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Charis Stiles (she/her) wants us all to feel like we belong, are accepted, and are worthy of love. Often, the barriers to feeling this way stem from wounding that was out of our control, however there’s a lot we can do to repair, heal, and rebuild a sense of self. Charis describes how we can examine self-limiting beliefs, separate out what are real external barriers and what are internalized barriers, and let go of shame and perfectionism.

Charis is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) living in the San Francisco Bay Area. She’s a therapist, educator, and activist. In addition to proving therapy, she trains organizations on proving fat positive care. She’s taught social work at San Jose State and been a clinical supervisor for new therapists. She identifies as fat, queer, white cisgender (elder) millennial, managing daily life with an autoimmune disorder. When she’s not working, she’s reading romance novels, watching lots of cat TikTok, and trying her hand at ceramics.

Please connect with Charis through her website.

This episode’s poem is called “Starfish” by Eleanor Lerman.

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