Episode 92: Sarah Nicole Landry (AKA The Birds Papaya) on How to Overcome Insecurities
Sarah Nicole Landry is the founder and creator of the insanely popular blog, podcast, and brand, The Birds Papaya. Sarah initially went viral years ago for her "successful" 100lb weight loss journey–but secretly, she had never felt worse (both physically and mentally). Sarah decided to start posting about her insecurities instead, and years (and millions of followers) later, she has created a successful career out of helping women embrace their bodies, get over insecurities, and love themselves. In today's powerful episode, Sarah shares her journey from disordered eating and body insecurities as a child to how she's able to own and respect her body now. Josie and Sarah also chat about why body neutrality may be better than body positivity, unique rituals to cultivate more self-love, and why negative self-talk is preventing us from reaching our dreams. This episode will make you laugh, cry, and love yourself more.
SHOW NOTES:
For this week’s intro, Josie does a solo introduction to the episode all about self-worth. She explains why self-worth is like a thermostat, regulating what we think about ourselves so that we receive what we truly believe we deserve. She also dives into how she has improved her own self-assurance and why we as women tend to seek advice and validation externally instead of within ourselves. The interview with Sarah Nicole Landry, AKA The Birds Papaya, begins with Josie asking Sarah how she got to where she is today in her career. Sarah tells the story of what it was really like to go viral for her extreme weight loss many years ago, before realizing that she was not living a happy life at a lower weight and evolving into a body positivity blogger. Josie and Sarah walk through Sarah’s history of being insecure about her body, and how she managed to push past that limiting mindset after years of struggling with her mental health and self-image. Then, the two get into a conversation about the difference between the body positivity and body neutrality movements, and why both were necessary at different points in time. Sarah shares tips for reframing your mindset around your body to be able to show up in your life even when you are struggling with your body image. She shares why your relationship with your body is much like being in a long-term romantic relationship. Sarah also discusses why certain things that we may think make us feel better and more confident—such as red lipstick or a blazer—but in fact only compound on confidence that already exists. She turns to body respect as a solution for the dissonance we can feel with our bodies, especially as women. Josie points out that loving your body, like any form of love, is an action rather than a feeling. Then, Josie and Sarah loop back to their conversation about Sarah’s background, from her childhood to losing a hundred pounds to gaining it back and facing motherhood for a second time. Josie and Sarah also talk about what it feels like for Sarah to look back on her old weight loss content, and why she has compassion for the past version of herself even when those old posts make her cringe. Sarah also talks about the importance of grieving past versions of our bodies in order to accept how our bodies currently exist in the world. Finally, Josie and Sarah have a conversation about filters and social media and how those factors can warp our self-perception—plus how to ground yourself in such a world. The episode closes with some rapid-fire questions for Sarah.
Must-Listen Moments:
[02:45] The Power of Self-Worth: Tips and Techniques
[11:31] Interview with Sarah Nicole Landry: A Story of Body Acceptance
[20:47] The Role of Self-Respect in Body Image
[40:20] Discovering the Body Positivity Community Online
[47:36] The Importance of Self-Acceptance and Body Positivity
[01:09:15] The Importance of Embracing Change and Self-Growth
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