Illuminated Recovery

Most of us are unknowingly caught in a web of diet culture, weight stigma, and trauma responses that keep us disconnected from our true selves. In this eye-opening episode, Julie Norman joins Lisa to expose the hidden mechanisms fueling our societal obsession with shrinking and controlling our bodies—and reveal how these patterns are deeply intertwined with trauma, oppressive systems, and collective chaos. Julie has spent 30 years healing — personally and professionally. Beginning as a registered dietitian and now a yoga teacher specializing in recovery, she knows this terrain from the inside out. Together, they dissect the pervasive influence of diet culture, the rise of weight loss medications like GLP-1 drugs, and the insidious role of fawning—an often-overlooked trauma response—that pushes us to conform at the expense of our authenticity. They explore how social pressures, systemic abuse, and internalized shame foster a collective trauma that manifests as diet obsession, weight stigma, and the pursuit of safety through control.Connect with Julie Norman: https://julienormanyoga.com/On Instagram: @bodykarmahealingYou can find Lisa on Instagram @illuminatedrecoverypodcastOr by email: [email protected] NOTES:Minnesota starvation study: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Starvation_ExperimentFawning by Dr. Ingrid Clayton: https://www.ingridclayton.com/Nicole Sachs substack article: https://substack.com/@nicolesachslcsw/p-194819019Good Woman: A Reckoning by Savala Nolan: https://savalanolan.com/Needy by Mara Glatzel: https://maraglatzel.com/book/

Carly Kilbourne, a licensed therapist, joins me to explore the hidden impacts of childhood emotional neglect and estrangement on adult relationships. Discover how sobriety led her to uncover deep emotional wounds and embrace authenticity. Learn practical tools to unlearn people pleasing behaviors and reconnect with your inner child, set boundaries, and reclaim your power. She brings a grounded, relatable perspective to trauma recovery, reminding us that healing isn’t about becoming someone new; it’s about coming home to who you were before survival took over. Perfect for anyone seeking genuine healing and deeper connections.Show Notes:Find Carli on Instagram @authenticaftherapyWebsite for therapy: thirdplacetherapy.comYou can find Lisa on Instagram @illuminatedrecoverypodcastOr by email: [email protected]

Night terrors can be a terrifying experience for both the person experiencing them and their loved ones. If you or someone you know struggles with these distressing episodes, you're not alone. In this episode, Charity O'Reilly, a trauma therapist, shares her personal journey with night terrors, which began in childhood due to trauma. We explore the differences between night terrors and nightmares, delve into personal experiences, and discuss actionable strategies for managing these sleep disturbances which requires a nuanced approach, especially considering their ties to trauma.SHOW NOTES:CBTI: Cognitive behavioral therapy for Insomnia CBTN: Cognitive behavioral therapy for NightmaresBook by Dr Matthew Walker: “Why We Sleep”Connect with Charity:https://charityoreilly.com/On Instagram @teawithatraumatherapistCo-author of “You Will Get Through This”You can find Lisa on Instagram @illuminatedrecoverypodcastOr by email: [email protected]

Description: David Hilton joins me to talk all things IFS (Internal Family Systems). David is an IFS practitioner and in this episode, we explore this powerful framework for healing that starts with one radical idea: nothing inside us is wrong. We talk about how to build a relationship with yourself by welcoming the parts we’ve pushed away, ignored, or bypassed, and learning to open to the burdens we didn't even know we were holding.  Honoring the full complexity of who we are — the dualities, the contradictions, the wounds and the wisdom — is where real healing begins. And creating spaciousness within ourselves? That might just be the most transformative thing we can do.Show Notes: Connect with David Hilton:https://www.mindfulnondualtherapy.com/On Instagram @ifs_awakeningDavid’s podcast:Self Led Besties PodcastOn Instagram @selfledbestiespodYou can find Lisa on Instagram @illuminatedrecoverypodcastOr by email: [email protected]

This episode is unlike any other. In this raw, unscripted session, you'll listen in as I work live with Tess Felder — going inward to meet a part of me that has carried pain for a very long time. Internal Family Systems therapy is one of the most profound healing modalities I've encountered in my recovery, and in this episode, you get to witness it in real time. If you've heard of IFS but never seen it in action, or if you're deep in your own healing journey and curious what this work actually looks and feels like — this one is for you. Whether you're new to Internal Family Systems or already doing this work yourself, this episode offers a rare, unfiltered look at what healing can actually sound like.5calls.orgTess Felder: @meditatingwithtessYou can find Lisa on Instagram @illuminatedrecoverypodcastOr by email: [email protected]

In this episode of Illuminate Recovery, I sit down with trauma therapist Cassie Krajewski, to explore the root causes and the layered grief of estrangement  as well as sibling abuse — a dynamic often minimized or overlooked. We discuss the often invisible traumas of omission — what wasn’t protected, acknowledged, or repaired — and how emotional neglect shapes our identity and  our self-perception.We unpack the protective survival strategies many of us developed just to cope, and how those patterns can follow us into adulthood. We also examine how these same dysfunctional dynamics don’t stay confined to families — they show up in our systems of power, revealing parallels between authoritarian parenting and authoritarian leadership.If you’re an adult child of a dysfunctional or emotionally immature parent who is beginning to question your family narrative, this conversation offers clarity, validation, and language for experiences that often go unnamed.Show notes:Cassie Krajewski, LCSWhttps://www.inneratlastherapy.com/On Instagram: @inneratlastherapyYou can find Lisa on Instagram @illuminatedrecoverypodcastOr by email: ⁠[email protected]

Welcome to season two! I diver deeper into my healing journey and discuss some new approaches that have helped me over the years and share what's coming up this season, some episodes with guests and also some solo episodes. Show notes: Charity O’Reilly: https://charityoreilly.com/Nicole Sachs: https://www.yourbreakawake.com/aboutDani Fagan: https://mytmsjourney.com/Dr Ingrid Clayton: author of FawningOn instagram: @ingridclaytonphdTess Felder on Instagram: @meditatingwithtess5calls.orgCassie Krajewski: Inner Atlas Therapyhttps://www.inneratlastherapy.com/David Hilton: https://www.mindfulnondualtherapy.comNate Postlethwait: on instagram: @nate_postlethwait 

In this conversation with Deb Benfield, we unravel the beliefs we’ve inherited about beauty, worth, and aging. We talk about adequate nourishment, menopause, ageism and the hierarchies that tell us some bodies are more worthy than others. We also touch on the growing use of GLP-1 medications. This is a soft rebellion — a call to dismantle fear, reclaim autonomy, and remember that our bodies were never the problem.SHOW NOTES:Deb Benfield, M.Ed., RDN, LDN, RYT, is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist with 40 years of experience. She specializes in helping people heal their relationship with food, movement, and their bodies through a lens of body liberation, intuitive eating, and anti-ageism.Her forthcoming book, Unapologetic Aging: How to Mend and Nourish Your Relationship with Your Body (December 2025), explores how we can cultivate a partnership with our bodies in midlife and beyond. Deb’s work sits at the intersection of nutrition therapy and body-image healing, while pushing back against diet culture and ageism, offering a radically compassionate alternative to diet and wellness culture.Learn more at https://www.debrabenfield.com, on Instagram @agingbodyliberation or on Substack Unapologetic AgingInformed Consent:https://sizeinclusivemedicine.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MSSI-GLP1-Informed-Consent-1-1.pdfMinnesota Starvation ExperimentSonya Renee Taylor: https://www.sonyareneetaylor.com/Tracy McMillan Cottom: Collection of Essays called “Thick”You can find Lisa on Instagram @illuminatedrecoverypodcastOr by email: [email protected]

Katie LaCelle is a leadership and IFS coach. She combines her training as an IFS coach with Somatic Experiencing and joins me today to talk about the deep healing work. Her definition of the difference between PTSD and CPTSD is so brilliant. And we talk about all the trauma work including interoception and exteroception, non violent communication and simple slowing down in general. She also considers herself an HSP: highly sensitive person and explains how that shows up in our world. While we talk about how this work shows up in our lives, really, so much of it, comes back to rebuilding our own sense of self trust. Show notes: Kay Gardener: IFS & SEBook: Laziness does not existConnect with Katie LaCelle: Katies website: https://www.cressanallc.com/On Instagram: @cressanallcYou can find Lisa on Instagram @illuminatedrecoverypodcast and via email: [email protected]

Description:Tom O’Reilly is an IFS coach, somatic embodiment coach and enneagram coach. He joins me today to talk about a bit of his background, including what led him to getting an ADHD diagnosis and bravely shares what it was like before and after his diagnosis. He really does a deep dive into some of the struggles of living with ADHD including masking and executive functioning and shares his experience with different medications. He also shares his interpretation of IFS and how he works with clients as an IFS coach for couples. And we wrap it up talking about the Enneagram! It’s a full episode of valuable information.Show notes:website: https://charityoreilly.com/about-tom/On Instagram: @6ish_andiknowit and @parts.of.us.coachingTom and Charity are co-authoring a new book about ADHD called: "How to Understand and Deal With ADHD" which will be released in the summer of 2026.You can find Lisa on Instagram @illuminatedrecoverypodcastOr by email: [email protected]

Jess Frost courageously shares her story about her childhood and its impact on her adult life. She shares about struggles with alcohol and codependency but her real story is in her recovery. She talks about how self compassion and shame resilience are the foundation of her work and how we can retrain our nervous system and help us protect our peace. Jess inspires others with her raw and authentic story and shares so much valuable information from along the way. Show notes: Find Jess on Instagram @iamjessfrostOn linked in: Jess frostFacebook: Jess frost empowerment Her podcast: Have You Got Space For This:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/have-you-got-space-for-this/id1779892423Website: https://www.the3espace.com/

Hannah Husband joins me today to talk about body liberation. Hannah helps people reclaim their body autonomy. They are a coach who works with folks who have been harmed by mainstream fitness offerings. They help clients explore their relationship with movement and tune into their body’s unique language of sensation. You can find Hannah on Instagram @hannahusbandAnd on their website: www.hannahusband.com Mentioned in the show: The Perfectionist’s Guide to Losing Control You can find Lisa on Instagram @illuminatedrecoverypodcastOr by email: [email protected]

Melissa Guttman joins me to deconstruct the complexities of estrangement. She shares her insight  on narcissistic abuse and being the adult child of emotionally immature parents. She also explains family dynamics  and the role they play. And also how we can heal from toxic relationships. Melissa is a therapist and also an HSP, highly sensitive person, which we also talk about in this episode!Connect with Melissa:[email protected] Instagram and Tik Tock: @fallengoldenchildFind Lisa @illuminatedrecoverypodcast on Instagram Show Notes:April Snow and her work on HSP’s (highly sensitive people)Tara Brock’s work: RAINCartman drama triangle: persecutor, victim and rescuerJennifer Fried: DARVO (Deny, Attack, Reverse, Victim and Offender)Nedra TawwabWhitney Goodman Patrick TeahanBrene BrownMaya AnglouLindsay GibsonSharon Martin’s book: Cutting Ties with Your Parents

Join me as Jess Fry dives deep into the complexities and nuances of Intuitive Eating. She also talks about how shame can show up in our lives and how it affects our relationship with our bodies. Jess highlights how our deeply rooted belief systems are connected to our worthiness, self trust and intuition.This episode is part 2 of our first conversation, Episode 11Connect with Jess Fry: https://www.letsembodyconfidence.com/therapist-ephrata-paOn Instagram: @embodyconfidencecoaching https://www.tiktok.com/@embodyconfidencecoachingConnect with Lisa on Instagram:@illuminatedrecoverypodcast

In this episode, we explore Internal Family Systems and meditation with Tess Felder. Tess was a long time student, and friend, of Ralph De La Rosa and shares how we can apply the practices of meditation and IFS to ourselves which help us navigate our relationships in a more grounded way. She explains how all of our parts need our attention and to be heard and how meditation allows us the space we need to see them all through a compassionate lens. Show notes:Dick Schwartz founder of IFS: Internal Family SystemsRalph De La Rosa books: The Monkey Is The Messenger, Don’t Tell Me To Relax, Outshining Trauma.Dr. Rick Hanson: H.E.A.L method Lodro Rinzler: https://www.lodrorinzler.com/ 

I am talking to four of the six women who created and run Sober Mom Collective which is an online space for moms working at staying sober. They give us all the details of this magical community and then, they each share their own sober story. Leah shares her story about the pressure of ‘mommy wine culture’ and the importance of having a village of women/moms to support her in sobriety.Lainy opens up about black-out drinking and how you don’t have to hit rock bottom to quit drinking, you don’t need a reason, you can just stop. Then she found her people with other moms going through the same thing. Kathryn’s story starts from childhood where she saw sobriety as deprivation. Then her intense, binge drinking became part of her identity until she started noticing little cues about non drinkers which eventually led her to removing alcohol from her life. Jen was a party girl, working in a field that was alcohol fueled and couldn’t find an off switch to her drinking, until she found her way, first through AA and eventually through an online moms group. SHOW NOTES: The team of six women who run this organization are: Leah Fulton Eng, Lainy Wernecke, Kathryn Sabella, Jen Ciccotto, Heather Taylor and Mary Schiavoni  You can find more about Sober Mom Collective here:SMC: IG: @sobermomcollectiveWebsite: sobermomcollective.com And about each of them here: Leah Fulton Eng: @holisticcoachleah on InstagramLainy Warnecke @wild_lainy on InstagramKathryn Sabella:  @kathryn.authentic.af on InstagramJen Ciccotto: @bklyn_bookwormHeather Taylor @balancedbymom on Instagram Mentions:Recovery Happy Hour PodcastScary Mommy BlogSober Curious by Ruby Warrington Book club guests: Laura Cathcart Robbins and Jessica Guerrieri. 

I’m talking to Jacqui Stilling, she’s a therapist in Maryland and the founder of The Both/And Way.  Jacqui talks about how she integrates mindfulness and meditation with IFS and the Enneagram. She talks about how we all have a feeling meter and a pause button and how the power of the pause is the foundation of her recovery journey. She hosts amazing retreats which you can find out about on her website:www.thebothandway.comAnd she’s on Instagram: @thebothandwaySome mentions worth noting:Internal Family SystemsEnneagram teachers: Beatrice Chestnut and Araneo Paes. The Buddhist Enneagram by Sue River

In today’s solo episode, Lisa shares her story about her experiences with therapy. She illuminates the importance of therapy as well as different modalities, including IFS: internal family systems, which transformed her relationship to herself. Show notes:CBT: cognitive behavioral therapy.DBT: dialectical behavioral therapy.EMDR: eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. IFS: internal family systems 

I’m talking with Jess Fry, Therapist and Body Image Coach, LPC, ADHD-CCSP, CSTS, about the deeper issues of body image. We dive into the complexity of our internalized beliefs and try to unpack the layers. We navigate through the unlearning of how shame shows up in inner world. And we touch on how politics is deeply connected to body image work. After our conversation, we realized we have so much more to talk about so we plan to do a part 2, stay tuned!https://www.letsembodyconfidence.com/therapist-ephrata-paOn Instagram: @embodyconfidencecoaching https://www.tiktok.com/@embodyconfidencecoaching

I'm talking with trauma therapist, Charity O'Reilly about a different way to do therapy. She offers week long, individual therapy intensives that incorporate IFS (Internal Family Systems) and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). Charity shares her experience as a therapist, with the rape crisis center as well as her book "You Will Get Through This". Then we dive into the importance of rest during recovery. And we wrap up chatting about her chickens! Show notes:https://charityoreilly.com/Charity’s online course https://www.teawithatraumatherapist.com/On Instagram @teawithatraumatherapistany victim of sexual crime, including unreported child abuse and sexual assault, can reach out to RAINN (the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network) https://rainn.org to be connected with their local resource. Sexual crime does not need to be reported for someone to be eligible for free therapy.Co-author of “You Will Get Through This”

This is part two of our series with Julie Norman about Body Stuff. Today we are diving deeper into diet culture and illuminating some common myths that we’ve all heard and believed to be true. We talk about the definition of diet, why diets don’t work and what’s really the root cause of why we diet. We get into the how wellness culture has placed a moral value on food and eating. And we even touch on the marketing aspect of diet culture and where that leads us.  As always we have a lot of resources for people wanting more information.  Julie offers a free, monthly group online, called Body Peace Sisterhood (for women and non binary folks). You can find that on her website: https://julienormanyoga.com/ We mentioned Hillary Kinavey and Dana Sturtevant and their Body Trust program which you can learn more about here: https://centerforbodytrust.com/ Dr. Amy Porto is a RD and I always recommend following her content on IG: @dr.amyporto  Shana Minei who has a new book called: Live Nourished and is also amazing to follow on IG @thenutritiontea Chrissy King and her book: The Body Liberation Project also on IG @iamchrissyking

This is another bonus episode, on how the election has impacted Julie Norman. Julie shares her story about her reproductive choices and how the election has activated her complex PTSD and how she is managing her recovery during this dark time. We detoured from our planned series to share this, but will resume the body stuff in the next episode.  Resources: Julie Norman, Body Empowerment Coach, BS, E-RYT, CHC juilienormanyoga.com and on IG @bodykarmahealing  National Resource Center on Domestic Violence: nrcdv.org Planned Parenthood: plannedparenthood.org

Description: In this episode, Lisa shares her strong emotions about the election and how she manages her recovery during this dark and difficult time.  Resources: The Empowered Therapist: @theempoweredtherapist Chrissy King: @iamchrissyking and her book: The Body Liberation Project Ralph De La Rosa: @ralphdelarosa and ralphdelarosa.com Internal Family Systems (IFS): https://ifs-institute.com/

Today, I talk with Lael Atkinson about how alcohol and dieting have seeped into our lives and how both of these have become normalized in our culture.  Lael shares their personal experiences as well as their path to recovery which led them to start the Beyond Shrinking and Drinking Course and Group Coaching Program as well as dedicating their 1-1 coaching to help people heal from both.  Resources: Lael Atkinson: Coaching at https://www.laelatkinson.com/ and Beyond Shrinking & Drinking course at https://learning.beyondshrinkinganddrinking.com/courses/BSD-SP on IG at both @lael.atkinson and @beyondshrinkinganddrinking Integral Recovery by John Dupuy This Naked Mind by Annie Grace Quit Like a Woman by Holly Whitaker The Body Is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor Isabel Foxen Duke's Stop Fighting Food (the full program no longer available, but you can still access a free video series) Summer Innanen: Eat The Rules Podcast, on IG: @summerinnanen Christy Harrison author of The Wellness Trap and Anti-Diet, Rethinking Wellness and Food Psych Podcasts, on IG: @chr1styharrison Center for Body Trust: https://centerforbodytrust.com/and book: Reclaiming Body Trust Jen Sincero: https://jensincero.com/

Highlighting Body Stuff: A Series with Julie Norman, Body Empowerment Coach, BS, E-RYT, CHC Episode 5: Body Image Basics This episode, I bring on my first guest, Julie Norman, a Body Empowerment Coach. And since we have so much to talk about, we decided to do a series together! In this introductory episode, we talk about all things bodies. We outline all the topics we will discuss in this series such as: our relationships with food and our bodies, body image, diet culture, weight stigma, movement/exercise, anti fat bias/fatphobia. And, how we can attain embodiment, peaceful body image and an authentic, healthy relationship with food, exercise and our bodies. Join us to learn more, and to unlearn, some of the old myths that diet culture will have us believe to be true.  RESOURCES: Julie Norman, Body Empowerment Coach, BS, E-RYT, CHC:                       https://julienormanyoga.com/ and on IG: @bodykarmahealing

In this episode, Lisa opens up about her Complex PTSD diagnosis which illuminates the harsh reality of having a brutal inner critic and what it’s like to swim in shame. She shares about the difficult symptoms such as depression and anxiety, and how she began to climb her way out of the darkness of it all because recovery is possible.  RESOURCES:  PETE WALKER BOOK: Complex PTSD: From surviving to thriving  WHAT MY BONES KNOW MEMOIR by STEPHANIE FOO BETHANY WEBSTER: MOTHER WOUND @themotherwound MOTHER HUNGER: KELLY MCDANIEL @kellymcdanieltherapy INGRID CLAYTON MEMOIR: BELIEVING ME @ingridclaytonphd DR NICOLE LEPERA THE HOLISTIC PSYCHOLOGIST @the.holistic.psychologist CPTSD FOUNDATION @cptsdfoundation On Instagram: @the.trauma.educator  On Instagram: @drdoylesays

In this episode, Lisa shares how she discovered she has an eating disorder and her journey in recovery. Tune in to hear about the many types of eating disorders including Binge Eating Disorder, Orthorexia and OSFED and now many of the traits highlight disordered eating in our culture. She is honest about the painful truths of treatment and that recovery is possible. Plus, you'll get a ton of resources to help anyone who is struggling. SHOW NOTES: Find Lisa on Instagram:  www.instagram.com/illuminatedrecoverypodcast Intuitive Eating Center of Ohio:  Kristen Murray, founder and registered dietician.  intuitiveohio.com, www.instagram.com/intuitiveohio https://seven-health.com/2022/12/rebroadcast-understanding-restriction/ Dr. Amy Porto: www.instagram.com/dr.amyporto Sam Previte of Find Food Freedom: www.instagram.com/find.food.freedom The Nutrition Tea: www.instagram.com/thenutritiontea Alissa Rumsey: www.instagram.com/alissarumseyrd Stefanie Michelle: www.instagram.com/iamstefaniemichele HAES: www.instagram.com/haes_by_asdah Maintenance Phase: https://www.maintenancephase.com/ Christy Harrison: https://christyharrison.com/ Project Heal: https://www.theprojectheal.org/ Equip: https://equip.health/ Julie Norman: https://julienormanyoga.com/, www.instagram.com/bodykarmahealing

This episode illuminates Alcohol Use Disorder and/or Alcohol Addiction. Listen to hear about Lisa's history with alcohol, her struggles and how she recovered. Connect with Lisa on Instagram @illuminatedrecoverypodcast Show Notes: 1. The Biology of Desire by Marc Lewis 2. This Naked Mind by Annie Grace 3. Untamed by Glennon Doyle 4. She Recovers 5. TLC: The Luckiest Club 6. Sober Mom Squad

This episode illuminates Lisa's story and what led her to recovery. Join her on this transformative journey as she navigates the healing process.

Illuminated Recovery Podcast is shedding light on the path to healing through storytelling.   Host Lisa Michelle shares her story and recovery experience.  She dives deep into trauma recovery to illuminate big issues such as Alcohol Use Disorder, Eating Disorders, and Complex PTSD. Guests will also be featured on the show to broaden the lens of these topics.  This is a recovery journey about unlearning old conditioning, becoming conscious, and inspiring inner growth and authenticity.  Join us if you are willing to be more vulnerable, are interested in changing your relationship to yourself and/or want to cultivate more awareness in your own life.  Find me on IG @illuminatedrecoverypodcast Email me: [email protected]