectrum of eating disorders and concerns since 2004 and has been supervising eating disorder dietitians since 2009. She is also a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor and a Narrative Focused Trauma Care practitioner.

In my time with Diane, we talk about what diet culture is and how it impacts our relationship with our bodies, how diet culture impacts societal beauty ideals, and the prevalence of disordered eating. Diane also helps us unpack the topic of religious fasting during this season of Lent, including disentangling some unhelpful ideas often surrounding this practice.

In today’s episode, we consider how looking heavenward can breathe new life into the present. Amy Baik Lee is the author of This Homeward Ache: How Our Yearning for the Life to Come Spurs on Our Life today, a literary member of the Anselm Society Arts Guild, and a contributing writer at Cultivating Magazine and the Rabbit Room.

In our time together, Amy unpacks what she calls our homeward ache, those moments of beauty or peace that cause us to long for a world we haven’t yet experienced. In Amy’s view, these moments are piercing hints of heaven that reveal “the great promise of a coming restoration.” Amy helps us understand why this homeward ache matters, how it has altered every area of her life, and how it helps her live more fully in the present.

Felicia Wu Song is a cultural sociologist, speaker, and author who studies how social media and digital devices alter the family, community, and organizational life. Felicia has studied History, Communication Studies and Sociology at Yale, Northwestern, and University of Virginia.

In my conversation with Felicia, we discuss her latest book, Restless Devices: Recovering Personhood, Presence and Place in the Digital Age. Felicia helps us better understand how social media is shaping our relationships, our understanding of beauty, and how we engage beauty. She also unpacks how we can engage digital technologies in ways that don’t feel all-consuming, as well as how we can help safeguard the kids in our lives from the negative impacts of social media.