Life. Unrestricted. Podcast: Boost Your Body Image And Recover From Food & Exercise Madness.

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 of yourself. Love to all of you

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 with exercise and eating – Why sh

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 Recovery for Adults Meal Support Ser

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), among others, and he has bee

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 all designed to help people inc

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 how to finally get it. Listen

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 care about." And as if THAT

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 – Why a story of "I am a sugar/bre

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 only able to break that compulsio

  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 been licensed psychologis

Hey there, lovely radicals... podcast time! Today, on the "Life. Unrestricted." podcast, you'll hear the episode that was the toughest—by far—to record for me. And therefore the toughest for me to release. Yet, maybe it's also the most important one. When I say: I’m flying blind from this point on, I mean it quite literally. Find out my plans for the next months, as well as what’s happening with the podcast. One thing's for sure: You'll be hearing from me. As always, with love.

Download Episode! Hey, lovely radicals... podcast time! In today's episode of the "Life. Unrestricted." podcast, we’re going to change perspectives a little bit. We’ve been talking a lot about how our upbringing, our parents, our environment – and of course the insidious messages that our diet-obsessed culture bombards us with! – shape the way we grow to view ourselves, our bodies and the world. Today, however, I will share another possible angle with you: Could it also be our country’s traditions and our country’s culture that are influencing the way we show up, the way we interact with others, and how we deal with our insecurities? It just might! I’d love to share my thoughts about how my own country might be influencing the way how we, as Swiss people, tend to deal with our perceived weaknesses, our mental health struggles, our vulnerabilities, and how that often keeps us from finding support, or even to share our struggles with others. I hope you like it! With love from Zurich, Meret www.lifeunrestricted

Hey, lovely radicals... podcast time! In today's episode of the "Life. Unrestricted." podcast, I talk to Chris Sandel from outside of London, UK. Chris is a health and nutrition expert who runs his own company called "7 Health", and alongside that, his wonderful podcast "Real Health Radio". Chris works with clients all over the world through private consultations, and he also creates and runs online training programs. Chris’ approach to health and food is completely non-dogmatic, and he knows that there IS no solution that’s perfect for everybody, and that the more anxious and stressed out we are about food and weight, our health and our life will only suffer for it. Chris wants his clients to find their own personal best health, whatever that means for each individual, mentally, physically and emotionally. He also has a specific interest in improving client’s general relationships with food and body image issues. Listen to Chris talk about: – Why he considers himself lucky in terms of body image, and relaxed

Lovely radicals... it's podcast time! In this week’s episode of the "Life. Unrestricted." podcast, it’s my great pleasure to talk to Dr. Michelle Lelwica from Minnesota. Michelle is a professor of religion at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, where she teaches courses on the intersection of religion, gender, culture, and the body. She did all of her graduate work at Harvard Divinity School, where she received a Masters of Theological Studies in Christianity and Culture (1989) and a Doctorate of Theology in Religion Gender and Culture (1996). She is the author of "Shameful Bodies: Religion and the Culture of Physical Improvement" (2017), "The Religion of Thinness: Satisfying the Spiritual Hungers behind Women’s Obsession with Food and Weight" (2009), and "Starving for Salvation: The Spiritual Dimensions of Eating Problems among American Girls and Women" (1999). She has also written different scholarly articles and popular blogs addressing women’s conflicted relationships to their bodies. In our conver

Download Episode! Hey there, lovely radicals... podcast time! In today's episode of the "Life. Unrestricted." podcast, I talk to Alan Levinovitz from Charlottesville, Virginia. Alan is an assistant professor of religion at James Madison University, and his academic work focuses on classical Chinese thought, the philosophy of play, and the intersection of religion and medicine. He studied philosophy and religion at Stanford, and received his Ph.D. in religion and literature from the University of Chicago Divinity School. His writing has appeared in numerous media outlets as well as academic journals. Listen to Alan talk about: – What made him see and investigate the connection between religion and our culture’s obsession with "wildly attaching morality/miracle powers" to different foods – Why he would personally have chosen a different title for the book – Where the inclination to attribute (somewhat random) superpowers to certain foods comes from – Why we are so susceptible to fall for miracle promises and

Download Episode! Hey, lovely radicals... podcast time! In today's episode of the "Life. Unrestricted." podcast, I’m talking to Marya Hornbacher from Minneapolis, USA. Marya is known for many things. She is an assistant professor of Writing Arts at Rowan University, she is an award-winning journalist and – as most of you might know – she is also a bestselling author, most known for her memoir on anorexia called "Wasted" (which was published when she was 22 years old). Ten years after that, she published a memoir on Bipolar Disorder called "Madness", after which she came out with an acclaimed novel called "The Center of Winter", followed by two books about mental health, addiction, recovery and spirituality; one called "Sane", the other one "Waiting". Marya has a lot more in the works, but we’ll talk about that – among myriad of other things – in our beautiful conversation. You'll hear Marya talk about: – When and why she became self-conscious about her body as a child – How her parents related to weight – Wh

Download Episode! Lovely radicals, it's podcast time! In today's episode of the "Life. Unrestricted." podcast, I get to talk to Dana Sturtevant from Portland, Oregon. Dana is a trainer, mentor, Kripalu Yoga teacher, and Registered Dietitian specializing in Health at Every Size (HAES) and Intuitive Eating. She is the co-founder of "Be Nourished", a revolutionary business helping people heal body dissatisfaction and reclaim body trust. In her work, Dana loves to incorporate mindfulness and self-compassion practices, and she is specialized in Motivational Interviewing techniques. She has facilitated more than 300 workshops throughout the United States for health care providers looking to enhance their skills in behavior-change counseling, and her work has been published in various media outlets. You'll hear Dana talk about: – How lucky she was to be able to grow up in a household where there were no diets, body shaming or any sort of hyper-focus on "healthy eating" – When and why she became self-conscious about

Lovely radicals... podcast time! This week on the "Life. Unrestricted." podcast, I am talking about a topic that sadly doesn't get addressed nearly enough: The importance of recognizing anorexia in people in bigger bodies. In our thin-obsessed culture, eating disorders go undetected at alarming rates. With the stereotypical depiction of an emaciated teen (white, female, cis-gendered) being at the forefront of people's minds when it comes to eating disorders, the majority of sufferers either don't "feel sick enough" to seek treatment, or their symptoms get dismissed if they don't present said emaciated weight-status. This has horrendous ramifications. The majority of eating disorders happen OUTSIDE of this severely underweight range. We need to start asking patients about symptoms, not weights. How about: – Is your hair thinning out? – Are you still getting your period? (Meaning a natural period, not a withdrawal bleed from the birth control pill!) – Do you have trouble sleeping? – Tell me about your mood. Is

Hey, lovely radicals... podcast time! In today's episode of the "Life. Unrestricted." podcast, I talk to Dr. Steve Prentice from Columbus, Ohio. Steve, as a practicing chiropractor and health contrarian since 1996, has spent his career questioning the status quo and the accepted norms when it comes to health and wellbeing. His experience working with thousands of patients over the past 20 years led him to create what he termed quote "the stress-centered approach to health" and he now leads his patients through the process of restoring their health and quality of life while rejecting many of the restrictive and obsessive health recommendations that are promising quick results and lead so many people into feeling of increased trapped-ness and misery. His brand-new book called "Wrecked" has just come out, and rarely before has a small book made me sigh with relief like his. Steve will tell us: – When he started to feel self-conscious about his body – Why it was in his chiropractor education that he basically sto

Download Episode! Hey there, lovely radicals... podcast time! This week on the "Life. Unrestricted." podcast, I get to talk to Dr. Michelle May from Phoenix, Arizona. Dr. Michelle May 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 training. "Am I Hungry?" empowers people to end chronic dieting 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" and, 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 all designed to help people increase self-awareness of beliefs, habits, thoughts, feelings and physical sensations, to finally understand why di