Take Up Space, Y'All w/Tess Holliday
From Teach the Babies w/ Dr. David J. Johns by Dr. David J. Johns & Thomas Cunningham IV
March 17, 2026 · 27 min · Season 4 · Episode 7
About this episode
Dr. David Johns interviews Tess Holliday about self-love and taking up space in a world that encourages shrinking.
When was the last time you gave yourself permission to just exist? Not shrink, not apologize, not mold yourself into what somebody else needs—but to simply take up space? Dr. David Johns sits down with trailblazer Tess Holliday—one of the world's most recognized plus-size models, the first of her size to be signed to a major agency, and creator of the viral "Eff Your Beauty Standards" campaign. Today's conversation centers on her latest work: Take Up Space, Y'All: Your Bold and Bright Guide to Self-Love, co-written with Kelly Coon. While marketed as a guide for teens navigating social media, body image, and toxic friendships, this book is essential reading for anyone who has ever felt they needed to make themselves smaller. Tess brings her full self—as a mom raising a 20-year-old and a 9-year-old, as someone who grew up in rural Mississippi without the resources she desperately needed, and as a woman who has spent over a decade breaking barriers in the modeling industry. From discussing mutual aid and community care to naming joy as resistance, this conversation reminds us that in a world telling you to shrink, taking up space is the most radical thing you can do. SHOW NOTES…
People in this episode
Host: Dr. David Johns
Guest: Tess Holliday
Topics covered
- self-love
- body image
- social media
- toxic friendships
- community care
- radical acceptance
Keywords
- self-acceptance
- plus-size modeling
- body positivity
- teen guidance
- community support
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Eff Your Beauty Standards
Books & works: Take Up Space, Y'All: Your Bold and Bright Guide to Self-Love
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