Connective with Alexa Nehter

Melanie Burns spent two decades inside some of the world’s largest technology companies before moving into a very different kind of intelligence: touch, movement, anatomy and the ability to listen to a living body.Today, Melanie is the CEO of Anatomy Trains, a structural integrator, yoga teacher, educator and instructor in the dissection lab. In this conversation, we explore what her life between these worlds has taught her about the difference between gathering information and developing true understanding.We talk about the intelligence of touch, why anatomy education should invite curiosity rather than overwhelm, and how a simple question such as “What do you notice?” can change the way people experience their bodies.Melanie also shares what dissection has taught her that textbooks cannot, how the fascia field can remain open and evolving without becoming dogmatic, and where fascia claims begin to move beyond the evidence.We discuss the opportunities and limitations of AI, the importance of strength training and women’s health, and Melanie’s deeply moving experience supporting soldiers and training practitioners in Ukraine.A conversation about fascia, but also about discernment, service, community and the forms of human intelligence that cannot be automated.Melanie Burns: https://www.instagram.com/wickedgoodyogawww.wickedgoodyoga.comwww.anatomytrains.com

Fascia is having a moment. And with that comes a lot of information that, as David Lesondak puts it, may be “not wrong, but far from right.”In this episode of Connective, I speak with fascia specialist, author and educator David Lesondak about his new book, The Fascia Connection, and the three decades of clinical experience, curiosity and research behind it.We talk about what happens when one piece of fascia science gets stretched into a much bigger claim, how to navigate fascia information online without losing nuance, and why realistic expectations matter when we talk about bodywork, pain, trauma and movement.But this conversation goes beyond fascia science.David shares his own experiences with imposter syndrome, what some of the brightest people in fascia research taught him about not knowing, and why being able to say “I don’t know” may actually make us better practitioners and teachers.We also talk about writing and AI, the importance of verifying information rather than simply accepting the answer we want, the role of humour in teaching, and why David believes authenticity will matter more and more.And at the end, I ask him the question I ask every guest:What has fascia helped you connect that once felt separate?His answer? ....In this episode we explore:Where fascia information can become overextended or misleadingHow to become a more discerning consumer of fascia informationTrauma, emotional release and realistic expectations around fascia workImposter syndrome and learning to be comfortable with not knowingDavid’s journey from practitioner to authorWriting, AI and why verification mattersHumour, curiosity and becoming a better teacherSelf-awareness as the “secret sauce” of his workWhat fascia helped David finally connectFind David LesondakWebsite:https://www.davidlesondak.com/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/davidlesondak/The Fascia Connectionhttps://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/david-lesondak/the-fascia-connection/9781668655474/BodyTalk with David Lesondakhttps://www.davidlesondak.com/podcast

What does a practitioner understand after more than three decades of listening through their hands?Lou Benson began studying massage in 1989 and became one of the earliest educators in the Anatomy Trains Structural Integration lineage. She studied alongside Tom Myers before the Anatomy Trains book had even been published, later becoming an education director and lead instructor who taught practitioners around the world.In this conversation, Lou and I explore what it takes to truly learn the living body—not simply to memorise anatomy, but to develop perception, judgement, curiosity and a language of your own.Lou shares how her own back pain first brought her to bodywork, why teaching anatomy requires far more than delivering information, and how humour, metaphor and psychological safety can help difficult material come alive.We speak about finding your own voice without trying to become your teachers, learning to relate to another person with your whole body rather than only your hands, and why caring for yourself is essential to both the quality and longevity of your work.Lou also reflects on honest feedback, stepping away from a long teaching career, navigating the noise surrounding fascia, and learning to hold both an open mind and a critical one.This is a conversation about fascia, teaching and structural integration—but underneath it is a deeper exploration of how knowledge matures into wisdom.And why, however experienced we become, we must keep going with the wows.ABOUT CONNECTIVEConnective is a podcast for teachers, practitioners and the fascia-curious. Hosted by Alexa Nehter, it brings fascia learning and -teaching, anatomy, movement, research and embodied experience into conversation—helping us become more discerning about how we understand, experience and teach the living body.EXPLORE ALEXA’S WORKAlexa Nehter is a fascia-focused movement educator, structural integration practitioner and the creator of Helix Movement.Helix Movement is an online movement membership offering fascia-informed practices designed to develop strength, mobility, adaptability and a deeper relationship with your body.Move with Alexa at helixmovement.comWork with Alexa at alexanehter.comABOUT LOU BENSONhttps://www.thebodyworkeducationproject.com/lou-benson.htmlhttps://anatomytrainsaustralia.com/2027-summer-school/#benson

The pelvic floor never works alone. It is shaped by the feet beneath it, the breath above it, the pressure systems around it—and by the life of the whole person.In this conversation, I speak with my teacher and mentor Julie Hammond, director and senior teacher of Anatomy Trains Australia and author of The Pelvic Diaphragm. Julie shares what she began noticing in women experiencing pelvic pain, why a global view of the body became central to her work, and why we need to ask what the pelvic diaphragm may be holding on for before asking it to let go.We explore the connections between the pelvic and respiratory diaphragms, the larynx and voice; why anatomy creates clearer intention in both movement and manual therapy; and what skilled touch can only learn through experience. Julie also speaks candidly about over-treating, the pressure practitioners feel to fill every minute of a session, and why more input is not always more effective.We also discuss the changing world of fascia education, the limitations of learning through screens and AI, and the importance of staying curious without reducing the body to one tissue, one technique or one explanation.A conversation about anatomy—not as a collection of facts, but as knowledge that gradually finds its way into your eyes, your hands and the way you meet another human body. ABOUT CONNECTIVEConnective is a podcast for teachers, practitioners and the fascia-curious. Hosted by Alexa Nehter, it brings fascia learning and -teaching, anatomy, movement, research and embodied experience into conversation—helping us become more discerning about how we understand, experience and teach the living body.EXPLORE ALEXA’S WORKAlexa Nehter is a fascia-focused movement educator, structural integration practitioner and the creator of Helix Movement.Helix Movement is an online movement membership offering fascia-informed practices designed to develop strength, mobility, adaptability and a deeper relationship with your body.Move with Alexa at helixmovement.comWork with Alexa at alexanehter.comABOUT JULIE HAMMONDJulies website: https://juliehammond.com.au/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julie.hammond4/Anatomy Trains Australia: https://anatomytrainsaustralia.com/Summer School: https://anatomytrainsaustralia.com/2027-summer-school/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anatomytrainsau/

If you've ever felt something true in your body and come up empty trying to say it out loud — you already know the gap this show lives in.I'm Alexa Nehter, and Connective is where I gather the researchers, practitioners and educators who've spent decades inside this work — each of whom found their own way of seeing the body, and their own way of teaching it. Some episodes are conversations with the people I learned from. Some are me thinking out loud, following a question I don't yet have the answer to, and inviting you along.This first short piece is why I made it: a moment in Italy, practising with my teacher Diane Long, that sent me looking for language my body already seemed to know — and the gap between knowing how to do this work and getting it to truly land in the body in front of you.For the teacher, the practitioner, and the everyday mover. Not a place to stand above the conversation — a place to enter it. Together, curiously, honestly.ABOUT CONNECTIVEConnective is a podcast for teachers, practitioners and the fascia-curious. Hosted by Alexa Nehter, it brings fascia learning and -teaching, anatomy, movement, research and embodied experience into conversation—helping us become more discerning about how we understand, experience and teach the living body.EXPLORE ALEXA’S WORKAlexa Nehter is a fascia-focused movement educator, structural integration practitioner and the creator of Helix Movement.Helix Movement is an online movement membership offering fascia-informed practices designed to develop strength, mobility, adaptability and a deeper relationship with your body.Move with Alexa at helixmovement.comWork with Alexa at alexanehter.com