We are taught early in our lives to not trust our bodies, to ignore their signals, and to turn away from pleasure. Dawn Serra (she/her), a therapist and coach, believes we can live more joyful and fulfilled lives by returning to our bodies by building body trust, embracing unconditional permission, and developing pleasure practices.

Dawn Serra has dedicated her life to unraveling the cultural stories that impact our relationship to our pleasure, our bodies, and how we relate with each other. Dawn is considered a leader in the field of sexuality and relationships, with a focus on pleasure for people recovering from eating disorders and those in fat bodies. She is a counsellor in British Columbia, a sex & relationship coach working with clients from around the world, a Certified Body Trust® Provider, speaker, podcaster, facilitator, consultant, and entrepreneur. She is also the co-founder of Tend and Cultivate Counselling, Inc, which is the first group therapeutic practice in Canada specifically dedicated to providing non-stigmatizing mental health care to people in larger bodies.

Mentioned in this episode: “Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls,” Body Trust, “The Art of Receiving and Giving,” Kai Cheng Thom, and “Pleasure Activism.”

Please connect with Dawn on her website.

This episode’s poem is “Other Body Prayer” by Dominik Parisien.

After recording the interview, Sophia asks each guest 10 unexpected, unrehearsed questions designed to go even deeper. Check it out by subscribing through Apple Podcast Subscriptions or Patreon for as little as $2.

You can connect with Fat Joy on our website, Instagram, and YouTube (full video episodes here!). Want to share the fat love? Please rate this podcast and give it a joyful review.

Our thanks to Chris Jones and AR Media for keeping this podcast looking and sounding joyful.