155. How to raise body neutral kids in a diet-culture world — Penny Greening
DISCLAIMER: this episode discusses disordered eating, eating disorders, and body image in depth. If that's not what you need today, we'll see you on the next one — and if you or someone you love is struggling, Reframe Voices Society (reframevoices.ca) and NEDIC, the National Eating Disorder Information Centre (nedic.ca), are great places to start.
Penny Greening is the founder and executive director of Reframe Voices Society — a creative brand strategist, former communications agency director, and community mental health advocate whose own life has moved through corporate marketing, bodybuilding, motherhood, and, eventually, building a nonprofit from scratch.
Andrea and Penny chat about what an eating disorder is (guess what? 2 definitions!), why the word "fat" needs to be defused instead of avoided, and what body neutral parenting actually looks like in a house that isn't getting it perfect at every meal.
In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Intro
(01:12) Who is Penny Greening today?
(05:14) Andrea visiting a friend in the hospital with anorexia
(05:32) Two definitions of an eating disorder, and "the monster"
(08:19) Atypical anorexia, and a new word: "cachectic"
(13:25) Healthism, and the culture that rewards it
(15:09) The postpartum relapse, and the line a doc said after delivery
(18:47) The four C's of eating disorders
(22:29) Weight stigma and the word "fat"
(33:51) Is it ok to praised a finished plate?
(39:57) Adolescence — what to watch for between ages 8 and 14
(44:14) A message to parents managing their own eating disorder while raising kids
(46:36) Why "she's getting thinner" isn't a diagnosis
(50:47) Eating disorders don't discriminate — and it happens to men too
(52:07) Should this be proactive, or do you wait for your kid to bring it up?
KEY TAKEAWAY
There's no moral value attached to fat, skinny, big, small — it just is. Body neutral parenting comes down to the words already happening in your kitchen, and whether they let food and bodies stay that neutral, or start turning them into something to be earned or ashamed of.
About Penny Greening
Penny Greening is a creative brand strategist, former communications agency director, community mental health advocate and nonprofit founder whose work sits at the intersection of education and social impact. Once the Director of Marketing for Innovative Fitness, she helped shape a whole-person approach to selling healthy habits for life, while raising her daughter.
A fifth-term board member with Variety - The Children’s Charity of BC, Penny founded BC-nonprofit Reframe Voices Society in 2025, after recognizing a critical gap in the public awareness of how and when eating disorders truly begin.
Today, she leads a multidisciplinary team of volunteers equipping parents and guardians of school-aged children and teens, with the language and practical tools they need to protect their child against eating disorders when it comes to food, feelings and body talk.
Connect with Penny
Website | https://www.reframevoices.ca | http://www.beyondbodytalk.ca/
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/reframevoices/
LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/reframe-voices-society/
YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@ReframeVoices
