In this episode we delve into weight stigma and size bias in health systems. We dispel some myths that equate a person’s body size with their health, and explore how nurses can mitigate the harms of these assumptions through research and practice.

We are joined by two nurse-midwives who research, write, and practice at this intersection: Dr. Ellen Solis and Elizabeth Muñoz.

Dr. Ellen Solis, DNP, CNM, FACNM (she/her) is a Teaching Professor at the University of Washington and the specialty director of the nurse-midwifery program and the Graduate Certificate in Sexual and Reproductive Health (GCSRH) and is the co-director of the UW-ACTIONS (Abortion Care Training Incubator for Outstanding Nurse Scholars) program. She is also a practicing nurse-midwife in Seattle and the board secretary of Nurses for Sexual and Reproductive Health. As a midwife, and educator, Ellen is committed to centering the voices of her clients, students, and colleagues—especially those from BIPOC and queer communities—and working towards increasing their voices in healthcare, education, and policy development.

Elizabeth Muñoz, DNP, CNM, FACNM (she/her) is a Certified Nurse-Midwife with experience in midwifery education, scholarship, and clinical practice. She is a Fellow of the American College of Nurse-Midwives and received her Master’s and Doctoral degrees from Vanderbilt University School of Nursing in Nashville, TN. Her scholarship activities include integrating nurse-midwifery models of care in rural Alabama through the AL MOMS HRSA Grant at UAB School of Nursing, preventing size-bias in those providing pregnancy care, and innovation in nurse-midwifery clinical education. Dr. Muñoz is also passionate about improving access to full-scope midwifery care and expanding public knowledge about midwifery, including deepening the understanding that midwives can lead the charge for practice change in various settings.

Resources (to link in episode description)

Health at Every Size® (HAES®) Principles – ASDAH

Plus Size Birth

Plus Mommy Podcast

Evidence Based Birth® Podcast

The Fat Studies Reader Edited by Esther Rothblum and Sondra Solovay; Foreword by Marilyn Wann

Fearing the Black Body by Sabrina Strings

Asia Brown, a nursing student at Emory, co-founded a nonprofit called 601 for Period Equity, to promote menstrual equity and mitigate period shame in the Black community. Asia leads the nonprofit’s community pantry, Rosie's Pantry, which distributes essential hygiene products, diapers, and menstrual supplies to families in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Asia’s work in period equity and reproductive justice has garnered national attention, with features in The New York Times and NBC News. Asia has also served as a speaker and panelist for organizations such as CVS Health and Girls, Inc., where she continues to advocate for the intersection of healthcare access and social justice. Asia recently completed the Karen Edlund Future Nurse Leader Fellowship - a fellowship that Nurses for Sexual & Reproductive Health runs annually, for nursing students of color who are leaders in sexual and reproductive health.

In today’s episode we talk about period poverty, menstrual equity, and the importance of expansive advocacy efforts that include and uplift Southern, Black, rural communities.

Be sure to check out Asia’s nonprofit 601 for Period Equity and to follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Omisade Burney-Scott (she/her) is a Black southern 7th generation native North Carolinian feminist, social justice advocate and creative with decades of experience in nonprofit leadership, philanthropy, and social justice. She is the Creator of the Black Girl’s Guide to Surviving Menopause, a multimedia culture and narrative shift reproductive justice project.

In today’s episode we dive into the menopausal multiverse. We talk about how to start conversations about aging and menopause in both clinical and personal spaces, and how to ensure these conversations center justice, inclusivity, and people’s lived experiences.
Be sure to check out the Black Girl’s Guide to Surviving Menopause podcast, socials, and zines: Messages from the Menopausal Multiverse and The Motherboard.