Ep 80: Fashion, Body Acceptance and Listening to Your Inner Voice with Laura Sheedy
This post is a companion to Episode 80 of the Bariatric Nutrition Coach Podcast. Listen to the full episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
In this episode I was joined by Laura Sheedy — Irish fashionista, body positive advocate, and the woman behind the wonderfully named Instagram account @livinglifecourageously. I was immediately drawn to Laura's Instagram: great eyebrows, red lipstick, bold fashion choices, and a message of living your best life at every size. Our conversation was joyful, honest, and genuinely inspiring.
How Laura Found Fashion as a Plus-Size Woman
Laura has always loved fashion. But as a plus-size woman, she constantly encountered the same frustration from people around her: "Where did you buy that? I can never find anything." She realised there was a gap — people did not know how to shop, how to navigate sizing, or how to find clothes that celebrated their bodies rather than hid them. So she started sharing. What began as fashion tips evolved into a platform about living courageously and fully, whatever your size.
Body Acceptance Is Not a Destination
Laura is refreshingly honest about the fact that body acceptance is not a switch you flip — it is a practice, an ongoing choice. There are still days when it is hard. There are still moments when the old voices come back. But she has learned to notice them, name them, and choose differently. The inner voice that says "you are not enough as you are" is one we can learn to argue with — and eventually, to quieten.
Listening to Your Inner Voice
One of the most powerful themes in our conversation was the idea of listening to your own inner voice — rather than the voices of social media, diet culture, or other people's opinions about your body. After bariatric surgery, there is so much noise: what you should eat, how fast you should lose, what you should look like. Learning to filter that noise and come back to what feels right for you, in your body and your life, is one of the most important skills you can develop.
Find Laura on Instagram at @livinglifecourageously.
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