Society, Size, & Judgement – with Shannon Malone-deBenedictis
Tue Feb 03 2026
In this episode of Speaking of Inclusion, Katie Allen talks with two-time Emmy award-winning filmmaker Shannon Malone-deBenedictis.
Shannon brings her experience in documentary storytelling, a career with giants like Discovery, Netflix, and NationalGeographic, and her insights as founder of Padlin Creative. Most of all, she opens up about her work helping women question how they see themselves, step into full confidence, and challenge the ways society judges people on size andappearance.
Katie and Shannon explore the fact that conversations around weight and size are still taboo or overlooked, especiallyfor women, at work and in public life.
They unpack the double standards around body image, how those standards especially impact heavier women, and why these biases stick around.
Shannon shares personal stories from her career, including the moment she decided to stop apologising for who she is and what she looks like, and what it meant to finally show up truly unapologetic in professional spaces.
Listeners can expect a frank conversation about fat shaming, internalised self-judgment, the link between societal biasand workplace exclusion, and the everyday struggle of taking up space confidently.
You’ll hear how these issues show up in everything from office emails to award ceremonies, and ways to rethink your own attitudes towards body image and worth.
Shannon also shares practical advice from her mentoringworkshops and touches on the surprising role of menopausal women in nature.
Key takeaways:
The constant pressure to "make yourself small" affects how women show up, participate, and are seen, especially those who don’t fit into normative beauty ideals.Societal standards around weight are rooted in bias, not science or merit, and they result in real exclusion at work and beyond.Confidence isn’t about meeting someone else's standard. Redirecting energy away from apologising or hiding makes space for actually enjoying life and succeeding on your own terms.
A question to reflect on:How often do you judge someone's abilities or worth based on their appearance or size, and what assumptions might you need to challenge in yourself?
Things we said we'd include in this episode's show notes:
Book recommendation: "Likeable Badass" by Alison FragaleShannon's website: Padlin Creative (padlincreative.com)Padlin Creative free consultation and portfolio (available at padlincreative.com)Join the Fully Unapologetic Facebook group
If you enjoy the podcast, you can help keep it funded by buying me a virtual coffee at www.coff.ee/speakingofinclusion. Every contribution helps the show keep going!
Speaking of Inclusion is hosted by Katie Allen.
Katie is a specialist inclusion consultant and confidence coach, offering a no BS approach to DEI and helping people become more confident in important human conversations.www.KatieAllenConsulting.com
Theme music is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds – "No Drama" by Alder
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In this episode of Speaking of Inclusion, Katie Allen talks with two-time Emmy award-winning filmmaker Shannon Malone-deBenedictis. Shannon brings her experience in documentary storytelling, a career with giants like Discovery, Netflix, and NationalGeographic, and her insights as founder of Padlin Creative. Most of all, she opens up about her work helping women question how they see themselves, step into full confidence, and challenge the ways society judges people on size andappearance. Katie and Shannon explore the fact that conversations around weight and size are still taboo or overlooked, especiallyfor women, at work and in public life. They unpack the double standards around body image, how those standards especially impact heavier women, and why these biases stick around. Shannon shares personal stories from her career, including the moment she decided to stop apologising for who she is and what she looks like, and what it meant to finally show up truly unapologetic in professional spaces. Listeners can expect a frank conversation about fat shaming, internalised self-judgment, the link between societal biasand workplace exclusion, and the everyday struggle of taking up space confidently. You’ll hear how these issues show up in everything from office emails to award ceremonies, and ways to rethink your own attitudes towards body image and worth. Shannon also shares practical advice from her mentoringworkshops and touches on the surprising role of menopausal women in nature. Key takeaways: The constant pressure to "make yourself small" affects how women show up, participate, and are seen, especially those who don’t fit into normative beauty ideals.Societal standards around weight are rooted in bias, not science or merit, and they result in real exclusion at work and beyond.Confidence isn’t about meeting someone else's standard. Redirecting energy away from apologising or hiding makes space for actually enjoying life and succeeding on your own terms. A question to reflect on:How often do you judge someone's abilities or worth based on their appearance or size, and what assumptions might you need to challenge in yourself? Things we said we'd include in this episode's show notes: Book recommendation: "Likeable Badass" by Alison FragaleShannon's website: Padlin Creative (padlincreative.com)Padlin Creative free consultation and portfolio (available at padlincreative.com)Join the Fully Unapologetic Facebook group If you enjoy the podcast, you can help keep it funded by buying me a virtual coffee at www.coff.ee/speakingofinclusion. Every contribution helps the show keep going! Speaking of Inclusion is hosted by Katie Allen. Katie is a specialist inclusion consultant and confidence coach, offering a no BS approach to DEI and helping people become more confident in important human conversations.www.KatieAllenConsulting.com Theme music is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds – "No Drama" by Alder