Free Spirit Academy Podcast

THE DREAM UNDER THE DREAM BODY.This solo episode is going to be a taster of my most recent program in the Free Spirit Academy membership site. My new 40-day program Liberated is my take on what many call intuitive eating. If you've listened to this podcast for any length of time you'll know that I talk a LOT about eating intuitively, finding freedom around food, and freedom in our bodies...AND I've just never been satisfied with the general way I've seen intuitive eating going which, to me, isn't actually all that intuitive. Listen in to hear the first audio class of this 40-day program for FREE, as well as a bonus exercise from the course.To purchase the downloadable course: https://freespiritacademy.teachable.com/p/liberated/Free Spirit Academy Membership (which includes this program): https://freespiritacademy.teachable.com/p/free-spirit-academy

WHAT IT MEANS TO "BE LOVE" WITH REIKI PRACTITIONER, COLON HYDROTHERAPIST, AND OWNER OF LOVE BEING, ALEC STEURY.A few of the things you'll hear us talk about are... What it's like to start to shift from a solely logical, linear way of thinking and being to developing intuition and self trust.Putting our attention and letting our journey be lead by what feels interesting and inspiring to us.The health issues or ways of being human that we think of as "normal" that don't necessarily have to be. How gently, slowly, and intelligently cleansing the body has the potential to affect us emotionally and mentally.The potential for transformation in someone by just being with them where they're at. Diet dogma vs listening to the body.Shifting from "no pain no gain" to a much gentler "no discomfort no gain". I hope you enjoy this conversation with Alec Steury.Links:Love BeingLove Being FacebookFree Spirit Academy websiteFree Spirit Academy coursesFree Spirit Academy Facebook groupWork with me

DETACHING SELF-WORTH FROM YOUR FOOD CHOICES WITH EMOTIONAL EATING COACH, GEORGINA GORRINGE.In this week's conversation, you'll hear us talk about:...how the opposite of emotional eating isn't "normal" eating and how that may not necessarily be what we're looking for....the journey from mindless eating to more conscious eating with nutrition knowledge, to an EMBODIED practice of listening to what works....when we see foods as "good" or "bad" and they leave US feeling like WE are "good" or "bad" people or having a "good" or "bad" day....learning nutrition knowledge is fabulous AS LONG AS we're connecting with our own bodies and how we feel....the foundation that's NEEDED before we can dive into the heart of emotional eating....tools for feeling fulfilled when not emotionally eating leaves you feeling empty. ...finding what actually FEELS GOOD rather than just things that would make you lose weight. ...how to remove your self-worth from your body size. Links mentioned:UDOU Habit HackGeorgina's InstagramGeorgina's FacebookFree Spirit Academy websiteFree Spirit Academy coursesFree Spirit Academy Facebook groupWork with me

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A FREE SPIRIT?Today it's a solo episode where I talk about what it does and doesn't mean to be a "free spirit" and to cultivate more freedom in your life and body.Links mentioned:Kundalini warmupFeeling Breath PracticeWork with meFree Spirit Academy websiteFree Spirit Academy coursesFree Spirit Academy Facebook group

Before Free Spirit Academy was Free Spirit Academy I was trying to figure out how to transition from food blogging as a hobby to Eating Psychology Coaching as a career. And I'm pretty certain that if I hadn't worked with a coach I would have struggled a LOT longer than I did to create what I wanted to create. Coaching and mentorship is SO important in certain phases and I wanted to bring Ally on because she's not only a business coach - she has a background in ayurveda, and using sensual feminine embodiment practices to connect to our bodies so that our bodies can be GUIDES for us as we navigate our life and of course business if we have one.Here are some of the things you can look forward to in this conversation:...Ally and I talk about our unconventional takes on the "body positive" perspective and what we feel are some of the missing pieces....learning to love our bodies from the inside-out rather than starting on the outside and trying to force it. ...how to address the shame that can come up when we're learning to care for our bodies and explore pleasure....what to do when you don't know what feels good in your body or what foods would feel good to eat. ...tools for connecting with your body....creating a sense of safety around making mistakes....emotions not being bad or negative, just messengers that are sometimes painful....and we explore the way our emotions naturally fluctuate and how each part of our female cycle has a different kind of medicine.I hope you enjoy this conversation with Ally Canales.Links mentioned:Ally's InstagramFree Spirit Academy websiteFree Spirit Academy coursesFree Spirit Academy Facebook groupWork with me

MOTHERHOOD AS A SPIRITUAL PATH. In today's conversation, we'll talk about motherhood as a spiritual path but even if you're not a parent or even planning on being a parent (and if that's you, I'm right there with you) there's so much great stuff in here for you.Here are a few of the things you're in for:...Leslie talks about how carrying extra weight may have a divine reason and how we can feel into the body to see if it's at it's natural resting place - rather than using a number on a scale to make us crazy....We'll share stories on the clients who think they're coming to us for meal plans or quick tips - and how much deeper a wellness journey can go....The importance of assuming that the body is always RIGHT in whatever it does - and using that as a guide rather than beating ourselves up when things aren't going the way we think they should or we'd like them to. ...Why we crave intensely sweet, fatty, or salty things when we're stressed and the most powerful question to ask ourselves when we're in that situation....We'll talk about forms of nourishment that go way beyond only food....And we talk about what Leslie does best - helping women prepare for pregnancy, the myths about pre-conception, ways to take care of yourself with mindful eating and nutrition prior to getting pregnant.I hope you enjoy this conversation with Leslie Woodward.Links:Leslie's websiteLeslie's FacebookLeslie's InstagramLeslie's PinterestFree Spirit Academy websiteFree Spirit Academy coursesFree Spirit Academy Facebook group8 Steps to Balance your Hormones + Boost your Fertility

Welcome to episode 41 of the Free Spirit Academy Podcast with Artist and Intuitive, Lindsay King.Sometimes people's worlds are so unfathomable to me that it feels like magic. Lindsay is a beautiful intuitive human being and artist. In her words, she "paints the relationship between the subconscious and what is seen. In this conversation, we talk about......our shared history and Lindsay's experience of feeling like a fraud in religion....the importance of aligning with who you really are and using your voice - even if it means your not everybody's cup of tea....the body as an intelligent tool - this might have been my favorite part of the conversation because I'm always interested in how people describe their experience of listening to the body....Lindsay's take on the word "power" and how feeling grounded in her own power has lead her to the desire for more collaboration. ...and we'll talk about her fascinating work doing soul essence paintings.I hope you enjoy this conversation with Lindsay King.Links mentioned:Lindsay's websiteLindsay's Instagram Prints by Lindsay KingFree Spirit Academy websiteFree Spirit Academy coursesFree Spirit Academy Facebook group

Welcome to episode 40 of the Free Spirit Academy podcast with Holistic Health Coach and Wellness Lifestyle Consultant Meredith Wadsworth.I discovered Meredith's work while I was going down a  rabbit hole with  exercise. You'll hear more about this as we dive in but one slice of what Meredith does is fitness training for the method we'll talk about. But that really is just one piece. Her company The HYE Life (Honor Yourself Everyday) represents so much of what I love: a balance between intuition and intention, looking beyond the surface of food and body struggles, and truly holistic wellness that doesn't include punishing exercise or restrictive dieting. There are no cookie cutter approaches here.In this conversation we talked about......how her first career in fashion stopped lighting her up and what she did to turn her life in a direction that DID. ...we connect on having clients who think they are coming to talk to us about food and how it turns in to everything else....what messages food/body pain may be trying to offer us. ...the difference between introversion and enjoying alone time and ACTUALLY liking ourselves....how even though food and body isn't everything it IS important and what role it plays....how we can limit our perception of food as potential weight gain or how it will harm us rather than focusing on nourishment....and how working out is not to be fit for workouts but to be fit for how we want to live our lives. I hope you enjoy this conversation with Meredith Wadsworth.Links:The HYE Life InstagramThe HYE Life websiteThe HYE Method coachingThe HYE Life PodcastFree StressLess Daily ChecklistFree Spirit Academy websiteFree Spirit Academy coursesFree Spirit Academy Facebook group

For more background on Mel, check out episode 27, Your Inner Binge Eater is on Your Side where we dove deep on Mel's history and how to address a struggle with binge eating.Today we dive into something I once shrugged off and that's inner child work. This idea that so much of what I struggled with was rooted in childhood. And the reason I shrugged it off was because I looked at my childhood and while it had it's issues, it seemed kinda normal. At least compared to some of the horrific things many people endure in childhood. But as you'll hear Mel say in our conversation - just because a childhood was normal, doesn't mean it was healthy. We talk about how intuitive eating is the ability to tune into the body's wisdom - but how if we're disconnected from our emotions, noticing something as seemingly simple as hunger and fullness cues can be close to impossible. We talk about the way we disconnect from parts of ourselves as children and how if we don't RE-connect with those parts as adults - we'll see symptoms like binge eating, emotional eating, or restrictive dieting among many possibilities. We'll talk about the the needs we're attempting to get met with compulsive behavior and how things like creativity and authenticity and love ARE needs, not just luxuries. And we address how unexpressed emotions get stuck in the body and how if emotional eating is causing you pain - that's a SIGN that you're ready to hear what it has to say. I hope you enjoy this episode with Melissa Riccardi. Links:Melissa's Instagram.Melissa's Private Facebook Group Beyond the Binge.Melissa's Facebook Page.Free Spirit Academy website.Free Spirit Academy courses.Free Spirit Academy Facebook group. 

HOLISTIC WELLNESS AFTER HEALING AN EATING DISORDER WITH MEGAN GILMORE, THE DETOXINISTA.At the top of this episode, Megan and I talk about the varying reactions people have when they hear "detoxinista".They either get really excited that this might be a specific guide to a rigid detox protocol.OR they turn they other way because they hear "detox" and it turns them off.However, Megan's approach is neither strict nor scary.In fact, when my clients are feeling steady with the emotional side of their relationship with food and are looking to gently upgrade the way they eat simply to FEEL better - The Detoxinista blog is often where I send them for simple, delicious, whole food recipes.In this conversation you'll hear us talk about......Megan's history and how she got into detox and wellness....her years struggling with binge eating disorder and how she found healing and clarity....how pregnancy shifted her perspective on food and her body and changed the course of her relationship with both....the part of healing binge eating we BOTH ignored at first. ...and the fun projects she's working on today.I hope you enjoy this conversation with Megan Gilmore.LINKS:Detoxinista website.Detoxinista Facebook.Detoxinista Pinterest.Detoxinista YouTube. 

 GETTING UNSTUCK AND FINDING NEW PERSPECTIVES WITH KUNDALINI YOGA TEACHER, KATIE SEDGWICK. So today we're talking to my friend Katie who we originally spoke with in episode 24 entitled The Eat to Feel Good Diet. She told us her story about cultivating self-love and the accidental weight loss that followed. We got a lot of great feedback and actually started this episode with a question from a listener that was brought on by that episode. Today you'll hear us dive into:...What to do when feeling like a fraud when it comes to learning to love our bodies. ...How body love is actually what's most natural to us....How kundalini yoga can help us see things from many perspectives instead of feeling stuck....Katie's thousand-day commitment to a particular kundalini meditation....and at one point she turns the tables on ME and asks me about my experience at my most recent kundalini level 2 teacher training on vitality and stress.I hope you enjoy this conversation with Katie Sedgwick.

YOUR BODY ON YOUR SIDE (PART 2) WITH ALIYAH WASHINGTON.   Hello friends, just a heads up if you didn't catch last week's episode, this is part two and I definitely suggest listening to part one first. We'll be diving in right where we left off and these are some of the topics we go into:   ...The power of admitting when what we are believing might not be true, and how not having all the answers doesn't equal being in pain all the time.   ...The difference between surrender and apathy.   ...Imagining your ideal body (not to manifest it somehow magically) but to experience a feeling of worthiness with which to move forward from.   ...The difference between listening to your body from a place of pain and fear vs a place of worthiness.   ...A fresh perspective on what disease is.   ...A fresh perspective on the state of humanity right now.   ...A very refreshing perspective on cleanses and detox diets.   ...And how binge eating isn't actually self-sabotage.   I hope you enjoy the rest of this episode with Aliyah Washington.   Links: Perception Trainers Website. Perception Trainers YouTube Channel. Aliyah Mystery School. Your Body is On Your Side Course. Free Spirit Academy website. Free Spirit Academy courses. Free Spirit Academy Facebook group. 

YOUR BODY IS ON YOUR SIDE WITH ALIYAH WASHINGTON.   If you've been listening since early on this year, you'll have heard Aliyah on episode 2, sharing her journey through anorexia and today we go much, much deeper. I actually split this episode into two parts as it got long but I didn't want to cut any of it.   As I've merged topics like eating disorder recovery with potentially extreme lifestyles and practices like colon cleansing and juicing, I've worried that folks could take things to an extreme and I've tried to be very careful about how I've approached these subjects. One of the biggest things we talked about in this conversation was how disordered eating often begins in a simple desire to just FEEL BETTER when we're in so much pain and discomfort. And because we're in so much pain and discomfort, many of us tend to reach for the most extreme version of the most extreme thing whether it's long fasts or technically perfect diets but without context or transition or embodiment. And I see this happening in the world of exploring spirituality where there are so many trying to "crush our egos" or "overcome our shadows" or we're jumping into long meditation retreats or taking ayahuasca over and over again - and again, I think that some of this stuff is a natural reaction to wanting to be out of the pain that we're in. But truly, it's gentle steps - and becoming curious about and understanding of our ego or our shadow or our painful habits - that will really begin to shift our experience sustainably and allow us to grow rather than chasing our tails and constantly starting over.   When I approached the idea of this interview I wanted to call it something like "how to be spiritual or how to cleanse without being crazy" - and I ultimately decided that as catchy as it was it was a little harsh - and I ended up calling it "your body is on your side" because Aliyah and I created a program with that same name. We created it with the idea that freedom is so much more than just being free to eat whatever you want or being a certain size or being comfortable at whatever that size is. We introduce the idea that your body is actually your best guide in navigating this human life and that there is so much beyond the surface of food and weight pain. This is a course you can take anytime at your own pace and I'll leave the link below as well as links to Aliyah's other offerings!  You'll hear us talk about...   ...Holistically addressing mental, phyical, and spiritual health IN THE LONG RUN.   ...Aliyah's history with anorexia that began with being a very sick child and wanting to feel better.   ...How you think you should feel on any particular diet or healing regimen vs. what you're seeing in reality.   ...How we can begin making everything in our world right including our emotions, our symptoms, and any way our body reacts.   ...What's going on when we feel we're eating perfectly and not getting better or losing weight.    Links: Perception Trainers Website. Perception Trainers YouTube Channel. Aliyah Mystery School. Your Body is On Your Side Course. Free Spirit Academy website. Free Spirit Academy courses.    

THE IMPORTANCE OF LOVING YOURSELF TO WELLNESS WITH IRIDOLOGIST AND THE HOST OF THE RAW FOOD FOOT SOLDIER PODCAST, CHRIS HALL.   A few months back, Chris and I had a talk on his podcast and it had been lingering on the edge of my mind that I wanted to bring him over so when I saw on his Instagram stories that he was about to do a social media detox, I was intrigued and used it as an opportunity to extend an invitation. So here he is and I have to say, this episode contains one of my favorite things that has EVER happened in an interview, it brought me to tears, so hang out for the ENTIRE conversation to catch the ending.   IN that episode, you'll hear us talk about:   :::What it's like to start a podcast and put yourself out there to get your dream guests.   :::His personal journey to sobriety and then a raw foods based approach to wellness.   :::The benefits of TRANSITION rather than extremes when it comes to wellness.   :::Learning to take care of ourselves in a way that's big picture, which isn't always what feels good in the moment.   :::and finally, his experience with stepping away from social media.   I hope you enjoy this conversation with Chris Hall.   Links: The Raw Food Foot Soldier Podcast The Raw Food Foot Soldier on Instagram Puradyme products The Raw Food Foot Soldier PayPal link Free Spirit Academy website. Free Spirit Academy courses. Free Spirit Academy Facebook group. 

FOOD, FREEDOM, AND FEEDING FAMILY WITH WRITER AND PLANT-BASED RECIPE CREATOR, ASH FOSTER.   In this episode we talked about...   :::How we can try and get a sense of adventure and freedom and excitement through following a particular diet.   :::How perfectionism can be addicting.   :::Ash addressed how she dealt with extreme depression after the birth of her first child.   :::How to handle being made fun of by family for food choices.   :::How she balances firmness and flexibility as she feeds her family a whole foods, plant based diet.   :::And following freedom and joy in food choices and in ALL choices as much as we're capable.   Links:  Ash Foster's Website.Ash Foster's Instagram.Free Spirit Academy website.Free Spirit Academy courses.Free Spirit Academy Facebook group. 

VEGANISM, RE-WILDING, & BIOHACKING, OH MY! VITALITY THROUGH EASE AND CONSISTENCY WITH MICHAEL PERRINE.   Mike Perrine is more than just one of the many colon hydrotherapists I've spoken with on this podcast, he's also a detox and health counselor (in the most real, least fluffy sense of that title), founder of Vitality New York City which offers gravity colon hydrotherapy, cryotherapy, and nutrition coaching, and host of one of my favorite podcasts, EveryDay detox.   In this episode, Mike beautifully lays out what constitutes a healthy food. There's a TON of confusion and information out there, ESPECIALLY when it comes to the word "detox" and his clear teaching style is so needed.   Other topics that came up were... ...Thoughts on re-wilding and biohacking. ...Veganism - whether or not it's actually natural. ...Self-responsibility. ...Body confidence in world (and I just mean the health and cleansing world) that can be so hyperfocused on a particualr esthetic. ...And pursuing health with a sense of ease and excitement rather than force and pushing.   I hope you enjoy this conversation.  Links:Vitality NYCEveryday Detox PodcastEveryday Detox Instagram Free Spirit Academy website.Free Spirit Academy courses.Free Spirit Academy Facebook group. 

BE MORE YOU, GIVE LESS F*CKS WITH SPIRITUAL LIFE AND BRAND COACH, JESS BLANCHE. Something that I often see is that all good coaching is kinda the same. Whether we start out talking about binge eating or business, it's all going to come down to self-understanding, self-acceptance, self-love, and self-expression. And obviously we all have different histories and there will be different tools but it all often ends up being life coaching in a way. For example, last podcast when we talked to Tracy Brown, we talked about how taking off diet labels and really learning to listen to the body often makes us quite unique or, some might say, just weird. Like, it doesn't tend to lead you to eating like everyone else, if you're really exploring and listening, you'll often be the odd duck in the room - and you're totally alright with it because you're totally on your own path. Jess and I talked about that in this conversation in terms of rebellion. There is definitely an accepted way of "being a rebel" and plenty of people who want to claim the label and look that certain way. THEN there's just the fact that truly being yourself is going to be inherently rebellious because none of us are going to fit perfectly into any mold, category, or label. I love Jess for so many reasons, and I think we mutually cringed our way through terms like "playing big" and "being authentic" because they're so overused and misunderstood but having followed and learned from Jess for the last couple of years, she really breathes new life into them.  I love that she's a fellow but former yoga teacher, and infuses her teachings with her training in life coaching among many, many other fascinating experiences that we'll talk about.  Among the topics we discussed: ...what it means to listen to intuition and what happens when your intuition doesn't lead you where you think it will.  ...trying to be accepted by other people because we don't accept ourselves.  ...fresh takes on phrases like being authentic, being a rebel, playing big, and all sorts of other good life-coachy things.  I hope you love this conversation with Jess Blanche. Links: Jess's website Jess's Instagram Twitter: @thetruthigniter Jess's Facebook Group Free Spirit Academy website. Free Spirit Academy courses. Free Spirit Academy Facebook group. 

CREATING A SENSE OF SAFETY IN OUR BODIES WITH TRACY BROWN, RD   Hello friends, welcome back! This is part two of season 1, episode 25 featuring Tracy that had so many cliffhangers I had to bring her back. I definitely suggest you go back and listen to that episode first to get filled in on Tracy's eating disorder and education background as well as to get caught up on all the amazing information she shared there.   And today we wanted to dive into a bit of what it takes to create an experience of feeling safe in our bodies. So many of the things we do, whether it's constantly trying to stay on a rigid diet or overeating, binge eating, or compulsive eating - are super hard to address when we're in a constant state of stress and not feeling settled and safe in our bodies. And what's interesting too is that WE might think we feel FINE- we just feel like we like food too much. But as you'll hear us discuss, in cases like this, we often don't know what it's like to feel safe and good and AT HOME in our bodies.   You won't hear this but part way through our interview Tracy had to pause and let me know she was actually in her car in the middle of a rainstorm and needed to get home and call me back. And I remember being so impressed at how centered and clear she had been that whole time (because I had no idea she was in the middle of a stressful situation) and how low-drama and simple it was to resolve. It really spoke to the work she's done in her own personal world.   In this conversation you'll hear us talk about a Facebook group that we're admins in and if you're curious, it's the Intuitive Eating Support Group. We pulled a couple of questions from the folks over there into our conversation and I'll link that group if what we talk about today speaks to you.   And if you're interested in more of my work, my private Facebook group is called Free Spirit Academy and I'm always in there answering personal questions, often through video, on topics like emotional eating, body image, self-love and pretty much anything you hear here on the podcast.   I hope you enjoy this conversation with Tracy Brown:   LINKS:  Tracy Brown Website. Free clarity call with Tracy. Free Attuned Eating guide. Stop Bashing Your Body Free Gift and Audio.  Non-Diet Counseling Skills. Free Spirit Academy website. Free Spirit Academy courses. Free Spirit Academy Facebook group.  

RE-DEFINING "NORMAL" IN THE WELLNESS WORLD WITH COLON HYDROTHERAPIST, SUKI ZOE.   Yes it's true, we have the first of several colon hydrotherapists on the podcast today and this one is coming to us all the way from London! Now I think it's pretty safe to say that nobody grows up thinking that this is the job they'll have for a living. Of all the colonic pros I've talked to, it came as a surprise to them - but Suki's story was most surprising and I'll let her tell you about it herself.   In this conversation we bond over the fact that neither of us ever thought colon cleansing was anything but super cool and can kinda forget it might seem like a taboo subject to some..or many.   We talked about how bodies will respond differently on the colonic table depending on where the moon is at in it's cycle.   Our definition of a "hack" that isn't a bandaid or a shortcut. Holistic hacks.   We talked about both of our perspectives on intuitive eating and she had some really beautiful insights here.   I highly encourage you to check out Suki's blog The Colon Whisperer as she's a total nerd on all things holistic wellness and if you don't have time to do the research on something - she's probably done it for you.   I hope you enjoy this conversation.  Links:   The Colon Whisperer Website The Colon Whisperer Instagram Free Spirit Academy website. Free Spirit Academy courses. Free Spirit Academy Facebook group.  

YOUR INNER BINGE EATER IS ON YOUR SIDE WITH EATING PSYCHOLOGY AND BINGE EATING COACH, MELISSA RICCARDI. It's been amazing to me since I graduated from the Institute for the Psychology of Eating what a huge variety of teachers and coaches I meet. Some who are amazing and some who's approaches I don't care for at all and each with their own focus whether it be on weight loss or intuitive eating or emotional eating but today's guest is someone who feels like a true sister in this eating psychology coach community - our perspectives are so similar but of course she has plenty to share that I don't and I'm thrilled to share her no-nonsense but super warm and loving approach to binge eating disorder with you here. If you've listened to a few episodes, you'll know that I always tie things up with the question "what is your definition of a free spirit" and while I love Melissa's answer, we got to messaging about it later and she added this. She said me "A free spirit to me symbolizes going back to our child selves. Children are explorers, curious observers, wonderers. They have no judgements, they see everything through fresh eyes and are amazed by everything and anything. They are completely uninhibited, unafraid to speak their minds and are unphased by what other people are doing or saying about them. This is what it means to me to be a free spirit. Revisiting the place within us, the person we were as children before the world told us how to be." In today's episode we talk about... ...What happens when you stop bulimic behaviors but are just left with binge eating. ...Why it doesn't help to count days "binge free" or keep starting to try startinv over. ...Why just HALTING the binge eating isn't the primary goal. ...Why we don't have a death wish out on our inner critics and what approach we take instead. ...How to balance analyzing and journaling on the healing journey with learning to just sit and feel feelings. ...Why intuitive eating is, as Melissa says, an "adult's game". ...And very practically, how to begin addressing overeating, compulsive eating, or binge eating. I hope you enjoy this episode with Melissa Riccardi. Links: Melissa's Instagram. Melissa's Private Facebook Group Beyond the Binge. Melissa's Facebook Page. Free Spirit Academy website. Free Spirit Academy courses. Free Spirit Academy Facebook group.