Episode 261

Movement & Self-Worth vs Diet Culture (feat. Katie Bramlett)

Published on: 31st July, 2024

Do you constantly put pressure on yourself to look a certain way, or weigh a certain weight? Are you willing to do anything just to lose weight while ignoring how your body and mind feel? What if we told you that isn’t the best way to honor yourself and it isn’t even the best way to reach that goal! Tune in today to understand a different perspective around your activity, self worth and the options available to you.

This week Jenn is joined by CEO and Co-Founder of WeShape, Katie Bramlett. After years of having a successful company, Katie couldn’t get aligned with what they were promoting, so she decided to take it in a different direction, creating WeShape. Her new business focuses on movement and self worth instead of diet culture. In this episode, she talks about what diet culture tells us about our self worth, and how someone can start finding body liberation. She discusses how to connect with your body to determine what movement is in alignment for you, and how to honor yourself along your fitness journey. Tune in to learn how to determine your individualized fitness journey. 

The Salad With a Side of Fries podcast is hosted by Jenn Trepeck, discussing wellness and weight loss for real life, clearing up the myths, misinformation, bad science & marketing surrounding our nutrition knowledge and the food industry. Let’s dive into wellness and weight loss for real life, including drinking, eating out, and skipping the grocery store. 

IN THIS EPISODE: 

  • [5:14] What is Katie’s background and how did she get started with WeShape? 
  • [10:22] What are some indications that diet culture is influencing our thinking? 
  • [12:32] What does diet culture tell us about self worth? 
  • [17:10] How does Katie define self worth? 
  • [23:20] Where can someone find body liberation? 
  • [26:55] How can you untangle the movement from the desire to change your body?
  • [28:29] How does self betrayal play into our typical diet culture approach to working out?
  • [31:00] How does WeShape work through their four pillars?
  • [36:08] Katie shares her final thoughts around self worth and movement. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 

  • Learning to understand what your body needs, what feels good in your body, and what is the right type of movement for you, is so important, as everyone is different and no one fitness routine is right for everyone. 
  • Get curious with yourself, start asking yourself hard questions to uncover what you want as an individual. Ask yourself if you are living for you or for someone else’s version of what they think you should be?
  • It has been ingrained in us that our value is based on our appearance, however that doesn’t have to be your story. You can find your self worth in the ability to express your most authentic self, regardless of other people’s opinions. Your weight does not equate your worth. 

QUOTES: 

  • [7:14] “When we look at the data and science around diets, around weight loss and weight gain, and yo yo dieting, we often see that they don’t work, and people often gain the weight, if not more, back. I have a theory and belief it’s because people are using that vehicle to validate their self worth, and that work is done outside of weight loss.” - Katie Bramlett
  • “I have a theory that people are using that vehicle (weight loss and diets) to validate their self-worth.”  - Katie Bramlett
  • “I’m not saying weight loss is bad. I’m saying when we lead with that, the fruits of that effort are often short-lived.” - Katie Bramlett
  • “What we’re really looking for is this self-worth piece and we think that that’s connected to this body.” - Jenn Trepeck
  • [17:12] “For me, I define self worth as the ability to express my most authentic self, regardless of other people’s opinions.” - Katie Bramlett
  • [36:07] “I just want to offer kindness to everybody because in a lot of ways this was normalized for all of us, and so getting more critical and more judgemental to yourself or participating in it or being in it is not going to help, so kindness can go far and we have choices.” - Katie Bramlett

RESOURCES:

Jenn Trepeck's Episode on Weight Loss and Wellness For Real

Become A Member of Salad with a Side of Fries

Jenn’s Free Menu Plan

A Salad With a Side of Fries

A Salad With A Side Of Fries Merch

A Salad With a Side of Fries Instagram

GUEST RESOURCES

WeShape Website and 2 Week Free Trial

WeShape YouTube

Feeling Lighter Pod YouTube  

WeShape Instagram

Feeling Lighter Podcast Instagram   

The Feeling Lighter Podcast Apple

WeShape TikTok

WeShape Facebook

GUEST BIO

Katie Bramlett is the CEO and Co-Founder of WeShape and Host of The Feeling Lighter Podcast by WeShape. With a background in Psychology and excellent skills with Infrastructure and Operations, Katie concentrates on the goal that you should strive to feel better in and about your body, not focusing on how to change your body. With over twenty years of experience, Katie is passionate about social change and is leading WeShape’s brand mission of bringing awareness to the toxic weight loss culture. Her entire company and product is rooted in intention, movement, community, and beliefs. She aims to help people bring self love and emotional intelligence to fitness and to create self awareness through meaningful conversations.

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About the Podcast

Salad With a Side of Fries Nutrition, Wellness & Weight Loss
Nutrition tips that actually work. Real-life healthy eating, balanced diet tools, and weight loss tips you can use today with coach Jenn Trepeck.*

If you have searched for nutrition tips, tried to keep a healthy lifestyle, or felt stuck following popular weight loss tips, this podcast is for you. Get straightforward wellness advice that works in real life, plus strategies for a balanced diet, sustainable healthy eating, and a smarter approach to fitness and nutrition. Is your diet making you hungrier, crankier, or less healthy? Tune in and find out.*

Free gift: Schedule a 15-minute curiosity call with Jenn to explore what is possible for you. https://asaladwithasideoffries.com/contact/

Welcome to Salad with a Side of Fries, where wellness meets real life. Award-winning host Jenn Trepeck, health and lifestyle coach and author of Uncomplicating Wellness, cuts through the noise with clear answers you can trust. Ranked in the top 1.5% of podcasts worldwide, the show won Ear Worthy’s Best Health Podcast in 2024 and 2025 and was nominated for Best Independent Podcast both years. Jenn also won Women Who Podcast’s Stellar Interview award in 2025 after being named one of Podcast Magazine’s 40 under 40 in 2022.

Jenn’s motto is “wellness without the weirdness.” With more than 17 years coaching after solving her own food struggles, she knows how confusing the industry can be. Each week you get the foundations of a balanced diet, sustainable healthy eating, metabolism basics, and long-term holistic health, plus straight talk on fad diets and supplements.

What you will get by listening:
✅How to eat and how to cheat, guilt-free
✅Nutrition tips that work in the real world
✅Weight loss tips that are effective, never restrictive
✅How to build a balanced plate at home, on the road, and eating out
✅Smart strategies for sustainable habits that include your favorite foods
✅Evidence-based insights on fitness and nutrition
✅Conversations about holistic health that go beyond food
✅Wellness advice you can use right away


About Jenn Trepeck:
Jenn is a health coach, speaker, and consultant who blends humor with practical science. She has helped thousands improve energy, metabolism, and confidence in their choices through one-on-one coaching, group programs, her book, and this podcast.

Connect with Jenn and the show:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenntrepeck/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saladwithasideoffriespod
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jenntrepeck
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferTrepeck/
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/425796548337541/
Website: https://asaladwithasideoffries.com/

If you are ready to trade guilt for freedom, confusion for clarity, and boring salads for fries on the side, press play. Health gets doable here.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This podcast and its guests are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

About your host

Profile picture for Jennifer Trepeck

Jennifer Trepeck

“My passion for nutrition and helping others stems from “kicking my food issues” with my own weight management saga.” ~ Jenn

I believe that the greatest accountability is paying it forward! That’s why I teach the nutrition education we are all supposed to know but no one ever taught us, along with the science behind food, fitness, and health.

After I graduated from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, I founded Better Life Now LLC while working full-time in hedge funds. In 2019, I took my practice from side-hustle to full-time self-employment and launched my podcast, Salad With a Side of Fries. On the show, we offer science-based tips and tricks for how to achieve wellness and weight loss for real life – because who wants a life without fries or dessert?!

Topics we tackle on the podcast include debunking fad diets, food myths, misinformation in marketing, bad science, and general nutrition. I encourage guests whose expertise is different from my own focus on weight management to bring their unique, fact-based perspectives to talk about subjects they are educated in and passionate about.

Due to my decade-long experience of working with clients, I have gained insight into the health and food industry and the how-tos of building a business.

Some specific health and wellness topics I can speak to include debunking fad diets, exposing the BS we are fed by the food and diet industry, how the people around us can positively and negatively impact our health journey, and shifting mindsets in order to overcome inappropriate barometers of success to instead achieve happy, healthy, and meaningful change.

On the subject of business, I can help you by teaching my critical pieces every entrepreneur should know, how to make your side-hustle into your full-time job, ways to sustainably achieve success without burning out, contemporary networking, and how to prioritize wellness while pursuing your projects.

When I find some free time, I’m typically working out at Physique57, discovering hidden gem restaurants in NYC, or traveling to spend time with friends and family.

I’d love to have an in-depth conversation with you, whether it’s leveling up in business or debunking food myths!