Show Notes:

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Colleen Reichmann, a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in eating disorders. She works in her private practice (Wildflower Therapy) in Philadelphia, PA, and has also worked at various treatment facilities including University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro Center for Eating Disorder Care, and The Center for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt. Colleen herself is recovered from an eating disorder, and this experience sparked her passion for spreading knowledge and awareness that recovery is possible. She is deeply committed to Health at Every Size and body liberation, and considers herself a fat-positive clinician. Colleen speaks at national and regional eating disorder conferences, and writes about body image and eating disorders for Project HEAL, The Mighty, Recovery Warriors, and more. In this episode, Colleen briefly shares how and why she became an eating disorders clinician. Then, she dives deep into the subject of self-disclosure as a clinician. Colleen discusses why she decided to disclose her own recovery from an eating disorder, and the specific boundaries that she believes are important to set when sharing personal information during sessions or online.

In the episode we talk about:

• Colleen’s eating disorder recovery
• Colleen’s experience disclosing her recovery with clients and patients
• The “boundaries” Colleen sets when disclosing her recovery journey

Resources:

• Jessi’s Newsletter
• The Nutrition & Body Image Coaching Course
• Colleen’s Instagram
• Colleen’s Website

In this episode I talk Shira Rosenbluth, a social worker/therapist by day and a style blogger by night, known for her blog “A Sequin Love Affair.”  Her blog encourages having fun and dressing in a way that reflects who you are, regardless of budget or body size. The blog also chronicles Shira’s recovery from an eating disorder; this is something that she wasn’t always open about. In this interview, Shira shares why it was important for her, as a therapist, to disclose that she is still in recovery. She also discusses the nuances of being both a fashion blogger, who shares photos of her body, and a health-at-every-size advocate, who believes everyone is more than their body. Further, she shares the many barriers she has faced with access to treatment, and describes that obstacles that many individuals face while trying to pursue recovery.  

In the episode we talk about:

• Why Shira felt encouraged to disclose her struggle with an eating disorder on her blog.
• Barriers to eating disorder treatment (insurance, weight stigma, and more).
• The nuances of being a body positive fashion blogger.

Resources:

• Jessi’s Newsletter
• The Nutrition & Body Image Coaching Course
• Shira’s Instagram
• Shira’s Website
• Shira’s Recovery Journey
• Shira’s Go Fund Me

In this episode I talk to Simi Botic, health coach and Author of Letting Go of Leo: How I Broke Up with Perfection. We talk about Simi’s relationship with perfectionism and how that bled into her relationship with food and her body. What I love so much about this episode is that we talk so much about what breaking up with perfection (especially around food) can do for your whole life, not just how you feel about your food and your body. Simi talks about how she ultimately changed her whole career trajectory and how we both felt like we were both able to be present for the highs and the lows without the burden of food worry.

In the episode we talk about:

• How Simi’s relationship with food and her body had evolved
• Simi’s transition from lawyer to health coach
• Perfectionism and it’s downfall
• Our experiences of losing our dads
• Grief and how intuitive eating has helped us through this process

Resources:

• Jessi’s Newsletter
• The Nutrition & Body Image Coaching Course
• Simi’s Website
• Letting Go of Leo

In this episode I talk to RD to be Kimmie Singh about her dietetic internship experience, weight stigma in the healthcare field, how medical nutrition therapy (MNT) and Health at Every Size (HAES) are aligned, and how Intuitive Eating is still possible, even if you have PCOS with insulin resistance! This episode is definitely geared towards RDs, but if you’re not an RD or healthcare provider don’t turn away too quickly - I think everyone can benefit from listening to this conversation.

In the episode we talk about:

• Kimmie’s Dietetic Internship Experience.
• Weight stigma in the healthcare field.
• How MNT (Medical Nutrition Therapy) and HAES are aligned!
• PCOS and Intuitive Eating.
• Honoring your humanity as a clinician.

Resources:

• Jessi’s Newsletter
• The Nutrition & Body Image Coaching Course
• Kimmie’s Instagram
• Kimmie’s Website
• Work with Kimmie at LK Nutrition in NYC

In this episode I talk to fellow dietitian Anna Sweeney. Anna is a Certified Eating Disorder Registered Dietitian with a private practice in Concord, MA. But we don’t talk about eating disorders or nutrition in this episode. Anna talks about her experience living in a disabled body, how her relationship with movement has evolved since childhood, and what her experience with movement is like now.

In the episode we talk about:

• Anna’s relationship with movement as a child, and how that changed after her MS diagnosis.
• What people might not know about Multiple Sclerosis.
• Diets for chronic illness (specifically MS).
• What Anna’s relationship with movement is like now.

In this episode I talk to Soraya Chemaly, an award winning writer and author of Rages Becomes Her, the Power of Women’s Anger. After reading Soraya’s book last year I was so excited to finally have her on the podcast to talk about all of the parallels between women’s anger, diet culture, and body image. And as expected, she did not disappoint. This episode is chock full of amazing nuggets of wisdom from Soraya and ends on a more inspirational note, to help us all use our anger for the betterment of ALL bodies.

In the episode we talk about:

• Why Soraya’s book is not a self-help book.
• Anger and gender norms.
• Why confidence isn’t always a good thing.
• How suppressed anger (or living in a culture that suppresses women’s anger) can disrupt interoceptive awareness.
• Gaslighting 101.
• How to move forward with this information.

Resources:

• Jessi’s Newsletter
• The Nutrition & Body Image Coaching Course
• Soraya’s Website
• Soraya’s Twitter
• Rage Becomes Her on Amazon

Tally Rye is a personal trainer and group fitness instructor in Central London. She trains with a weight-neutral approach and frames exercise as an act of self-care for the body AND mind. Her mission is to empower clients with the support to feel comfortable and confident in a fitness environment, and to change perceptions of exercise as a tedious punishment to something that can be intuitive and fun. She encourages intuitive training by intentionally directing clients to listen to their body cues.

In this episode, Tally describes her transition from studying to musical theater to working in fitness, and her transition from a weight-centric to weight-neutral approach to wellness. She shares nuggets of wisdom and important realizations she has had while incorporating Health at Every Size and intuitive eating into her work as a trainer. Her perspective is highly informative for any trainer hoping to take a body positive approach to their work. Tally explains why rejecting “traditional” fitness marketing (based on shame and guilt) has ultimately helped her business to grow and helped her clients enjoy their sessions more.

In this episode we talk about:

• Tally’s path to becoming a personal trainer.
• Tally’s shift from weight-centric to weight-neutral wellness
• How she educates clients on Health at Every Size and intuitive movement
• Reframing exercise as a form of self-care

• Jessi’s Intuitive Eating Audio Guide
• The Nutrition & Body Image Coaching Course
• Tally’s Website

Lauren Minear is a psychotherapist and yoga teacher who focuses on treating disordered eating, eating disorders, body image, anxiety, and trauma. Her treatment approach is informed by a commitment to social justice and attention to the impact that trauma, relationships, and culture have on the body. Lauren is also the creator of InBodied Yoga® a movement practice that empowers all bodies to practice self-care through yoga poses, mindfulness, breath work, therapeutic exercises, and guided visualizations.

In this episode, Lauren discusses what led her to becoming a psychotherapist and yoga teacher (after starting a career investment banking). Then, Lauren dives deep into trauma-informed movement. She elaborates on how to create healing spaces for individuals recovering from trauma and/or eating disorders. She also touches on nervous system regulation through movement, and on the importance of integrating movement into your life, rather than compartmentalizing it into “exercise.”

In this episode we talk about:

• Lauren’s path to becoming a psychotherapist.
• How she went from investment banker to yoga teacher.
• Trauma informed movement.
• Nervous system regulation and the body’s response to trauma.
• How we can use movement for more than “exercise.”

• Jessi’s Intuitive Eating Audio Guide
• The Nutrition & Body Image Coaching Course
• Lauren’s Website
• In-Bodied Yoga

Caroline Dooner is a comedian, yoga teacher, and author of “The F*ck It Diet.” Caroline transformed years of suffering through the diet mentality and body image issues into writing, yoga classes, and online courses that guide people towards intuitive eating, self-care, and body acceptance. Overall, Caroline helps chronic dieters come back into their bodies, rest, breathe, and be willing to be human.

In this episode, Caroline reads an enlightening excerpt from her new book and briefly discusses her recovery from diet culture and binge eating. She also talks about how, even after she recovered from dieting and body image issues, she still had a lot of societal “rules” to unpack. After moving out of New York City, Caroline committed to taking two years of “rest,” which taught her the true value of “doing nothing.”

In this episode we talk about:

• Caroline’s new book, the F*ck It Diet.
• Why diets are strikingly similar to cults.
• The importance of taking time to do nothing.

Resources

• Jessi’s Intuitive Eating Audio Guide
• The Nutrition & Body Image Coaching Course
• Ep. 048 with Caroline Dooner
• Caroline’s Website
• The F*ck it Diet Book

Victoria Welsby is a body image activist, adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia, TEDx speaker, and the author of “Fierce Fatty: Love Your Body And Live Like The Queen You Already Are!” Victoria went from being homeless and abused with self-esteem that was achingly low to the courageous fat activist and change maker she is today. Victoria guides people towards falling in love with themselves and eating intuitively. Further, she is fiercely dedicated to changing the way society views fat bodies. 

In this episode, Victoria shares the story of how her mindset shifted from feeling that she just had to lose weight to knowing that it was absolutely okay to be fat. She also unpacks the way society measures self-worth, and discusses why and when to set boundaries in personal relationships.

In this episode we talk about:

• Victoria’s journey towards fat acceptance
• Resisting the internal voice that tells anyone they “need” to be “skinny” or “healthy”
• Deriving self-esteem from somewhere other than health and appearance
• Boundary setting in personal relationships

• Jessi’s Intuitive Eating Audio Guide
• The Nutrition & Body Image Coaching Course
• Victoria’s website
• Victoria’s book
• Regan Chastain’s Dances with Fat blog

In this episode I talk to Adrianne Finn, a certified SCOTT Pilates instructor, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Certified Yoga Teacher, TRX and barre instructor. If that wasn’t enough she also has her degree in Kinesiology and Exercise Science and currently works at an eating disorder treatment center where she helps patients honor their body’s unique needs and develop a healthy relationship with movement.

In our last episode my intern Caitlyn and I answered your questions about Intuitive Movement and while we answered A LOT, we didn’t get to quite a few. One of the most-asked questions was does exercise have a place in eating disorder recovery? My hope is that you find some of the answers that you are looking for in today’s episode. That said, a general disclaimer that movement in eating disorder recovery is a highly individualized and nuanced topic so it is really important to work with your treatment team to determine what will work best for you.

In this episode we talk about:

• Exercise in eating disorder recovery.
• How Adrianne began working in an eating disorder treatment center.
• The difference between being resistant or compulsive around movement.
• Pelvic floor health.

Resources:

• JESSI’S INTUITIVE EATING AUDIO GUIDE
• THE NUTRITION & BODY IMAGE COACHING COURSE
• ADRIANNE’S WEBSITE + COURSES

Thank you to our sponsor, Simple Mills!