Storytelling, Breakups, and Living Beyond the Binary with James Rose | #90

Click here to access a written transcript of this episode.

James Rose is a non-binary actor and storyteller who single-handedly makes the internet a better place, and it was a delight to have them on the show. We were having such a great conversation that I couldn't bear to cut it short, which means James and I gab about all manner of things for over an hour in this episode. From acting and queerness to breakups and stuffed animals, there's something in our conversation for everyone.

We discussed:

• How James thinks of themself as a storyteller who uses a variety of mediums.
• Our shared love of TikTok as a social media platform.
• James's experiences in the acting world as an anti-diet, non-binary individual.
• The importance of letting queer folks tell their own stories in media.
• James's thoughts on how cis people can better support and affirm the trans community.
• Holding both the history of gender and the present of gender at the same time.
• Why James writes about their exes on Instagram.
• Choosing your pain when you're making challenging decisions.
• How James gets in touch with their inner child through their pink stuffed koala, Pam.
• Re-marking experiences and dating yourself after a breakup.
• James's dating app escapades.
• The Monday Motivation segment James does on social media.

Mentioned in This Episode

• More Adult Americans Are Identifying as L.G.B.T., Gallup Poll Finds – The New York Times
• The Time's Up movement
• The Danish Girl starring Eddie Redmayne
• Laverne Cox
• The Big Mouth pansexuality controversy
• Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg
• @thenutritiontea's meme about mushrooms
• Alok Vaid-Menon
• Pam's origin story
• The League dating app
• The meaning of being an “accountant” on TikTok

Featured in This Episode

James Rose (they/them) is a non-binary New York City-based actor, Health At Every Size personal trainer, trauma-informed yoga teacher, and the co-host of the Full Soul Nutrition Podcast. They write about gender, liberation, eating disorder recovery, sex, their feelings, & their exes on Instagram where they hope to leave the internet a little better than they found it. You can keep up with James on Instagram and TikTok.

Did you benefit from this episode? You can show your appreciation by supporting James's work. Consider leaving a tip via Venmo or Paypal (username @jamesissmiling). James donates a portion of all tips to mutual aid. You can also drop into one of James's pay-what-you-can exercise classes with Full Soul Nutrition, hosted on Zoom.