Reconnect Radio

Marilyn Matthews is an artist whose work is devoted to helping women reclaim their cycles and the birth process. In this conversation, we discuss Marilyn’s experience growing up with an extreme form of endometriosis and how that shaped her view of not only menstruation but womanhood in general. She shares her journey of using art as a way to express the pain and grief that she felt, and ultimately to alchemize her suffering into what has today become a beautiful relationship with herself, her body, the earth, and being a woman. 

We also discussed the cultural constructs and norms around menstruation that lead so many women to have a similar experience of negativity & disdain for their period, and how we can be part of a movement to shift that narrative to one in which we honor, respect, and even celebrate the menstrual cycle. 

Not surprisingly, pregnancy and birth carry a parallel perspective in society. Although having children is celebrated, the experience of birth is usually referred to as being painful, terrible, gross, and even scary. And just as women carry shame about their period, it’s also heart-breakingly common to carry shame about their pregnancy, birth, and post-partum experiences as well. We not only touched on this topic at large, but also dove into Marilyn’s personal experience with her recent transition into motherhood – covering her pregnancy, birth, and her early reflections on the postpartum experience.

I hope that you find this episode to bring you hope, light, and healing in your own relationship with your menstrual cycle, birth, and womanhood. Marilyn is a gift in my life and I’m grateful to be able to gift her to you, too.

Our affirmation deck:  https://www.reconnectcollective.com/shop/p/affirmationdeck (get 15% off with the code PODCAST)

Marilyn’s pregnancy deck: https://www.studiomarilyn.com/shop/p/birth-pregnancy-affirmation-deck 

Marilyns other artwork: https://www.studiomarilyn.com/shop 

Follow Marilyn on Instagram: @studiomarilyn 

Follow Tara on Instagram: @tarakemp_ 

FREE Facebook group for plant-based women: https://urlgeni.us/facebook/reconnectcollectiveplantbasedwomen

Reconnect Academy: https://www.reconnectcollective.com/reconnect-academy

Daily Affirmation Club: https://go.reconnectcollective.com/dailyaffirmationclub

Binge eating is one of the most common struggles that I see in my work. It’s also one of the most personally draining things to experience because it is often tied to feeling ashamed, weak, and broken as a human. This episode is here to help you experience clarity and healing around your binge eating struggles. 

 When you listen to this episode, you’ll learn:

The top 3 reasons why you struggle with binge eating

Why your past attempts to stop binge eating have failed

And how to set yourself up for success to break the binge cycle - for GOOD

 This one is packed with valuable information that will help you to understand yourself & see a new path forward. You are worthy and capable of living FREE from binges.

FREE Facebook group for plant-based women: https://urlgeni.us/facebook/reconnectcollectiveplantbasedwomen 

Reconnect Academy: https://www.reconnectcollective.com/reconnect-academy 

Daily Affirmation Club: https://go.reconnectcollective.com/dailyaffirmationclub 

Follow Tara on Instagram: @tarakemp_

This episode might just be my favorite that I’ve shared yet. Today’s guest is Sarah Idiaquez, an alumni of Reconnect Academy – and now a support coach for the program.

Not long ago, Sarah was in your shoes. She had been trying for over a decade to adopt a whole food plant-based diet. She was well educated on the topic and had read dozens of books. She had attended lifestyle medicine conferences, and even did a 10-day water fast at True North Health Center. Despite all of this, she would find herself binge eating on processed foods and consuming meat and dairy. The cycle repeated itself over and over again, and she saw it all as proof that she was weak and broken. She lost trust in herself and lost hope that her experience could ever be different than this.

But TODAY - Sarah eats a whole food plant-based diet with ease. She has a strong sense of self-love and self-worth. She is proud of who she is and the choices that she makes each day. 

So… what changed? That’s what we cover in this conversation.

In this episode, Sarah shares her reflections and insights on what was holding her back from making the changes she was seeking for so long, and what the missing piece was that finally helped her to reach true food freedom and alignment.

I am so thrilled to share this episode with you because it really highlights the journey of healing your relationship with food, and brings light to the inner experience of that transformation. May it bring you the comfort, wisdom, and hope that you need in your own journey.

FREE Facebook group for plant-based women: https://urlgeni.us/facebook/reconnectcollectiveplantbasedwomen 

Reconnect Academy: https://www.reconnectcollective.com/reconnect-academy 

Daily Affirmation Club: https://go.reconnectcollective.com/dailyaffirmationclub 

Follow Tara on Instagram: @tarakemp_  

Olivia Hertzog is a health and mindset mentor, raw vegan chef, and health community & retreat host.

In this episode, we discuss that health is not just what you DO, but even more so it is who you ARE. This conversation covers how to pursue a health journey from a holistic perspective. While we both are big supporters of using nutrition as a tool for healing, that sometimes leads to putting ALL your focus on what you are eating – which not only leaves out the many other pieces of the puzzle of true health, but is also usually to the detriment of your health and overall well-being.

Today, Olivia’s most passionate message is that health goes far beyond food – that health is your IDENTITY. It is who you are at the most fundamental level. It is your body’s natural state of being. And if your mental health is suffering in order to achieve the physical health you are seeking – it’s time to re-evaluate.

We are kindred spirits in the fundamental belief that it all starts within – with your relationship to yourself. When you are living in deep connection to yourself, the rest falls into place with ease. Nobody else can tell you what is of your highest good better than YOU can when you know yourself. Ultimately, you are your own guru, and you create your own path forward. Know yourself, love yourself, and wherever THAT takes you, is where you will embody your healthiest self.

Olivia’s Instagram: @oliviahertzog

Olivia’s website: https://www.oliviahertzog.com/Healthisyouridentity

FREE Facebook group for plant-based women: https://urlgeni.us/facebook/reconnectcollectiveplantbasedwomen

Food rules: a controversial topic, but a realistic and important one as well. Many people in the anti-diet space would say that all food rules are bad, and I disagree. Researching this topic during my PhD studies and coaching women for the past 7 years have taught me otherwise. In this episode, you’ll hear my take on what rules are actually healthy to have, which are not, how to tell the difference, and how to start making food choices that are aligned with what is most true and supportive to YOU. 

This episode is a peek inside my free private community for plant-based women, where I do live teachings every week on topics like this one. The members of that community got to attend this training in real time and ask me questions at the end. I’ve taken out the Q&A portion of this recording to honor the privacy of the women who shared and asked questions, but if you want to get live access to conversations like this one every week, you can hit the link below to join for free today.

FREE Facebook group for plant-based women: https://urlgeni.us/facebook/reconnectcollectiveplantbasedwomen 

Follow Tara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/tarakemp_

Sarah Baldwin is a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and Polyvagal-informed Trauma Coach. Through the use of holistic somatic trauma healing, she helps people get unstuck and step into the lives they desire. She incorporates nervous system regulation, attachment work, and parts and inner child work into her courses and programs which serve thousands of people from all over the world.

Sarah is one of the first people that I thought of when I was making my dream list of people to interview on this podcast. Learning about polyvagal theory and nervous system regulation changed my life (and my coaching practice!) and I now see it as critical foundational knowledge for anything mental health related. *In fact, I actually see it as foundational knowledge for understanding the human experience in general!

In this episode, we unpack what has become a buzzword in the past year or two: nervous system regulation. Sarah gives you the 101 explanation of how your nervous system operates, what it feels like to be in each of the 6 nervous system states, and how to begin working with your body to make safety and regulation your home base.

There’s much more to come on this topic, but this is the perfect place to start. Enjoy!

Sarah’s website: https://www.sarahbaldwincoaching.com/

Navigating Your Nervous System Waitlist: https://programs.sarahbaldwincoaching.com/navigating-your-nervous-system-waitlist

You Make Sense Waitlist: https://programs.sarahbaldwincoaching.com/you-make-sense-waitlist

Reconnect Academy: https://www.reconnectcollective.com/reconnect-academy

FREE Facebook group for plant-based women: https://urlgeni.us/facebook/reconnectcollectiveplantbasedwomen

Dr. Melissa Sundermann is a double board certified physician in Internal Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine and has been practicing medicine for over 20 years. She also has training in Integrative Medicine through the University of Michigan and has completed a Professional Training Program in Mind Body Medicine through the Center for Mind Body Medicine based in Washington, DC. She strongly believes in fostering a partnership with her patients and helping to guide them towards a healing pathway through self-care utilizing Lifestyle Medicine principles. Dr. Sundermann is known as “Doctor Outdoors” and Chairs the Nature as Medicine sub-committee for the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. She is a 10x Boston Marathon finisher, 3x Full Ironman Triathlon finisher, and is currently training for several upcoming Ultramarathons.

In this episode, we focus primarily on the topic of nature as medicine – meaning that just by spending time outside, it is beneficial and healing to your body. Most people know from experience that it FEELS good to be in the sunshine, by the water, or surrounded by trees. What you might not know, however, is that research backs this experience. Not just your mental health, but also your physical health, thrives when you interact with nature. You’ll learn all about it in this episode! I think that it will resonate big time and inspire you to go stick your feet in the grass or take a walk in the woods.

You can connect with Dr. Melissa Sunderman on Instagram @motivatormelissa

Her new lifestyle medicine coaching program for physicians: https://www.stressfreemd.net/revivenow

Reconnect Collective’s Facebook Group for Plant-based Women: https://urlgeni.us/facebook/reconnectcollectiveplantbasedwomen

Adam Sud is a behavioral wellness & nutrition expert, international speaker, and the founder and CEO of Plant Based for Positive Change, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing research and understanding of how nutrition impacts mental health and addiction. He has studied the use of nutrition in disease reversal under the mentorships of leading plant-based physicians and has worked in mental health and behavioral health treatment centers using plant-based nutrition as a tool for strengthening recovery and relapse prevention.

His personal story is vulnerable and powerful. Shared in this episode with eloquence and wise reflection, Adam recounts about his experience of becoming 300lbs with an intense substance addiction that took over his life — AND his experience of overcoming it all and building a life that he loves (and a deep love for himself, too).

We talk about Adam’s unique and empowering perspective on addiction, which separates the chemical dependency aspect from the coping behavior and the root issue underneath it all. This might be a challenging idea for some, but I believe it’s an important approach to understand and consider in conversations about addiction.

This episode is emotionally moving, insightful, and empowering–or at least, that’s my experience. And I hope that you have a similar one. I’m fortunate to call Adam a close friend, and excited to share his loving wisdom with you.

Adam’s website: Adamsud.com

Adam’s Instagram: @plantbasedaddict

Further resources on addiction:

The INFINITE study: https://journals.sagepub.com/eprint/C9XVKHIZNXKRKUVH9IMQ/full 

Gabor Mate, MD: https://drgabormate.com/ 

Johann Hari: https://johannhari.com/

Maddie Nickal is a Registered Dietitian working with former female athletes to help them understand nutrition, reconnect with their internal signals, and improve their body image in life after sport. Upon graduating from Penn State University and retiring from a long career in track and field as a heptathlete, she felt there were not enough resources to help athletes transition into the next chapter, especially those struggling with their relationship with food. With years of studying, passion for impact, and personal experience, she created the Fueled Beyond Sport Approach Nutrition Coaching Program where she helps women to reframe the way they see food, nourish their bodies, and bring their best to the world in life after sport.

In this conversation, we go over all of it. We talk through Maddie’s personal experience of falling into disordered eating during her athletic career, and how this can come from good intentions. She shares about the unique experiences of athletes transitioning out of their sport, and how this time of transition influences their relationship with food and their body. Maddie shares advice for how to support yourself through that transition, and she gives some tips for current athletes as well to help set you up for success so that you don’t fall as hard into the identity crisis and food & body challenges that many face when you eventually leave your sports career.

Even for those who are not athletes, this is an insightful conversation about your relationship with food and body, and anyone can benefit from listening to this episode.

Find Maddie on Instagram @mad.fuel 

Apply for her Fueled Beyond Sport Approach program: https://forms.gle/MFjenF9k7caXwqPi8

Tara’s signature program Reconnect Academy: www.reconnectcollective.com/reconnect-academy 

Tara’s FREE Facebook Group for Plant-based Women: https://urlgeni.us/facebook/reconnectcollectiveplantbasedwomen

Amanda Sevilla-Calubaquib, RDN, RYT is a Transformation & Purpose coach, Ayurvedic dietitian, and yoga teacher based in Southern California. Her work encompasses an integrative mix of mindfulness, physical and spiritual wellness, Purpose coaching, energy healing, breathwork, and yoga.

In this episode, we focus on the shiny, elusive concept of “purpose” that everyone seems to be seeking these days – for good reason! Feeling a sense of purpose brings greater meaning, fulfillment, and overall wellness to your life. However, many people feel confused about what their purpose is and how to actually build a life around it. Amanda explains how your purpose is less about what you DO, and more about who you ARE. She shares some of her story of making her shift away from her medical school path to where she’s landed today, and she even asks me about my relationship with purpose. 

This is definitely not the only conversation I’ll have with Amanda on this podcast as she is a beloved friend and colleague in the world of inner work, but I hope you enjoy this first episode together.

Amanda’s coaching services: https://www.amandavsevilla.com/

Amanda’s instagram: @amandavsevilla