I started/accidentally got into women’s research in my masters (I have never done a full male project which I’m proud to say as an exercise physiologist— and this is what I’ve learned since.

1. My entire relationship with & view on women as a whole has changed drastically. So much of my resentment/judgment came from views I was taught early on & till I sat in testing sessions & was trained by new and expecting mothers, women, girls did i realize women are incredible.

2. Everything I experienced from women growing up (shame/judgment/cruelty) likely came from them projecting the narrative they were trained on to me thus, continuing this cycle till I was old enough to break it. I.e. I was never too loud/bold they were just trained to think I was

3. Diet/fitness culture messages that are harmful prey on these narratives and use them to get us to both bring down our own bodies and selves as well as other women.

But when women sit togther and talk and learn there’s a lot less judgment and shame and amazing support

4. Women are assumed to be/talked to as if they are too stupid to understand their own bodies and physiology OR to keep quiet about it.

So they spend a lot of time silencing these convos with other women, yet loudly echoing resentments for their bodies.

5. If we teach women that physiological proceeds and bodily features they possesses are normal, talk to them like they are smart enough to understand it (they are), they have a lot less judgment for their own bodies AND women’s bodies.

Breaking this horrible cycle as a whole.

TLDR; I deeply believed researching + educating women on their bodies, how they work, science behind them (hormones, diet, exercise, mental, etc) is how we attack these narratives front on.

Thank you for coming to my tedtalk. (Someday when I’m Dr. Olenick hopefully its real)