In this week's episode, registered dietician,  certified intuitive eating counselor, and author Alissa Rumsey explains why diets don't work and why it's not your fault! It's the PERFECT message for us all right now, since the multi-million dollar diet industry is trying it's BEST to suck people in.

Rumsey's book, Unapologetic Eating, changed Leslie's life when she read it last year. It showed her that diet culture is EVERYWHERE and it's why Leslie decided to finally give up dieting - after 20 years of disordered eating and restricting foods.

In this chat we discuss:
- diet culture - what it is and how to spot it
-why diet culture is so damaging
- all the ways diet's disconnect us from our bodies
- ways diets keep women and BIPOC down
- help for poor body image
- ways mindfulness and gratitude can boost body image

Here's a little more about Alissa:
Alissa Rumsey, MS, RD, CDN, CSCS (pronouns she/her/hers) is a registered dietitian, nutrition therapist, certified intuitive eating counselor, and the author of Unapologetic Eating: Make Peace With Food and Transform Your Life. Alissa is passionate about helping people reclaim the space to eat and live, unapologetically.

She is the founder of Alissa Rumsey Nutrition and Wellness, a weight-inclusive
practice that offers virtual counseling, group programs, and online trainings to support people in breaking free - both individually and collectively - from body-based oppression. Through their work, Alissa and her team help people liberate themselves from dieting, cultivate a peaceful relationship to food and their bodies, and live a more authentic, connected life.
Her expertise has been featured in hundreds of media outlets and she speaks regularly at events, online trainings, and conferences around the country. She calls New York City home and spends her free time exploring the city’s food scene and searching for patches of green space to sunbathe in.

Alissa offers group and one-on-one coaching. You can connect with her and work with her through her website and social media pages.
Instagram @alissarumseyrd
Website www.alissarumsey.com

Connect with Leslie on Instagram

Please note: The views and opinions expressed by guests on The Light Within are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host.

Want to be a guest on The Light Within? Send Leslie Draffin a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/thelightwithin

Ready to reclaim your body, your power, and your peace? Start here:

1. 💌 Get Midlife Magic in your inbox.
This free email series is your sacred scroll of somatic tools, nervous system rituals, and womb wisdom for mystical midlife women.
👉 Sign Up

2.🌙 Ready to stop spiraling & start feeling steady (even on the hard days?)
The Inner Circle is your monthly sanctuary for nervous system healing, microdosing support & sacred feminine rituals. It’s not just a membership, it’s a lifestyle shift for women who are done with surviving & ready to live rooted, regulated, and radiant.
👉 Enjoy 50% off your FIRST MONTH inside The Inner Circle ($77/month after that)

3. ✨ Follow me for real-talk & rituals on healing burnout, expanding your pleasure, and living fully expressed—every damn day.
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It's a new year and a new season for The Light Within, so what better way to kick it all off than with a look ahead at 2022's astrological forecast.

This week, New York based astrologer and tarot reader Bess Matassa shares what astrology means to her and how we can all use it to help us live our best lives in 2022. In our chat, we discuss:
- the astrological outlook for 2022
- astrology 101
- Mercury Retrograde
- and how Bess became the badass woman she is today (with the help of astrology of course).

Bess's newest book, The Numinous Cosmic Year, is the perfect almanac for anyone wanting to get more tuned into astrology while also tuning into themselves. 

She also does private readings and she's given all of you a discount code so you can access this information for yourself! Use the code STARLIGHT for 20% off a reading DURING THE MONTH OF JANUARY 2022! So jump on that discount and get aligned with the stars!

You can find Bess on:
Instagram
Website

Connect with Leslie on Instagram @lesliedraffin
Connect with the podcast @thelightwithinpodcast

If you're interested in Menstrual Cycle Coaching, send her a message or check out her new website www.lesliedraffin.com

Email us if you have questions or you know someone who'd make a great guest on this show: [email protected]

The best way to support this podcast is by leaving a review & rating, downloading episodes & sharing them with someone you love! 

Please note: The views and opinions expressed by guests on The Light Within are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host.

Want to be a guest on The Light Within? Send Leslie Draffin a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/thelightwithin

Ready to reclaim your body, your power, and your peace? Start here:

1. 💌 Get Midlife Magic in your inbox.
This free email series is your sacred scroll of somatic tools, nervous system rituals, and womb wisdom for mystical midlife women.
👉 Sign Up

2.🌙 Ready to stop spiraling & start feeling steady (even on the hard days?)
The Inner Circle is your monthly sanctuary for nervous system healing, microdosing support & sacred feminine rituals. It’s not just a membership, it’s a lifestyle shift for women who are done with surviving & ready to live rooted, regulated, and radiant.
👉 Enjoy 50% off your FIRST MONTH inside The Inner Circle ($77/month after that)

3. ✨ Follow me for real-talk & rituals on healing burnout, expanding your pleasure, and living fully expressed—every damn day.
👉 IG: ...

In this short SOLO episode, Leslie Draffin reflects on the first season of The Light Within and gives you a brief sneak peek at what awaits in season 2!

Season 2 will launch in January 2022! Thank you so much for your continued support as we take a little break for rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation ahead of what's sure to be a very busy year! Best wishes to all you beautiful beings!!

Connect with Leslie on Instagram @lesliedraffin
Connect with the podcast @thelightwithinpodcast

Email us if you have questions or you know someone who'd make a great guest on this show: [email protected]

The best way to support this podcast is by leaving a review & rating, downloading episodes & sharing them with someone you love! 

Please note: The views and opinions expressed by guests on The Light Within are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host.

Want to be a guest on The Light Within? Send Leslie Draffin a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/thelightwithin

Ready to reclaim your body, your power, and your peace? Start here:

1. 💌 Get Midlife Magic in your inbox.
This free email series is your sacred scroll of somatic tools, nervous system rituals, and womb wisdom for mystical midlife women.
👉 Sign Up

2.🌙 Ready to stop spiraling & start feeling steady (even on the hard days?)
The Inner Circle is your monthly sanctuary for nervous system healing, microdosing support & sacred feminine rituals. It’s not just a membership, it’s a lifestyle shift for women who are done with surviving & ready to live rooted, regulated, and radiant.
👉 Enjoy 50% off your FIRST MONTH inside The Inner Circle ($77/month after that)

3. ✨ Follow me for real-talk & rituals on healing burnout, expanding your pleasure, and living fully expressed—every damn day.
👉 IG: ...

This week, consciousness coach and quantum healer Jean Atman is going to blow your mind with all of the juicy bits of advice she has in this episode. If you've ever been in a toxic relationship then this episode is for YOU!

Jean says toxic relationships and toxic upbringings are gifts to help us evolve as humans. She also believes we're here on this planet to evolve and the only way we can do that is to do our inner work! She also explains what doing the inner work really means, because let's be honest, it can be really tough at times!

In this episode we discuss:
- toxic relationships and why they're a gift
- healing past traumas and core wounds
- self-limiting beliefs and how to overcome them
- making life changes with courage
- soul contracts
- inner child healing
- overcoming stuck-ness
- how to find fun and joy in life's toughest moments

If you're interested in learning how to make real and lasting changes in your life, check out Jean's course, Limitless! It's an online course dedicated to helping you heal your past and transform your future.  This course provides a proven step-by-step system that walks you through EXACTLY what is standing in the way of living your best life. Once you learn how to identify your specific blocks, you will never feel stuck again".  Check out Limitless now! 

Find Jean on Facebook, LinkedIn & YouTube
You can also check out her work on her website www.JeanAtman.com

Connect with Leslie on Instagram @lesliedraffin
Connect with the podcast @thelightwithinpodcast

Email us if you have questions or you know someone who'd make a great guest on this show: [email protected]

The best way to support this podcast is by leaving a review & rating, downloading episodes & sharing them with someone you love! 

Please note: The views and opinions expressed by guests on The Light Within are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host.

Want to be a guest on The Light Within? Send Leslie Draffin a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/thelightwithin

Ready to reclaim your body, your power, and your peace? Start here:

1. 💌 Get Midlife Magic in your inbox.
This free email series is your sacred scroll of somatic tools, nervous system rituals, and womb wisdom for mystical midlife women.
👉 Sign Up

2.🌙 Ready to stop spiraling & start feeling steady (even on the hard days?)
The Inner Circle is your monthly sanctuary for nervous system healing, microdosing support & sacred feminine rituals. It’s not just a membership, it’s a lifestyle shift for women who are done with surviving & ready to live rooted, regulated, and radiant.
👉 Enjoy 50% off your FIRST MONTH inside The Inner Circle ($77/month after that)

3. ✨ Follow me for real-talk & rituals on healing burnout, expanding your pleasure, and living fully expressed—every damn day.
👉 IG: ...

In this SOLO episode, Leslie muses on gratitude and asks the question, "can you feel gratitude for life's biggest struggles?"

Things we discuss in this episode:
- divorce
-trauma
-STIs/STDs

It's a short and sweet one perfect for your Thanksgiving week. Enjoy!

Connect with Leslie on Instagram @lesliedraffin
Connect with the podcast @thelightwithinpodcast

Email us if you have questions or you know someone who'd make a great guest on this show: [email protected]

The best way to support this podcast is by leaving a review & rating, downloading episodes & sharing them with someone you love! 

Please note: The views and opinions expressed by guests on The Light Within are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host.

Want to be a guest on The Light Within? Send Leslie Draffin a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/thelightwithin

Ready to reclaim your body, your power, and your peace? Start here:

1. 💌 Get Midlife Magic in your inbox.
This free email series is your sacred scroll of somatic tools, nervous system rituals, and womb wisdom for mystical midlife women.
👉 Sign Up

2.🌙 Ready to stop spiraling & start feeling steady (even on the hard days?)
The Inner Circle is your monthly sanctuary for nervous system healing, microdosing support & sacred feminine rituals. It’s not just a membership, it’s a lifestyle shift for women who are done with surviving & ready to live rooted, regulated, and radiant.
👉 Enjoy 50% off your FIRST MONTH inside The Inner Circle ($77/month after that)

3. ✨ Follow me for real-talk & rituals on healing burnout, expanding your pleasure, and living fully expressed—every damn day.
👉 IG: ...

In this week's episode, self-love and empowerment coach Liz Marz explains why dating yourself is the best way to find true love. Why is that? Because it's only when you truly know and love yourself that you can magnetize the love you desire and DESERVE!

We also talk about:
- confidence
- comparison
- overcoming societal pressure placed on women
- trusting your inner knowing
- dating yourself to attract your soul mate

Find Liz on Instagram @liz_marz
Check out her website www.LizMarz.co

Connect with Leslie on Instagram @lesliedraffin
Connect with the podcast @thelightwithinpodcast

Email us if you have questions or you know someone who'd make a great guest on this show: [email protected]

The best way to support this podcast is by leaving a review & rating, downloading episodes & sharing them with someone you love! 

Please note: The views and opinions expressed by guests on The Light Within are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host.

Want to be a guest on The Light Within? Send Leslie Draffin a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/thelightwithin

Ready to reclaim your body, your power, and your peace? Start here:

1. 💌 Get Midlife Magic in your inbox.
This free email series is your sacred scroll of somatic tools, nervous system rituals, and womb wisdom for mystical midlife women.
👉 Sign Up

2.🌙 Ready to stop spiraling & start feeling steady (even on the hard days?)
The Inner Circle is your monthly sanctuary for nervous system healing, microdosing support & sacred feminine rituals. It’s not just a membership, it’s a lifestyle shift for women who are done with surviving & ready to live rooted, regulated, and radiant.
👉 Enjoy 50% off your FIRST MONTH inside The Inner Circle ($77/month after that)

3. ✨ Follow me for real-talk & rituals on healing burnout, expanding your pleasure, and living fully expressed—every damn day.
👉 IG: ...

In this week's episode, Transformational Energy Coach Gül Sönmez talks about ways we can heal ourselves.  Gül is internationally renowned for her ability to channel people's past traumas and buried memories so they can overcome anxieties, self-doubt and stress in order to live their most aligned, purposeful lives.

We chat about:
- transforming anxiety, fear and depression
- feeling stuck and overcoming self-doubt
- what it means to be an energy coach
- how Gül healed herself and how she heals others
- ways to improve your own psychic abilities

Gül has a new online offering opening up this MONTH (November 2021) so if this conversation resonated with you, consider joining her for her online course: Awaken & Rise: a transformational 3-month journey back to rediscover yourself.

You can also find out more about Gül on her website.
Find  her on Instagram @gulsonmez___

Connect with Leslie on Instagram @lesliedraffin
Connect with the podcast @thelightwithinpodcast

Email us if you have questions or you know someone who'd make a great guest on this show: [email protected]

The best way to support this podcast is by leaving a review & rating, downloading episodes & sharing them with someone you love! 

Please note: The views and opinions expressed by guests on The Light Within are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host.

Want to be a guest on The Light Within? Send Leslie Draffin a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/thelightwithin

Ready to reclaim your body, your power, and your peace? Start here:

1. 💌 Get Midlife Magic in your inbox.
This free email series is your sacred scroll of somatic tools, nervous system rituals, and womb wisdom for mystical midlife women.
👉 Sign Up

2.🌙 Ready to stop spiraling & start feeling steady (even on the hard days?)
The Inner Circle is your monthly sanctuary for nervous system healing, microdosing support & sacred feminine rituals. It’s not just a membership, it’s a lifestyle shift for women who are done with surviving & ready to live rooted, regulated, and radiant.
👉 Enjoy 50% off your FIRST MONTH inside The Inner Circle ($77/month after that)

3. ✨ Follow me for real-talk & rituals on healing burnout, expanding your pleasure, and living fully expressed—every damn day.
👉 IG: ...

In this week's episode, Yin Yoga teacher Munirah Razak explains how this practice can help us connect with ourselves in new and meaningful ways. 

Munirah says yin yoga is the practice of being still. If you ask us, that's something all of us really need right now! 

In this episode we discuss:
- what yin yoga is
- what makes it different from other types of yoga
- how it helped Munirah heal from an autoimmune disorder
- ways you can use yin as an embodiment practice
- anxiety & mindset shifts that can come from practicing yin yoga

Join Munirah for her free online yoga class on Fridays. Keep in mind she's located in Germany so you'll want to check her website for the time! She's also offering a discount for all podcast listeners!! Use the code LIGHT10 for a 10% discount on all her classes and ceremonies.

Find Munirah on Instagram @luminousyogalife
Head over to her website to discover everything she has to offer!

Connect with Leslie on Instagram @lesliedraffin
Connect with the podcast @thelightwithinpodcast

Email us if you have questions or you know someone who'd make a great guest on this show: [email protected]

The best way to support this podcast is by leaving a review & rating, downloading episodes & sharing them with someone you love! 

Please note: The views and opinions expressed by guests on The Light Within are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host.

Want to be a guest on The Light Within? Send Leslie Draffin a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/thelightwithin

Ready to reclaim your body, your power, and your peace? Start here:

1. 💌 Get Midlife Magic in your inbox.
This free email series is your sacred scroll of somatic tools, nervous system rituals, and womb wisdom for mystical midlife women.
👉 Sign Up

2.🌙 Ready to stop spiraling & start feeling steady (even on the hard days?)
The Inner Circle is your monthly sanctuary for nervous system healing, microdosing support & sacred feminine rituals. It’s not just a membership, it’s a lifestyle shift for women who are done with surviving & ready to live rooted, regulated, and radiant.
👉 Enjoy 50% off your FIRST MONTH inside The Inner Circle ($77/month after that)

3. ✨ Follow me for real-talk & rituals on healing burnout, expanding your pleasure, and living fully expressed—every damn day.
👉 IG: ...

We're wrapping up spooky season with author and tarot reader Rashunda Tramble, creator of Stay Woke Tarot.  In this episode, Rashunda talks about her new book The Numinous Tarot Guide: A New Way to Read the Cards and explains why learning tarot can help you know yourself!

In this chat we discuss:
- how Rashunda was first introduced to tarot
- what sets her book apart from other tarot guides
- what it means to "stay woke" and why she named her business Stay Woke Tarot
- how tarot can help you live your best life

To connect with Rashunda follow her on Instagram @staywoketarot
If you're interested in getting a reading from Rashunda, subscribe to her newsletter so you can find out when she has openings. 
And of course, pick up your own copy of The Numinous Tarot Guide: A New Way to Read the Cards at your favorite local or indie bookstore.

Connect with Leslie on Instagram @lesliedraffin
Connect with the podcast @thelightwithinpodcast

Email us if you have questions or you know someone who'd make a great guest on this show: [email protected]

The best way to support this podcast is by leaving a review & rating, downloading episodes & sharing them with someone you love! 

Please note: The views and opinions expressed by guests on The Light Within are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host.

Want to be a guest on The Light Within? Send Leslie Draffin a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/thelightwithin

Ready to reclaim your body, your power, and your peace? Start here:

1. 💌 Get Midlife Magic in your inbox.
This free email series is your sacred scroll of somatic tools, nervous system rituals, and womb wisdom for mystical midlife women.
👉 Sign Up

2.🌙 Ready to stop spiraling & start feeling steady (even on the hard days?)
The Inner Circle is your monthly sanctuary for nervous system healing, microdosing support & sacred feminine rituals. It’s not just a membership, it’s a lifestyle shift for women who are done with surviving & ready to live rooted, regulated, and radiant.
👉 Enjoy 50% off your FIRST MONTH inside The Inner Circle ($77/month after that)

3. ✨ Follow me for real-talk & rituals on healing burnout, expanding your pleasure, and living fully expressed—every damn day.
👉 IG: ...

In this week's episode we're continuing the spooky season theme with psychic medium, Tiffany Harelik. In this discussion, we chat about the big question all of us have ... "is there life after death?"

Tiffany is a fourth-generation Austinite with a family lineage steeped in Russian and Blackfoot ancestry.  She is passionate about helping with missing persons and cold cases, and loves guiding clients through astrology, tarot, and intuitive sessions. Her psychic abilities increased after a near-death experience as a teen, which she talks about in this episode! 

 In this episode we discuss:
- what it means to be a psychic medium
- how she discovered her gifts
- messages from the beyond 
- Tiffany's thoughts on life after death
- she also shares some of the more spooky experiences she's had while communicating with spirits

You can connect with her on her website www.TiffanyHarelik.com
You can also book your own reading with Tiffany & check out some really cool freebies through Wise Skies Collective which she founded to help us all connect with the cosmos!
Find Tiffany on Instagram @tiffany.harelik

Connect with Leslie on Instagram @lesliedraffin
Connect with the podcast @thelightwithinpodcast

Email us if you have questions or you know someone who'd make a great guest on this show: [email protected]

The best way to support this podcast is by leaving a review & rating, downloading episodes & sharing them with someone you love! 

Please note: The views and opinions expressed by guests on The Light Within are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host.

Want to be a guest on The Light Within? Send Leslie Draffin a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/thelightwithin

Ready to reclaim your body, your power, and your peace? Start here:

1. 💌 Get Midlife Magic in your inbox.
This free email series is your sacred scroll of somatic tools, nervous system rituals, and womb wisdom for mystical midlife women.
👉 Sign Up

2.🌙 Ready to stop spiraling & start feeling steady (even on the hard days?)
The Inner Circle is your monthly sanctuary for nervous system healing, microdosing support & sacred feminine rituals. It’s not just a membership, it’s a lifestyle shift for women who are done with surviving & ready to live rooted, regulated, and radiant.
👉 Enjoy 50% off your FIRST MONTH inside The Inner Circle ($77/month after that)

3. ✨ Follow me for real-talk & rituals on healing burnout, expanding your pleasure, and living fully expressed—every damn day.
👉 IG: ...