Lovely radicals... Today on the "Life. Unrestricted." Podcast you are going to hear... me. After one year of shameful silence... Let it be broken. I think we need to talk about what it is that might be going wrong in many eating disorder treatment clinics, and all I can do to inspire a conversation is contribute my own experience; colored – of course – by my own shadows and blind spots. So if you feel like you are in a position to listen to this, I am honored. May it be for the betterment of the current state of many ED treatment facilities. I’ll also talk about how and why this year was so dark and confusing for me, and what my plans are to hopefully make the start of 2019 more pleasant. Lovelies, this one’s long and highly personal, and I already have a vulnerability hangover, just from thinking that I’m putting all of this out there. But I would love for you to listen. I just think this need out. So, inshallah! Last but not least, dear ones: Happy holidays, take utmost care ...
Today on the "Life. Unrestricted." podcast, I’m so happy to share with you my conversation with Cyndi Springford from Plaistow, New Hampshire. Cyndi's varied background includes being a Personal Trainer, a Running Coach, and a certified Eating Psychology Coach. She has been in the fitness industry since 1993, encouraging REAL well-being and fitness with her clients. Many of you know Cyndi from her "Love Your Body Project"-Facebook page. Currently, she is working out of her home, coaching clients both remotely and in person. Cyndi shares her background about her body image challenges, chronic dieting, disordered eating and excessive exercise and how she made peace with all of it through discussions, articles, and podcasts with the media. Cyndi talks about: – Why she doesn’t remember a time when she ever felt good in her body as a child – How her mother related to food and exercise in a punishing way – How her lack of trust in her own body led her into a severely disordered way w...
In today's episode of the "Life. Unrestricted." podcast, you’ll hear my conversation with Tabitha Farrar from Boulder, Colorado. Tabitha developed anorexia at age 17 and – as she says so herself – this devastating illness took pole position in her life until, at 25, she finally started her recovery journey. She successfully recovered from her eating disorder and the complicated matrix of obsessions and habitual eating disorder behaviors that came with it. Since recovering she has done a lot of work to help adults with eating disorders, and she has written a book called "Love Fat", an educational memoir on eating disorder recovery and all the insights that she gained. Tabitha is a founding member of IEDA, International Eating Disorder Action and World Eating Disorders Action Day, and she has written countless eating disorder recovery guidelines for adults. Apart from that, she has set up two forums for adults in active recovery, she founded AEDRA, the Active Eating Disorder Recove...
Hey, lovely radicals... podcast ahead! In today’s episode of the "Life. Unrestricted." podcast, I have the pleasure to bring to you my conversation with Dr. Michael P. Levine from Santa Barbara, California. Michael is an Emeritus Professor of Psychology who actively taught for 33 years. In the field of eating disorders, Michael’s commitment to research, writing, and activism focuses on the intersection between sociocultural risk factors, prevention, community psychology, and developmental psychology. He has authored two books and three prevention curriculum guides, and he has co-edited three books on prevention. In addition, he has authored or co-authored approximately 110 articles and book chapters, and he has presented his work throughout the United States, as well as in Canada, England, Spain, Austria, and Australia. He is a member of countless advisory councils such as The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), or the Center for Study of Anorexia and Bulimia (CSAB, NY),...
Today on the "Life. Unrestricted." podcast, you’ll hear my follow-up conversation with Dr. Michelle May from Phoenix, Arizona that we promised to have in our first talk (episode 56 - in case you haven’t had a chance to listen to that one yet, I highly recommend it to you). Michelle is a former physician, mindful eating speaker, and recovered yo-yo dieter who founded the "Am I Hungry?" company that offers "Mindful Eating" programs and trainings. "Am I Hungry?" empowers people to end chronic dieting and overeating, and to get back a fulfilling life without deprivation and guilt. She is also the award-winning author of the book "Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat". Based on the success people had with her first book, Dr. Michelle May wrote and published three more books: "Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat for Diabetes", "Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat for Binge Eating" and "Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat for Bariatric Surgery". Her books, programs and retreats are al...
Hey, lovely radicals... podcast alert! In today’s episode of the "Life. Unrestricted." podcast, you’ll hear my conversation with Lu Uhrich from Pennsylvania. Lu and I spoke a few months ago, and I'm happy to announce that she shares a great deal of knowledge with us here on the show. Lu is a Certified Eating Psychology Coach, Body Image Mentor and Life Coach who helps women worldwide to grow in self-awareness, find food freedom and practice body love. She also host the "Untamed" podcast, where she interviews women who are living beyond limits and who are helping others to do the same. Lu specializes in guiding her clients to overcome struggles with yo-yo dieting, food restriction, binge eating, loss of periods, shame, body hate and other unwanted symptoms, mindsets or behaviors. Through her one-on-one coaching program and online courses, she teaches participants to end the exhausting hustle for food and body perfection by finding out who they really are, what they truly want, and ...
Download Episode! Hey there, lovely radicals! Podcast ahead. Today on the "Life. Unrestricted." podcast, your ears are in for a re-treat. Because it's THAT time of year again. Christmas and New Year's are at the door and with them a lot of tension. And a lot of misguided "resolutions". So I think we're all in need of some reminders as to why we DON'T have to listen to all the diet-y New Year's Resolutions and false promises. Some soul-saving words to stay true to our own body's needs and to keep trusting it. So in todays' episode I want to remind us of that by replaying something I said a while ago. See, all around us, people are in a buying frenzy, we are all being bombarded by "special offers" and "limited editions" and "gift ideas". And I can't help thinking of this excellent quote (credited to 15 different people, so I wonder if I should make it mine...?—Just kidding!) that says: "We are persuaded to buy things we don't need, with money we don't have, to impress people we don't...
Hey lovely radicals, podcast time! In today's episode of the "Life Unrestricted." podcast, I am happy to bring you my conversation with Jonah Soolman from Wellesley, Massachusetts. Jonah is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Personal Trainer. He and his wife Joanne co-own "Soolman Nutrition and Wellness LLC", a private practice where they offer individualized nutrition counseling using a non-diet approach. His writing has appeared in BuzzFeed, Boston Baseball magazine, and other local and international publications. Jonah talks about: – What messages about bodies and weight he picked up from society when he grew up – What makes dieting and restricting so insidious – Why people often only realize much later (if ever!) that dieting/restricting/overexercising was what set in motion a vicious cycle for them – Why going back and retracing our diet-stories can really be enlightening as to what caused the downward spiral/yoyo-dieting, or even the development of an eating disorder – ...
In today's episode of the "Life. Unrestricted." podcast, you’ll hear my conversation with Lindsay Meisel from San Francisco. I’ve known Lindsay from the Facebook groups we're both in that are specifically for women who are dealing with Hypothalamic Amenorrhoea (or – in layman's terms – women who are missing their periods). Lindsay is one of the strong voices in those groups, and I always wanted to talk to her, since she has recovered from "HA", as we call Hypothalamic Amenorrhoea (to not have it be such a mouthful), and she is clearly very knowledgeable about this. Lindsay works as the head of content for Ava, a women's health technology company that makes a sensor bracelet that monitors the menstrual cycle. She was a long distance runner for over a decade, but gave it up to get her period back. You'll hear Lindsay talk about: – What set off her disordered eating and exercise behaviors – Why the lure of "reaching energy deficit" can be so addictive and dangerous – How she was...
Hey there, lovely radicals... podcast time! In today's episode of the "Life. Unrestricted." podcast, I bring to you the absolutely amazing Dr. Deb Burgard, a FAED (Fellow for the Academy of Eating Disorders) from the San Francisco Bay Area. I had the great pleasure to talk to her a few months ago. Deb is a psychologist and activist specializing in concerns about body image, eating, weight stigma, and relationships. She is also one of the founders of the "Health at Every Size" model, as well as the very original Body Positive website "bodypositive.com", and the "Show Me the Data" listserv, building communities where people can find each other and the resources to resist weight stigma, especially in medical and psychological treatment. Her activism includes working with healthcare providers to integrate an understanding of the social determinants of health and creating interventions that address structural oppression and support stigma resistance. Deb has a PhD in psychology, and has ...