Conjuring Up Courage

In this episode, I am delighted to give y'all a window into my longest-running friendship. I'm chatting with my childhood bestie, Parisa Zaeri, who is a conductor, coach, and collaborative pianist. We talk about the problems with glorifying hustle culture and defining success in a limited way, the lifelong impact of arts education, Parisa's experiences as a woman of color in a male-dominated field, and more. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/54.

Lindley Ashline is a photographer whose work celebrates bodies that fall outside conventional standards of beauty. In this episode, she and I discussed the harm caused by negative media portrayals of fat bodies, how Lindley's anger inspired her to create her own stock photography site, whether or not Photoshop manipulation is art, and more. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/53.

Welcome to the inaugural Pride Panel! I both moderate and participate in this hella gay panel alongside past guests Erica Smith, Alex Locust, Rocky Lane, and Sarah Swofford. During this kiki, the five of us chatted about how to support the baby queers of the world, ways to foster cross-movement solidarity, and the importance of making activism sustainable. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/52.

TW: Discussion of violence against Black/trans folx.

Listeners were given the opportunity to submit their burning questions for the Girl Gang, and in this episode, we answer some of those questions. You'll get to hear about how we're handling the stress of the pandemic, Ally's adventures with acrylic nails, our advice for how to make lasting adult friendships, the movies that turned us on as kids, and more hilarity. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/51.

 This little ol' podcast has made it to the big 5-0! To celebrate this milestone, I am taking you on a behind-the-scenes tour of Redefining Health & Wellness. In this episode, I share how the podcast came to be, get you up close and personal with the podcast finances, and walk you through my process for creating each episode. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/50.

Roz "The Diva" Mays is a personal trainer, pole dancing instructor, and the mastermind behind Team DIVA. Roz joined me in conversation to drop some knowledge about why it's okay (and expected) to suck when you're learning something new, the importance of finding exercise that you like, and her belief that it's a coach's job to clear the b******t so their clients can electric slide to glory. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/49.

The fitness status quo is toxic for all who encounter it, and it has especially poisonous effects on the most marginalized. Ilya Parker, the owner of Decolonizing Fitness, calls out the problematic nature of mainstream fitness and lays out ways in which we can replace it with a new paradigm that is social justice-oriented. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/48.

TW: Discussion of dieting behaviors and violence against Black and trans folx.

Amber Karnes, the founder of Body Positive Yoga and the co-creator of Yoga For All Teacher Training, joined me in conversation to chat about body liberation and Health At Every Size©. We discussed the importance of creating a culture of consent in yoga and fitness classes, and tweaks instructors can make to their language to be more inclusive. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/47.

Spending time in nature can lead to more embodiment, and you don't even have to be a hardcore outdoorsperson to take advantage. Unlikely Hikers founder, Jenny Bruso, joins me in this episode to talk about the many benefits of the great outdoors, the different kinds of barriers to enjoying nature people may face, respecting the history of the land you're on, and more. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/46.

Anna Chapman is a ray of sunshine in addition to being a fat-positive yoga and meditation teacher, brand strategist, and podcaster. In this episode, Anna and I chat about how to start dressing for you (and stop dressing for other people), what kinds of movement "count," the process of reclaiming the word "fat," and so much more. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/45.