On this week's episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Diana Dugan Richards, a Nutrition Therapist with a private practice (Namaste Nutrition) in Watertown, MA. As a registered, licensed dietitian for 25 years and nutrition therapist since 2011 and from a springboard of yoga and exercise philosophy, Diana offers nutrition counseling in a weight-neutral approach and sets a foundation of curiosity for clients to discover and shift into their own eating philosophy and beliefs. Diana is also a Certified IFS practitioner and combines her skills in IFS, Ayurveda nutrition, and yoga therapy to guide clients toward achieving integration and balance in their relationship with food.

In other words, she does things very differently than most dietitians!

Diana is a level 3 trained Certified IFS Practitioner and as you'll notice during our discussion, Diana approaches her clients with huge amounts of curiosity and compassion, allowing them to explore the parts of them that are using food in various ways. Diana also talks about what she calls the "erroneous beliefs" that we've all learned from diet culture. She gives the example of, "If you're really hungry, the apple looks good." "When there's a shouldn't we hear inside, there's always a should."

Other points that we discuss:

• The prevalence of polarities within peoples' systems.
• Cultural body ideals and how body diversity "has been with us for centuries"
• Why Intuitive Eating and/or Health at Every Size doesn't work for everyone
• The importance of listening to your body and how Diana works with clients to notice the parts of them that aren't noticing their body's cues

And yes, we talk a little about weight loss and how focusing on that often backfires for people.

Diana is incredibly knowledgeable, open, and curious, and I'm so thankful for the work that she's doing. Take a listen!

Where to find Diana:

Website: https://namastenutrition.net/

Book: Freeing Self: IFS Beyond the Therapy Room

Where to find me:

Therapy website: drkimdaniels.com

Coaching website: yourweightisnotyourworth.com

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