Chloe Melas and Judy Batalion on Breaking the Bowel Disease Taboo with The Girl’s Guide to Guts

New York Times bestselling author and NBC correspondent Chloe Melas and New York Times bestselling author Judy Batalion speak with Zibby Owens about their empowering and candid new book, The Girls’ Guide to Guts: Everything Your Doc Didn't Tell You, But Your Bestie Would. After discovering they both lived with ulcerative colitis, they bonded over the shared diagnosis and formed an unexpected friendship that led to an unstoppable creative partnership.

Chloe and Judy open up about the daily realities of navigating a chronic illness, from the emotional toll of medical anxiety to the physical challenges of major surgeries. They share how breaking a decades-long silence and publicizing their stories helped them release years of shame, find a surge of confidence, and realize how many others suffer quietly from bowel disease.

They also touch upon topics in their book including practical management advice, the connection between diet and mental health, and what it truly means to advocate for yourself within the medical system.

Learn about Chloe here and about Judy here. Follow them both on Instagram @chloemelas and @judybatalion. You can purchase The Girl's Guide to Guts: Everything Your Doc Didn't Tell You (But Your Bestie Would) here.

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A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now!

Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook.

Listen on Spotify here.

Listen on Apple here.

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