Meet Sophia Carter-Kahn of She’s All Fat

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sophia Carter-Kahn.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Sophia. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started as a freelance writer and interned at places like BuzzFeed, HelloGiggles, and SoulPancake before co-creating She’s All Fat, my podcast about fat liberation and pop culture. I was born in Pasadena and lived several other places before returning to LA! I love working for myself and the freedom it brings.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have been many, many bumps! Writing and podcasting about personal experiences is hard, vulnerable, and open work. There have been many times when I struggled to balance the benefits of connecting with my audience and sharing my experiences with the pain that comes from dismissive or hurtful comments. In the past few years, my adult ADHD diagnosis led to a lot of self-reflection and a lot of self-work, and I’m still very much on that journey! Before I could even start the podcast, I had to (and continue to) work on my own fat philosophy and the constant self-work that comes with being in an activist space and an active citizen.

Please tell us about She’s All Fat.
Fat people are rarely the ones telling their own stories — which is why so many narratives about fat people fall into the confines of “weight loss journey” or “butt of the joke.” When is the last time you heard somebody talk about the marginalization of fat bodies — and how that intersects with disability, racism, queerness? Body diversity is a type of diversity that is rarely discussed in broader conversations about diversity & inclusion. This show is a leader in that space. I host the show as a queer, fat woman with disabilities, and I am explicitly fat-positive. Our team works really hard to reach across all sides of the fat-positive community to highlight the voices of people of color, nonbinary people, queer people, people with disabilities, and those living with mental illness. This podcast is a place where fat people of all kinds get to tell their own stories, feel at home, and make a space our own. What’s extra special is also how we’ve heard from many straight-size people who also love our pod and learning from and being in this community!

She’s All Fat is a podcast by fat people, for fat people and our allies. We are a space for fat folks — the intersections of fat women, fat trans and queer folks, and fat people of color — to tell their own stories in a conversational setting — a place to literally hear our voices.

She’s All Fat has formed a community and changed lives. That’s not an overstatement; we get emails and messages all the time from people who have found their viewpoint widened or found peace with themselves or were able to set boundaries they couldn’t have before.

Our little pod has grown from pop culture deep-dives and interviews with members of the Fatosphere into an on-the-streets investigation of fatness in culture. We talk to activists, designers, writers, queer icons, and more; we analyze movies and tv shows and provide scripts for people to talk to their families and friends about fat positivity or tough situations like holiday meals.

Season 6, our current season, will include everything from fan favorites like “Fattie Film School,” where we dissect fatphobia in a popular movie or TV show, to the world of online gaming, fat superheroes, and interviews with authors like Aubrey Gordon, creator of the popular account Your Fat Friend, and New York Times bestselling writer Julie Murphy.

Get in fatties, we’re doing a podcast!

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Being fat! It’s my brand! Jk jk jk. I think my ability to be joyfully vulnerable, to share when I’m having a hard time with my team and community, to ask for help when I need it and give it when I can, has never steered me wrong.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shesallfatpod.com
• Email: fyi@shesallfatpod.com

Image Credit:
Cheyenne Gil, Suma Jane Dark, Dani Nagel

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