Eat the Rules with Summer Innanen

I’m interviewing Shana Spence, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, about how to navigate diet culture over the holidays, including what to do about food guilt, urges to diet, and dealing with diet talk from family/friends.
Show notes: summerinnanen.com/181
In this episode, we chat about:

- Shana’s work as an “Eat Anything Dietician” and what that means,
- How fear about indulging too much stems from restriction,
- The importance of giving yourself permission to eat the fun foods,
- How the trauma of this year has been hard on our bodies and dieting only increases that,
- What we can learn from celebrity interviews on how to deal with diet-talk,
- Why comfort food and emotional eating should be normalized,
Plus, so much more!
Get the shownotes:  summerinnanen.com/181
Direct download: 181_episode_n.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

I’m unpacking where our body image comes from and how to unpack your own body image origins, as part of the Body Image Series.
Show notes: summerinnanen.com/180
In this episode, we chat about:
- How systems of oppression impact body image and how we’re treated in our society,

- The importance of knowing that your self-worth isn’t dictated by your appearance or how other people feel about you,
- How our culture has taught us that only certain bodies are worthy,
- Beauty as social currency,
- How the desire to fit beauty standards is hardcoded in our DNA,
- How external systems of oppression create internalized oppressions,
- Questions you can use to examine your past and be curious about where your body image came from,
Plus, so much more!
Get the shownotes:  summerinnanen.com/180
Direct download: 180_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

I’m interviewing Natasha Ngindi - non-diet nutritionist, body image activist, Zumba instructor, and entrepreneur - about the BMI and diet-culture’s roots in anti-Blackness, and how to show compassion to yourself when it comes to food.
Show notes: summerinnanen.com/179
In this episode, we chat about:
- How Natasha’s body image shifted after moving to Canada from South Africa,

- How she discovered Intuitive Eating and found freedom with food and her body,
- The creation of the BMI and why it is a racially biased metric,
- The history of body image and its roots in anti-Blackness,
- Her work as a non-diet nutritionist and what that means,
- Detaching the desire for weight loss from joyful movement,
Plus, so much more!
Get the shownotes:  summerinnanen.com/179
Direct download: 179_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

I’m interviewing Victoria Welsby – author, speaker, and body confidence expert - about reclaiming the word Fat, and how being your authentic self and doing what brings you joy can have a bigger purpose.
Show notes: summerinnanen.com/178
In this episode, we chat about:
- Victoria’s lightbulb moment of realizing it’s okay to be fat and how that influenced her path as a coach and activist,

- Reclaiming the word Fat and owning it with confidence,
- How much your environment can influence your beliefs,
- The importance of having other fat positive people in your life, including your social media feed,
- Embracing the idea of being authentically you, even if it offends people,
- How Victoria manages criticism and online trolls,
Plus, so much more!
Get the shownotes:  summerinnanen.com/178
Direct download: 178_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

This is the season premiere of season 6 of the podcast. I’m talking about why I changed the name, what you can expect from this season of the show, where to start if you’re new around here and what to do if you stare at yourself all day on video calls.
Show notes: summerinnanen.com/177

In this episode, I'm talking about: 

- Why this work needs to be political,
- Why I changed the name,
- What to expect from this season,
- Where to start if you’re new around here,
- What to do if you spend a lot of time on video calls,

Plus, so much more!
Get the shownotes:  summerinnanen.com/177

 

Direct download: 177_episode_new.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

It's a special episode because in this 2 part episode I’m speaking to 4 incredible women, whom I’m willing to bet will have pieces of their story resonate with you. These are 4 of my clients who worked with me during the You, On Fire program and they are here to show you that it is possible to go from obsessing over food and hating your body, to no longer fretting about your reflection and having so much more confidence in who you are outside of how you look. These women go on to be role models to their kids, they have more time so they volunteer or become advocates for social justice, they ask for a raise and a promotion at work, they speak up to their medical professional about HAES or they pursue a new calling. And in all of these little ways, they start to leave a different kind of mark on this world and change the culture. To enroll in You, On Fire go to summerinnanen.com/youonfire
Direct download: 176_p2_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

It's a special episode because in this 2 part episode I’m speaking to 4 incredible women, whom I’m willing to bet will have pieces of their story resonate with you. These are 4 of my clients who worked with me during the You, On Fire program and they are here to show you that it is possible to go from obsessing over food and hating your body, to no longer fretting about your reflection and having so much more confidence in who you are outside of how you look. These women go on to be role models to their kids, they have more time so they volunteer or become advocates for social justice, they ask for a raise and a promotion at work, they speak up to their medical professional about HAES or they pursue a new calling. And in all of these little ways, they start to leave a different kind of mark on this world and change the culture. To enroll in You, On Fire go to summerinnanen.com/youonfire
Direct download: 176_p1_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

I’m unpacking 4 misconceptions about body acceptance that will help you shift your perspective and make accepting your body easier, as part of the Body Image Series.
Show notes: summerinnanen.com/175
We discuss:

- 4 things I wish I'd known about accepting your body

- Why it's not about "liking the way you look,"

- What it really means and feels like to accept your body,

- Why believing we need to be positive all the time is toxic to our well-being,

- How I teach acceptance and help people cultivate a sense of worth beyond their appearance,

- Why accepting your body doesn't mean "giving up" or not "taking care of yourself"

- What it means to take care of yourself,

- Why body acceptance is not a one-and-done job,

Plus, so much more!
Get the shownotes:  summerinnanen.com/175
Direct download: 175_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

In Part 2 of this episode, for the first time I'm sharing my story about my history with dieting and body hate and the lessons I learned along the way.
 Show notes: summerinnanen.com/174
I talk about:
- What drove me to study nutrition and what I learned through that experience,
- The breaking point when I realized I had a problem and that it wasn't going to be resolved by the food on my plate,
- Why we have to stop participating in diet culture in order to heal,
- My "anti-diet" awakening and why this process took a long time,
- The biggest things that helped me heal and the mistakes I made along the way,
- The specific steps I give to everyone who is new to this space and quitting dieting,
Plus, so much more! 
Get the shownotes: summerinnanen.com/174
Direct download: 174_p2_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

In Part 1 of this episode, for the first time I'm sharing my story about my history with dieting and body hate and the lessons I learned along the way.
 Show notes: summerinnanen.com/174
I talk about:
- How I developed the restrict-binge-cycle from the messages I was learning at home,
- When and why I began thinking my body was a problem,
- How parents can do better to ensure their kids don't developed disordered behaviours with food,
- The assignment at school that was the catalyst to starting diets,
- How my dieting progressed into disordered eating and exercise addiction,
- The lessons I learned about the lies diet and wellness culture sells us,
Plus, so much more! 
Get the shownotes: summerinnanen.com/174
Direct download: 174_p1_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

I’m interviewing Shirin Eskandani - life coach, public speaker and writer – about how to find your purpose beyond dieting and appearance and how to overcome the fears that get in the way of pursuing more purpose and joy in your life.
Show notes: summerinnanen.com/173
We discuss:

- Shirin’s relationship with her body growing up and how she was able to accept her body through weight gain and reframe it as something positive,

- The impact of being a first generation immigrant and how that shaped Shirin’s body image and self-acceptance,

- How to find your purpose and that it’s not something that comes from outside of ourselves, 

- The difference between a life that looks fulfilling and one that feels fulfilling,

- Ways you can connect with your intuitive voice and practice self-trust,

- Creating goals based on feelings and doing feeling-checks as you progress,

- Practical ways we can find more fulfillment and purpose in our lives, 

- How to overcome fear and self-doubt when making changes to live more purposeful lives,

- How to stop perfectionism and the need to over-achieve from getting in the way of having more joy and fulfillment in your life,

- Embracing the idea of doing B+ work,

Plus, so much more!
Get the shownotes: summerinnanen.com/173
Direct download: 173_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

I’m interviewing Michelle Vina-Baltsas about agism, how to manage body changes as you age, the increased expectations put on women as they age and how to handle the struggles that pop up around mid-life.
 Show notes: summerinnanen.com/172
We discuss:
- Michelle’s history with dieting, how she left diet culture and how that inspired her to help other mid-life women to do the same,
- Michelle’s mixed-race identity and how that influenced the way she felt about herself growing up and how she’s owning it today, 
- The influence of aging/agism, 
- The unique struggles that pop up around body image during mid-life,
- How the idea that we’re no longer visible comes into play as we age and how to work through those feelings, 
- Navigating feelings of mortality and uncertainty as you age,
- How to practice self-compassion, including 3 steps to aid in compassionate self-talk,
- How to use gratitude to appreciate who you are and body changes, 
- Ways to change your relationship to aging, 
- How to navigate the information about perimenopause and menopause without being influenced by diet culture,
- How to focus on health without having it tied to weight,
Plus, so much more!
Get the shownotes: summerinnanen.com/172
Direct download: 172_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

I’m interviewing Michelle Auerbach - Author of Resilience: The Life-Changing Skill of Story - we talk about how you can use stories to heal trauma, help others, become more resilient and change our culture. 
 Show notes: summerinnanen.com/171
We discuss:
- What inspired Michelle to write Resilience: The Life-Changing Skill of Story,
- What a story is and why it doesn’t need to be profound to heal or make an impact,
- The 3 ingredients of a story that we can use to heal and help connect with others,
- How stories can be used to heal trauma and how they have a physiological impact on our body,
- How both listening to stories and telling our story are powerful ways to heal trauma,
- Practical ways we can use storytelling to help us in moments of emotional distress,
- How we can use stories to be better allies to marginalized individuals,

- Why stories can be a powerful way to reject diet culture and help with body acceptance,
- Why journalling can be an incredible tool for sharing our stories and healing,
- How we can use stories to bridge the divide and help others to see different perspectives,
Plus, so much more! 
Get the shownotes: summerinnanen.com/171
Direct download: 171_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

I’m interviewing Christy Harrison - anti-diet registered dietitian and author of Anti-Diet - about the history of diet culture and beauty standards, the truth about long-term weight loss, how to get started with Intuitive Eating and more.
 Show notes: summerinnanen.com/170
We discuss:
- The history of diet culture and how fat phobia preceded the health arguments that fuel diet culture today,
- The evolution of beauty standards and how they were correlated to political shifts happening in women’s liberation,
- Why conversations on diet culture must be political and why divorcing diet culture is a political act,
- Why Christy refers to diet culture as The Life Thief,
- The “Obesity” epidemic - how to came into existence, whether there is truth to it and the real impact on the health system,
- What the research really says about long-term weight loss,
- How to define health,

- The impact of weight stigma on health,
- The impact of weight cycling on health,
- The first steps you need to take to become a more intuitive eater,
- Why self-trust and focusing on enoughness must come before evaluating fullness,
Plus, so much more! 
Get the shownotes at summerinnanen.com/170
Direct download: 170_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

I’m interviewing Chrissy King - writer, speaker, strength coach - about the intersection of racism and fitness culture, the importance of anti-racism work, how to heal your relationship with your fitness and more.
 Show notes: summerinnanen.com/169
We discuss:
- How Chrissy got into powerlifting and the impact this had on her relationship with her body,
- How Chrissy took dieting and fitness to the extreme and later recovered to come to a place of acceptance and peace with her body,
- The influence of racism on body image,
- The intersection of fitness culture and racism and how so much of fitness culture is still so white-washed,
- How white coaches, trainers and everyday people can do better to dismantle white supremacy and invest in anti-racism work,
- Chrissy’s #thebodyliberation project and why she believes liberation is the ultimate destination beyond self-acceptance,
- Specific practices to take to cultivate self-acceptance,

- Why self-love is not all rainbows and the important steps needed to cultivate self-acceptance,
- How to change your relationship with fitness if you’ve had a disordered or damaged relationship with it,
Plus, so much more! 
Get the shownotes at summerinnanen.com/169
Direct download: 169_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

I’m interviewing Lindley Ashline, Photographer and creator of Body Liberation Stock and the Body Love Box about how images and photos can be a powerful tool for healing body image. We also discuss thin privilege and more.
 Show notes: summerinnanen.com/168
We discuss:
- How Lindley got into photography and came up with the ideal to create Body Liberation Stock,
- Why there is a need for fat photographers and people who understand how to work with fat bodies,
- Why growing up without television and pop culture made it easier for Lindley to accept her body,
- How fatphobia is the background noise in our culture,
- How photos can be a helpful tool in the healing process,
- How to use photos to heal body image,
- Why the media controls and influences the power dynamics as it relates to fat bodies,
- What you can do if you are afraid of being visible in photos,
- Lindley’s series on thin privilege - why she started it and the impact it’s had,
Plus, so much more! 
Get the shownotes at summerinnanen.com/168
Direct download: 168_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

I’m interviewing Jennifer Hollinshead, Registered Clinical Counsellor and Founder of Peak Resilience. We talk about how to navigate feelings of uncertainty, how you can learn to surrender control and how to take care of your mental health via self-care, especially during these unprecedented times.
 Show notes: summerinnanen.com/167
We discuss:
 - What inspired Jennifer to become a Registered Clinical Counsellor and open Peak Resilience,

- Why it is imperative to take a social-justice informed stance in counselling/therapy,
- The challenges she faced starting her own business and the adversity she overcame as a female entrepreneur,

- How our patriarchal, capitalist and colonialist society influences mental health,

- How our current times of COVID-19 are influencing people's feelings of anxiety or depression,

- Ways to take care of your mental health when consuming negative news,
- What to do if you really struggle with uncertainty and letting go of control and how to learn to surrender,
- How to navigate and take care of your mental health via self-care while in quarantine,
- The best ways to manage the increased expectations that we're putting on ourselves right now (i.e. homeschool, take up a new hobby, etc),
- How to find time for self-care when your responsibilities have increased considerably,
- Ways to overcome guilt over making time for yourself and specifically “mom guilt,”
Plus, so much more! 
Get the shownotes at summerinnanen.com/167
Direct download: 167_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

I’m interviewing Elizabeth Hall, Certified Life Coach and Intuitive Eating Counsellor about what it means to have a spiritual practice (even if you don’t identify as spiritual) and how we can use spirituality to heal our relationship with food and our bodies. Show notes: summerinnanen.com/166
We discuss:
- How she discovered Intuitive Eating after 30 years as a chronic dieter and the fears that held her back from truly embracing it,
- What she wishes she had known and worked on while she was healing her relationship with food,
- Why in hindsight she was doing Intuitive Eating wrong,
- What it means to be spiritual and why it’s not about being religious,
- How spirituality can help you heal your relationship with food and your body,
- How it can help you to tune into your intuitive, change negative thoughts and learn to trust your body,
- The components of a spiritual practice, specifically for people who haven’t ventured into this space,
- Daily spiritual practices that can help you feel more grounded and content,
Plus, so much more! 
Get the shownotes at summerinnanen.com/166
Direct download: 166_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

I’m interviewing Virginia Sole-Smith, author of The Eating Instinct about how food should be safe and comforting first and foremost, plus we chat about how to feed kids intuitively. We chat about:
- How Virginia’s first daughter suffered from a heart defect, which resulted in her not being able to eat “normally” for the first two years of her life,
- What this taught Virginia about eating and our relationships with food,
- What inspired her to write The Eating Instinct and what she learned from it,
- How so many of us don’t feel safe or trust ourselves around food or get pleasure from it,
- How feeding kids has become so complicated and how diet culture influences the way we feed our kids,
- The Division of Responsibility approach from Ellen Sattyr for teaching kids to be intuitive eaters and separating diet culture from nutrition,
- How the pressure on moms intersects with diet culture,
- What to do if you’re confused on how to feed your child,
- What to do if you’ve been influenced by dieting and are unsure of how to introduce more “forbidden” foods to your kids,
Plus, so much more!
Find the shownotes at: summerinnanen.com/165
Direct download: 165_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

It's a special episode because I’m speaking to 4 incredible women, whom I’m willing to bet will have pieces of their story resonate with you. These are 4 of my clients who worked with me during the You, On Fire program and they are here to show you that it is possible to go from obsessing over food and hating your body, to no longer fretting about your reflection and having so much more confidence in who you are outside of how you look. These women go on to be role models to their kids, they have more time so they volunteer or become advocates for social justice, they ask for a raise and a promotion at work, they speak up to their medical professional about HAES or they pursue a new calling. And in all of these little ways, they start to leave a different kind of mark on this world and change the culture. To enroll in You, On Fire go to summerinnanen.com/youonfire
Direct download: 164_part2_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

It's a special episode because I’m speaking to 4 incredible women, whom I’m willing to bet will have pieces of their story resonate with you. These are 4 of my clients who worked with me during the You, On Fire program and they are here to show you that it is possible to go from obsessing over food and hating your body, to no longer fretting about your reflection and having so much more confidence in who you are outside of how you look. These women go on to be role models to their kids, they have more time so they volunteer or become advocates for social justice, they ask for a raise and a promotion at work, they speak up to their medical professional about HAES or they pursue a new calling. And in all of these little ways, they start to leave a different kind of mark on this world and change the culture. To enroll in You, On Fire go to summerinnanen.com/youonfire
Direct download: 164_part1_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

I’m talking about how to stop caring so much about what others think, what we can learn from fear of judgment and 7 ways to overcome it, as part of the Body Image Series.
Grab your free bonus worksheet - "5 Ways to Navigate Social Situations When Feeling Self-Conscious" in the show notes at summerinnanen.com/163
Specifically, we cover:

- Why we fear judgment and how this is ingrained in us,
- What these fears can teach us about ourselves,
- Why understanding the source of our fear of what others are thinking is integral to healing self-worth,
- 7 ways to overcome fear of judgment,
Plus, so much more! 
Get your free worksheet - "5 Ways to Navigate Social Situations When Feeling Self-Conscious" in the show notes at summerinnanen.com/163

Direct download: 163_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

I’m talking about why we compare, why comparisons are one of the hardest things to overcome and 8 actions to take to help you stop comparing, as part of the Body Image Series.
Grab your free worksheet - "6 Ways We’ve Been Conditioned to Compare" in the show notes at summerinnanen.com/162
Specifically, we cover:

- Why we compare and why it’s not our fault,
- The main belief that drives us to compare,
- Why comparisons are one of the hardest things to overcome,
- 8 actions to take to stop comparisons,
Plus, so much more! 
Get your free worksheet - "6 Ways We’ve Been Conditioned to Compare" in the show notes at summerinnanen.com/162

Direct download: 162_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

I’m talking about breaking the attachment to the thin ideal. Specifically, why it’s so hard to break the attachment to the thin ideal and how to identify and work through the fears that keep us hooked on the pursuit of thinness, as part of the Body Image Series.
Grab your free worksheet - "Goodbye Diet Culture - 5 prompts to help you break up with diet culture for good" in the show notes at summerinnanen.com/161
Specifically, we cover:

- Why it’s so hard to break the attachment to the thin ideal,

- Why no one should feel ashamed for wanting to lose weight,

- Why breaking the attachment to the thin ideal is a crucial part of body acceptance work,

- How to identify and work through the fears that keep us hooked on the thin ideal,

- The 5 main fears that keep us hooked on the thin ideal and diet mentality,
Get your free worksheet - "Goodbye Diet Culture - 5 prompts to help you break up with diet culture for good" in the show notes at summerinnanen.com/161

Direct download: 161_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

I’m talking about what gets in the way of believing that we’re good enough, how to build self-worth and why it’s so damn important towards knowing you’re good enough as you are, as part of the Body Image Series.
Grab your free worksheet - "10 Powerful Ways To Reinforce That You’re Good Enough" in the show notes at summerinnanen.com/160
Specifically, we cover:

- What gets in the way of feeling good enough,

- How our “shoulds” feed the belief that we’re not good enough,

- What is self-worth and why it’s so damn important for you to feel good enough,

- The difference between confidence and self-worth,

- How perfectionism influences our self-worth,

- 8 components to build self-worth,
Get your free worksheet - "10 Powerful Ways To Reinforce That You’re Good Enough" in the show notes at summerinnanen.com/160

Direct download: 160_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

I’m talking about the relationship between body image and intuitive eating, as part of the Body Image Series.
Grab your free worksheet - "Eat Like A Grown-Ass Adult - 4 prompts to inspire you to live your life without diets" in the show notes at summerinnanen.com/159
Specifically, we cover:

- Why body dissatisfaction drives the diet mentality,

- Why accepting our bodies doesn’t mean giving up,

 - 5 ways that body image work will facilitate healing your relationship with food,

- What it means to “trust yourself” around food and how to overcome that hurdle if you feel like you just can’t

Get your free worksheet - "Eat Like A Grown-Ass Adult - 4 prompts to inspire you to live your life without diets" in the show notes at summerinnanen.com/159

Direct download: 159_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

I’m talking about how to feel better in your body, as part of the Body Image Series.
Grab your free worksheet with 5 actions to immediately feel better in your body in the show notes at summerinnanen.com/158
Specifically, we cover:

- The body image series of podcast episodes I’m going to be doing,
- Why I intertwine the words self-worth and body image,
- The biggest mistake we make when trying to feel better in our body,
- The one question to ask yourself when working on feeling better in your body,
- 7 ways to feel better in your body mentally,
- How to feel better in your body physically,
Get your free worksheet with 5 actions to immediately feel better in your body in the show notes at summerinnanen.com/158

Direct download: 158_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

I’m interviewing Holly Whitaker author of Quit Like A Woman and founder and CEO of sobriety school Tempest, about how alcohol culture strips us of our power, the patriarchal nature of AA and her approach to becoming a non-drinker geared towards women and other marginalized groups. We chat about:

-Holly’s personal story of her battle with alcohol and how that inspired her to write the book Quit Like A Woman and start the sobriety school Tempest,
- How alcohol culture is embedded into female culture and the various ways this shows up in our everyday life,
- Why alcohol is the new tobacco and the stats around how it is harming individuals and specifically women at an increasing rate,
- How alcohol brands have co-opted feminist ideals to increase profits,
- How to know if you need help with drinking,
- The question we need to ask instead of “am I an alcoholic,”
- Why Holly feels we need to stop using the words alcoholism and alcoholic and how these words can be stigmatizing,
- The patriarchal nature of Alcoholics Anonymous and how it works against feminist ideals and can further hurt marginalized groups,
- How Holly’s approach to healing involves empowerment and a more “feminine” centric approach to recovery,
Plus, so much more!

Direct download: 157_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

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