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Let’s get one thing clear: there’s a solid chance that all the podcasts, therapy sessions, and journal prompts in the world aren’t going to “heal” your relationship with food. And if you’ve been beating yourself up about that, maybe it’s time you stopped.

In this episode, I take a flamethrower to the feel-good fantasy of someday reaching the mystical land where food is just food, moderation is natural, and donuts in the freezer don't haunt you at 1am.

Sound depressing? It’s not. It’s actually the most freeing thing I’ve ever realized.

👉 We’ll dive deep into how the idea of a “healthy relationship with food” has been marketed, commodified, and sold back to us—packaged as therapy speak mixed with wellness fluff. Between body positivity, diet culture backlash, and therapy culture going mainstream, we’ve now got two extremes: cold, clinical rehab models on one side, and “just eat intuitively!” influencers on the other.

Neither works for everyone. And they don’t have to.

💡 What if you’re not broken? What if you’re just one of the people who will never be able to moderate certain foods—and that doesn’t make you weak or traumatized or in need of more healing? It just means you’re operating with a different rulebook. And once you accept that, everything gets simpler.

We also pull in professional insights to balance out my usual rants (clip @ 1:12), and I’ll explain why trying to measure your relationship with food is like trying to measure your marriage with a FitBit.

This episode covers:

Why some people will never have a “normal” relationship with food

Emotional eating vs. real food addiction (and why that debate is dumb)

The failure of “moderation” as a blanket prescription

Why the “no bad foods” narrative is half-right and still mostly wrong

When professional help is useful—and when it just sells false hope

What peace and clarity actually look like, even if “healing” never comes

If you’ve ever done everything right and still feel like food owns you—this is the episode you’ve been waiting for.

And if you’re one of the lucky ones who can moderate, you’ll still walk away with a better understanding of the other half who can’t. And maybe a little more compassion.

This isn’t a pity party or a self-help pep talk. It’s a brutally honest conversation about reality, and how to live within it.

Because once you stop chasing the dream of being “healed,” you can finally start building a life that works.

🧠 Subscribe for more no-BS insights on health, food, mindset, and why the industry keeps getting it wrong.

🎧 Available now on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts & wherever you listen.

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@RealAndrewBriggs @HolisticMotionco HolisticMotion.com

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Why is going to the gym being treated like a political decision? According to some media outlets, lifting weights might just be your first step down the pipeline to fascism. Sounds absurd, right? But articles like The Guardian's “Fascist Fitness” suggest otherwise, claiming that the far-right is recruiting through online fitness groups.

In this episode, I dive into these claims and break down the alleged connection between fitness, masculinity, and conservative ideology. We explore how historical figures like Yukio Mishima and even Hitler tied strength to national identity. But does getting stronger really make you more right-wing? Or is this media hysteria gone wild?

I examine the science behind these claims—discussing studies on testosterone, political alignment, and personality traits like parochial altruism. Does increasing your deadlift PR mean you're on your way to adopting far-right beliefs? Or are we oversimplifying how fitness influences personal growth?

We also take a humorous look at gym culture—from the crass jokes to the supposed "fascist gyms" like the Barbell Strength Tribe described in academic articles. Plus, I share some wild Reddit takes on why gyms skew conservative and what that says about our broader cultural narratives around fitness.

Spoiler: It's not about politics—it's about personal development. But the conversation around fitness, masculinity, and political identity is far from black and white.

00:00:00 Intro
00:03:09 The Guardian Articles
00:06:08 Why This Is So Hard To Research
00:06:44 Are There Even That Many People?
00:08:27 The "GYM FASCISM" Article
00:10:36 Is Fitness Homophobic?
00:13:18 Why Does Fitness Feel So Politically Charged?
00:15:24 How Physiology Impacts Your Politics
00:19:00 Reddit: Why Do Gyms Skew Conservative?
00:21:32 Is Fitness (and Conservatism) Selfish?
00:22:47 r/AskConservatives
00:24:34 What My Followers Thought
00:26:09 How Personality SCIENTIFICALLY Impacts Political Preference
00:26:59 Openness
00:27:58 Conscientousness
00:29:15 Extraversion
00:30:34 Agreeableness
00:32:02 neuroticism
00:34:21 Heritable Mental Illnesses
00:34:52 My Thoughts BEFORE Starting
00:38:11 Why Are Conservative Pundits Healthier?
00:38:32 Why Are Liberal Pundits Healthier?
00:38:59 Every Fitness Influencer Is Conservative
00:40:46 IS The Gym Even Masculine?
00:44:20 Final Thoughts: Can You Transcend Your Genes and Upbringing?
00:45:37 So Will The Gym Make You A Conservative?
00:46:08 SLPLASH and outro

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@RealAndrewBriggs @HolisticMotionco HolisticMotion.com

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00:00:00 Intro
00:01:45 The Friendship Recession
00:09:27 International Mens Day
00:18:00 Why Don't You Talk About Women's Stuggles?
00:22:14 Depression and Suicide
00:27:32 Why Are Men Suicidal?
00:29:41 Why Is Therapy Failing Men?
00:32:11 What NO ONE Underestands About Mens Mental Health
00:40:31 Why Do Men Not Cry?
00:40:54 "Male Tears"
00:42:49 Why Does Jordan Peterson Get Shamed For Crying?
00:45:11 Who Teaches Men Not To Cry?
00:46:55 Are Men The Enemy Of Women?
00:48:46 Should Men Cry In Front Of Women?
00:55:20 Male Breadwinners, Jobs, Workplace Deaths and the Military
00:58:19 Are Men Advantaged In The Workplace?
01:03:09 Are Men The "Expendable" Sex
01:06:18 Why Men Literally Work THemself To Death
01:12:59 Abuse And Assault
01:17:02 Erin Pizzy and Earl Silverman: The Truth About Domestic Abuse Shelters
01:20:25 Do Men Or Women Commit More Domestic Abuse?
01:22:51 Why Don't Men Report Abuse?
01:25:54 Why Are There No Mens Shelters?
01:29:09 What Happened To Earl Silverman?
01:32:25 Male Childhood Sexual Abuse
01:34:32 Wes's and My abuse stories
01:40:33 How This Impacts Little Boys and Men Psychologically
01:41:16 Can Sex Abuse Turn Men Gay?
01:44:19 Discomfort Around Men After Abuse
01:45:23 What Religion Teaches Abused Boys
01:47:16 Parents Of Sexual Assault Victims (A Talk With My Mom)
01:50:21 Does Sex Abuse Impact Sexuality and Promiscuity?
01:55:03 What Happened To Me As A Kid
01:56:05 More Of Wes's and My Stories
01:59:51 If You Were A Victim Of Sexual Assault
02:04:37 Is Feminism For Men?
02:11:13 What HAppened To "The Red Pill" Documentary by Cassie Jay?
02:13:04 Why Do Feminists Hate Feminist Speaker Warren Farrel?
02:14:13 "Am I Having A Daughter Or An Abortion?"
02:14:53 Why Are Boys Falling Behind Girls In Every Way?
02:16:20 Toxic Masculinity and Mansplaining
02:17:49 Have Liberals or Conservatives Abandoned Men More?
02:18:58 Transgender Prisoners and Prison Rape
02:20:08 Who Is Speaking Out For Men?
02:21:07 Who Are The Good Male Role Models?
02:28:06 Strong Men Are NOT The Problem, Weak Men Are
02:29:31 The Overton Window On Men's Mental Health
02:30:01 What Nora Vincent Learned Pretending To Be A Man For a Year and a Half
02:30:45 Trans Men's Stories: The HARSH Reality Of Manhood
02:35:28 "Pick Me" Girls Who Support Men
02:36:59 Do You Hate Women?
02:39:48 Male Body Positivity and Dating
02:42:33 Why Is Dating So Complicated Now?
02:43:53 Family Law For Dads
02:47:00 The Danger Of Dating For Men
02:47:45 Error Management Theory for Men
02:48:28 The Hikikomori In Japan
02:49:12 Error Management Theory for Women
02:49:50 "Do Not Approach Women"
02:51:39 Henry Cavill (Public harrassment Of Men)
02:53:22 "Creepy" Men Approaching Women
02:54:16 #MeToo
02:55:15 Fatherhood, Parenting and Divorce
02:56:14 Are Traditional Families The Best For Kids?
02:57:25 How Divorce Impacts Children
02:58:04 The Dad Deficit: Where Did All The Father Go?
03:02:32 Are Step Parents A Danger To Children?
03:03:33 Kids Are Forced To Choose Between Mom And Dad
03:05:09 Crime and Mental Health for Children Of Broken Homes
03:06:55 Parental Guilt about Divorce
03:09:23 The Solution
03:11:23 What Children Can ONLY Learn From Their Fathers
03:12:12 Children Emulate Their Parents
03:14:00 Good Families Make Good Children. Good Children Make A Good World
03:14:59 If You Disagree With This Documentary...
03:16:14 Family Issues Are HUMAN Issues
03:17:51 RIP

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@RealAndrewBriggs @HolisticMotionco HolisticMotion.com