Embodied

The name Embodied came to Anita in a dream, and she's on a quest to figure out how that happened. She talks to a dreamworker about strengthening the bridge between dreaming and creativity, unpacks weird COVID-19 dreams and learns about nightmare therapy.

Meet the guests:

- Angel Morgan, an artist, filmmaker and the founder of Dreambridge, gives Anita a Dream Science 101 lesson and shares how folks can better connect their dreams to their creativity

- Chris Ufere, the founder and CEO of uDreamed, a free online service for dream logging, talks about analyzing 3,000 COVID19 dreams and what patterns emerged

- Michael Nadorff, an associate professor of psychology at Mississippi State University, shares his research on the link between nightmares and suicide

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Anita got friend dumped for the first time in 6th grade, and she's still not over it. She talks to folks about the distinct pain of a platonic breakup and gets some tools for building strong friendships, setting boundaries and figuring out when it's time to let go.

Meet the guests:

- Michelle Elman, an author and life coach best known for her activism campaign Scarred Not Scared, tells Anita about "the mass exodus" — a period of time in which she went through multiple friend breakups

- Tony Liu, a medical student and former radio and podcast producer for NPR and "On Being"shares how tenderness informs how he makes and breaks up with friends

- KB Newton, the founder and creator of HEART Convos talks about being a recovering "trash friend"

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Anita has no qualms about being an armchair therapist for friends going through a breakup. But sometimes she wonders how her advice aligns with what relationship experts say. Advice columnists Meredith Goldstein and Stacia Brown give guidance on breaking up "well," going no-contact, navigating social media, and finding the right breakup anthem for the moment.

Meet the Guests:

- Meredith Goldstein, writer and podcast host behind The Boston Globe column and podcast "Love Letters," shares insights from her personal and professional experiences with love and heartbreak

- Stacia Brown, writer and producer, talks about her own pandemic breakup and shares wisdom akin to what she delivers regularly in her role as a columnist for Slate's parenting advice column "Care and Feeding"

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Anita has a close nuclear family unit but knows that's not the case for everyone. Meeting folks who — by choice or circumstance — are estranged from members of their family, she hears reflections on finding belonging elsewhere and seeking support from non-traditional sources. She also learns from two siblings who were estranged for more than 40 years that while reconciliation is possible, it's not for everyone.

Meet the Guests:

- Raksha Vasudevan, a writer, talks about her estrangement from her father, mother and brother and how being an immigrant shapes how she thinks about her family story

- Tiffany Scott's father left their family and stopped speaking with her in 2016. She talks about what it was like to be ghosted by her dad and how she's still making sense of her family's experience

- Siblings Fern Schumer Chapman and Scott Schumer share their 40-year estrangement story and what led to their reconciliation eight years ago. Fern wrote the book “Brothers, Sisters, Strangers: Sibling Estrangement and the Road to Reconciliation"

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Anita figures out why everybody's talking about the pelvic floor. Turns out, getting-to-know the hammock-like structure of muscles we carry around has helped some people heal their relationships with sex and their bodies. She also uncovers the game-changing ways her own dad has contributed to pelvic floor medicine.

Meet the Guests:

- Ijeoma Nwankpa, a certified specialist in pelvic health, trained sexuality counselor and owner of the Center of Pelvic Excellence Physical Therapy & Wellness LLC, gives us an education in pelvic floor health

- Allyson Byers, a freelance writer and editor, shares her personal experience seeking help for pelvic floor pain

- Dr. Satish Rao (Anita's dad), a professor of medicine at Augusta University and a specialist in gastroenterology, hares his work pushing for more collaborative study of the pelvic floor as it relates to the bowels

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Anita's voice is her bread and butter, but yours likely means a lot to you too. How we sound speaks volumes about our identities...but should it? A vocalist, a vocal coach and an artist sound out the links between voice and gender, and what our built-in instruments reveal about who we are.

Meet the Guests:

- Tona Brown, a violinist and vocalist who founded Aida Studios, talks about becoming the first trans vocalist to headline at Carnegie Hall and the space she's creating for other students as a music instructor

- Kevin Dorman, a speech-language pathologist and vocal coach at their business Prismatic Speech Services, talks about helping folks change their voice to better reflect their identity

- Andrea Oliver Roberts, a multi-disciplinary artist based in Winnipeg, shares their work explores the intersections of technology, capitalism, and identity

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Anita applies herself to learning the fascinating history of her favorite item of makeup: bold red lipstick. Experts and aficionados tell her about influencers who have shaped makeup throughout history, from Rosie the Riveter to Rihanna, and how the cosmetics industry has evolved over time.

Meet the Guests:

- Rae Nudson, the author of "All Made Up: The Power and Pitfalls of Beauty Culture from Cleopatra to Kim Kardashian," takes us through the history of products like bold red lipstick and blue eyeshadow

- Dawn Mitchell, a licensed cosmetologist, talks about the history of inclusivity in the makeup industry and why she founded her own beauty and skincare line Pretty Till Dawn

- Natasha Noir Nightly, an activist and the winner of the Miss Blue Ridge Pride 2018, shares her makeup philosophy and the technique behind her signature look as a bearded drag queen

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Anita brings the RESOLVED series to a close by revisiting a conversation about body neutrality. Fat activists teach her about radical reframes, including body positivity and a newer term to her: body neutrality.

Meet the Guests:

- Virgie Tovar, a fat activist, host of the Rebel Eaters Club podcast and author of “The Self-Love Revolution: Radical Body Positivity for Girls of Color" talks about why body neutrality is a helpful step for some in their body liberation journey

- Tigress Osborn, thee chair of the board of directors for the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, shares the history of fat liberation and what's been lost as the movement has shifted away from its black, radical roots

- Zoë Bisbing, a psychotherapist and co-founder of the Full Bloom Project, talks about building a research-informed resource for those who want to foster a body-positive next generation

Go deeper with the Anti-Diet series discussion guide

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Intuitive eating is an approach to food and health that encourages tuning into your body’s signals about when, what and how much to eat. Anita talks to a neuroscientist about how our brains respond to dieting and two registered dieticians walk her through the 10 principles of intuitive eating and what can change for folks when they relearn their body's food cues.

Meet the Guests:

- Sandra Aamodt, a neuroscientist and author of Why Diets Make Us Fat: The Unintended Consequences of Our Obsession With Weight Loss, talks about the neuroscience of our how we response to food

- Vincci Tsui, a registered dietician and certified intuitive eating counselor, shares her approach to coaching folks through the 10 intuitive eating principles

- Christyna Johnson, a registered dietician and host of the podcast Intuitive Eating for the Culture, explores how moving away from diet culture can help you embrace your cultural heritage

Go deeper with the Anti-Diet series discussion guide

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Diet culture is the water we're all swimming in. Anita unpacks the science that props it up with a registered dietician and certified internal medicine physician. She also hears how folks are pushing back against the ways it manifests in the doctor's office, on the trails, and in the gym.

Meet the Guests:

- Christy Harrison, an anti-diet registered dietician and a certified intuitive eating counselor takes us inside the history she explores in her book: "Anti-Diet: Reclaim Your Time, Money, Well-Being, and Happiness Through Intuitive Eating."

- Dr. Louise Metz, an internal medicine physician and the owner of Mosaic Comprehensive Care in Chapel Hill, NC talks about being a Health At Every Size healthcare provider

- Mirna Valerio, also known as "The Mirnavator," is an ultrarunner, marathoner and the author of "A Beautiful Work in Progress," which tells the story of her experience as an athlete in a fat body

- Ilya Parker, a physical therapist assistant, certified medical exercise specialist, and the owner of Decolonizing Fitness, talks about building an online education resource for breaking down toxic fitness and diet culture

- Natalia Petrzela, a historian and a professor at The New School in New York City shares the history of fitness culture

Go deeper with the Anti-Diet series discussion guide

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