Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD: Nourishment On and Beyond The Plate

In this powerful episode I speak with embodied cooking teacher and author Leanne Brown. Leanne’s the author of Good Enough, a cookbook about developing self compassion and authentic connection through the act of cooking, as well as Good and Cheap, a cookbook built around feeding yourself on a budget. She also publishes the newsletter Embodied Cooking with Leanne Brown.

Leanne and I talk about how to nourish ourselves in times of grief and loneliness. Leanne shares her own story and offers a simple but powerful practice for feeding yourself during times of sadness, when perhaps you don’t want to eat but know you should. She shares tips for how we can become our own parent and feed ourselves with compassion. 

We also talk about what it means to be embodied in the kitchen, and how embodiment can not only bring more ease and joy into cooking, but also connect us to our deeper selves. We talk about the pleasure of presence—of being fully engaged with our senses, and how preparing food can teach us about our deeper divinity.

There’s so much magic in this conversation. I think you’ll gain a whole new perspective about how you can best feed yourself both in times of despair and in times of joy. Food can be a beautiful tool to help us remember that we are always supported by our deeper selves.

*Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/

*Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore/

*Find Leanne on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leanneebrown/

*Good Enough, by Leanne Brown: https://amzn.to/3AwPF6u

*Good and Cheap, by Leanne Brown: https://amzn.to/3Vb6E7M

In today's episode I speak with Virginia Sole-Smith, author of the new book Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture. We explore anti-fat bias and fat phobia, and how weight, health and beauty have gotten tangled up with notions of morality. Virginia explains how (and why) our culture has become so afraid of fat, and how this fat phobia has resulted in real systems of oppression where humans are valued according to their weight. Virginia explores what it means to be healthy, and the fallacy of linking weight to health. We talk about diet culture and how restriction just doesn’t work, and Virginia offers real tips on how we can start to change the system and gain body autonomy.

We also talk about feeding our kids, and how we can raise children who have body autonomy. She offers tips for teaching our kids that their bodies belong to them and that all bodies are equal. 

This episode is so expanding, whether or not you have children. As always, if it resonates, you can support this work by rating the podcast on your podcast app, leaving comment or sharing it with friends.

*Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/

*Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore/

* Virginia’s Book, Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture: https://bit.ly/m/virginiasolesmith

* Find Virginia on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/v_solesmith/

Subscribe to the Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/

Hello and welcome to episode 7! This is a really special episode for me, because I speak with my own Spiritual teacher, Natalie Deeb. Natalie is a trained shaman and certified CranioSacral practitioner, and she’s accredited in a number of different modalities to help individuals heal the trinity of body, mind and spirit. 

In today’s episode we talk about the sacredness of our physical bodies and the foods we eat. Natalie shares simple but powerful teachings (when we were recording I kept jotting down notes because there were so many beautiful moments of wisdom - if you’re like me, you might want to have paper and pen handy!). She talks about how our bodies are our sacred homes and how they are always communicating with us and working towards healing. It’s just up to us to listen.

Natalie says that while our bodies will never betray us, we live in an environment and a culture that can disconnect us from both our bodies and the foods we eat. She offers tips to help bring us back into our bodies and better communicate with the foods we consume to bring us more balance. She discusses how she approaches grocery shopping and picking out foods, and how a simple change in perspective can create more harmony in our bodies, no matter what’s on our plates. 

You’re going to walk away from this episode with a new perspective on how special our bodies truly are, and how the act of cooking and eating can help connect us to our deepest, most magical selves. 

*Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/

*Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore/

* Find Natalie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nataliedeeb68/

* Work with Natalie: https://www.nataliedeeb.com/

Subscribe to the Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/

This episode features such an inspiring human. Calvin Eaton is a scholar, cookbook author, content creator and activist. He’s the publisher of TheGlutenFreeChef blog as well as the founder of the non-profit 540WMain which is rooted in social justice and antiracism.

Calvin shares his personal journey with his body, and how he’s learned to honor his body in “radical grace and kindness,” as he says. He talks about the ways he’s had to de-condition himself around body image, weight and food, and he shares tools that have helped him on his journey.

Calvin also talks about his autoimmune conditions and how he uses food to support his well-being. He describes how, after years of prescribing to specific eating regimens and restrictions that would often result in stress, he’s landed on a flexible style of intuitive eating and cooking.

We also go into systems of oppression, such as racism, ableism, fatphobia and sexism, which not only try to separate us from our own bodies, from also from each other. Calvin reminds us that we are all so interconnected, not only to each other but also to the earth. Only by celebrating and honoring those connections, as well as by working together to dismantle systems of oppression and cultural conditioning, can we find our true sovereignty. 

Finally, we talk about Calvin’s new cookbook, Just Desserts, which I can’t wait to see! The book is available for pre-sale and launches on April 28th. 

I think you will leave this uplifting conversation feeling empowered and inspired, with a deeper compassion for both yourself and for others. While we are all on very unique paths in terms of our wellness journeys, we also are all part of a greater whole. When we support the well-being and sovereignty of others, we also forge the way for a better future for all. 

Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/

Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore/

Find Calvin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theglutenfreechefblog/

The Gluten Free Chef Blog: https://theglutenfreechefblog.com/

540WMain, Inc: https://540westmain.org/

Pre-Order Calvin’s Book, Just Desserts: https://hipocampochildrensbooks.com/preorder-calvin-eaton-just-desserts-here-

Virginia Sole Smith’s Burnt Toast Newsletter: https://virginiasolesmith.substack.com/

Your Fat Friend by Aubrey Gordon: https://www.yourfatfriend.com/

Subscribe to the Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/

This week I talk with Chyrssa Tsakiris, founder of Well Collab Acupuncture and Proof of Life. I had so many chills during this conversation. We go deep, examining how the umbrella of patriarchy, which includes misogyny, racism, agism and capitalism, influences how we nourish ourselves.

We talk about this structure of conditioning, and how we can begin to get out of it to reclaim our sovereignty and freedom as humans and as eaters. Chryssa explains how the simple act of being embodied—of being fully in our bodies—can be a powerful tool for resistance. As she says, “If you’re not in your body, patriarchy will be.” And this goes for both women and men.  

This conversation is not only going to inspire and empower you, but also provide you with a bit of much needed grace—removing the blame we misguidedly put upon ourselves, and offering you real tools for finding your authentic expression within a culture that often tries to suppress it.

Follow Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore/

Follow Chyrssa on Instagram: @wellcollab

Well Collab Acupuncture: https://wellcollab.com/

Proof of Life: https://wellcollab.com/proof-of-life

Get full access to Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD at mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/subscribe

Subscribe to the Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/

Today’s show expanded me in so many ways, and I think you’re going to love it. I speak with Emily Morrison, licensed acupuncturist and Chinese medicine practitioner, and we explore food and our bodies through the lens of Chinese medicine. 

Emily offers easy, applicable tips for how to nourish ourselves right now in the middle of winter, as well as during that tricky time between seasons when we head into spring. She not only discusses specific foods that can help balance us during this time (through the lens of Chinese Medicine), but she also shares lifestyle tips for how to fortify our bodies as we get ready for spring. 

You're going to walk away with a whole new perspective on how to honor your body during this season, as well as on how our bodies are so connected to the world around us. I hope you enjoy!

Emily Morrison is the owner of Valley Spirit Acupuncture & Internal Arts in Beacon, NY and is a certified practitioner of Jin Shou TuinaTM. She also has additional medical training in Classical Gongfu Medical Theory, Cranioscaral Therapy, Thai Massage, Shiatsu, Herbalism, and Chinese Nutritional Therapy.

Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/

Follow Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore/

Valley Spirit Acupunture: https://www.vsaia.com/

Follow Emily on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valleyspiritacupuncture/

Subscribe to the Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/

I have a really fun episode for you today all about music and food featuring one my very favorite humans—my husband! James Sizemore is a composer and music editor with notable credits in film and television (recent projects include The Pale Blue Eye, Confess Fletch, and Crimes of the Future). He’s also an Artist in Residence at Bard Music Conservatory, where he teaches film music.

While you might have spotted James “lurking” in my Instagram stories over the past several years (his words not mine!), for the very first time you get to hear from him directly. We explore how his process for creating music is surprisingly similar to my process for creating recipes, and how we’ve both evolved in terms of creativity over the years. We discuss how music and food play into our family dynamic, and we get into the nitty gritty about our relationship and our household roles (spoiler alert: I don’t do all the cooking!).

James also shares his favorite dinner party music tracks, and I force him to play a game I call, “What do you want to eat when you listen to…?” (He was a champ, and I’d love to hear your responses in the comments!)

Finally, I want to give a big shout-out to James for writing my theme music. In this episode he describes his intention behind the music, which I absolutely love.

https://jamessizemore.com/

Find James on social media @jamessizemoremusic

Welcome to episode 2 of the Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD podcast! Today I interview physical therapist, yoga instructor, breathwork facilitator and all around amazing being Samantha Fulton. A few weeks ago Sam and I taught a class together called Intuitive Eating & Yoga, where I shared my practices around gaining presence and freedom around food, and Sam shared yogic principles around the body as well as how the nervous system influences digestion. Today we’re diving deeper into the nervous system - what it is, how it impacts our food choices, and how it affects the ways we process food. Sam also shares simple techniques to bring ourselves back to center when we’re off balance. Be sure to stay tuned until the end as she offers a beautiful practice that you can implement anytime, anywhere.

You’ll walk away from this episode with a deeper compassion for yourself and your own natural workings. What a gift.

*Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/

*Follow Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore/

*Find Samantha on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fulbeing_collective/

*Samantha's Website: http://www.fulbeingphysicaltherapy.com

Today I’m launching my podcast (!!), and I must admit I’ve never been more terrified about a new venture as I am about this first episode. Not only am I experimenting with a new medium, but today I’m also sharing my own story with food. And it’s complicated. 

Food is my creative outlet; it’s my favorite pleasure; and it’s the focus of my career. And while I currently experience freedom and ease around food, for several years of my life it was my biggest source of anxiety and stress. In this episode I share my story—how a deep-seated fear over my body resulted in borderline anorexia for years in my late teens and early twenties; how I denied that period of history out of shame when I went to culinary school; how I had to confront my past as a new mom with massive digestive issues; how food has became a source of healing, connection and self care. How this is a practice. How it takes compassion. 

I’ve never shared this full story, and it’s incredibly scary. But although my story is unique to me, I also know that it’s not abnormal. Almost everybody I know has had a complicated relationship to food at some point in their lifetime. If this is you, please know that you are not alone.

The stresses that we have around food don’t come from us, but from sources outside ourself. We are deeply conditioned around food and our bodies, from the media, to our culture, our families, our religions, social media influencers, food corporations, wellness companies… the list goes on (see last week’s newsletter). In sharing my story I hope that we can begin to talk about food and our bodies and in a more open way, and I hope that together we can begin to untangle some of the webs that have ensnared us into believing that our bodies aren’t good enough. We don’t need to use food as a way to control our bodies, but we can use food as a way to care for our bodies in a rich, loving way. 

Please me know if you give this episode a listen (I’ve also included a transcription below). If you’d like to share your own story in the comments, I am here for you. I will hold space and listen with love. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for doing the same. 

* Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/

* Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore/