‘Dominant Stories’ with Jess Weiner'

By: Rashida Ashley

If you had three wishes you wanted to come true what would they be? Do you want to run a mile in under fifteen minutes without taking several breaks? How about give a speech in front of your colleagues without a shaky voice or breaking a sweat? Or maybe you’ve been wanting to try a new martial arts class but you aren’t good at saving enough money to join consistently. Having your own personal genie would allow your wishes to come true in an instant, without any effort on your part!

Unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of a personal supernatural being who grants our desires without question so that we don’t have to lift a finger. The next best thing is providing that need for something more with our own self…if only we could muster up that something to get the ball rolling.

Whether you are a child, teenager, or an adult, there is something that we all want to accomplish no matter how big or small. For some of us, a small part of our being knows that we can achieve what our aim is otherwise we wouldn’t desire for it to happen in the first place. If only we could reach inside of ourselves and yank out that annoying thing within us that stops us from pursuing what it is we want.

The question is, what exactly is that annoying thing that prevents us from embarking on a new path? Maybe Jess Weiner can help! Jess Weiner is a Cultural Expert and Creative Host who has spent years educating on cultural trends to help people feel seen, heard & understood. Her work has led her to be a bestselling author, podcast host and speaker who has connected with audiences from the White House to Wall Street and schools around the world. Weiner has also been a self-esteem ambassador and strategic partner with the Dove Self-Esteem Project for 17 years. The Dove Self-Esteem Project was established in 2004 to help the next generation develop a positive relationship with the way they look so they are not held back by appearance-related anxiety and can realize their full potential.

“Dominant stories are the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves”(Jess Weiner). The Dove Self-Esteem Project has teamed up with long-time partner Shonda Rhimes and Shondaland Audio to launch a NEW podcast, “Dominant Stories with Jess Weiner” in a 12-episode series on Shondaland Audio via the iHeart Podcast Network. Notable guests and listeners are invited on a self-reflection journey that prompts them to challenge the origins of their own negative self-talk and limiting beliefs to reclaim and rewrite the stories they have been told about their bodies, their beauty, and their identities.

Weiner has had compelling discussions with poet and speaker Azure Antoinette, We All Grow Latina Founder and CEO Ana Flores, NYTimes bestselling author, speaker and podcaster Luvvie Ajayi Jones, and television producer, screenwriter, and author Shonda Rhimes. No matter where you are in life, each episode has something valuable and actionable for its listeners when it comes to acknowledging that story in your head that leads to certain situations like unrealistic beauty standards, appearance-based anxiety, the impact of ‘always on’ social media culture in driving the pressure for perfection, building body-confidence and other relevant topics facing today’s women, girls, and non-binary individuals.

If you are in need of a podcast that provides a safe, open, and honest space to unpack these themes, you’ve come to the right space. Who knows, maybe you can find yourself unpacking the story behind why you take several breaks when trying to run a mile, why your body reacts the way it does when you try to speak out in front of your peers, or even the deeply rooted story behind your seeming inability to save money.