30. Intersection of Religious Oppression & Diet Culture with Angel Casas

In today's episode I had the honor to share the space with Angel Casas.  Ángel is a Weight Inclusive, Certified Personal Trainer & DEI activist in the Health and Fitness industry. Àngel is an immigrant, born in Mexico and raised in Chicago. He was brought up in a strict Jehovah’s Witness household alongside traditional Mexican values. However, later in life, he left the church after coming out as a gay queer man. His professional background is in the Real Estate and Insurance Industry but when Covid hit, he decided to make a career change and became a Certified Personal Trainer. He decided to start a fitness business dedicated to helping people lose weight since he himself lost over 100 pounds.  However, helping people lose weight, brought to light his own disordered relationship with food and fitness. He admitted himself into an Eating Disorder treatment center which was where he there learned about Diet Culture, Fat-phobia, White Supremacy, Religious trauma and so many other systems of oppression.  This eye-opening experience made him realize how harmful and racist Diet Culture is, particularly for Brown, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. He also noticed the lack of diverse representation in the Eating Disorder space, with thin cis white women predominantly leading it. This realization fueled his mission to dismantle Diet Culture and decolonize fitness, empowering others to break free from oppressive chains and reclaim their bodies, especially queer and BIPOC folx.  This gave birth to his now Anti-Diet Personal Training business. No more diets, no more counting calories, no more meal plans. No more scales, no more weigh-ins. No more before and after pics. Instead he now teaches his clients about intuitive eating and joyful movement, reclaiming the power that was originally taken from them. In today's episode Angel Casas shared  👉🏽 Role of religious oppression  👉🏽Coming out as gay 👉🏽 Body shame and fatphobia 👉🏽Fitness in a larger body 👉🏽Reclaiming our body 👉🏽Healing and role of therapy 👉🏽Importance of movement and so much more! Follow Angel Casas on  instagram @theantidiettrainerWebsite: nomorefearcoaching.com