Fully Free with Ashley

This solo episode with Ashley dives into emotional eating, binge-eating, habit formation, neural re-wiring, coping with stress, creating positive habits and recovery. Stay tuned for many exciting upcoming guests!!! As an important side-note, not mentioned in this episode, binging is often a response to some form of restriction (whether it be dieting, under-eating, emotional restriction, etc). Focusing on healing your relationship with yourself, eating enough + a variety of foods daily, and prioritizing self-care are crucial.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor nor am I a health professional. This is simply my personal experience and recommendations. If you are deeply struggling please seek medical assistance.

This episode of Fully Free with Ashley dives into period talk with our amazing guest Amanda, who is a Functional Women's Health Registered Dietician. We have a casual and fun conversation on our favorite topic, exploring the phases of women's cycles + how to support each phase with movement, mindset & nutrition. We also discuss our own stories a bit, how we got interested in Functional Health and our background in sports. Our discussion then moves into gut health + healing, the birth control pill, PMS, cravings, period misconceptions, ovulation & so more. You can find Amanda on instagram (@hormonehealingRD) with so much informative content, as well as her own podcast "Balanced Babes."  You can find me on my personal account (@oneluvash) as I'm currently working on my hormonal wellness educational account which will be up and running soon (stay tuned).

This weeks episode is with our wonderful guest speaker Dr. Nicola Rinaldi, author of "No Period. Now What?" Dr. Rinaldi is a pioneer in the field of recovery from HA, an expert fertility consultant and such an amazing human being. She has set up multiple support groups for women trying to get pregnant, trying to get their period back and goes out of her way to spread information about HA so women can heal. You can reach out to Dr. Rinaldi through her website which is posted below, as well as request to join the facebook support group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/436981166801162/

"In this condition, a component of the female athlete triad, signals that are supposed to be sent out by the brain’s hormonal control center, the hypothalamus, are shut off or turned way down such that no egg grows, no ovulation (egg release) occurs, and hence there is no need for a period. In our experience there are five factors in acquiring HA. Eating habits, exercise, weight/weight loss, stress, and genetics. The good news is that HA is reversible in most cases." (http://www.noperiodnowwhat.com/)

I am very vocal about my own experience with Hypothalamic Amenhorrea and possibly Female Athlete Triad (now formally known as RED-S). As I continue to navigate my recovery from years with an eating disorder I have made it a priority to share my learning with others because of how much time I've spent researching to support my own healing. I want to make an impact and I'm so thankful that this podcast has come to life.

In this podcast Dr. Rinaldi and I discuss what HA is, the causes, the overlap and differences between HA and PCOS, some myths surrounding HA (i.e. you need to be in a small body to lose your period due to energy deficit), long-term consequences of HA (bone-health, infertility, etc), body-image, "going all in" + recovery, and more.

Stay tuned for more guest speakers discussing wellness topics, many related to eating disorder recovery! In an upcoming podcast I will also dive deep into what PCOS is (4 types), the root causes & overlaps, the symptoms, why it's so prevalent in today's society & more with our second guest speaker. 

Thank you all & sending so much love.

This episode provides some information on the signs/symptoms of eating disorders, without emphasis on the labels for the various disorders (i.e: orthoexia, anorexia, bulimia, ED-NOS). We spend a lot of time diving into some side effects of the full recovery process! Then we move into a review of the Minnesota Semi-Starvation Experiment, which provided great scientific insight into how bodies respond to under-nourishment- which is a prevalent concept in the diet-culture all around us. This episode concludes with some tips for those who are currently struggling with disordered eating and/or an eating disorder, that I found really helped me commit and see through my recovery. Stay tuned for the next episode which will be with a special guest Dr. Nicola Rinaldi and will dive into Hypothalamic Amenhorrea, how the hormonal profile looks, the long-term consequences and more (when your monthly cycle disappears due to stress & under-eating).  Thank you so much for your support, connect with me on instagram @ashoneluv. 

This episode dives into the origins of my eating disorder, how I struggled in silence & shame for so long & how I decided to choose healing. This may be triggering for people who are sensitive to this topic, although I do try to almost entirely avoid numbers in my discussion (in terms of weight, calories, etc). The next episode, Episode 3, was originally going to be on Self-Care and Boundaries, however I have decided to focus on Hypothalamic Ammenhorea + Hormonal Imbalances from over-training which is a major component of my experience, before I move on to other mental health topics. I will be including experts in the field in my next upcoming episodes! You can connect with me on instagram (@ashoneluv) at any time, I would love to hear from you. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for your support.

Welcome to my first short podcast of Fully Free with Ashley! I've been wanting to start a podcast for a very long time but let fear of judgement get in the way. I've committed to living life on my own terms, in other words choosing freedom, and that begins by living outside of my comfort zone. This introductory episode is a short window into my life, who I am, what I love and what I stand for. I cover a bit about my passion for mental health, body love + self-love, our opportunity for full lives and what the podcast will focus on moving forward! This podcast is a bit random in terms of it's flow, but that's me, and I thank you all for coming on this ride with me. <3  @fullyfreewellness

*Sorry about my mic quality, it was an error. Episode 2 the quality increases*