Taking Up Space with Cassie Krajewski

Body Politics and Body Justice with Allyson Inez Ford, LPCC

What role do politics and power play in shaping the way we understand and treat eating disorders? This episode welcomes Allyson Inez Ford, a multiracial, queer, neurodivergent therapist specializing in Eating Disorders and OCD through a social justice lens. Alison shares insights from her extensive work in the mental health community, particularly through her social media and online courses. She discusses how her personal experiences as an eating disorder and OCD survivor fuel her passion for providing therapy. The conversation delves into topics such as the political nature of eating disorders, the stigmatization within the field, and the importance of incorporating an intersectional and anti-oppressive lens in treatment. Alison emphasizes the value of harm reduction, the perils of coercive care, and the necessity for systemic change in treatment practices. She dives deep into how politics and lived experiences, including race and trauma, impact body image and recovery. Additionally, Alison shares the concept of body justice and offers practical advice for clinicians striving for anti-oppressive care. She also touches on her personal journey, including motherhood and finding balance in her life. The discussion highlights how activism can support recovery and underscores the critical need for inclusive and empowering approaches to mental health care.
Allyson's Background and Work
Allyson’s Personal Experiences and Body Story
The Political Nature of Eating Disorders and Disordered Eating
Defining Body Justice in a World of Body Hierarchies
Challenges and Systemic Barriers in Eating Disorder Treatment
What Anti-Oppressive Care and Harm Reduction Can Look Like Within Eating Disorder Treatment
How Activism Can Fuel Recovery
How Allyson is Balancing Personal and Professional Life
Guest Bio: 
Allyson Inez Ford, MA, LPCC is a multiracial, queer, neurodivergent therapist specializing in Eating Disorders and OCD through a social justice lens. Allyson is also a new mother, which has fueled her passion for working with new and expecting parents in ED recovery. Allyson has lived experience of an Eating Disorder, and owns a group private practice in California. Allyson is rooted firmly in a relational, feminist and liberation psychology framework. In addition to therapy, she provides supervision, consultation and speaking engagements.
Connect with Allyson: 
www.eatingdisorderocdtherapy.com
IG @bodyjustice.therapist

Reclaiming Bodily Autonomy from Purity Culture with Jesie Steffes, LPC

In this episode, we welcome Jesie Steffes, a licensed professional counselor from Colorado Springs. Jesie specializes in grief and body image and is also the founder of 'She's Well Fed,' a coaching business and podcast focused on body reclamation. The discussion dives deep into Jesie's personal journey with body liberation, the impact of purity culture, and the importance of reclaiming bodily autonomy. Jesie shares heartfelt stories, including her experience with high sensitivity and how she integrates this understanding into her practice and life. This conversation is a profound exploration of how we can all take up more space and foster a nurturing relationship with our bodies.
Jesie's Professional Background
Jesie's Personal Body Story and Body Liberation
Understanding Body Reclamation
Body respect and neutrality vs. "body positivity."
The Impact of Purity Culture and other oppressive systems have created a barrier to our sacred experience in our own "homes."
Reasserting authority within our own body experience and bodily autonomy.
Locating Spirituality Within the Body
High Sensitivity and Body Reclamation
Taking Up Space
Guest Bio:
Jesie Steffes is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, Body Image Coach and the founder of She's Well Fed. She calls her work "Body Reclamation" and holds the deep belief that peace in our bodies is a birthright. Her work focuses on helping her clients and podcast listeners reclaim that birthright relationship with food, movement, pleasure, and body through a trauma-informed and soulful lens.
Connect with Jesie:
Coaching Website: https://www.sheswellfed.com/ 
Therapy Website: https://www.riverbendcolorado.com/
IG: @sheswellfed
She's Well Fed Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shes-well-fed/id1684074563

The Intersection of Trauma and OCD with Bronwyn Shroyer, LCSW

What's trauma and what's OCD and how can we tell which is which? In this episode, we speak with Bronwyn Shroyer, a licensed clinical social worker in Indiana. Bronwyn shares her personal and professional journey, focusing on her work with OCD and PTSD through her private practice and her role as co-founder of OCD Training School. Bronwyn delves into her personal history with OCD, triggered by her mother's illness during her teens, and explores various treatments including Inference-Based CBT (ICBT) and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). The discussion touches on the prevalence of OCD alongside PTSD and other conditions, emphasizing the importance of multiple treatment tools.
In this episode we discussed:
Bronwyn's Personal Journey with OCD
Understanding the Concurrence of OCD and PTSD
Defining What OCD Really Is and Dispelling the Myths of Obsessions and Compulsions
Recognizing OCD Symptoms
OCD Treatment Approaches and Being Trauma-Informed
Behavioral vs Cognitive Approaches in Therapy
Choosing the Right Treatment for You
Exploring Ego State and Parts Work
OCD and Co-occurring Conditions
Understanding ICBT Sessions
Finding the Right Therapist
Personal Journey and Professional Impact
OCD Resources
 
Bronwyn Shroyer is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has a private practice focusing on OCD and PTSD. She also co-founded the OCD Training School where she provides training and consultation on OCD, Anxiety Disorders, and co-occurring conditions. Bronwyn is trained in Inference-based CBT by its co-founder, Dr. Frederick Aardema and is also certified in Exposure and Response Prevention by the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety at UPENN. She is one of the first I-CBT trainers in the United States, and the co-chair of the International OCD Foundation's Inference-based CBT Special Interest Group. Bronwyn is an EMDRIA approved consultant and utilizes EMDR and ego-states parts work in her treatment of PTSD.
Train and Learn with Bronwyn:
Instagram: @ocdtrainingscoool
OCD Training School on FB: https://www.facebook.com/p/OCD-Training-School-61550722538216/?paipv=0&eav=AfaRFfvJsBl3yOv8o2JGDnvCIW8pul94Xdz0jgWhUlRDFJpq4k8BO__D-X5AbyULfjw&_rdr
Website: ocdtrainingschool.com

Healing from Toxic Relationships and Narcissistic Abuse with Relationship Clarity Coach, Bre Wolta

In this episode, we welcome Bre Wolta, a relationship clarity coach, who shares her profound journey and expertise in helping women understand their relationship patterns, especially after experiencing narcissistic or emotionally manipulative relationships. Bre dives deep into her personal story of overcoming a toxic relationship and how it led her to support others facing similar struggles. She explains the nuances of narcissism, the dynamics of love bombing, and the challenges and importance of achieving self-awareness and contentment in aloneness. With a focus on embodiment and emotional regulation techniques such as EFT tapping, Bre provides valuable insights for those wanting to break free from destructive relationship cycles and find clarity and healing.
In this episode, we discuss:
Defining Relationship Clarity Coaching
Bre's Personal Journey Through a Toxic Relationship
What It Means to Find Healing and Helping Others
Struggles with Eating Disorders and Body Image
Understanding What Narcissism Is and Looks Like in Relationships
Vulnerability and Susceptibility to Narcissists
The Cycle of Returning to Toxic Relationships
The Struggle with Emotions and Distractions
Understanding Embodiment and Emotional Freedom (EFT) Techniques
The Role of the Nervous System in Emotional Regulation
The Myth of Constant Happiness
The Difference Between Being Alone and Feeling Lonely
Finding Support and Taking Up Space
Bre's Programs and Offerings for Healing
Guest Bio:
Bre Wolta, EFT and The Clearing Work™ Certified Practitioner, is a Relationship Clarity Coach who is passionate about helping women heal from the mindf*ck of confusing relationships so that they can become the confident and secure woman they want to be. Bre's own toxic relationship healing journey, and her ability to hold safe space allows her to walk alongside clients as they find clarity and trust within themselves. It is her life's work, and deep honor, to help women wake up to their life and consciously move outside of their default patterning, so that they can reconnect to and nurture the most important relationship of all: the one they have with themselves.
Connect with Bre:
www.brewolta.com
IG: @lucid.living.with.bre

Healing from Spiritual Trauma and Disembodiment with Rachel Flowers, LMSW

In this engaging episode, Rachel Flowers, a seasoned clinical therapist from Michigan, shares her story and professional journey. With over 16 years in private practice and a strong background in treating severe disordered eating, Rachel introduces her love for EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy. She delves into her specialization in trauma, particularly spiritual and religious trauma, and discusses the effects of conservative religious upbringing on women's embodiment and self-care practices. The conversation explores how Rachel uses EMDR to help clients uncover and process deeply ingrained fear, shame, and disembodiment stemming from their spiritual experiences. 
Rachel lists several signs and symptoms that might indicate spiritual trauma, including:
Perfectionistic tendencies and fear of making mistakes.
A pervasive sense of inherent badness.
Disembodiment and difficulty connecting with one’s own body.
Confusion and fear around making decisions.
Shame and moralizing of bodily sensations.
Rachel emphasizes the importance of reconnecting with one’s body and intuition. She advocates starting with positive sensations and how they feel in the body. This can be something as simple as recalling a pleasant experience, like spending time with a pet, to help clients recognize and name their bodily sensations.
Rachel, along with her sister, Charis also have a podcast: Beyond Sacred Scars: Women Reclaiming Their Narratives From Religious Wounds. Their hope is to create a safe space with individuals of all religious stories and landings can come together.
 
Free Offerings to get You Started
Come Home to Your Self guide
Get my Taking Up Space Workbook
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Connect with Cassie:
inneratlastherapy.com
Read our Blog https://www.inneratlastherapy.com/blog
Schedule a Consultation https://www.inneratlastherapy.com/get-in-touch
Cassie on IG https://www.instagram.com/inneratlastherapy/
Cassie on TikTok ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@inneratlastherapy

Navigating Fertility in a Bigger Body with Fertility Coach Nicola Salmon

In this episode of Taking Up Space, Cassie welcomes Nicola Salmon, a fat positive fertility coach who specializes in supporting fat individuals through their fertility journeys. Nicola shares her personal story of being diagnosed with PCOS at 16 and the impact that had on her life. She discusses her evolution into fertility coaching, her experiences with a positive, textbook pregnancy despite societal expectations, and advocating for fat individuals' rights to fertility treatments and supportive healthcare. Nicola introduces her fat positive fertility framework, which includes components like safety, advocacy, self-compassion, and trust. The conversation delves into the myths and realities around fat bodies and pregnancy, the importance of compassionate care, and the need for advocacy in healthcare settings. Nicola also shares her current pursuits in exploring her body's capabilities, including cold water swimming, Morris dancing, and canny cross running with her dog. Listeners can connect with Nicola through her Instagram, book 'Fat and Fertile,' and various coaching programs.
 
Nicola's Journey to Becoming a Fat Positive Fertility Coach
Personal Experiences and Challenges in Fertility and Pregnancy
Discovering Fat Positivity and Community
Fat Positive Fertility Framework
Myths and Realities of Fatness and Pregnancy
Advocacy and Self-Compassion in Healthcare
Nicola's Book and Final Thoughts
Connect with Nicola Salmon:
Nicola's Website: https://nicolasalmon.co.uk/
Nicola's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fatpositivefertility/
 
Free Offerings to get You Started
Come Home to Your Self guide
Get my Taking Up Space Workbook
⁠https://www.inneratlastherapy.com/shop⁠
Join Our Community
⁠https://www.inneratlastherapy.com/⁠
Subscribe and leave a Review!
Connect with Cassie:
inneratlastherapy.com
Read our Blog https://www.inneratlastherapy.com/blog
Schedule a Consultation https://www.inneratlastherapy.com/get-in-touch
Cassie on IG https://www.instagram.com/inneratlastherapy/
 
Cassie on TikTok ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@inneratlastherapy⁠

Healing from Binge Eating Disorder with Dr. Marianne Miller, LMFT

In this episode of 'Taking Up Space,' we are joined by Dr. Marianne Miller, an eating disorder therapist specializing in treating binge eating disorder and ARFID. Dr. Marianne shares her professional background and discusses her integrative approach to therapy, which includes leveraging her personal journey with an eating disorder and neurodivergence. They delve into the importance of addressing social justice in therapy, the stigma around atypical anorexia, and the intersections of multiple cultural and systemic influences on eating disorders. Dr. Marianne also highlights the significance of nourishment and self-care in recovery, offering insights into her specialized programs and resources.
Personal Journey and Lived Experience
Impact of Lived Experience on Professional Work
Challenges and Overcoming Barriers
Neurodivergence and Chronic Pain
Therapeutic Relationships and Authenticity
Social Justice and Therapy
Understanding Different 'Splaining' Concepts
The Role of Social Justice in Recovery
Exploring the Roots of Fat Phobia
he Binge Eating Disorder Cycle
Debunking Food Addiction Myths
Atypical Anorexia: Personal Insights
Taking Up Space: Personal Growth and Money Mindset
Connect with Dr. Marianne
Follow on Instagram ⁠@drmariannemiller⁠
Join  ⁠Dr. Marianne-Land's Binge Eating Recovery Membership Program⁠
Sign up for 1:1 binge eating recovery coaching  ⁠Elite Binge Eating Recovery Method ⁠
Listen to ⁠Dr. Marianne-Land: An Eating Disorder Recovery Podcast⁠
Free Offerings to get You Started
Come Home to Your Self guide
Get my Taking Up Space Workbook
⁠https://www.inneratlastherapy.com/shop⁠
Join Our Community
⁠https://www.inneratlastherapy.com/⁠
Subscribe and leave a Review!
Connect with Cassie:
inneratlastherapy.com
Read our Blog https://www.inneratlastherapy.com/blog
Schedule a Consultation https://www.inneratlastherapy.com/get-in-touch
Cassie on IG https://www.instagram.com/inneratlastherapy/
Cassie on TikTok ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@inneratlastherapy
⁠

Beyond BMI: Embracing Size Inclusive Medicine with Family Physician Dr. Mara Gordon

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Mara Gordon, a family physician and medical educator, who shares her journey toward size inclusive medicine. Dr. Gordon, who practices in Camden, New Jersey, and resides in Philadelphia, reveals her transition from a weight-centric approach to a more inclusive practice that avoids emphasizing weight loss as a primary goal. She discusses the influence of reading literature by fat positive authors and the importance of viewing body health beyond just numbers on the scale. Dr. Gordon also provides practical advice for patients seeking size inclusive healthcare and highlights the significance of self-advocacy in medical settings. Additionally, she talks about the role of medical students in advancing this movement and her own experiences of balancing personal growth with professional practice. Join this insightful conversation as Dr. Gordon dives into the nuances of embodying change and fostering a healthier, more supportive medical environment.
Mara Gordon is a family physician on the faculty at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University and a size inclusive doctor who writes and speaks frequently about practicing weight neutral medicine. She is working on a book about body liberation.
 
Dr. Mara Gordon's Journey to Size Inclusive Medicine
Influence of Literature on Medical Practice
Challenges in Traditional Medical Approaches
Reevaluating Weight-Centric Practices
Promoting Movement Over Weight Loss
Navigating Healthcare with Size Inclusivity
Finding a Size-Inclusive Primary Care Doctor
Advocating for Weight-Neutral Healthcare
Doctors' Openness to Patient Advocacy
Empowerment in Healthcare
Doctors' Perspectives on Weight and Health
Medical Education and Size Inclusivity
Complexities of Weight and Health
Systemic Pressures in Primary Care
 
Connect with Dr. Mara Gordon⁠ ⁠
⁠https://maragordonmd.com⁠
https://www.instagram.com/maragordonmd
Dr. Mara's Substack: https://maragordonmd.substack.com
 
Free Offerings to get You Started
Come Home to Your Self guide
Get my Taking Up Space Workbook
⁠https://www.inneratlastherapy.com/shop⁠
Join Our Community
⁠https://www.inneratlastherapy.com/⁠
Subscribe and leave a Review!
Connect with Cassie:
inneratlastherapy.com
Read our Blog https://www.inneratlastherapy.com/blog
Schedule a Consultation https://www.inneratlastherapy.com/get-in-touch
Cassie on IG https://www.instagram.com/inneratlastherapy/
Cassie on TikTok ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@inneratlastherapy
⁠

The Intertwining of Pleasure, Sexuality, and Liberation with Sex and Relationship Coach Dawn Serra

In this episode, Dawn Serra, a counselor and coach from British Columbia, shares her journey from hosting MLM sex toy parties to becoming a sex and relationship coach. She discusses her experiences with fat activism, body trust, and the importance of non-stigmatizing mental health care for people in larger bodies. Dawn emphasizes the significance of self-worth, boundary setting, and reclaiming pleasure and sexuality, particularly for marginalized groups. She also touches on the concept of desirability politics and how societal norms shape our perceptions of attractiveness and self-worth. Dawn's insights offer a profound look into how individuals can begin to reclaim their bodies and experiences from oppressive cultural narratives, advocating for a life filled with joy, satisfaction, and aliveness.
Dawn’s personal story reflects a lifelong struggle with body image and dieting. From an early age, societal pressures and familial attitudes towards dieting shaped a disordered relationship with food and self-perception. The journey toward fat activism was transformative, leading Dawn to practice body trust and advocate for fat liberation in their professional sphere. This approach underscores the significance of not succumbing to societal stigmas and instead fostering self-acceptance and self-love.
Dawn emphasizes the importance of pleasure as a radical act of reclaiming one's body and autonomy, breaking away from diet culture, and the challenges in navigating relationships while in fat bodies. The conversation also touches on the societal impact of desirability politics, spatial injustice, and the necessity of integrating body size into the intersectional lens in mental health care. Dawn encourages the practice of finding micro moments of joy and satisfaction as a form of empowerment and resilience.
Guest Bio: 
Dawn Serra is a white, cis, queer, superfat, disabled therapist specializing in relationships, pleasure, and body trust. She is co-founder of Tend and Cultivate Counseling, a mental health group practice providing trauma-informed, weight-neutral, radical mental health care for people in bigger bodies. The nexus of her work is tending to the places where we are most tender and cultivating the things that contribute to our aliveness - joy, pleasure, connection, satisfaction, and wonder.
 
In this episode of Taking Up Space, we discussed:
 
Exploring Body Image and Fat Activism
Supporting Mental Health in Larger Bodies
Navigating Relationships and Self-Worth
Connecting Pleasure and Worthiness
Cultural Narratives and Systems of Oppression
The Three Pillars of Pleasure
The Power of Pleasure in the Present Moment
Understanding the Pillars of Pleasure
Connecting with the Senses
Micro Pleasure Practices and Autonomy
The Impact of Oppression on Pleasure
Fat Liberation and Spatial Injustice
Desirability Politics and Body Liberation
Reclaiming Pleasure and Setting Boundaries
Taking Up Space and Honoring Capacity
Connect with Dawn Serra:⁠ ⁠
⁠https://tendandcultivate.com⁠
⁠https://instagram.com/tendandcultivate⁠
⁠https://instagram.com/dawn_serra⁠
Free Offerings to get You Started
Come Home to Your Self guide
Get my Taking Up Space Workbook
⁠https://www.inneratlastherapy.com/shop⁠
Join Our Community
⁠https://www.inneratlastherapy.com/⁠
Subscribe and leave a Review!
Connect with Cassie:
inneratlastherapy.com
Read our Blog https://www.inneratlastherapy.com/blog
Schedule a Consultation https://www.inneratlastherapy.com/get-in-touch
Cassie on IG https://www.instagram.com/inneratlastherapy/
Cassie on TikTok ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@inneratlastherapy

How to Navigate Dating in Diet Culture with Becca Moravec, LMFT, LPC

Today we’re talking about dating and relationships in diet culture with therapist, Becca Moravec. The world of dating, where our bodies often feel like battlegrounds of judgment and bias. It's no secret that our culture's obsession with diets and body ideals can make finding love feel like an uphill battle, especially if you don't fit into society's narrow mold of beauty. Join us as we delve into Becca’s journey of dismantling diet culture and fatphobia to live authentically. Becca, once entrenched in these issues as a therapist, shares her transformation through Health at Every Size (HAES) and insights into the body liberation movement since 2020. We discuss how diet culture infiltrates modern relationships and online dating, conflating attractiveness with lovability and fostering judgment based on body size. Becca offers strategies to navigate these challenges, emphasizing the importance of feeling deserving of love and belonging. Learn how she supports others in overcoming dating fears, using tools like the Enneagram, and challenging harmful beliefs such as “I will date when I look like x.” We explore the impact of desirability politics, the benefits of rejecting body ideals, and how to maintain body liberation in relationships. Plus, practical tips and red flags for dating in a fat body, and the importance of authenticity in finding true connection.
Guest Bio
Becca Moravec has been an individual and couples therapist for 14 years, helping people have fuller, more authentic relationships with themselves and others. In addition to her LPC and LMFT, she is a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor & a Certified Enneagram Practitioner. She owns a group practice, called Full Bloom Counseling in Denver, Colorado and speaks and teaches on Self-Belonging through Body Liberation, the Enneagram, and Relationship work. 
In this episode of Taking Up Space, we discussed: 
How Becca’s story and dismantling of diet culture and fatphobia has allowed her to live a more authentic life
Becca’s history of once being steeped in diet culture and anti fatness as a therapist until she encountered HAES
How Becca has seen diet culture show up in modern relationships, specifically online dating which overemphasizes body image and attractiveness
The distinction between attractiveness and lovability, despite diet culture wanting to conflate the two
Fear of real or perceived judgment or rejection because of body size or shape that many folks feel within dating 
The problem of thinking, “I will date when I look like x” and how using courage, supports, and compassion can challenge this thinking
Becca’s story of having a relationship end as a result of her body size and how she views that now
We explore desirability politics and where we get from our attractiveness standards
How to navigate your own body liberation while your partner still embraces diet culture and anti-fatness
How body can be a scapegoat for connection in our partnerships
How our root fear of unlovability can interfere with our ability to live into authentic self
Practical tips and red flags to watch for in your dating relationships regardless of body size
The role of honesty when taking up space in relationships and work on the narratives that tell you to stay small
Resources Mentioned⁠ ⁠
Becca’s Website: ⁠https://fullbloomcounseling.com/⁠
Becca’s Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/takingbacktherapy/⁠
Becca’s Intro to Health at Every Size course: ⁠https://denverfamilyinstitute.org/product/health-at-every-size-rebecca-moravec/⁠
Christy Harrison’s Book: Anti-Diet 
Free Offerings to get You Started
Come Home to Your Self guide
Get my Taking Up Space Workbook
⁠https://www.inneratlastherapy.com/shop⁠
Subscribe and leave a Review!
Connect with Cassie:
Read our Blog https://www.inneratlastherapy.com/blog
Schedule a Consultation https://www.inneratlastherapy.com/get-in-touch
Cassie on IG https://www.instagram.com/inneratlastherapy/
Cassie on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@inneratlastherapy