Taking Up Space with Cassie Krajewski

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
 
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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
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Connect with Cassie:
inneratlastherapy.com
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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 
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How ADHD Influences Your Relationship with Food and Body with Aleta Storch, RD, LMHC

Today, we’re diving into the tangled relationship between ADHD and our struggles with food and body image. Here’s the truth—people with ADHD are four times more likely to develop an eating disorder. And it’s a cycle that can feel impossible to break. When eating disorders go untreated, they can make ADHD symptoms even worse. And when ADHD isn’t managed, it can wreak havoc on our relationship with food and our bodies.
And I don’t think think eating disorder treatment world is talking about this overlap enough, nor is it adequately addressing the needs of folks who have both ADHD and disordered eating. This lack of recognition keeps so many of us trapped in a cycle of shame and confusion because the core issues driving the ED aren’t being addressed. For so many of us, this is the missing puzzle piece in understanding and healing our relationship with food and our bodies, especially if we’ve been fighting this battle for what feels like forever and can’t seem to get traction in recovery.
 
Guest Bio
Aleta Storch (she/her) is a Dietitian, Therapist, and Certified Body Trust® Provider, and a leading expert in the field of ADHD nutrition. She specializes in providing neurodivergent-affirming, values-centered, body liberation work with folks that have ADHD, disordered eating / a history of dieting, and autoimmune conditions. Aleta is the owner and founder of a virtual group practice, Wise Heart Nutrition. She is also the creator of the groundbreaking, Eating with ADHD® approach and the monthly membership program, Neurished, which she developed as a resource for supporting ADHDers in understanding their brain and breaking out of the chaos in order to find more freedom and joy, and make lasting changes in their relationship with food and eating. 
In this episode of Taking Up Space, we discussed: 
Aleta’s shares her process of arriving at the specialization of neurodivergent friendly and weight inclusive lens in her practice as a dietitian and therapist
Aleta introduces her brain story and her own experience with ADHD and its unique impact to her relationship with her body and food
Defining what a brain story is and how it can intersect with our body story
The process of getting diagnosed with ADHD and the grief that can come up with this diagnosis and acceptance, validation that can come with receiving that diagnosis as well 
How the systems can make neurodivergent folks feel that their brain is wrong or broken and instead reframing that the world doesn’t make room for those neurodivergent brains to exist
The systems that make it challenging for folks to receive an accurate diagnosis
How the broadened definition of what ADHD is and who has ADHD has helped people identify their neurodivergence.
How ADHD symptoms and presentation can change and shift over time as we grow older
The role of hyperfixation, disorganization, and emotion dysregulation within ADHD that can influence relationship with bodies and food
Exploring the research that people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have nearly four times the risk of developing an eating disorder when compared to their peers. 
Identifying the components about ADHD increase that risk for developing a disordered relationship with food and body, potentially progressing into an eating disorder
The role of dopamine in the brain and how it impacts the relationship with food and body
Disputing the narrative of food addiction as it relates to the dopamine narrative
 
Connect with Aleta:
Aleta’s Practice: https://www.wiseheartnutrition.com/
Aleta’s resources for those with ADHD: https://www.wiseheartnutrition.com/ADHD
Neurished program: https://www.wiseheartnutrition.com/neurished
Aleta’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_adhd_rd/
Free Offerings to get You Started
Come Home to Your Self guide
 
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https://www.inneratlastherapy.com/shop
 
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inneratlastherapy.com
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Reclaiming Movement in Toxic Fitness Culture with Dr. Rachel Millner

Today we explore the transformative journey of reclaiming movement. Our guest, Rachel Millner, an Eating Disorder Psychologist specializing in Body Trust, Joyful Movement, and Fat Activism, sheds light on the profound impact of systemic fatphobia in fitness and wellness spaces, and she articulates how mainstream fitness fails to consider diverse body types, leaving many individuals feeling unseen and unwelcome. We talk about how she’s advocating for body diversity in fitness instructors, what it means to reclaim movement and how not everyone is ready to incorporate that back into their life. Rachel guides us through the process of tuning into ourselves and embracing movement as a form of liberation. Through the lens of fat activism Rachel offers invaluable insights and practical strategies for listeners on their journey towards reclaiming movement and cultivating a positive relationship with their bodies. Join us as we navigate the complexities of body image struggles and toxic fitness spaces. We also talk about how the trauma field is stigmatizing larger bodied people and how we can challenge this narrative. Rachel shares briefly about her other primary focus points in her activism such as the American Academy of Pediatrics standards of care for larger bodied kids and the nuanced conversation about the weight loss injectables, or GLP-1s. 
Guest Bio
Rachel Millner (she/her) is a psychologist, Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and Supervisor, and a Certified Body Trust® provider. Throughout her career, Rachel has dedicated herself to assisting individuals grappling with various forms of eating disorders and disordered eating, as well as those seeking liberation from the constraints of diet culture. She perceives her role as both therapist and activist, guiding her clients through healing within the therapeutic space while advocating for broader societal change to deconstruct diet culture and combat fat phobia.
Rachel's approach is grounded in trauma-informed care, fat positivity, anti-diet principles, and informed by feminist theory, relational theory, social justice, and body liberation. She staunchly opposes the promotion of diets or weight loss, viewing such practices as not only harmful but unethical. Many of Rachel's clients have endured extensive histories of dieting, with some continuing to pursue such practices upon seeking her guidance. She prioritizes creating a safe environment where clients feel heard and validated, engaging with them in the complexities and difficulties of their experiences. Central to Rachel's philosophy is a belief in body autonomy, advocating for the right of each individual to make decisions regarding their own body without judgment or coercion.
In this episode of Taking Up Space, we discussed: 
Rachel’s body story and her disordered relationship with movement and how she found loving movement on Peloton
The exploration of fitness culture and how weight stigma shows up in those spaces
The challenges Rachel has found in her activism, navigating fitness spaces in a fat body, and how fat community has been essential to her process
How the movement component of recovery can actually be more challenging than healing ones relationship with food
The value in taking a break from movement and factors to consider when adding movement back into their recovery
How to self-reflect and tune in to your body to determine your relationship with movement
The permission to take  the pressure off for movement to feel joyful all the time
How the trauma field and the ACE Study is rooted in anti fatness
How trauma field perpetuates the trauma of weight stigma, specifically for those living in larger bodies 
Rachel’s necessity for nuance in trauma work and importance that fatness is not pathology
Rachel’s concern about the American Academy of Pediatrics standards for working with higher weight kids - horrifically fucked up 
How bariatric surgery is removal of an essential and otherwise healthy organ
Rachel’s concern about the promotion of injectable medications (GLP-1s)  Medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro and its impact on the body liberation movement.  
Rachels’ caution about the need for nuance in the conversation about GLP-1s specifically for those with medical conditions that required for management of their health condition and feeling shamed 
We don’t end weight stigma by stigmatizing people 
“People who are invested in profiting off of these medications or diet programs are coming from the perspective that it’s better to be dead than fat. They are willing to risk the lives of fat people, the possibility of making someone who’s fat into a thin person is worth the risk.”
 
Connect with Rachel’s Work: 
Website: https://www.rachelmillnertherapy.com/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drrachelmillner/
Rachel’s Blog: “How the Trauma Field is Traumatizing Higher Weight People”: https://www.rachelmillnertherapy.com/blog/874947-how-the-trauma-field-is-traumatizing-higher-weight-people 
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Website: inneratlastherapy.com
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Giving Yourself Permission for Pleasure with Dr. Brittney Ellers

In today’s episode we’re talking about our pelvis with pelvic health expert and physical therapist, Dr. Brittney Ellers. In this enlightening conversation, we explore the often overlooked realm of pelvic health, addressing common misconceptions, and shedding light on the importance of connecting with this aspect of our bodies. Whether you're seeking to enhance your understanding of pelvic health or are on a personal journey towards restoration, this episode serves as a beacon of guidance and support. Tune in as we uncover the keys to achieving holistic well-being and reclaiming control over your pelvic health. Get ready to embark on a transformative journey towards empowerment and vitality.
Guest Bio
Dr. Brittney Ellers is a holistic pelvic physical therapist who has dedicated her life to breaking the chains of silence surrounding this vital aspect of well-being. With a doctorate in physical therapy, Brittney discovered her calling when she navigated the profound healing of her own menstrual cycle and pelvic floor pain, transcending the shadows of shame around sex, body, and pleasure. She firmly believes that the pelvis is the root, the center for life, creativity, and confidence. Through her expertise, she'll guide you gracefully through life’s evolving seasons with ease, helping you embody the brightest version of yourself. Meet In her private practice, Dr. Ellers has become a beacon of light, empowering hundreds of clients to overcome pelvic health issues and reclaim their lives with joy. Her mission is clear: tackle the "taboo," openly educate about pelvic issues, and guide others towards healing and creating a profound connection with yourself, inside and out, embracing both your pussy and heart (YES, we're reclaiming this word!).
 
In this episode of Taking Up Space, we discussed: 
Brittney’s body story and how it led her to reconnect with her body, pleasure, and joy.
Exploring the messages of stigma and shame around sexuality that interrupt embodiment
We define what’s included in the concept pelvic health
Tips and exercises to connect with our pelvis in a more empowered and attuned way
Connect with Brittney: 
Website: www.brittneyellers.com
IG: www.instagram.com/b.ellers
Moonlit Muse Rituals E-book: https://www.brittneyellers.com/moonlit-muse-ritual-e-book
Subscribe, rate and leave a Review for the podcast to help us spread our message of body liberation for all!
 
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Website: inneratlastherapy.com
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Envisioning Liberatory Care within Eating Disorder Treatment with Dr. Jennie Wang-Hall

Today we have Dr. Jennie Wang-Hall on the pod, a licensed eating disorder psychologist in California where we discuss anti-careral and liberatory eating disorder treatment. Jennie and Cassie explore the necessary shift to a more agentic and empowering form of eating disorder treatment. They unpack the ways in which traditional eating disorder treatment and mental health care can be carceral and paternalized. Jennie weaves together the web of systems into how she engages in her practice. 
Guest Bio
Dr. Jennie Wang-Hall is a licensed psychologist in California who has treated eating disorders at all levels of care since 2011. Jennie is passionate about community building and social justice education for providers looking to learn about liberatory care. Working in various treatment centers and teams with differing approaches, Dr. Wang-Hall has trained in a multitude of approaches and has witnessed the utility and futility of various modalities. These experiences have led her to an eclectic and client centered lens that facilitates empowerment and agency in ED recovery. Core to Dr. Wang-Hall’s approach is attunement to systems of oppression that manifest in both the development and treatment of eating disorders. She integrates attention to ableism, white supremacy, misogyny, cis heterosexism, capitalism, and settler colonialism in her care of individuals from all backgrounds struggling with eating disorders. Serving on the Board of Body Reborn is a profound privilege that represents Jennie's commitment to creating accessible, compassionate care for everyone.
In this episode of Taking Up Space, we discussed: 
Jennie’s body story and her emphasis on lived and living experience
How Jennie is challenging the pathologizing that exists within eating disorder treatment providers for those who continue to struggle, instead advancing a non-shaming and destigmatized space for providers
How Jennie’s recovery transformed as she discussed collective liberation work
Exploring and defining abolitionist care, psychiatric abolition, and how it applies to eating disorder treatment
How systems of oppression manifest in how mental health providers are trained and how treatment is delivered within mental health care, specifically eating disorders
How fears of liability within the mental health industrial complex lead to carceral treatment filled with ultimatums, contracts, and policing of symptoms
The freedom and liberation that also is available to mental health providers within this shift in treatment
The value of imagination, creativity, and envisioning care for liberation
Connect with Dr. Jennie Wang-Hall: 
Website: https://revolutionaryedpsychotherapy.com/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.jenniewh/?hl=en
Jennie’s Provider Solidarity Group: https://nq9hmnx5.paperform.co/ 
Subscribe, rate and leave a Review for the podcast to help us spread our message of body liberation for all!
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Website: inneratlastherapy.com
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Making Space for All Bodies with Size Inclusive Yoga with Christy Calahan

Today we talk with registered yoga teacher, Christy Calahan who specializes in educating yoga teachers on plus size inclusivity in their classes and in studios. Yoga can be a way that many folks on their embodiment journeys learn to inhabit their bodies differently and more fully, but there are a lot of body hierarchies in Westernized yoga culture, so I really appreciate all of the work Christy is doing to shift perspectives to make yoga truly more accessible and inclusive for all bodies. 
Guest Bio: 
Christy Calahan is an E-RYT 500 and a yoga educator (YACEP) who specializes in educating yoga teachers on plus size inclusivity in their classes and in studios.
With a teaching journey that began in 2010, Christy spent the majority of her career as a straight-sized yoga instructor. However, a few years ago, she experienced an injury that resulted in a rapid weight gain that had her transition into a larger body.
Navigating the transition of her practice and teaching to her newly plus-size body wasn’t intuitive for Christy. She questioned whether yoga was still feasible for bigger bodied people and contemplated giving up her practice altogether.
Determined to find a solution, Christy embarked on a path of self-discovery, characterized by trial and error, tears, trauma work, frustration, and lots of practice. Through this personal journey, she developed techniques, theories, and methods that are both trauma-sensitive and highly effective.
Drawing from her extensive experience of teaching herself and others, Christy is dedicated to making the yoga community more accessible to individuals with larger bodies. This commitment is the cornerstone of her life's work.
 
In this episode of Taking Up Space, we discussed: 
Christy’s body story and how it impacted her yoga practice and current work as a size inclusive educator
Her frustration with how yoga studios and teacher’s exclusionary culture for size diversity
Christy’s priorities as a size inclusive yoga teacher and her activism through educating other yoga teachers about the importance of size inclusivity
Christy’s issue with the phrase “All bodies are welcome” 
How Christy prioritizes choice and agency in her yoga teaching vs compliance and command
Some of Christy’s practice recommendations for all those in fitness spaces to authentically create space for larger bodied and disabled bodied folks
 
Connect with Christy: 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sizeinclusiveyoga/
Website: https://sizeinclusiveyoga.offeringtree.com/
 
Free Offerings to Get You Started
Come Home to Yourself Guide - https://www.inneratlastherapy.com/resources
 
Get my Taking Up Space Workbook
https://www.inneratlastherapy.com/shop
 
Join Our Community
https://www.inneratlastherapy.com
 
Subscribe, rate and leave a Review for the podcast to help us spread our message of body liberation for all!
 
Connect with Cassie:
Website: inneratlastherapy.com
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When Our Partners and Families are Fatphobic: Experiencing Weight Stigma from the People We Love with Becky Belinsky LMFT

Guest Bio
Dr. Becky Belinsky is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California who specializes in working with clients who struggle with eating disorders and any type of food and/or body image related issues. Her approach is size inclusive and fat positive, and she is passionate about exploring the societal and relational factors that contribute to eating disorders and disordered eating. She has conducted research around the intersection of weight stigma, eating disorders, and family relationships, and is also a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor. In addition to her work around eating disorders, Becky provides psychotherapy for adults, couples, and families around the issues of anxiety and relational challenges.
 
Overview: 
Becky Belinsky is on the show today to talk about her incredible dissertation research: Relationships Harm, Relationships Heal: Exploring Larger Bodied People's Experiences of Weight Stigma and Eating Disorders in the Context of Family Relationships. This study explored the intersection of weight stigma, eating disorders, and family/intimate partner relationships, which sought to understand the intersection of weight stigma, eating disorder development and recovery, and specifically the experience of receiving stigma from family and partners. Our discussion sheds light on the importance of working directly with and combatting weight stigma at the family system and societal levels in order to create more significant and meaningful change for people struggling with eating-related distress, and particularly for people in larger bodies.
 
In this episode of Taking Up Space, we discussed: 
Define internalized and externalized weight stigma
How experiences of weight stigma in our friends and family hurt eating disorder recovery 
How attachment theory and our drive to connect and belong influences our relationships
Boundary setting with those who are antifat, including family and partners
 
Resources Mentioned
Relationships Harm, Relationships Heal: Exploring Larger Bodied People's Experiences of W s Experiences of Weight Stigma and Eating Disorder Stigma and Eating Disorders in the Context of Family Relationships  
Website: www.beckybelinsky.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dr.BeckyBelinskyLMFT
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beckybelinskytherapy/
Free Offerings to get You Started
Come Home to Your Self guide https://www.inneratlastherapy.com/resources
 
Get my Taking Up Space Workbook
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inneratlastherapy.com
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Intergenerational Trauma and Intergenerational Healing in Eating Disorders with Sam Dylan Finch

Today’s conversation we’re talking with Sam Dylan Finch about his story and its intersection with intergenerational trauma. Sam Dylan Finch is a writer, content strategist, and daydreamer leveraging the power of digital media to inspire hope and challenge stigma. Sam is a recognized and trusted voice within mental health media, having reached millions of readers worldwide after his first of many viral articles back in 2014.
Since then, his unique combination of lived experience and authenticity, alongside his journalistic expertise, has led to memorable, culture-shifting moments across the web.
His work has not only shifted attitudes around LGBTQ+ identity and neurodivergence, but has brought compassionate and necessary depth to many stigmatized conversations and 
 
In this episode of Taking Up Space, we discussed: 
We define what intergenerational trauma and how it’s relevant to the development of eating disorders
Sam’s body story as he’s telling and understanding it today, specifically looking at the development of the eating disorder as a symptom of intergenerational trauma
Exploration of Sam’s family immigration and its involvement in Sam’s development of an eating disorder
We discuss how white folks are divorced from their ancestral and cultural stories and the impact that this has on 
The difference that it made to have a therapist who encouraged Sam to look at his ancestral and family history as a part of his story
Sam’s experience of intellectualizing collective liberation work vs. embodying collective liberation
How Sam once thought that he was “too autistic” for parts work until he tried the Safe and Protocol which made parts work a more embodied experience
Sam’s definition of what it means to take up space to not abandon himself and stay present in the pain and joy in our world
 
Resources Mentioned
Website: https://samdylanfinch.com/
Sam’s Blog: https://letsqueerthingsup.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samdylanfinch/?hl=en
Sam’s Blog “Why I’m Not Fighting My Eating Disorder Anymore”: https://helloalma.com/blog/not-fighting-eating-disorder/
More of Sam’s writing: https://helloalma.com/blog/authors/sam-dylan-finch/
 
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