Body Trauma: A Storytelling Podcast

This week is the last episode of Season 1 of Body Trauma. And for this episode, it is a solo episode with just Nia speaking for the podcast. In this week's episode, I tell you the story of my own body's trauma throughout the years. I start from birth and move up to the present day. We get into a lot of raw feelings and places. Please listen along this week to my story and also please support the podcast and my work by joining my Patreon at patreon.com/thefriendineverwanted.Nia is an eating disorder recovery and mental health advocate. She has spent much of the past 3 years documenting her recovery from Bulimia, OCD, PTSD, and Bipolar Disorder on Instagram and her blog. It is her personal goal to become a therapist and work with people with eating disorders and co-occurring disorders. She posts on Instagram @thefriendineverwanted and blogs at thefriendineverwanted.com She has also started a brand new podcast called Body Trauma which you can find online at bodytraumapod.com You can also find Nia’s body positive and self care artwork in her amazing indie shop, Self Love Tool Chest at www.selflovetoolchest.comCheck out Nia on Instagram over @thefriendineverwanted and @bodytraumapod You can also find her blogging at thefriendineverwanted.com and you can support the podcast on Patreon at patreon.com/thefriendineverwanted. Remember, if you have a question about this podcast or want to share your thoughts please email us at bodytraumapod@gmail.com

Caleb Luna (@chairbreaker), a fat queer (of color) critical theorist, artist, and performance scholar joins Nia Patterson for the fifteenth episode of the podcast. In this week's episode the two of us talk about Caleb's upbringing living with various forms of abuse and trauma. From familial trauma to bullying and more. Caleb also tells us about what it has been like to live in a disabled body. We discuss queerness as a concept and its political roots. We also discuss fatness as an aspect of white supremacy and we talk about Fearing the Black Body by Sabrina Strings. We discuss what the definition of "nonbinary" means to Caleb now and also what it meant to them in the past. We cover the history of weight loss in his family and how it affected him and his siblings. experiences growing up in a biracial body and also a "chunky" body as she puts it. We cover much more and we delve into very difficult and avoided topics. Please listen along this week to Caleb's story and also please support their work.Caleb Luna is a fat queer (of color) critical theorist, artist, and performance scholar. As a Ph.D. candidate in Performance Studies at UC Berkeley, their research focuses on performances of eating, and historicizing cultural representations of fat embodiment within the ongoing settler colonization of North America. As an activist political thinker, they are interested in engaging embodied difference as a generative resource toward fatter understandings of collective freedom.You can of find Caleb Luna at @chairbreaker on Instagram and @chairbreaker_ on Twitter. You can also support them through their Patreon at Patreon.com/CalebLuna.Check out Nia on Instagram over @thefriendineverwanted and @bodytraumapod You can also find her blogging at thefriendineverwanted.com and you can support the podcast on Patreon at patreon.com/thefriendineverwanted. Remember, if you have a question about this podcast or want to share your thoughts please email us at bodytraumapod@gmail.com

Megan Crabbe (@bodyposipanda), an author, influencer, performer and so much more joins Nia Patterson for the fourteenth episode of the podcast. This week the two of us talk about everything Megan and we cover a lot of topics! We talk about Megan's experiences growing up in a biracial body and also a "chunky" body as she puts it. We talk about her experiences with her body from a young age, through puberty, and into adulthood. We cover how her eating disorder started and how she managed to pull herself out of it and fight for her life literally.We also talk about how she came to the body positivity movement. And what it means to be an Instagram name. What it means to be "bodyposipanda," sometimes at the risk of not being Megan to so many people. We also talk about what her journey has been coming out as queer. And what her current relationship means to her and what it's like being in a queer relationship.We also go on many a side tangent including the Jonas Brothers, Taylor Swift, and so much more.Megan Jayne Crabbe is an author, influencer, performer and loudly opinionated woman from Essex, UK. She's known online as Bodyposipanda, and has been creating content for the last 5 years around the topics of body positivity, mental health, feminism and beyond. Her bestselling book Body Positive Power is a manifesto of why we've been taught to hate our bodies, and the ways we can learn to accept them instead. When she isn't writing you might find her covered in pink glitter and destroying the diet industry on stages across the UK with her best friend @thevagaggle and their live show: the Never Say Diet Club, which is part Ted Talk, part comedy show, and a whole lot of outfit changes. On days that she's pretending the internet doesn't exist, Megan is most likely reading, playing The Sims, walking her dogs or hanging out with her sister Gemma, who is much cooler than she is.Some resources mentioned in this episode:Jes Baker - @themilitantbakerThe book Elena Vanishing by Elena DunkleJen Bretty's Youtube ChannelDani Adriana's IG AccountThe book The Beauty Myth by Naomi WolfYou can of course find Megan at @bodyposipanda on Instagram and pretty much all over the internet.Check out Nia on Instagram over @thefriendineverwanted and @bodytraumapod You can also find her blogging at thefriendineverwanted.com and you can support the podcast on Patreon at patreon.com/thefriendineverwanted. Remember, if you have a question about this podcast or want to share your thoughts please email us at bodytraumapod@gmail.com

Monique Melton, an anti-racism educator, published author, international speaker, and fellow podcast host joins Nia Patterson for the thirteenth episode of the podcast. This week the two of us talk about Monique's experiences growing up in a Black body and also about Black Liberation and the ways she benefits from privilege even in a multiply-marginalized body. Monique talks to us about her experiences with Mental Health, including suicidal ideation and depression. She talks about being called to do this work bridging the gap between Black and White people in anti-racism work and how this fuels her work as an anti-racism educator. We also come together to discuss the impact of the #AmplifyMelanatedVoices Challenge and our experiences with it and the outcome. We discuss how White people can do better in committing to anti-racism work. Join us as we talk about Black Liberation, privilege, mental health, and living in a Black body.Monique Melton is an anti-racism educator, published author, international speaker, and host of the Shine Brighter Together podcast. She is also the founder of Shine Brighter Together, which is a community dedicated to healthy relationships & diverse unity.She travels the world speaking at conferences and events on topics related to anti-racism, personal growth, diversity, and relationships. She’s been published in magazines, featured in blogs and podcasts, and has touched the lives of people all over the world.She is a natural big-bold dreamer and a deeply rooted woman of faith.She is a proud Navy wife to her high-school sweetheart, and she is a loving mother to two little ones.She has a BA in social science with an emphasis in sociology & psychology and two years of graduate school education in Clinical Counseling from Johns Hopkins University.She believes it's not all about your comfort, but it's about your growth.You can find Monique on her website at www.MoniqueMelton.com as well as on Instagram @moemotivate. Please check out her linktree for further information.Check out Nia on Instagram over @thefriendineverwanted and @bodytraumapod You can also find her blogging at thefriendineverwanted.com and you can support the podcast on Patreon at patreon.com/thefriendineverwanted. Remember, if you have a question about this podcast or want to share your thoughts please email us at bodytraumapod@gmail.com

Anna Sweeney, a Certified Eating Disorder Registered Dietitian and Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor joins Nia Patterson for a talk about chronic illness and privilege. This week on the twelfth episode of the podcast we talk about Anna's experience growing up with developing Multiple Sclerosis (MS) since the age of 12 and how that has caused physical trauma and mental trauma to her body. She also talks about the privilege she benefits from in her body and how that has lessened the trauma she has endured from her MS. She talks about her drive to complete undergrad in 2.5 years and why she became and eating disorder dietitian. We also talk about how she stops the negative thought spiral in her head. We then move on to talk about the civil rights movement in the world right now, racism, anti-racism, allyship, and White privilege. Join us as we talk about privilege, chronic illness, and stopping negative thoughts. *Please note this episode was recorded in June after the amplify melanated voices challenge.Anna Sweeney, MS, RD, LDN, CEDRD-S is a Certified Eating Disorder Registered Dietitian and Supervisor, Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor and owner of Whole Life Nutrition Counseling, a weight inclusive nutrition therapy practice dedicated to the thoughtful treatment of eating disorders, disordered eating, and body image concerns. Anna practices nutrition care from a Health at Every Size lens, is dedicated to empowering her clients to notice and refute the influence of diet culture in their lives, and understands that nutrition and interaction with food is both unique and personal. Anna is also a full-time disabled person and uses her lived experience to enhance the work she does. You can find Anna at @dietitiananna on Instagram.Check out Nia on Instagram over @thefriendineverwanted and @bodytraumapod You can also find her blogging at thefriendineverwanted.com and you can support the podcast on Patreon at patreon.com/thefriendineverwanted. Remember, if you have a question about this podcast or want to share your thoughts please email us at bodytraumapod@gmail.com

Dalina Soto, MA, RD, LDN, a bilingual registered dietitian at Your Latina Nutritionist joins Nia Patterson this week on the eleventh episode of the podcast. We talk about Dalina's experience with body image after the birth of her first child and developing stretch marks on her body. She talks about her life growing up within the Dominican cultural frame. We talk about different ways that we have encountered racism in the world. Then we move on to discuss how she became a dietitian and how she works with Latinx communities to stop dieting. Join us as we talk about racism, body image, education, and swatting away negative thoughts.Dalina Soto, MA, RD, LDN, is founder and bilingual registered dietitian at Your Latina Nutritionist. Throughout her career, Dalina has worked in the Latinx community as one of the only Spanish Speaking RDs helping clients ditch diets. Through instagram she has been able to expand and reach Latinas all over the world and has helped them ditch the diets and practice body respect.Check out Nia on Instagram over @thefriendineverwanted and @bodytraumapod You can also find her blogging at thefriendineverwanted.com and you can support the podcast on Patreon at patreon.com/thefriendineverwanted. Remember, if you have a question about this podcast or want to share your thoughts please email us at bodytraumapod@gmail.com

Naomi Savin, a writer, recovery advocate and blogger, joins Nia Patterson for an episode about eating disorders and exercise addiction. This week on the tenth episode of the podcast we talk about Naomi's experience with anorexia when she was in high school and the exercise addiction she developed as a result of that. She talks about her life growing up while restricting food and the ways that hunger manifested in her life. We talk about how her exercise addiction started from her love of running and progressed into an illness that pushed her to overexercise constantly. We then move on to discuss her writing and content on her Instagram account and how she writes for her 15 year old self in her posts. She also throws in some good book recommendations along the way! Join us as we talk about eating disorders, mental health, exercise and food.Naomi is an Idaho native and recovery advocate who chronicles her experiences with eating disorders, exercise addiction, and leaving diet culture behind on her Instagram @dietculturesucks. She lives in DC and loves politics, spending time with her friends, reading, and drinking fancy lattes.Check out Nia on Instagram over @thefriendineverwanted and @bodytraumapod You can also find her blogging at thefriendineverwanted.com and you can support the podcast on Patreon at patreon.com/thefriendineverwanted. Remember, if you have a question about this podcast or want to share your thoughts please email us at bodytraumapod@gmail.com

Sarah Buchanan, an author, artist, food blogger, and one of my really good friends joins Nia Patterson for what is probably our funniest episode to date! This week on the ninth episode of the podcast we talk about Sarah's experience being a Type 1 Diabetic since the age of 4 and how that has affected her physical health as well as her mental health. She talks about her life growing up with childhood bullying and trauma. We talk about how important it is that we are able to advocate for our bodies and also how medication can be helpful for mental illness. Then we move on to discuss writing with inclusivity and creating novels with a wide range of characters and the ways that this can become problematic. Lastly, we end with a brief synoposis of my personal deep love for Fat Thor from Avengers: Endgame! Join us as we talk about diabetes, mental health, writing and food.Sarah Buchanan is a writer, artist, food blogger, and tarot reader whose biggest pet peeve is when people she's just met feel compelled to ask her how tall she is. (She's 5'10".) Sarah is also a Type 1 diabetic who has spent the last 31 years explaining to people that no, she didn't "cause" her disease and no...cinnamon won't cure it. She's currently working on a follow-up to her debut novel, "That Book I Wrote About Me," which you can find here and occasionally updating her food blog, Sarah Cooks the Books. Sarah currently resides in North Carolina with her two cats, Zelda and Oliver.You can find Sarah on Instagram @sarahbuchananwrites. You can also connect with her via email at sarahcooksthebooks@gmail.com.Check out Nia on Instagram over @thefriendineverwanted and @bodytraumapod You can also find her blogging at thefriendineverwanted.com and you can support the podcast on Patreon at patreon.com/thefriendineverwanted. Remember, if you have a question about this podcast or want to share your thoughts please email us at bodytraumapod@gmail.com

Carolina Guízar, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and certified intuitive eating counselor, joins Nia Patterson this week on the eight episode of the podcast to talk about her body trauma growing up in a straight-size, Latinx body. She talks about her life growing up with childhood trauma and racism. We talk about OCD and the different ways it presents for both of us and how we cope with it. We also talk about Health At Every Size (HAES) and what does that even mean. Lastly, we throw in some great McDonald's laughs and deeply relate on our love of double cheeseburgers! Join us as we talk about mental health, trauma and food.Carolina Guízar is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and certified intuitive eating counselor with a private practice in New York City. She works with individuals who are recovering from diet culture and want to cultivate a more peaceful relationship with food and their bodies. She also specializes in irritable bowel syndrome and brings a non-diet approach to her work with this population.The daughter of Mexican immigrants, Carolina understands the difficulties that many in the Latinx community face. Carolina set out to spread the message of Health at Every Size and intuitive eating to Latinx communities via her Instagram account @eathority with the aim of alleviating the suffering brought on by food preoccupation and body dissatisfaction. She hopes to shed light on the oppressive qualities of diet culture, and its harmful impact on Latinx communities in the United States. You can find Carolina on Instagram @eathority and her personal website at www.eathority.com. You can also find her collaborative course for intuitive eating at www.latinxhealthcollective.com.Check out Nia on Instagram over @thefriendineverwanted and @bodytraumapod You can also find her blogging at thefriendineverwanted.com and you can support the podcast on Patreon at patreon.com/thefriendineverwanted. Remember, if you have a question about this podcast or want to share your thoughts please email us at bodytraumapod@gmail.com

Colleen Werner, a ballet dancer, writer, and therapist-in-training, joins Nia Patterson this week on the seventh episode of the podcast to talk about her life experiences growing up with an eating disorder in a weight centric family. She talks about her history with dance and how she has started to dance again late in her recovery and since she's become fully recovered from anorexia. We talk about body image and how we can counter it with body neutrality. We also talk about dating while in a fat body as well. Join us as we talk about being fat during our recovery from our eating disorders and ways to make peace/accept your body.Colleen Werner is a ballet dancer, writer, therapist-in-training, and influencer based in Nashville, TN. Her personal experiences of recovering from anorexia nervosa, anxiety, depression, and PTSD have led her to want to devote her life to helping others heal from similar situations. You can find her on Instagram @colleenmwerner or online at www.colleenwerner.comCheck out Nia on Instagram over @thefriendineverwanted and @bodytraumapod You can also find her blogging at thefriendineverwanted.com and you can support the podcast on Patreon at patreon.com/thefriendineverwanted. Remember, if you have a question about this podcast or want to share your thoughts please email us at bodytraumapod@gmail.com

Evette Dionne, a Black feminist culture journalist, critic, author and editor-in-chief, joins Nia Patterson this week on the sixth episode of the podcast to talk about her body's experiences with physical health and mental health while being black in America. We talk about how black and fat women are expected to uphold hyperfemininity in their day-to-day lives. Evette talks about how medical fatphobia and bias kept her from getting treatment for critical heart disease. We also break down what agoraphobia looks like in reality for someone suffering from it. And then we also talk about how hard it is to make friends as an adult! We get very serious on this episode but we also talk about a lot of lighthearted topics and we definitely get quite a few laughs in. We both share a great deal about your lives and our trauma. Join us as we talk about being fat and black in America while dealing with mental illness and physical health.Evette Dionne, known across the internet as “free Black girl,” is a Black feminist culture journalist, critic, and editor who writes primarily about race, gender, and size. Presently, she’s the editor-in-chief of Bitch Media. Dionne is also the author of Lifting As We Climb: Black Women’s Battle for the Ballot Box, a young-adult book about the history of Black women suffragists, and Fat Girls Deserve Fairytales Too: Living Hopefully On the Other Side of Skinny. Find her on Instagram here @freeblackgirlCheck out Nia on Instagram over @thefriendineverwanted and @bodytraumapod You can also find her blogging at thefriendineverwanted.com and you can support the podcast on Patreon at patreon.com/thefriendineverwanted. Remember, if you have a question about this podcast or want to share your thoughts please email us at bodytraumapod@gmail.com

Alishia McCullough, a black Licensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist, joins Nia Patterson this week on the fifth episode of the podcast to talk about her body trauma, racism, eating disorder recovery, and being black in the mental health field. We talk about what is going on the country right now with the War on Black and we talk about how can we improve the occurrence of mental health practitioners of color. We talk about both our experiences growing up black in America and how we developed body image issues and eating disorders. We briefly discuss how our histories are not told in school and we have missed out on learning so much about our people. This episode is both serious and critical as well as humorous and light. There is a great deal of story sharing for both of us. Join us as we talk about what it is like to be black in the world today and furthermore what it's like to exist as a black woman with mental illness.Alishia McCullough (she, her, hers) is a millennial Licensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist and National Certified Counselor currently residing in Greensboro, North Carolina. She is also an independent published author of the book Blossoming. She has spent the past few years providing therapy to college students dealing with issues of anxiety, depression, mood issues, relationship conflict, family concerns, eating disorders and body image concerns. She also provides individual, group, and couples therapy. She is most passionate about offering therapeutic guidance towards healing and wellness primarily for black and brown folx experiencing mental health distress. She specializes in treating eating disorders and upholds the values of body justice and fat liberation within communities of color. She is passionate about anti-racism, racial healing, and decolonization. She is motivated to increase access and create spaces for black, indigenous, queer, people of color to come together and heal in ways that inspire holistic wellness and culturally inclusive informed healing. Feel free to connect with her via Instagram @blackandembodiedCheck out Nia on Instagram over @thefriendineverwanted and @bodytraumapod You can also find her blogging at thefriendineverwanted.com and you can support the podcast on patreon at patreon.com/thefriendineverwanted. Remember, if you have a question about this podcast or want to share your thoughts please email us at bodytraumapod@gmail.com

Jude Valentin is a content creator who posts @mermaidqueenjude, joins Nia Patterson this week on the fourth episode of the podcast to talk about her body trauma, chronic pain, PTSD, and eating disorder recovery. We talk about processing grief, cooking and food, holding space for our followers, and our mutual theater kid histories. This episode is riddled with dark humor and sarcasm as well as painful vulnerability and story sharing. Join us as we talk about how our mental and physical health exist side by side and prioritizing ourselves in a hectic world.Jude is a content creator, sailor guardian, and cat mom. She is a bisexual nonbinary femme (she/her & they/them) who has made it her mission to create community spaces that can be healing. Her community, the Mermaid Kingdom, is based in empathy, compassion, and chaotic goodness. You can find them all over the internet, probably yelling about astrological placements, tarot, or how cute her cat is.Jude can be found on Instagram, Twitch, and Patreon at @mermaidqueenjude and her website mermaidequeenjude.com. And since Twitter is a hater you'll have to find her there at @merqueenjudeCheck out Nia on Instagram over @thefriendineverwanted and @bodytraumapod You can also find her blogging at thefriendineverwanted.com and you can support the podcast on patreon at patreon.com/thefriendineverwanted. Remember, if you have a question about this podcast or want to share your thoughts please email us at bodytraumapod@gmail.com

Clare, an instagram figure who posts @recoverybrainfood, joins Nia Patterson this week on the third episode of the podcast to talk about her body trauma and eating disorder recovery. We talk about damaging parenting, major weight loss from an eating disorder, and then branch off into talking about our social media accounts and how we manage them. This episode is filled with laughs and sarcasm and also serious moments and revelations. Join us as we talk about how social media can help us in recovery but also mess with our own body image and perceived self worth.Clare is a startup brand marketer and Sopranos-fanatic based in New York City. She operates the Instagram account @recoverybrainfood and spends way to much time trolling the internet for memes that prove you're not the only one. Obsessions include LL Bean slippers, watching re-runs of Inside the Actor's Studio on airplanes, and gratuitous usage of the word "groovy."Clare can be found on Instagram @recoverybrainfood And although right now she is taking a break she still insists you drop a line and say hi.Check out Nia on Instagram over @thefriendineverwanted and @bodytraumapod You can also find her blogging at thefriendineverwanted.com and you can support the podcast on patreon at patreon.com/thefriendineverwanted. Remember, if you have a question about this podcast or want to share your thoughts please email us at bodytraumapod@gmail.com

Ayana Habtemariam, a registered anti-diet dietitian and social worker joins Nia Patterson on this second episode of the podcast to discuss body trauma in her life. We talk about racism and discrimination based on our bodies and how these create tangible trauma in our bodies. We also confess some little-known secrets about black women. Ayana is a nutrition therapist, certified intuitive eating counselor, and macro social worker. She is the founder of Truly Real Nutrition, LLC, a private nutrition practice where she empowers clients to give up dieting in exchange for trusting their bodies and breaking free from food rules that result in feelings of failure and shame. Ayana is committed to increasing awareness of intuitive eating and weight inclusive philosophies in black communities. She believes that weight-centric approaches to health and wellness only serve to exacerbate body image issues, stress, and anxiety which contribute to increased rates of chronic diseases often seen in black and other communities of color.Ayana can be found on Instagram @thetrillrd and also at TrulyRealNutrition.com You can head over there and contact her to do a discovery call with her and see if working with her would be a good fit. Check out Nia on Instagram over @thefriendineverwanted and @bodytraumapod You can also find her blogging at thefriendineverwanted.com and you can support the podcast on patreon under the same name. Remember, if you have a question about this podcast or want to share your thoughts please email us at bodytraumapod@gmail.com

Fellow woman of color and Nia’s best friend, Ayesha King, joins us on this episode of the podcast to discuss the various body traumas that exist. We also talk about where we hope this podcast is going and we get some good laughs in along the way.Ayesha King is a thirty-something California native. She identifies as Filipino-Bengali, a first-generation college graduate and makes her living in education. Ayesha has had psoriasis for 20 years and lives in an average body. She is a daughter, sister, wife, and mother.On this episode we discuss not only the types of body trauma that I polled my instagram audience to receive but also how those traumas are caused. And we both share some of our own experiences with these same traumas. We also break down a few terms that may come up on the podcast in the future.Check out Nia on Instagram over @thefriendineverwanted and @bodytraumapod You can also find her blogging at thefriendineverwanted.com and you can support the podcast on patreon under the same name. Remember, if you have a question about this podcast or want to share your thoughts please email us at bodytraumapod@gmail.com*Correction: Please note I quoted 95% of your stomach is removed during gastric bypass and the correct percentage is 75%.

Body Trauma premieres in May 2020! For a quick intro to what this podcast will be about take a listen to Nia Patterson introduce herself and the podcast. Make sure you subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and check us out at www.bodytraumapod.com for more.