http://www.JessiHaggerty.com/blppodcast
Barbara Spanjers is a therapist and wellness coach who is hellbent on helping women banish the evil tag team of food-guilt and body-shame. She draws from a diverse educational and career background including media production, massage therapy, and psychotherapy. In her wellness coaching practice, Cake Is Magical Wellness, Barb takes a weight neutral approach to help her clients heal their relationship with food and their bodies. She offers a three-month program, Have Your CAKE (and Feel Peaceful, Too) to help clients move from a place of judgment and self-criticism to curiosity and self-compassion. For more information about the program, visit www.barbaraspanjers.com/haveyourcake. You can catch Barb at www.barbaraspanjers.com, where she infuses a sense of humor and irreverence into her writing. She fears no food (except beets) and loves to help others do the same.
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Have a question you want me to ask my guests? Submit it by emailing Jessi@JessiHaggerty.com
A few months ago I was at an eating disorder conference here in Boston, and hanging out by myself at a post-conference networking event (can you tell I'm an introvert)? Then, I was greeted by another dietitian, who complimented my on my soft-looking sweater. I turned to introduce myself and asked... "and your name is?"
"Nancy Clark", she responded.
I was super embarrassed in that moment one, because I've followed Nancy's career since I was an undergraduate in Nutrition, and didn't recognize her immediately, and two, because I got slightly giddy as I realized I was talking to her in person, one-on-one. It only took about 30 seconds of talking to her before I blurted out, "do you want to be on my podcast?!" She said yes, and here we are having an insightful discussion on the intersection of sports nutrition and eating disorders. Our conversation can benefit both recreational and professional athletes, and professionals who are working with both.
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In this episode Katie shares her complicated relationship with food growing up and through college, and the tools she used to ultimately address the underlying issue: “I just didn’t know myself”. As a child she fell victim to the the issues our culture has with body image. She constantly found herself wanting to look like what she saw on TV and comparing herself to her friends.
Her freshman year she gained some weight, and unintentionally lost it (and then some) while studying abroad. When she returned home she received positive feedback and validation for losing weight which motivated her to “keep going”. Katie continued to lose more and more weight by engaging in unhealthy behaviors that eventually spiraled out of control. After seeking guidance through self-help books, Katie stumbled onto journaling as a tool to help her express some of her deepest feelings, which eventually helped her heighten her self awareness and get to know herself better in the process. Journaling had such a profound affect on Katie, that she eventually wrote a book on it, Let it Out a Journey Through Journaling. This book contains over 50 journaling exercises to help you process difficult feelings and emotions. Katie also uses her podcast (also called Let it Out) as a tool to curate conversations about anything and everything that sparks her curiosity.
In this episode we talk about life on the “other side” and how she (and I) still dance with bad body image days, and how inevitably old feelings and habits around food can sneak up on us when we least expect it. Our conversation has some really interested nooks and crannies about mindfulness, spirituality, technology (ehem, iPhone) addiction, and a PSA to Uber drivers (stop using perfume to “freshen up” your car). Listen to the full episode below, and then get in on the conversation! Let me know your thoughts or questions in the comments below!
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Today I am talking with Megan Bray. Megan is a Certified Eating Disorder Dietitian working for Food, Mind, Body Wellbeing in Australia. In this episode we talk about her own experience suffering from an eating disorder, and how her lived experience allows her to really empathize with her clients.
After recovering from her eating disorder, Megan eventually pursued a degree in nutrition and dietetics, but quickly realized she didn’t resonate with the traditional dietetics model. She found that her education was not looking at the big picture of supporting long term health and wellbeing and instead was more focused on a “quick fix”. It was at that point that she discovered Health At Every Size and Intuitive Eating as an alternative method to helping those struggling with food and eating issues.
Now she uses her tools as a practitioner, combined with her lived experience to help her clients reach a full recover. has found that sharing her story can really help others. She explains to clients that this work is not easy and might take a while but in the long run has much more success. She works in a team who together want to create a community and safe space for support and treatment.
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