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[0:01] Lauren Van Hemert: Welcome to Beltline to Broadway!

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[0:37] Lauren Van Hemert: This is the Beltline to Broadway podcast. I'm Lauren Van Hemert, your host. This week, so many kids are going back to school or starting their college arts programs. And while I'm so happy for them, I can't say as a mom, I'm also not a bit concerned. In fact, according to the National Eating Disorders Association, 35% of normal dieters progress to pathological dieting, and college students are at an increased risk of developing an eating disorder that could have long-term adverse health effects.

[1:34] Lauren Van Hemert: I caught up with Parker at BroadwayCon. Here's our conversation. So I wanted to talk about what you're doing here first at BroadwayCon.

[1:46] Libby Parker: Absolutely. So I came to BroadwayCon this year. I mean, obviously it's BroadwayCon, so who doesn't want to come? But I was speaking, and so I had a seminar yesterday, and it was titled Body Positive Nutrition for Performers Both On and Off Stage, and it was really well received.

[2:04] Libby Parker: You're talking about different issues that theater people face, theater athletes as I like to call them. So not just the people who are literally performing on stage, but all the people backstage as well and involved, so whether it's tech or stage managers or whoever, everything's physical. It's um, you know, people in the theater, world theater athletes move their bodies and do things that normal people don't, and so we can apply a lot of sports nutrition aspects to that.

[2:33] Libby Parker: And I, you know, if you know me, you know I'm an eating disorder dietitian, and I am not about the diets and you know, crash dieting and weight loss and things like that. So I also approach it from the we need to fuel our bodies, take care of and honor our bodies rather than just trying to fit an aesthetic and feeling like crap.

[2:51] Lauren Van Hemert: I attended with you the body positivity panel this morning. And one thing that you brought up that I loved is that it's really about respecting your body, it's not trying to get down to a certain size or crash diet for a certain part. It's about respecting your body almost as if it's your instrument. You know, we always talk about people respecting their voice because that's their instrument and protecting that. And so I feel like the body is kind of the same thing.

[3:21] Libby Parker: Exactly. I mean, it is your instrument. We only get one body, no matter who you are. You get one shot at this, right? Like, yes, there are alterations and things you can do, there's surgery, but like literally you gotta keep this instrument, this vessel alive, and it not only physically but mentally. Um, and so I think even if people aren't at the place of loving their body, because that's not realistic for everyone every day, we need to be able to respect our body enough to take care of it because that's again we only get this one body, and regardless of what you feel about your body and your body image and all of that, it does things for you.

[4:04] Libby Parker: If nothing else, it is keeping your heart beating so that you're alive right now. Um, but it does so many things for us. The last time we spoke, and I'll share this because people seem to relate to it. I had run a mini triathlon, and I was still a big girl when I did it, but I had trained for it for months. I was really in the best shape of my life. But I look at the pictures and I am what a lot of people would consider fat.

[4:36] Libby Parker: And I just kind of looked at that picture with such pride because I'm like, yeah, these thighs, these big thighs, they made it to that finish line. So it was a proud moment, but I think it was also a moment for me where it was like, no, I can do you know, I can work with what I got and I can do work things.

[4:56] Lauren Van Hemert: Well, and I relate really closely to that too, because I when I ran my the only marathon I have run, I was at my highest weight ever, and I don't like I was training with you know in the teens mile runs, and I think my longest training run was 22 miles, and you know, I went into that race at my highest weight, and I would not be able to run a marathon today. Like I'm not trained for it. Like my that's when my body wanted to be right then, and it carried me across that finish line.

[5:26] Lauren Van Hemert: I not winning any prizes at running, and I didn't know when to it for that. But it was able to carry me across that line, and I was so proud of my body. I feel like since the murder of George Floyd, there's been these wonderful conversations in theater about equity, diversity, and inclusion.

[5:45] Lauren Van Hemert: However, I kind of feel like the body size conversation has been left out of this conversation. So can you speak to that? What should theaters be thinking about when they write their casting calls? And what should performers be kind of looking at when they respond to calls or go for an audition?

[6:07] Libby Parker: Yeah, well, I mean, I'm gonna throw this one primarily to tell everyone to go follow the Broadway Body Positivity Project, Instagram, Facebook, um, there's a discussion group. So if you're interested in this, that's where those conversations are being had right now, and there are people that are much more informed than I am that are talking about that, and so I really want people to start having more of those conversations.

[6:28] Libby Parker: But to I think just kind of start this, I think we need to dismantle the way casting has always been done. And so if we're looking at a show that's been, you know, done before, because whenever we create a new work, like it's completely open to interpretation, it hasn't been done yet. But when we're uh restaging a show that's been done before, we need to think about does this person always need to look exactly the same?

[6:54] Libby Parker: Is there anywhere in the script that says anything about size, color, ability? Is it relevant to the script? Sometimes, it is extremely relevant, like particularly skin color or something. Like there are things where that is part of the story, but there are a lot of roles that don't need to be a specific race, gender, size, whatever, you know.

[7:18] Libby Parker: That I don't even know all the ways we can explain diversity, but we need it, like I think the casting directors, and again, I'm not in that role, so I don't know what goes on entirely in their mind, but I think casting directors need to have um just more open thought process, be more open to new people coming in.

[7:40] Libby Parker: Um personally, I love seeing, and this isn't specific to diversity, but I love seeing the performers that you know came up through the rankings, not a movie star that came in and is you know headlining a Broadway show, like great. They can be wonderful, I can love them as an actor and you know everything, but I want to see the people who are doing the Broadway work.

[7:54] Libby Parker: I want to see people that aren't just the big names there to bring in the cash. I want to see the people who are living the story, and that could be anyone, it's not specific to size or anything.

[8:18] Libby Parker: Absolutely, absolutely, and I think we are seeing some body diversity on stage right now. I know there was a beautiful Beauty and the Beast production where they challenged the norms, and it was gorgeous. So I hope we'll see more of that, and it won't be part of the Hairspray trope or the self-loathing trope, it'll be more of an empowering thing, or just not a thing at all, it'll just be what it is.

[8:51] Lauren Van Hemert: We talked about when you were on the podcast before, a lot of body conscious issues start when you're a kid. But for people going into the performance arena, they get amplified when you're in that college program, that college prep program. I'm hearing from so many young people that either were discouraged to audition or they were told they were typecast, or they were told they have to lose a few pounds. So, how can the colleges do better? And how can students going into those programs make more informed choices?

[9:31] Libby Parker: I'm gonna start with a plug for myself because I'm actually working on licensing a health curriculum for BFA programs that is gonna come from a weight neutral perspective and really educate performers and just theater people, anyone in the BFA theater, musical theater world, how to take care of your body for being a performer and stage theater athlete. So that's coming, and I might be having my first pilot program at a school in New York in spring 2023. So fingers crossed that happens, and I'm also writing the textbook to go along with that. That'll be widely available for anyone to purchase, so please follow along. The working title right now is That Healthy Stage Life. So check that out.

[10:20] Libby Parker: If someone doesn't fit the stereotypical type, ask like how are they gonna be treated in the program? Are they realistically going to get cast in the school shows? Are they going to be given recommendations going out of school if they don't conform to the norm by the end? And you know, then they have to put in the work, of course, like at school, you have to do the work, but if you're not given the opportunity, if you're not allowed to be in the room where it happens, then you need to look at a different school and spend your money differently.

[11:27] Libby Parker: When we were at the panel this morning, they were talking about sometimes how the word body positivity, although it started out very positive and a good thing, has really turned into this commercial enterprise. And they talked about the body neutrality. You used the word weight neutrality or weight neutral. Is that better?

[11:52] Libby Parker: So I don't, I guess, know the particular intricacies of the differences of weight neutral or body neutral. For me, I just use whatever flows off the tongue easier depending on what else is in the sentence around it. But I think body neutrality or weight neutrality, either way, is a more inclusive way of saying it, and I think is more realistic for people because body positivity has connotations with it, whether it is the original context, which does not fit everyone, or it's the commercialized, like yay, we all love our body every moment of every day. I feel like those are kind of the two camps of it, and that's not realistic or necessary for everyone.

[12:41] Libby Parker: So the neutrality, I love the way they explained it today. It wasn't always being happy with yourself, it wasn't always being down on yourself, it was just being okay with the body you were given and working with what you got. And I love that description of it. So I think that's yeah, yeah, less neutrality is a good term. It's inclusive. And I think for a lot of people it's very realistic too, and it's what I work with a lot of my clients on is going from you can go from a place of self-loathing and hating your body and yourself and all that stuff, and you cannot see self-love at the other end of that tunnel. It is so far through the woods that it's not even on the map. But neutrality is something you could strive for because it doesn't mean that you have to love yourself. To me, body neutrality is about respecting your body.

[13:24] Libby Parker: It doesn't mean that everything is hunky-dory and that every day is amazing, and you love yourself and you want to flaunt it. It could be I honor that my body carried me through this day, and I'm going to honor it by taking care of it. So I'm gonna, you know, get health care, I'm going to feed it well, I'm going to attend to my mental health needs. I am gonna buy clothes that fit it and not try to squeeze myself into something uncomfortable. It's really about what do you need in that present moment that's gonna just make you feel good and healthy.

[14:04] Lauren Van Hemert: So, what is next for the Broadway dietitian? You mentioned you're licensing this wonderful program to colleges.

[14:15] Libby Parker: I'm writing that health book. Also got two other books kind of on the back burner, but this is the top priority one, so we'll see if I ever get to those. I'm doing the class. I just published another book. So I technically have four books with my name on them right now, two solos and two collaborative works. My first one, my baby, is Permission to Eat, and that is a book for eating disorder recovery. And then my most recent book is a workbook to accompany that. And so that's gonna be far more interactive. I'm just waiting for it to get approved for print copies. It's available on Kindle right now, so go check it out on Amazon, 99 cents at the moment. But it's gonna be really great because it's not only journal prompts, but it's activities to do as well, and there's some places to draw pictures of certain things, and so I tried to make it an interactive workbook.

[15:08] Libby Parker: What else do I have going on? I just opened up some online consulting coaching services to take me a little bit further because, you know, if people don't know as a dietitian, I'm a medical professional and I'm licensed state to state, so I can't work with people everywhere in the world. So this gives a little more access, although I can't do the exact same things. So that's now available.

[15:35] Lauren Van Hemert: So, where can people find you?

[15:37] Libby Parker: Yeah, so they can find me on Instagram at The Broadway Dietician, and my two websites are thebroadwaydietician.com and notyouraveragenutritionist.com. Libby Parker is hosting a virtual performer support and coaching group starting September 19th and running for six weeks. I'll put a link in the episode notes if you want more information along with information about her books.

[16:03] Lauren Van Hemert: If you like what you've heard today, please consider subscribing to this podcast. Follow us on social media, on Facebook or Instagram at Beltline to Broadway or Twitter at Beltline2BWay, or visit us online at www.beltlinetobroadway.org. Until next time, I'll see you at the theater.