Fuel Your Strength

One of the most common problems I hear from folks is the struggle of depriving yourself of food, only to end up overdoing it. Our culture has taught us that we cannot trust ourselves and that the way to stop overeating and start to 'lose weight' is by depriving and restricting ourselves, and that is simply not true.

I want you to honor your body by breaking the cycle between guilt and deprivation, and stop feeling like you are failing. Instead of 'last supper eating' or starting again on Monday, you can allow yourself to make peace with the presence of food and start to experience your food on a deeper level. A positive relationship with food is possible when you can gain an outline of the process of making peace with food, which is what this episode will teach you how to do.

Have you been struggling with depriving yourself of food and are ready to start feeling at peace with food instead? Share how you are working to turn your situation around and embrace a more peaceful way of eating with us in the comments on the episode page.

In This Episode

• Ways that you can start making peace with food in your own daily life (2:21)
• How to identify the foods that you don't allow yourself to eat for no good reason (8:50)
• The psychological and physical effects that come from depriving yourself (13:10)
• Tips for breaking the cycle between guilt and deprivation and avoiding overwhelm (16:45)
• Why you should take your time and slow down when experiencing food (21:10)

Quotes

"[Intuitive Eating] is not a yes/no list, it is not a list of hard and fast rules that need to be done in a specific order or for a specific amount of time and all of a sudden things are going to be completely better. It's applying it to a living breathing human, which is you, and all of your uniqueness." (3:50)

"The more you say 'don't do this, don't think about it', the more you think about it. So in order to stop the bingeing, to stop the overeating, to stop the 'last supper eating', and ultimately to stop the guilt, is to systematically make peace with food." (18:43)

"When you start to relax into the idea that the food is going to be there, the shininess of that object wears off, the novelty wears off. A novelty in our brains and dopamine go together, but if the food is there, or we are allowing ourselves to have it, it looses that forbidden fruit value." (19:36)

"We always think we have to earn and burn our food… we have to let go of the idea of 'making up for it'. Because that is a condition, it is not unconditional." (25:35)

"Every time you take that step toward making peace with food, giving yourself that permission, checking in with your body, you are building bricks of trust." (28:38)

Links

LTYB 288: How To Ditch Dieting (Intuitive Eating Principle 1)

LTYB 289: Honoring Your Hunger (Intuitive Eating Principle 2)

Join the Listen To Your Body Newsletter

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Has your body ever held you back from doing something that you may enjoy? Megs Elemans is a boudoir photographer from Canada who is here today to explore the powerful ability that photography has to help you find more peace with your body.

By honoring women's bodies and respecting where they are at in their journey, Megs is supporting the process of moving rather than arriving. Even if boudoir is out of your comfort zone, Megs non-judgemental and caring ambiance may convince you to start taking the small steps necessary to love your right now body.

Everything from body acceptance, tips for decreasing anxiousness in front of the camera, and the stigma Megs received from postpartum images are on the table today as we explore what it means to find a way back to yourself through the art of photography.

Instead of hiding the parts of yourself, you may not love, Megs is here to empower you to do whatever the hell you want with your body, no matter what size. Are you ready to accept how your body evolves with you over time? Share what you loved most about Megs refreshing and candid approach to self-love and acceptance in the comments section of the episode page.

In This Episode

• How photography can help you find peace and growth with your current body (11:25)
• Tracing back the shame and guilt many women feel around their bodies (18:52)
• Addressing our society's obsession with 'arriving' rather than the journey (22:45)
• The role of motherhood when dealing with unrealistic diet culture standards (28:04)
• Tips for anyone who is uncomfortable with the camera and wants to try it again (36:25)

Quotes

"I realized that I had stumbled onto something kind of profound here in that there is something incredibly concentrated and powerful in these sessions I do with women where they can step into themselves in this really raw and really quick way." (8:41)

"The difference between a lot of other boudoir photographers that I see is that I make no attempt to hide the parts of yourself that you might not like, I don't use clever lighting or clever poses and I don't really dabble with photoshop at all, and I pose women in bigger bodies the same way that I pose women in smaller bodies." (13:43)

"I toe that line between honoring those things that you don't like about yourself but also not overtly going out of my way to hide them because I don't want to reinforce this hate that you have for whatever specific part of your body." (20:26)

"I don't need you to love yourself, there will always be things about yourself that you don't like, body or personality, that's not the point. I need you to not let your body stop you from doing things that you like to do or might like to do if you were "10 pounds lighter"." (24:33)

"I know that if you have a disgust with what I am doing, that is something that is going on with you, and it has nothing to do with me." (35:22)

Links

Follow Megs on Instagram | Facebook

ME Photo Website

Join the Listen To Your Body Newsletter

Check out the full show notes here! Follow Steph on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Pinterest

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Life, as we know it, has changed and our creative expression has changed as well. Instead of focusing on self-actualization, many are turning to the powers of community, collective, and creativity in order to heal and step into alignment. Rai Henry is a personal coach who is passionate about helping others reignite their creativity, and step out of the hustle and into the flow.

While you may not consider yourself a 'creative', Rai believes that anyone who is tapping into a part of themselves in order to express it to others fits into the creative mold. By being intentional about your life, business and values, Rai helps others show up in a way that aligns with your DNA, or Divine Natural Approach.

Through deliberate work, you can recognize the blocks in your life and learn how to flow through them. Rai wants to get to know you and open you up to the limitless possibilities that are waiting for you. By focusing on your own personal responsibility you can look inside to achieve better flow, heal from trauma, and start living your life by design.

Are you ready to use your creative expression as a tool for healing, aligning, and thriving? Share what you loved most about Rai's unique and refreshing perspective with us in the comments on the episode page.

In This Episode

• Discover what it means to be creative and make an impact aligned with your vision (11:15)
• Why the individual self-actualization approach is being replaced with the collective (18:20)
• How to experience the energy of creativity and flow and recognize your blocks (20:30)
• Tips for expanding your view of abundance and co-creation within your tribe (24:50)
• How to give yourself permission to thrive after trauma and learn to trust yourself (28:08)

Quotes

"That's really what I am here to do. Help people show up in the world, have an impact, but really find their true values along the way." (10:07)

"In a time like today where the world is going through such revolution and transformation, it can be very easy to feel like you are doing it alone, when truly we are doing it as a collective." (17:21)"Were shifting from that individual model, and the only way to do that is to be transparent, to be vulnerable, and to be open about what you are experiencing so that you can connect to your community or your tribe and grow beyond your own limitations." (19:59)

"I didn't have any of the guidance, I didn't have any kind of blueprint or framework to work from. But I forged it myself, along with spirit guiding me and the beautiful, what I call messengers, that showed up at different phases of my life. And I have charted that process, and I have taken note of what those key factors were, and I have applied them to the principles of your heroes' journey, and that is the framework for the work that I am doing right now." (34:27)

"We are all on one journey, but there are infinite possibilities. So it is so important to remember it is absolutely up to you to choose the flow that works for you. Choose your flow by unlocking that potential and being intentional and deliberate about the life that you want to live, or the business that you want to create." (37:00)

Links

Follow Rai on Instagram

Create, Collab + Flow Website

Sponsor a Scholarship for BIPOC Creatives

Join the Listen To Your Body Newsletter

Check out the full show notes here! Follow Steph on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Pinterest

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Intuitive eating is not just a list of rules that will tell you what to do and what not to do. While that may sound scary, intuitive eating will give you entry points of investigation so that you can begin to implement new things and get more in touch with yourself. Although it is often very different than what people expect it to be, intuitive eating can be transformative if you prepare yourself with the knowledge you need before diving in. This is why I have created a series all about the 10 Intuitive Eating Principles you need to know before getting started.

Intuitive eating principle number two is all about learning how to sense and honor your hunger. By building skills such as heightening your awareness within your body, learning how to dismantle diet culture and the systems of oppression it feeds into you can return to trusting that your body signals are not trying to fuck you over.

Many people are ignoring the cries of our bodies because diet culture has taught us to distrust our bodies. Today I urge you to stop listening to them and start listening to what is right for your body so that you can embrace your body's own innate wisdom and signals. Hunger can show up in so many different ways, and it is only by becoming aware of your own unique hunger whispers that you can take the next step in your intuitive eating journey.

Are you ready to find greater peace with food and honor your hunger? Share what you struggle with most about intuitive eating principle two and how you are working to heal it in the comments on the episode page.

In This Episode

• How to build your own interoceptive awareness around feeling hungry (8:10)
• Why intuitive eating is not just listening to your body to know when to eat (11:03)
• The four things you need to know about honoring your sense of hunger (12:05)
• Understanding your biological drive for energy and how to stop overriding it (18:08)
• Tips for catching your hunger at a whisper before it turns into a shout (23:13)

Quotes

"Beginning to implement intuitive eating in your life to find more peace with food, to be able to eat the foods you enjoy without feeling guilty, to allow yourself to experience that, and to move away from the extremes that I know you are tired of." (4:33)

"Hunger is one of your bodies signals, it is a natural body signal. And if you can sense your hunger, that is a very good thing. That means there is a connection, an open line of communication, between you and your body. It is not something to fear, it is something to be grateful for." (8:40)

"Diet culture is not stopping, and it is certainly not stopping for a fucking pandemic, its not stopping because we are in social isolation, if anything its getting louder, and its getting louder in certain ways as it strives to stay relevant. We are consistently confronted with this stuff, so we can't just lock ourselves away." (13:41)

"When you withhold and restrict your food intake, your body compensates by increasing your drive and desire to eat, while also oftentimes decreasing your desire to move." (22:16)

"This is where it is really important to get clear about your personal body signals that you notice when your hunger starts to creep up on you." (24:14)

Links

Join the Listen To Your Body Newsletter

LTYB 275: The Anti-Diet Approach to Eating with Evelyn Tribole

LTYB 266: How To Listen To Your Body with Steph Gaudreau

LTYB 284: How Neuroscience Can Help You Listen To Your Body Alyssa Chang

Intuitive Eating: Why Hunger Isn't Your Only Cue Blog Post

Check out the full show notes here! Follow Steph on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Pinterest

I'd really love it if you would take 1 min and leave us a rating and review on iTunes!

Today I am kicking off a new 10 part series all about the principles of intuitive eating. Not only will I be rehashing the principles, but I will also be taking a deep dive into the implementation of these principles so that you can start applying them into your own life. First up are the four things you need to know in order to implement principle one of intuitive eating, also known as ditching the diet mentality.

If you want to do the work and embrace the idea of rejecting the diet mentality and ditching dieting, this is an episode you cannot miss. It takes both internal cues and external health frameworks to help you avoid being in food jail and find a more peaceful way of eating. By getting clear of your past history with dieting and what it has cost you, and providing yourself with compassion, you can stop blaming yourself and start implementing these principles.

As a society, we are not acknowledging the downsides and risks of dieting and restriction. Intuitive eating can help you get clear on what you want your relationship of food to look like based entirely on what is right for your body. You are not a failure, it is the systematic oppression built into diet culture that is to blame.

Are you ready to stand up and stop being controlled by diet culture? Share how you are making peace with your history of diet culture and how you want to move forward with us in the comments section of the episode page.

In This Episode

• Learn about the ten principles of intuitive eating and how to engage with them (4:22)
• Why principle one can cause cognitive dissonance and how to make it real for you (6:50)
• Tips for rejecting the diet mentality and staying true to that decision (10:04)
• The downsides of dieting and restrictions and how to open your eyes to it (15:30)
• How to avoid being overwhelmed by the first intuitive eating principle (23:06)

Quotes

"I am putting my focus and attention on things like facilitating intuitive eating for you, helping you find more peace with food and your body, helping you end the exhaustion around these things, and helping you get to a place that is more ease filled and less of a battle." (3:08)

"This is an unlearning and learning, this is not something we are going to do in a day. And it's not something we can do by just reading it in theory, it is a practice. It is a living breathing practice because you are a living breathing human being." (8:47)

"You don't know what you don't know, and you probably didn't know about what diet culture is until very recently, and that's okay. We have to have that forgiveness for ourselves and that compassion for ourselves." (13:35)

"It's not a lack of willpower that has gotten you to this point. It is not a lack of willpower that means you have struggled with maintaining a diet in the past. There is a lot here to have care and kindness and compassion for yourself about." (22:51)

"You are not the failure. Diet culture as a system of oppression is the failure." (24:05)

Links

Join the Listen To Your Body Newsletter

LTYB 287: Top 5 Things To Know Before You Start Intuitive Eating

LTYB 273: Opting Out Of Diet Culture with Naomi Katz

Check out the full show notes here! Follow Steph on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Pinterest

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Intuitive eating is not an invitation to binge eat junk food, nor is it a restrictive diet. Intuitive eating is a practice and pursuit that is rooted deeply within all of us, but something that many of us have forgotten over time thanks to societal norms and diet culture. This episode is all about inviting you to discover intuitive eating as a lifestyle framework and prepare you for the new mindset ahead.

If you are sick and tired of being obsessed with food and your body, are afraid or unsure of how to start intuitive eating, or maybe need a reality check on your expectations when it comes to intuitive eating, this is the episode for you. Answering many of the questions I get all of the time in response to this topic, today I am here on a solo episode to help you start on the action of transformation in your life.

Everything you need to know before returning to intuitive eating as a practice and pursuit is jam-packed into this episode so that you can get a better idea of what you are getting yourself into, and the diet culture you are getting away from. I am here to defend your mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical wellbeing, and I truly believe that the pervasive and judgemental diet culture that society has told us we need to follow is a detriment to all of the realms of your health.

It may take time, but finding a more peaceful relationship with food and your body, getting over your obsession, and having the time and energy to apply yourself to things you enjoy doing is so worth the time and effort. It only takes small, incremental steps to start to see a world of difference in the way you view yourself, others, and the world around you.

How do you feel about intuitive eating? Share your experience with me in the comments section of the episode page.

In This Episode

• How to break free from diet culture and how it impacts how you view your body (11:05)
• Tips for tuning into your inner signals to discover the foods that you actually like (14:18)
• Learn about the 10 core principles of intuitive eating as a lifestyle framework (18:50)
• Why intuitive eating is hard at the beginning but gets easier as you go (21:04)
• What to do if you want to gain clarity around what is truly important to you (28:05)

Quotes

"Our default nature is as intuitive eaters, so when I say 'what you need to know before you start intuitive eating', it just really is a bit of a hat tip to the fact that somewhere along the way the vast majority of you, including myself, have lost touch with our inner intuitive eater." (11:03)

"There is a common perception that intuitive eating is the polar opposite of dieting, which is very restricted and very regimented. And that is false." (13:48)

"Intuitive eating as a named framework has 10 principles. And they all overlap and they are all designed to help you repair your relationship with food and your body." (19:00)

"Intuitive eating and dieting are very different. A diet starts off easy and gets harder as you go. Intuitive eating starts off harder and gets easier as you go. They are very different paradigms." (21:59)

"It's okay that it is going to take time, you are worth it! Finding a more peaceful relationship with food and your body, getting off the crazy obsession with food and your body, having the time and energy to do other stuff, and care about other things is life-changing. It's worth doing the work, it is worth the time it is going to take." (31:51)

Links

Join the Listen To Your Body Newsletter

Follow Steph on Instagram

Three Steps to Ditching Food Guilt

Check out the full show notes here! Follow Steph on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Pinterest

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Today I'm sharing some thoughts on why anti-racism awareness and work is essential in the health space if we're to see our clients and community fully. Let me be super clear: Black Lives Matter. I'm not an anti-racism expert or educator. On this show, I'll flesh out what I think my role in the intuitive eating world is and share a couple of the ways I'm planning move forward in my journey toward building a more anti-racist podcast and business.

Have you ever felt like you are not enough? Bonnie Gillespie is the guru in Hollywood for self-management and is here today to help you start owning your enoughness. Bonnie had dreams of becoming a Hollywood actress, but when she got an assignment to pull back the curtain on Hollywood and gain some insider knowledge, she realized it takes a lot more than a perfect monologue to become successful in show biz. After writing her book, Self Management for Actors, Bonnie decided to work beyond her current industry so that she could help anyone learn why they are enough.

The paradox of self-worth and enoughness is something that many of us struggle with, and it is only by showing up as your authentic self, discovering what it is you want, and learning how to trust that you can stop outsourcing your enoughness.

Currently we are dealing with the loss of many conveniences and distractions that we often use to draw our energy away from examining our life choices. Bonnie is here today to help guide you to a positive way of thinking that will help you focus on the people who are already on board for you are, instead of trying to convince others of your worthiness.

Instead of changing who you are to fit the circumstance, Bonnie wants you to show up as your authentic self and focus on the long game so that you can 'book the room'. Full of inherent wisdom and practical advice, this is an episode you do not want to miss.

Are you ready to create a life that is designed for you? Share what you loved most about Bonnie's story with us in the comments on the episode page.

In This Episode

• Tips for assessing your enoughness in the digital area (11:00)
• Why you need to start showing up as your authentic self (19:15)
• What it looks like to outsource your enoughness and how to take it back (23:23)
• Practical ways to get deeper and learn how to use your trust muscle (28:35)
• How to get curious about what your body is trying to teach you (31:50)

Quotes

"If I can help a generation of people who get rejected for a living feel as though I am enough, and there is nothing I need to change. I am as I am exactly where I need to be and who I need to be and having the experiences that I need to have, that's something that I want to bring to more people." (9:40)

"The way we fix that is by always looking at the big picture. How do I add to my fan base by making the way I show up be authentic and true to the way I am and the message that I want to put out in the world?" (19:52)

"If instead, we put our energy on how to serve the third of the population that is already on board for exactly who I am and what I am effortlessly, we can have massive success. But we spend so much energy looking at how we can convert people who were never into us to begin with." (22:17)

"What we are seeing happening right now, is so many people have lost the conveniences and the little things they could fill their life and time with that distracted them from the fact that they have actually made a series of life choices that aren't their own." (26:10)

"It doesn't take very long to build that trust back to the point where we can actually listen to our bodies, listen to our guts, listen to those spidey senses that start tingling, in ways that allow our road to be a lot more collaborative." (32:38)

Links

Self-Management For Actors by Bonnie Gillespie

Bonnie Gillespie Website

Follow Bonnie on Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook

Join the Listen To Your Body Newsletter

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Have you ever thought about the connection between becoming more aligned with your body through the understanding of how your brain is working and interpreting information? Alyssa Chang is a brain-based health and movement coach who is here today to open up a completely new doorway for you to gain awareness, clarity, and insight into the things you have been dealing with.

Alyssa views neurology and neuroplasticity as the science of hope and is here to explore a different take on so many of the things that you may be dealing with on a regular basis. Unresolved trauma, chronic pain, how you experience hunger and so much more can be connected back to your brain. By becoming aware of how your body incorporates these signals, you can get clear on your specific symptoms so that you can listen to your body better.

Through the creation of movement therapy options, you can strengthen the signals from your brain and tap into your interoceptive awareness. If you want to find out how strengthening your eye muscles could help you gain more expansive movement, are looking for practical ways to start listening to your body, or just want to gain an understanding on a topic that you may never have heard about before, this is an episode you truly cannot miss.

An incredibly fascinating episode all about bridging the gap between your brain and your body, Alyssa wants to help you become an expert in your body. Are you ready to become a scientist of movement, food, and mindset so that you can open up the conversation of neuroplasticity inside your body? Share which piece of new information blew your mind with us in the comments on the episode page.

In This Episode

• How to experience hunger by replacing judgment and shame with curiosity (11:55)
• What to do if you are struggling with intuition and listening to your body (16:10)
• Why moving your eyes could improve your other movement options (18:45)
• Exercises that you can try to get your eyes moving off your screen (23:07)
• Learn about a brain-based perspective when it comes to carbohydrates (29:40)
• Signs to watch out for to avoid overcorrections while removing blame (33:10)

Quotes

"When people hear the brain, they often mix it up with mindset. My methodology is actually looking at the neuroscience work. Who we are, our symptoms, everything we have felt, how we behave, they are all manifestations of brain health." (7:18)

"If you can lean into being this curious scientist over your body and really understanding that everything you experience, every symptom is your body and your brain's way of communicating to you, it's like extremely powerful." (11:53)

"All we are doing is specifically targeting the visual field of the nervous system to open up that movement map, that sensory map, to allow their brain to reconnect to and then tie the other movement options you have." (22:11)

"The feelings that you have are valid, and if we can link it back to health history or through some brain-based movement assessments, we can help heal you and help get you better. But we have to know what part of your nervous system may be impacted." (27:56)

"I always use the phrase 'how can I help you become a movement scientist? A food scientist? A mindset scientist?'. Where you are just exploring everything that is going on in your body and in your brain and then gathering all that data and then understanding it, putting the pieces together." (33:51)

Links

Alyssa Chang Website

Follow Alyssa on Instagram

Better Expert 12-Week Training Course Waitlist

LTYB 282: Michelle Shapiro

Join the Listen To Your Body Newsletter

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While stress is not inherently a bad thing, the amount of stress and change we are experiencing during this pandemic can be cause for concern. This is why I have brought stress detox expert Ritu Riyat onto the show. Today Ritu is here to give us a deep dive into understanding what stress truly is, and how you can use her stress detox framework to peel back the layers and discover where your secret stress is hidden.

By asking yourself what you can do in a moment of stress to feel in control, you can create a routine that calms your mind and helps you adapt to this constant state of change. In addition to her practical tips for becoming more self-aware and her knowledge around the understanding of the subtle signs of burnout, Ritu will also walk us through a short meditation practice in this episode to help you manage your stress in a more productive manner.

If you want to gain a conceptual framework to understand stress, understand self-awareness and implement practical ways to examine if meditation is right for you and to find a way for the practice to benefit you, this is an episode you can't miss. While meditation may not be for everyone, it is all about digging into how you are feeling right now so that you can do something about it.

What did you learn in this episode? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section on our episode page.

In This Episode

• How to detox your life from stress during the current pandemic (8:14)
• Learn about the stress detox framework and how to develop self-awareness (13:05)
• Subtle signs that may indicate that you are going from eustress to burnout (17:32)
• The four best self-reflection questions to help you check in with yourself (23:12)
• Join in on a meditation practice and learn alternative meditation activities to try (25:35)

Quotes

"That became the framework of the stress detox program that I created, which is deeply rooted in awareness. So developing your self-awareness and your own personal response to stress." (11:15)

"It's not that we're trying to eliminate stress from our life, what we're really trying to do is recognize where we are on the stress spectrum. And when were approaching distress, that's when we apply our tools to take a pause and bring ourselves down that spectrum back into eustress or maybe a state of calm." (16:19)

"Its extremely important right now in this current pandemic that we're experiencing, because people's feelings are all over the place, and everyone is dealing with it differently. And however, you are dealing with it is okay. And however, you are feeling at this moment is okay." (21:35)

"It teaches us and it builds our resilience because you become more accepting of change because change is constant. And so you are not as reactive to the change that is occurring outside, because you have become familiar with working with change inside your body." (32:42)

"When things seem so uncertain as they are right now in our world, I encourage you to go back to what you can control." (35:12)

Links

Ritu Riyat Website

Stress Detox Udemy Course

5 Minute Mind Program

Follow Ritu on Facebook | Instagram

Join the Listen To Your Body Newsletter

Check out the full show notes here! Follow Steph on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Pinterest

I'd really love it if you would take 1 min and leave us a rating and review on iTunes!