Body Talks:
A FEASTival of Anti-Diet Ideas

Dianne Bondy is a social justice activist, author, accessible yoga teacher, and leader of the Yoga For All movement. 

Her inclusive approach to yoga empowers anyone to practice—regardless of their shape, size, ethnicity, or level of ability. Dianne is revolutionising yoga by educating yoga instructors around the world on how to make their classes welcoming for all kinds of practitioners.

Change Agent in Modern Yoga

Dianne’s commitment to increasing diversity in yoga has been recognised in her work with Pennington’s, Gaiam, and the Yoga & Body Image Coalition, as well as in speaking engagements at Princeton, Duke.

Christy Harrison, MPH, RD, is a registered dietitian nutritionist, certified intuitive eating counsellor, and journalist who has been covering food, nutrition, and health for more than 20 years. She is the author of two books, The Wellness Trap and Anti-Diet, and the producer and host of the podcasts Food Psych and Rethinking Wellness, which have helped tens of thousands of people around the world think critically about diet and wellness culture and develop more peaceful relationships with food. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, SELF, BuzzFeed, Refinery29, Gourmet, Slate, the Food Network, and many other publications, and her work is regularly featured in national print and broadcast media.

Sabrina Strings, Ph.D. is a Chancellor’s Fellow & Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Irvine. She was a recipient of the UC Berkeley Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship with a joint appointment in the School of Public Health and Department of Sociology. A certified yoga teacher, her work on yoga has been featured in The Feminist Wire, Yoga International, and LA Yoga. Sabrina is also an award-winning author with publications in diverse venues including, Ethnic and Racial Studies; Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, Fat Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Body Weight and Society and Feminist Media Studies. Her new book, Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia (NYU Press 2019), was named one of Essence magazine’s "10 Books We're Dying To Toss Into Our Summer Totes." It also made “must read” lists in Ms. Magazine, Colorlines, and Bitchmedia, and has been featured on NPR, KPFA and WNYC.

Ragen Chastain is a speaker, writer, researcher, Board Certified Patient Advocate, multi-certified health and fitness professional, and thought leader in weight science, weight stigma, health, and healthcare. Utilising her background in research methods and statistics, Ragen has brought her signature mix of humour and hard facts to healthcare, corporate, conference, and college audiences from Kaiser Permanente, to Amazon and Google, to Dartmouth, Cal Tech and canfitpro. Author of the Weight and Healthcare newsletter, co-author of HAES Health Sheets, and editor of the anthology The Politics of Size, Ragen is frequently featured as an expert in print, radio, television, and documentary film. In her free time, Ragen is a national dance champion, triathlete, and marathoner who holds the Guinness World Record for Heaviest Woman to Complete a Marathon. Ragen lives in LA with her fiancée Julianne and their adorable dog.

Fiona is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Director of The Mindful Dietitian living and working on Wurundjeri Country (Naarm, Melbourne), with more than 20 years working in the areas of body image, eating disorders, body image and sports nutrition. Fiona is committed to weight-inclusive and Trauma-Informed approaches in the service of disrupting harmful and dominant “health” and body narratives, integrating these into clinical work, supervision and training with Dietitians and health professionals. 

She is the host of the Podcast “The Mindful Dietitian” and teaches across Masters Level Dietetic training programs at several different Universities in Melbourne specifically in Counselling Skills and Weight Inclusive Approaches in Dietetics.

Fiona is a mindfulness practitioner and Yoga Teacher, bringing a particular emphasis on safety, embodiment, mindfulness and self compassion into her work, training and life.

Sofie Hagen is a multi-award-winning London-based Danish comedian, author, podcaster, and #influencer.

In 2015, Sofie won the Best Newcomer award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for their debut show Bubblewrap. She followed this up with the critically acclaimed sell out shows Shimmer Shatter in 2016, Dead Baby Frog in 2017, and The Bumswing in 2019.  

Sofie published their debut book “Happy Fat” in 2019 and is the creator and host of the wildly successful podcast Who Hurt You?, co-host of BBC Sounds Original true crime podcast Bad People alongside Dr. Julia Shaw and has hosted several other successful podcasts.  She has grown a huge social media following to compliment their podcast audience and is a much in demand speaker and comedian.

Chrissy King is an author, speaker, educator, and former strength coach with a passion for creating a diverse and inclusive wellness industry. She empowers individuals to stop shrinking, start taking up space, and use their energy to create their specific magic in the world. With degrees in social justice and sociology from Marquette University, Chrissy merges her passion for social justice with her passion for fitness to inspire members of the wellness industry to create spaces that allow individuals from all backgrounds to feel seen, welcomed, affirmed, and celebrated.

Rev. Dr. E-K Daufin (Her/she chocolate) is an award-winning author, Fat Liberation,
intersectional, multi-religious, social change artist. She is a speaker, performer, coach, consultant,
ceremony and workshop facilitator, educator, ordained feminist minister, and activist. She earned her
doctorate in multimedia communication from the Ohio State University.
Her work has been published in many forums – including her book On Fat And Faith; Ending Weight Stigma in Yourself, Sanctuary and Society, in The Los Angeles Times, ESSENCE magazine, the Associated Press, academic journals, monographs and books. She won many awards from organizations such as The Minorities And Communication Division and Commission on the Status of Women (Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication), The Academy of
Television Arts & Sciences Foundation and others.
She always shows up as her justice-oriented, intersectional self – Black, Fat, Cis, Straight
Woman, Spirit-Centered, Multicultural, Working Class, Trauma Survivor, and other identities. She
seeks to be an ally to other oppressed communities. Dr. E-K’s ultimate goal is to midwife the Divine
Feminine rising on Mother Earth, creating a Just Beloved Partnership Society by getting into “Good
Trouble” with allies from this plane and others.

Lacey-Jade Christie (she/her) is a Melbourne-based plus-size fashion and body positivity influencer. With empowerment and community at the forefront of everything she does, Lacey has been an active part of the Australian Body Positivity Community for years, with a presence on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and a thriving community in her Facebook group, Lacey bonds communities and empowers people for a living.

A social media manager/writer/professional opinion-haver, Lacey writes across topics including fashion, beauty, LGBTQIA+ issues, and her many opinions. Lacey specialises in real, raw, and honest content and is excited to be bringing our community together around the world.

He uri au nō Ngāti Awa, Ngāpuhi, me Ngāiterangi, ko Ashlea Gillon ahau.

I’m a Kaupapa Māori transdisciplinary research fellow at Te Kura Naahi School of Nursing at the University of Auckland, and doing a PhD in Indigenous studies and psychology exploring body sovereignty for fat Indigenous wāhine within the healthist, fatphobic, racist, sexist world we occupy. I recently completed a Fulbright Exchange and have just returned from teaching and researching in Native Hawaiian and Indigenous Health at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. I have a background in Indigenous health, fat studies, particularly Indigenous fat studies, identity, racism, privilege, equity, Indigenous studies, theories, and methodologies.

Dr Fiona Willer (AdvAPD, PhD, FHEA, GAICD) is an Australian dietitian, academic, educator, non-executive board director and health advocate with a long career straddling higher education and the nonprofit and private sectors. Her weight-inclusive professional development consultancy, Health, Not Diets, will be celebrating 10 years of providing education-based advocacy in 2023.  She is also a long-standing lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics at Queensland University of Technology and a Senior Research Assistant at the UQ Centre for Community Health and Wellbeing. Fiona's academic research involves health consciousness, dietary quality and the integration of weight-inclusive approaches (eg aligned with the Health at Every Size® and Intuitive Eating Principles) into healthcare practice and she is the creator of the innovative Unpacking Weight Science professional development podcast. Fiona currently serves on the board of Dietitians Australia and has previously served on the boards of Size Inclusive Health Australia and the Association for Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH).

Megan Crabbe is a dynamic and talented presenter, bestselling author, and content creator, known for her engaging and authentic approach to discussing important topics like body positivity, mental health, feminism, and eating disorder recovery. With a loyal following of over 1.3 million across her social channels, Megan is a respected and influential voice in the industry.

In addition to writing the bestselling book "Body Positive Power," a manifesto on all the reasons why we hate our bodies, and how to change them, Megan has also delivered talks, panels, and presentations to large audiences, and has been a featured speaker at events hosted by top brands like Spotify, Instagram, Stylist Magazine, The Sunday Times, The Body Shop and more. Megan has produced and facilitated a range of workshops on topics such as mental health, body image, eating disorder recovery, and creator well-being. She has delivered these workshops at various organisations, including rehabilitation centres, and is set to deliver more in 2023. She is also the co-creator of the sell-out live show "The Never Say Diet Club," which combines comedy musicals, over-the-top dance numbers and lots of costume changes to inspire and entertain the audience.

Megan is a seasoned presenter and podcast host, with experience working with major broadcasters like BBC, Universal Studios, Channel 4, and The Brits. She has had the privilege of interviewing some of Hollywood's biggest names, including Stanley Tucci, Elizabeth Banks, Noami Ackie, and ‘Get Him to the Greek’ and ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’ Director Nicholas Stoller. In addition to her impressive interviewing skills, Megan is also the presenter of MTV UK's season 3 show "MTV Movies," where she works with MTV UK to host red carpets, movie junkets, and events throughout the year. Most recently, Megan appeared in a Snapchat Original series, alongside Olympic gold medallist Tom Daley. 

Megan is an accomplished writer who has had the opportunity to share her insights and experiences through articles in publications such as Glamour Magazine. Her writing is known for being thought-provoking and empowering, encouraging readers to embrace their own potential and strive for personal growth. In addition to her articles, Megan also maintains a newsletter where she offers a unique perspective and uplifting messages to her followers. 

When she's not busy creating or presenting, you'll probably find her at a twerk class, or hanging out with her family by the seaside.