Welcome back Tenties! This week, Sarah Johnston welcomes the fabulous Claire Ayoub, a filmmaker who's turning Hollywood's beauty standards on their heads. Claire's here to dish about her upcoming movie "Empire Waist" - think "Mean Girls" meets "Project Runway," but with way more body diversity and zero Regina Georges.

What you'll will hear about (Besides the Fact That BMI is BS):

• How Claire went from angsty teen playwright to body-positive film maker.
• How her work on “Gyno Kid” is a comical ode to her gynecologist parents.
• The wild ride of making "Empire Waist” and how it got to where it is today.
• Why seeing diverse bodies on screen is more important than your daily green juice.
• How to make a movie about body image without triggering half your audience.
• The time Claire's mom accidentally revolutionized sex ed (go Claire’s mom!).

To quote our new life coach, Claire: "If the diet industry worked, it would have put itself out of business."

Things that will make you LOL:

• Claire's brief, ill-fated acting career (turns out being typecast as "fat friend #3" isn't super fun).
• The saga of Claire's childhood Xanga blog (pray it never resurfaces).
• Sarah's brief dream of becoming a Rockette (spoiler: being 5'4" is not ideal).

What is next for Claire!?

• "Empire Waist" hits theaters Fall 2024!!
• An educational curriculum that might actually make health class bearable.

Follow Empirewaistfilm and Claire on Instagram for behind-the-scenes peeks, body-positive pep talks, and the occasional fashion emergency. And hey, while you're at it, maybe give your body a high-five

Thanks for listening! To follow along, please find me on instagram HERE, my personal website HERE, or my TikTik HERE.

Music for "Welcome to my Tent" by Rick Sniegowski
Graphics for "Welcome to my Tent" by Sam Sniegowski

In this solo episode, Sarah gets introspective as she approaches her 35th birthday, sharing thoughts on aging, personal growth, and life lessons learned. With being mid-30's, she chats:

• The gift of getting older: Appreciating each year after losing Pop when he was only 72.
• The joy of learning from others: Embracing the fact that you can't know everything.
• Leaning into authenticity: Shedding the people-pleaser persona and embracing her true self.
• The time vs. space conundrum: Why having time doesn't always mean you have the capacity.
• Taking care of your body for the long haul and musings on some of the misuse of her body in prior years (RIP knees).
• Aging gracefully: Embracing changes and resisting societal pressure to look 25 forever.
• The art of not responding: Learning that not everything requires a reaction or is "that deep."

We also chat:

• Sarah's near-miss as a 4th of July baby (Mom tried, but Sarah was too cozy in there. SRY MOM).
• A brief ode to being a 90s kid and watching "weird shit on TV."
• Why bodies are not meant to be static. The only static Sarah has is static cling on her clothes.
• A candid chat about Botox and the internal debate of "Why am I doing this?"

Not everything is a fire drill, especially how the silverware is put away. Save your energy for the stuff that really matters! Like listening to this episode!

Thanks for listening! To follow along, please find me on instagram HERE, my personal website HERE, or my TikTik HERE.

Music for "Welcome to my Tent" by Rick Sniegowski
Graphics for "Welcome to my Tent" by Sam Sniegowski

In this episode, Sarah Johnston welcomes Andrea Johnson, a leadership coach, speaker, and host of the "Stand Tall and Own It" podcast. Andrea shares her authentic journey from growing up as a missionary kid in Korea to becoming a leadership expert and coach. They discuss the importance of understanding your core values, setting boundaries, and living authentically.

Key Topics:

• Andrea's unique upbringing in Korea and its impact on her life
• Overcoming challenges with food, body image, and eventual gastric bypass surgery
• The journey to motherhood through adoption
• Discovering and honoring your core values, which has become a pivotal part of her coaching and leadership business
• Balancing career and motherhood
• The importance of setting boundaries
• How understanding yourself leads to better leadership

Resources Mentioned:

• Andrea's Core Values Exercise: [link to be added]
• Stand Tall and Own It Podcast
• John Maxwell Leadership Training

Where to Find Andrea:

• Website: theintentionaloptimist.com
• Instagram: @theintentionaloptimist
• LinkedIn: Andrea Johnson
• Podcast: Stand Tall and Own It

You can take Andrea's free Core Values Exercise via her website.

Thanks for listening! To follow along, please find me on instagram HERE, my personal website HERE, or my TikTik HERE.

Music for "Welcome to my Tent" by Rick Sniegowski
Graphics for "Welcome to my Tent" by Sam Sniegowski