We are beyond thrilled to share this episode with you where we sit down with Claire Snyder, a local activist and good friend to us here at the PUSH Podcast.

In this episode we discuss:

Claire’s lived experiences as a Black women in different fitness environments and in her community;

How mental health is so crucial to overall health

Her evolution toward becoming an activist;

Her relationship with her body growing up and how it has changed throughout the years;

And more. Such much more!

Laugh, cry and learn with us as we talk with Claire during our latest podcast episode.

Resources discussed in this episode:

Sit in Salem

Black Joy Oregon

SEKNA Community Garden

Salem Keizer Interfaith Network

“What we’re creating here is what we never got ourselves.” - Stacy Hobson

Stacy Hobson from SLH Fitness dives deep with us on this episode of the PUSH Podcast. Listen in as we discuss:

Weight stigma in personal training spaces, medical biases & fatphobia

How fitness doesn’t have one a look and neither do personal trainers. We need to keep showing up and pushing back against diet culture and the fitness industrial complex

And so much more!

Resources discussed in this episode:

Stacy Hobson - website

“The Beauty Myth” by Naomi Wolf

“Average American women’s clothing size: comparing National Health and Nutritional Examination Surveys (1988–2010) to ASTM International Misses & Women’s Plus Size clothing” by Deborah A. Christel and Susan C. Dunn

Health at Every Size

In this episode we are so excited to interview Bee Decker, our first outside guest interviewee on the PUSH Podcast!

Bee, owner of Spill the Beans Etc and The Freckled Bee, shares her experiences about her relationship with her body growing up, her journey toward embracing her body and where she is at today. Also, you’re going to get the lowdown on the best Cheetos out there. You don’t want to miss this episode!

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains descriptions and discussions surrounding physical and sexual abuse, eating disorders and specific body image issues pertaining to weight, clothing sizes, diets and over exercising. We recognize that breaking up with diet culture takes time, grace and patience. We are all constantly learning how to navigate this battle. We here at the PUSH Podcast want to honor where you are at with your physical and emotional health. If listening to discussions on this topic will be triggering for you in any way, we suggest that you take care of yourself and go ahead and skip this episode.

Resources discussed in this episode:

Spill the Beans Etc

The Freckled Bee

Bee Baby Instagram account

Black Joy Oregon + PUSH Fitness Community Workouts

In this episode Jill interviews Cara, co-host of the PUSH Podcast. Hear more about Cara’s story of growing up, how she made the transition from trying to conform to the thin ideal to the body liberation that she experiences today and how she can show up as her most authentic self in this world.

Trigger warning: Cara has suffered from eating disorders and is a rape survivor which we discuss in this episode. Please take care of your mental health and proceed with caution.

Resources discussed in this episode:

Keizer Pride Fair

Fitness for All Bodies Swing-a-Thon

Become a PUSH Patron!

A diet unicorn. We can all visualize that person in our life that has lost weight by dieting and has kept it off.

Or….so it seems.

When we step back and take a look at the bigger picture, what are the things that we don’t see? What parts of the story are unknown?

In this episode we break down all of the reasons that dieting may look successful for some people and what variables we may not consider when we see those before and after photos on social media.

Oh, and we also talk about what kind of dogs we are according to our personality types.

Resources discussed in this episode:

Black Joy Oregon & PUSH Fitness Community Workouts

Unexpected Clues Emerge About Why Diets Fail by Daniel Engber

Love the PUSH Podcast? Become a PUSH Patron!

In this episode Cara interviews Jill, co-host of the PUSH Podcast. Hear more about Jill’s story of growing up, how diet culture stole her life and how she continues to work toward breaking through to the other side.

Being trainers who firmly believe in health at every size we are no strangers to the backlash from folks who are immersed in diet culture and who are tied to the Western “ideal” when it comes to fitness. One of the questions we are asked is, “Are you promoting obesity then?”

Short answer: Yes. ;)

Long answer: Listen to the episode. It may actually be the other way around!

Resources discussed in this episode:

Ignaz Semmelweis

QRisk Calculator

The social determinants of health

Healthy lifestyle habits and mortality in overweight and obese individuals

Become a PUSH Patron!

Whether it’s a big globo-gym or a tiny boutique training studio, fitness spaces historically have not been welcoming for all people. In this episode we discuss and explore some ways that we can all work toward creating and cultivating fitness spaces that feel safe for everyone.

Bonus material: discover that Jill has low standards when it comes to popsicle sanitation.

Resources discussed in this episode:

Fitness For All Bodies

“What It's Like Being a Black, Body-Positive Female Trainer In an Industry That's Predominantly Thin and White” by Chrissy King

Community Workouts with Black Joy Oregon & PUSH Fitness

Become a PUSH Patron!

Have you ever bargained with yourself over food?

Have you ever binged on a food that you had been trying to limit yourself on?

Have you ever used exercise as punishment for what you ate?

If you’ve answered “Yes,” to any of the above you are not alone. We have all been wading in the waters of diet culture and quite frankly, swimming away can be really tough.

Listen in as we tackle the topic of dealing with treats and dieting, as well as some strategies for beginning to find peace with your relationship with your body and with food.

Resources discussed in this episode:

Fitness for All Bodies

Black Joy Oregon

Join Black Joy Oregon & PUSH Fitness on Slack 

Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor with Christy Harrison

Become a PUSH Patron!

The Surprising Problem with Calorie Counting (Part 1: Calories In)

The Surprising Problem with Calorie Counting (Part 2: Calories Out)

Do you love the PUSH Podcast? Consider becoming a PUSH Patron! Becoming a PUSH Patron will give you early access episodes, personalized Q&As, exclusive content, freebies and more! Get more info and become a PUSH Patron here ====> PUSH PATRON

“I don’t care how you look, I just care that you’re healthy!”

Hmmm…..really, though?

In this episode we tackle shame and stigma surrounding weight, what determine’s a person’s ability to be healthy and how society has created a hierarchy surrounding what “good” bodies should look like.

Also, Cara gets a little heated about Joe Rogan.

Listen in as we dive in to discuss this topic and more!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Fitness For All Bodies

Justice Roe Williams

PUSH Fitness Instagram account

The social determinants of health

Ragan Chastain

The long term health effects of playing football

The 4 pillars of athleticism

History of the terms “overweight” and “obese.”

The history of the BMI