In this episode of The Body Grievers Club, Bri sits down with Registered Dietitian and Certified Body Trust® Specialist Aaron Flores, RDN. They dig into how grief shows up in men’s body image work, why “optimization culture” keeps so many dudes stuck, and what it really means to move from control to trust without the shame-fix-rush.

Bri and Aaron unpack the lifelong messages men receive about “fixing” their bodies, the pressure to perform masculinity, and the quiet grief of losing the hope of thinness, rippedness, or former abilities. They talk about straddling two ships, diet culture and body liberation, and why permission to be in the in-between is often the bridge to values-aligned change.

They also explore community as an antidote to isolation, how empathy (not fixing) rewires the story, and why acceptance = “the willingness to receive my body as it is.” From Big Mouth’s “shame wizard” to Yoda’s wisdom, this convo uses metaphor to make the work doable. If you’ve ever felt like you should just “hack” your way to a better body, this episode offers a different path: zoom out, name the grief, and build trust - slowly, gently, on purpose.

TIMESTAMPS:

02:10 Aaron’s story: from running a VA weight-loss program to Body Trust

06:05 Men, diagnosis, and why eating disorders are under-recognized

09:30 The two ships: straddling diet culture and body liberation

13:20 Masculinity, “optimization,” and the illusion of control

17:45 Grief themes: anger, fear, urgency, shame—and moving without a rush

22:15 Community + witnessing: why healing must be seen to be felt

25:40 Body Trust basics: zooming out, C-level work, and self-compassion2

9:20 Partners & attraction: unlearning beauty standards + holding your ground

33:10 Parenting & modeling: the relationship you want your kids to have with their bodies

36:00 Big Mouth’s “shame wizard,” parts work, and building new neural grooves

39:20 Star Wars metaphors: fear, the dark side, and choosing values over control

42:10 Final takeaways for dudes: your body isn’t a project; find your people

RESOURCES:

Mentioned in this episode:

* Center for Body Trust® (rupture → reckoning → reclamation)

* Big Mouth (Netflix): The “shame wizard” metaphor

* Star Wars quotes & metaphors (Yoda, fear → suffering)

* Book: Manhood: The Bare Reality by Laura Dodsworth (photo essays + narratives)

* Aaron’s 5-module body image course for dudes (via his website)

WANT MORE OF AARON FLORES, RDN?

* Instagram: @aaronfloresrdn

* Website: www.aaronfloresrdn.com

* Substack: The Unscripted Journey

* Podcast: Men Unscripted

WANT MORE OF BRI?

*Instagram: @bodyimagewithbri

*Website: https://bodyimagewithbri.com/

*7 Steps Guide from Body Grief to Body Acceptance