Taking the Middle Seat next to Jennifer DiGennaro

On Episode 28, I’m talking to Jennifer DiGennaro with Nourished Energy (Facebook and Instagram). As there is so much diet culture swirling around us especially this time of year, Jen feels like the perfect oasis. She speaks to how connection, relationships and healing are so needed; not necessarily the next diet or new way of eating. One of my favorite things she said was, “Let’s get out of the edges.”

She is a holistic licensed psychotherapist and couples counselor. She works with people, “Strengthening relationships to self, body & each other.” Her areas of focus include chronic dieting, chronic stress and binge eating disorder. She is a certified intuitive eating counselor and certified body trust provider and works in modalities such as EMDR and Reiki. Jen works from a Health at Every Size perspective. Her website has so much great information on all of her work so head there to learn all the things. You can find even more information about Body Trust at BeNourished.org. I love how she talks about Body Trust as l i b e r a t i o n. Jennifer mentions THE BOOK on intuitive eating. Here it is.

Jennifer talks about her Holistic Nourishment Assessment and it’s FREE. Grab it at her website!

Jennifer talks about lots of favorites: Renfrew Center eating disorder conference, this TED talk, yoga at Lotus Jo’s, Tara Brach’s talks and her books, and epsom salt baths and Cascade Peace Park.

Taking the Middle Seat next to The Nourish to Flourish Society

On Episode 18 of Taking the Middle Seat, I'm talking to Angelle Batten and Jill Tanis, co-founders of The Nourish to Flourish Society which is "a place where women fall in love with nourishing mind, body and spirit with simple soulful self care practices, delicious food and a supportive community" (from The Nourish to Flourish Society website).  

Jill and Angelle describe themselves as life coaches for women with an expertise in health.  I am not kidding when I say that I LOVE the space they have created for women to thrive.  Check out the 14 Day Fall Reset!!  I promise you will love it.

Jill and Angelle are hosting an upcoming event called Soiree on September 26.  I know it will be nourishing and beautiful and worth every cent.  Grab you buddies and go!

I talked about how I found The Nourish to Flourish Society through my friend Shari Meyering who is an ambassador for Noonday Collection.  You'll find some of my favorite big earrings from Noonday here.

Angelle and Jill   s h o w e d  u p   with some incredible favorites!

Jill's Faves: Practicing sabbath (here's a book on sabbath by Wayne Muller), Slow Down Diet, jasmine green tea, Lake Michigan, Grocer's Daughter Chocolates, OXO good grips Y peeler, Vitamix, Cutco chef knife, microplane, Young Living, Barbara Brown Taylor, Rob Bell's Robcast.

Angelle's Faves: Bark Thins, Autumn's Gold grain free granola, water pillow, Car Talk episodes, Grace & Frankie on Netflix, The Book of She.

I was not prepared when they asked me about MY favorite things but now that I think about it...  I have a favorite vegetable peeler that I won in a white elephant gift exchange and I just ordered these earrings from Noonday.  Favorite things for the win! 

I'll be back soon!  Until then, take the middle seat.  You'll love what happens.

Taking the Middle Seat next to Emily Martin

On episode 17 of Taking the Middle Seat, I'm talking to Emily Martin, owner of Any Body Yoga.  She champions body positive and mindfulness based yoga.  I could not love her mission more - To create brave spaces for all bodies to practice radical self love through embodied movement.  (From Any Body Yoga Facebook page)  You're going to love her encouragement when she says, "There is no wrong way to have a body."

She has a rad series of classes coming up called Body Positive Yoga: A Yoga Series for Healing Body Image.  Get all the info on the Facebook event.  I need a buddy to do this with!

Emily mentions another yoga teacher who she loves - Dana Falsetti who also has a podcast you might want to check out.  A body positive activist and yoga teacher I love to follow is Jessamyn Stanley.

*** I want to encourage listeners to purchase any recommended books from We Are Lit, a Grand Rapids local and woman owned business.  If she doesn't have the book right on her website, you can just request it on the website here. 

Emily recommends all sorts of great resources:

Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook, The Body is Not an Apology (OHMYGOODNESS, this is such a gorgeous book), A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook. 

Grand Rapids Center for Mindfulness and Yoga for All Training

I loved Emily's favorite things!  She loves milkweed and Frosty Boy (they close October 14!)  and Tunde Olaniran.

I'll be back soon to explore the magic in the middle seat.

Taking the Middle Seat next to Bri Luginbill

On episode 11 of Taking the Middle Seat, I talk to Bri Luginbill.  She is a photographer and body positivity activist.  She struggled with body image issues for many years but has turned her struggle into beauty and social change.  She is passionate about helping others do the same.  I especially loved all of Bri's resources she talked about and I can't wait for you to connect with her too!   

Bri's organization, Better Body Image Conference, is doing incredible work.  Check it out!

Her next awesome event is an encore screening of The Illusionists on June 13, 2018.  Event details and tickets are here.  Even the movie trailer is powerful!

She's also an INCREDIBLE photographer at The People Picture Company.

Bri mentions Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome.  You can read more about it on the BWS Children’s Foundation International website. 

You can see Bri in action here talking about her Go Boldly, Love Your Body campaign that she did in 2014.

Connie Flachs is Bri's partner in this activism.  You can connect with her here or on Instagram.

Bri talked about the Straight Curve Film.  It looks so cool!  You can see a preview here. 

Bri truly is a fount of resources!  She mentioned so many cool organizations.  Here are the links:

Michigan Eating Disorders Alliance 

A Beautiful Me - a body positive program for girls.

YWCA summer programs, Activism Academy and Becoming a Girl Boss

Jenna Kutcher - business owner and online influencer.  Follow the link to read about how she walks confidently in her skin next to her very typically-gorgeous husband.

Jessica Honegger (She founded Noonday Collection and talks openly about the myth of thigh gap.  She's clearly awesome.)

In favorite things time, we talk about The Turquoise Table.  I'd paint my table this color.

Bri also roasts her own coffee beans in a Whirly Pop.  She's a total girl boss, you guys.  I found a how-to article here if you want to jump on in and roast some beans.

Bri loves thrift store shopping so that means we need to listen to Macklemore's Thrift Shop.  We just have to.

I think that does it!  Go look in the mirror and love the heck out of what you see!  I just tried on this swimsuit at the mall (normally not a swimsuit tryer on-er because of the bad lighting, bad angles, bad attitude etc.) and loved it!  I did not purchase because I just don't need it right now but I truly let myself just feel beautiful.  No except for's or if only's.  Just beautiful as I am.  Felt pretty damn good.  So go fearlessly and freely into the summer.  I'll be back soon to take the middle seat.