Free Spirit Academy Podcast

So many folks I see, and this was me too, attach goodness and morality to their health. If something is wrong, THEY feel wrong. They will spin into stories about how they're creating their own disease or this is going to turn into something far worse. Can you make some space for the fact that not all of the contributing factors were in your hands? Your genetics, adverse childhood experiences, your environment and day to day stressors that accumulate.  There are areas where we have choice and can learn to be empowered...and there are factors we don't have control over. There are elements, like childhood trauma, that weren't our fault but that as adults we have quite a large degree of choice in how we address the effects. Having a sense of humor, when possible, can bring some lightness to what can be a serious and heavy healing process. Life is very short. Literally no amount of it needs to be spent beating yourself up anymore. That time would be better spent taking care of that part of you that so automatically goes into shame. Then, just coming back to what you best know works for you. again and again and again. Links:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

What does it actually mean to trust yourself, especially after years of trying to control every part of your life, your body, or your impulses?In this episode, I share how years of shame, "self-improvement", and control kept me trapped in cycles of compulsion and self-judgment - and what it was like to finally build trust with myself.Through personal story, trauma-informed insight, and a surprising experiment called Rat Park, this episode explores why compulsive urges aren’t failures or moral flaws - they’re messages. And when we start to listen with curiosity instead of control, trust becomes possible. In This Episode, You’ll Hear:Why compulsive behaviors aren’t about willpower or weaknessHow childhood disconnection, shame, and unmet needs shape our coping patternsThe surprising science of Rat Park - and what it reveals about safety and connectionHow I learned to shift from control to curiosityWhat self-trust looks like in real life Links:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

For years, I thought the urges to binge eat were THE problem...the thing standing between me and finally being okay. But what I eventually learned is that those urges were never the enemy. They were messengers.In this episode, I share what happened when I stopped trying to make my binge urges go away, and started listening to them instead.You'll hear me talk about:Why compulsive urges are communication, not failureThe nervous system roots of binge and numbing patternsHow curiosity and self-compassion can begin to shift everythingThe first step to finding freedom that isn’t built on controlIf you’ve ever wondered why you keep doing the thing you don’t want to do - this episode is for you.🌿 Mentioned in this episode: → My upcoming mini course, What’s Under the Urge - coming soon to Free Spirit AcademyJoin the mailing list to hear when it's announced.Links:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

In this episode, I’m exploring what happens in our bodies when we feel misunderstood - that familiar urgency to explain ourselves, prove our intentions, or make sure we're still seen as “good” or “respectable.”Through the lens of somatic awareness and my experience in burlesque, I talk about:How old wounds of being unseen or misunderstood can resurface in adulthoodThe ways those wounds can spill out as overexplaining, people-pleasing, or numbingWhy “being gotten” once felt like safety, and the importance of learning to build that safety on the inside.What it means to stay connected to our bodies, even when others don't understand us.This episode is an invitation - to both you and me - to create enough safety in our inner world that being misunderstood doesn’t have to pull us away from ourselves.Links:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

I’m bringing back an episode from 2023 that still feels deeply true: “Healing Doesn’t Happen in a Hurry.”This conversation is about the messy, nonlinear process of healing binge, emotional, and compulsive eating, and how the push to “get there faster” often keeps us stuck.If you’ve ever felt desperate to fix yourself or rush your healing, this episode is a reminder to slow down. To meet the version of you that exists right here, right now, because that’s the part that most needs your attention and care.Links:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

Living with Complex PTSD can feel overwhelming, and it’s easy to get lost in the idea that healing requires us to “fix everything” about ourselves.In this episode, I share six of the most supportive tools I’ve used in working with my own CPTSD, not as a protocol, but as a collection of practices, insights, and shifts that have helped me come home to myself and support my clients. Together, we’ll explore:Why developing a gentle inner parent changes everything.What happened when I stopped fighting my body.Simple ways to orient to safety and beauty in the world around you.The role of somatic tracking in understanding past vs. present.How to tell the difference between trauma responses and inherent traits.The books and teachings that shaped my healing journey.You’ll also hear about the external steps I had to take: leaving the religion I grew up in, coming out of the closet, and stepping back from certain relationships, and why nervous system regulation alone isn’t enough if our environment is unsafe.This isn’t about doing everything at once. It’s about the next step. Resources:Complex PTSD: From Surviving to ThrivingThe Drama of the Gifted Child: The Search for the True SelfWaking the Tiger: Healing Trauma: The Innate Capacity to Transform Overwhelming ExperiencesLinks:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

Sometimes what we need most isn’t more information, but a moment of care. This week I’m sharing one of the practices from my new mini-course Rituals for a Free Spirit. It’s short, simple, and grounding - something you can turn to anytime stress is high or your energy is low.If you enjoy this practice, you’ll find the full course linked in the show notes. It’s a collection of bite-sized rituals to help you pause, regulate, and return to yourself.Rituals for a Free Spirit Mini-CourseLinks:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

In this episode, I share a personal look at how Complex PTSD has shown up in my life — from disordered eating and chronic pain, to a critical inner voice, self-harm urges, and long stretches of isolation.We’ll also talk about what Complex PTSD actually is, how it’s different from PTSD, and why understanding our adaptations is so powerful. Because what looks like being “messed up” or “weak” is often just our body’s best attempt to help us survive.If you’ve ever struggled with shame, overwhelm, or feeling broken — my hope is that you’ll see yourself with more compassion, and know you’re not alone.Toward the end, I’ll share how life feels for me now after years of intentional healing work — more regulated, more connected, and honestly, often delighted to be alive.In this episode, I cover:What Complex PTSD is (and how it differs from PTSD).How chronic stress can shape identity, motivation, and self-acceptance.The ways C-PTSD showed up in my own life: disordered eating, shutdown, inner criticism, pain, self-harm, and isolation.Why adaptations are not weaknesses, but survival strategies.What’s different for me today after years of healing.Resources & Links:Explore Rituals for a Free Spirit - a $19 mini-course with bite-sized practices to help you find relief and regulation, even when life feels overwhelming. Complex PTSD by Pete WalkerThe Complex PTSD Workbook by Arielle SchwartzLinks:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

In this episode, I share:Why I never thought of myself as “anxious” (even while binge eating and coping every day)How survival states and unprocessed feelings drive patterns we can’t willpower our way out ofA short guided practice to gently expand your capacity to feel without overwhelm🌿 If this practice resonates, check out my new mini-course Rituals for a Free Spirit - bite-sized tools to help you find safety, clarity, and connection in everyday life. Links:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

Thirteen years ago, I did a three-month juice fast. I thought it would be my big transformation...that if I could just “fix” my body, I’d finally feel both free, and deeply connected. Instead, it taught me a very different lesson: the danger of oversimplifying complex pain and treating ourselves like projects to perfect.In this episode, I share:Why fasting felt easier than learning to eat in a way that felt sane and sustainableHow I misunderstood my numbness, binge eating, and “food addiction” as moral failings rather than trauma responsesThe surprising truth I learned about healing: it’s not about purifying or transcending yourself...it’s about listening, understanding, and including all of who you areHow I moved away from extremes and began building safety and compassion for my whole selfThis month, I’m also releasing Rituals for a Free Spirit: a mini-course with simple, grounding practices for sensitive humans. It’s designed to help support you in moments of anxiety and overwhelm without adding another overwhelming to-do or trying to “fix” yourself. Sign up for my weekly email letter in the show notes to get the launch announcement (and a free ritual to try right away!).If you’ve ever chased transformation but found yourself exhausted and disconnected, I hope this episode reminds you: You are not a project to fix. You are already here, already whole, already worthy of care.🔗 Links & ResourcesJoin my weekly email letter + get a free ritualLinks:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

This is one of my favorite solo episodes, and I wanted to bring it back for anyone who missed it the first time—or anyone who needs a reminder that feeling disconnected or “numb” is often a sign of a nervous system doing its best to protect you.In this episode, I share a bit of my own story of living for years feeling flat and disconnected, why that happens, and what it can look like to slowly come back to yourself.Links:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

We often hear about healing the nervous system, finding calm through breathwork, or shifting into a regulated state. But what about when those practices don’t seem to work - when they don’t bring peace, and sometimes even highlight what isn’t working in our lives?In this episode, I talk about:Why calming tools can’t fix situations that aren’t right for usHow regulation can reveal where change is neededWhat it really means to “come home” to ourselvesLinks:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

In this solo episode, I’m sharing some of my own story: like years of rigid routines, juice fasts, and trying to follow every “right” ritual to become someone who finally felt free, healed, and whole. But what I found was that all the "being good" didn’t actually leave me feeling at home in myself.You'll hear me talk about: - How "self-improvement" can sometimes be a subtle form of self-rejection - Why rushing or “shoulds” on our healing or growth path tends to keep us looping - The difference between trying to fix ourselves vs. tending to ourselves I’ll also share a bit about my new mini program, Rituals for a Free Spirit - a no-fluff collection of short, supportive practices to help you come back to yourself in real-life moments of overwhelm, anxiety, or disconnection. It's $19, simple, and there when you need it.Sign up to hear when Rituals for a Free Spirit is released (and get a free practice!)Links:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

If you’ve been listening for any length of time, you know I believe that food struggles are never just about food. They’re often symptoms of something deeper - like trying to feel some sense of control after trauma or long-term stress, trying to survive in a culture that profits off us hating our bodies, or simply trying to make living inside ourselves bearable.This episode touches on:- My 15+ year struggle with food control and binge eating.- The impact of religious trauma, diet, and wellness culture, and untrue beliefs about myself.- The tricky intersection of chronic health symptoms and eating disorders.- Why food challenges aren't just a "willpower issue."If any of this resonates, know you’re not broken - and you’re not alone.🌿 The Free Spirit Academy membership is open this month! For $25/month, you’ll get access to every course inside. Inside you'll find my 30-day Binge Freedom course, as well as Coming Home to Your Body (a personal favorite) - and more. Read more about Free Spirit Academy Membership here. Links:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

If you’ve ever felt the lingering impact of religious trauma - especially from high-control, fear-based systems - this episode is for you. I’m sharing from my personal experience growing up in the Seventh-Day Adventist church, and exploring seven common factors that can create deep disconnection from your body, your needs, and your sense of self.This episode touches on: • Why trauma isn’t just about what happened, but how it lives in the body • How messages like “you’re born sinful” or “don’t trust yourself” can shape self-worth • The overlap between purity culture and disordered eating • The importance of reconnecting with your body in healingIf any of this resonates, know you’re not broken - and you’re not alone.🌿 The Free Spirit Academy membership is open this month! For $25/month, you’ll get access to every course inside. I recommend starting with Coming Home to Your Body - a 30-day exploration of trauma, the nervous system, and what it really means to feel safe being fully yourself.Read more about Free Spirit Academy Membership here. Links:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

Today I have something a little different for you.Last year, I went to my 20th high school reunion. I attended a Seventh-day Adventist boarding school, and going back felt like stepping into another lifetime. If I’d thought about religious trauma before that experience, I’ve been thinking about it a lot more since.You’ll hear me talk about that today, but what’s different is that this episode is actually from a brand new podcast I co-host called Ask Me a Question.I created this podcast with my best friend—and high school sweetheart. Years after our time in church and school, we came out to each other as queer and have spent years supporting each other’s growth and just enjoying being friends.Cedric came to me with the idea for this show because our story is unique, and we wanted a space to unpack what it was like to grow up inside a fundamentalist faith. Together, we revisit the questions that shaped and challenged our worldview, explore how we made sense of life after leaving the Adventist church, and share what it’s been like to build a life rooted in curiosity, joy, and chosen family.I hope you enjoy this first episode of Ask Me a Question.Follow Ask Me a Question:Our WebsiteAMAQ InstagramLinks:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

THE TOP 10 MISTAKES I’VE MADE ON MY HEALING JOURNEY:Honestly, I cringe a bit using the words "healing" OR "journey" because the internet is so oversaturated with wellness or spiritual teachers. I'm not interested in making "healing" my whole personality, but simultaneously I have always had this deep interest in why things hurt. What any kind of pain, emotional, mental, or physical, is saying. and coming from a background of religious and family trauma, being queer and undiagnosed neurodivergent, and all of the ways those pains spiraled out - into years of an eating disorder, self-harm, depression, anxiety, dissociation, and chronic health symptoms...I became fixated at some point on what it would take to feel free. So whether I like the term or not, I found myself on a "healing journey" that I would say began when I got fired from my door to door missionary job and started removing myself from my church and toxic family patterns. I was in the thick of struggling with food and my body and had sooooo much accumulated trauma that it was just my "normal"...but taking those steps felt incredible. In fact, something I wish I could have told myself at various points is that there's no "heaven". There's no one point where all the things on all the levels are healed and you live happily ever after. Simultaneously, you don't have to WAIT until all the things on all the levels are healed to feel better. Life, my body, my general state of being being better than they ever have been. As I thought back, I got to thinking about all the missteps and misunderstandings up until this point and I want to share them with you. Links:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

I love a project. I love working towards something. I think that's pretty human. But for a long time my body was my project. I grew up in a holistic, Seventh-Day Adventist, vegetarian home. we used homeopathy and natural remedies and drank carrot juice and ate homemade bread. To this day I LOVE the taste of barley green powder because I have early memories of drinking it as something that would support my health. I wanted to know about all the supplements in the kitchen cupboard and what they would do for me. I wanted to be strong so I ate spinach straight out of the can. There was an early connection with the fact that what you eat has an impact on how you feel. Simultaneously alongside all this, my relationship with food was kinda weird...(Listen to this episode for more)Links:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

Today I'm talking about the ways that shame lived in my body and fed into the cycle of binge eating and disembodied practices with food. I'll also talk about making my body safe enough to finally feel the shamed parts of me so that they could be understood and come to a more whole and free place. Links:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

Today I'm speaking with Holistic Health and Root Cause Practitioner Sarah Hook. Sarah and I have been connected online since our early wellness blogging days when we were certain we had it all figured out. Some years ago Sarah was bit by a tick and developed severe Lyme disease, causing her to question what she knew about wellness. We talk about what it's like to need food restrictions after healing from an eating disorder as well as the ways in which we can get in our own way with our attempts at healing.I hope you enjoy and feel supported by this episode.Links:Sarah and The Healing Place on InstagramRande Moss WellnessFree Spirit Academy InstagramFree Spirit Academy CoursesThe Feeling Files PodcastLinks:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

Is it possible to take on a healing diet or a supportive protocol with a history of disordered eating?Is there a way to have a healthy, alive relationship with food that's also intentional? Is restriction 100% bad news in all cases?Today I'm sharing my personal experiences with chronic illness, having a background of disordered eating from a young age. I'm excited to share this with you and hope it brings you more peace and freedom in your relationship with food and your body!Links:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

On today's episode I'm talking a bit about the autoimmune diagnoses I got earlier this year. This is a shorty ep but includes:...why it took me so long to see medical professionals and get tested....the wide range of feelings post-diagnosis....the pre-self-love I had to do before I had any answers....the promises I made myself once I had something concrete to work with....my thoughts on medication, etc....the complex journey that is illness and a disordered eating history. Links:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

Hello friends, today I'm talking to my friend Lena, an eating disorder recovery coach who also understands firsthand months of juice fasting, pure raw food diets, and even using diet to heal illness - complicated by her many years of disordered eating that didn't stop once she got into raw foods. Throughout this conversation, we make some simple connections about how and why her eating disorder developed but there could certainly be many more factors one could look at. - We'll discuss being raised in a religion that tells you if you're sick - there's something wrong with you or you're not praying hard enough.- The time Lena quit law school to move across the world and focus on detox work.  - the moment when she started realizing she was more interested in perfection than actual health - and  more. Links:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

After well over a year, the Free Spirit Academy Podcast is BACK!I begin this episode with a health update of my own - and talk about the balance between maintaining a peaceful relationship with food and my body, while also supporting my body's very specific needs.That will lead us into a conversation with colon hydrotherapist and trauma-informed coach, Theresa Piela. Theresa is exceedingly familiar with chronic illness herself, and also knows well what it's like to do everything 'right' on a healing protocol and not feel any better. We talk about the importance of not only nourishing food but addressing nervous system trauma, painful beliefs, and tendencies towards perfectionism and orthorexia. I'm so thrilled to be back with you in this capacity - there is so much more to come!LINKS:Living Roots WellnessLiving Roots Wellness InstagramTheresa on TwitterTheresa on YouTube Links:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

Here's what you can expect from today's episode:...how the anxiety of our current circumstances can trigger any anxiety already living within us....the question of whether or not we'll ever be going back to 'normal'. ...we'll talk about the pressure to always be growing, creating, being productive, and going to our max. ...the idea that the universe is saying one thing to all humans right now. ...working with the feeling that there's constantly not enough time. ...finding safety in uncertainty....the feeling that we wish someone would just fix this, the government etc.  and the need for self-responsibility and self-parenting. ...astrology as a tool to make sense of what we're feeling....the idea that if something feels good to us, it will be easy to do and why it's not always. I hope you're staying safe and well and that you enjoy this episode with Marlena Torres.Marlena's WebsiteMarlena's Instagram Links:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

HEALING ANCESTRAL TRAUMA WITH INHERITED TRAUMA RESOLUTION COACH, LISA NAGELIn today's episode, you'll hear us talk about......The symptoms of inherited trauma: anxiety, secondary ptsd, depression, feeling like we can't get where we want to go, feeling trapped in repeating cycles, etc....Lisa's story of looking around at her family and seeing the shared patterns and emergency responses that were on autopilot and the revelation that we don't just have personal trauma but also inherited trauma. ...some of the science behind why and how trauma is passed down from generation to generation. ...the importance of creating space in our lives and how space can be really loud, especially at first, and that that's okay....the lineage of anger that hasn't been safe to express and how understanding that lineage can help us feel safe to own our anger now....and building capacity to not just feel anger and uncomfortable emotions, but also joy. I hope you enjoy this episode with Lisa Nagel. LINKS:Lisa's website.Free resources.Wild Sensitive Souls Instagram. Links:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

EXPLORING HUMAN POTENTIAL - GIL JACOBS UNEDITED!Hi friends. Before some of you get TOO excited (because I'm with you in that group of niche weirdos that thinks an interview with Gil Jacobs on the internet the single most exciting ever) I DID release this interview in the first year of the podcast. However, I was in a place at the time where I was very much catering to clients and an audience with a traditional intuitive eating view. And that view tends to look like like: eat whatever you want, whenever you want, and 'listen to your body' but if you put any sort of structure to your eating, you must be orthorexic, a part of diet culture, or have an eating disorder. So I was dancing between these worlds where my personal foray into intuitive eating had just helped me connect my intuition with the principles of intelligent cleansing that I'd used for so long - but I was a bit apprehensive to talk about it. I KNEW how strong the reaction would be so as a result, there were sections in this recording where Gil talks about dietary specifics and I cut them out and THIS is the unedited version. For the uninitiated, Gil Jacobs is a master colon hydrotherapist with more useful wisdom on the human body and potential than just about anyone else I've encountered. He is truly one of the people I'm most grateful for in the world and I'm thrilled to re-share my conversation with him. Links:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

For all of the seeking we do......medical mediums....spiritual gurus....plant medicines. We often miss the most powerful medicine: the information our own bodies hold.2019 was like a massive plant medicine journey for me...sans plant medicine (so y'know, I'm going based on what I've heard).My body took me on the ride of my life - and while it wasn't easy, it was the most liberating year I've ever experienced. This was a year that confirmed for me something I've long felt suspicious of...that our bodies are trustworthy. That Life is trustworthy. We just need to learn the language they speak.In this episode I give you a magical snippet of an incredibly intense year.And I hope it leaves you with more trust in your own magic. Links:Free Spirit Academy CoursesStar Sisters bookLinks:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

Friends!! After a bit of a hiatus, the Free Spirit Academy Podcast is back and it feels SO good. I'll update you a bit in the intro to this episode, but here's a bit of what to expect today:I met Jen at my Level 1 Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training and my first thought was 'thank GOD, a real human'. While I met so many lovely humans, Jen didn't feel like she was trying to prove anything or sound a certain way, she was there for the practice and was simultaneously running her own studio and it was just very refreshing. In this episode you'll hear us talk about......Jens' practice of 25 years, how she got into it for the yoga butt and the healing and spirituality snuck up on her. ...online yoga teacher culture and the choice to present the full spectrum of what it means to be a human....growing up in a childhood where everything is 'fine' no matter what's happening or what anyone is feeling and how that impacts us....how we can use yoga as a practice that actually makes a difference in the quality of our life, rather than helping us escape from our life. ...how kundalini yoga helps us actually process trauma that's stored in the body. ...thoughts on 'cancel culture', and what we see as problems in the wellness and spirituality communities....the history of patriarchy and abuse in the yoga lineage and Jen's personal story of abuse by a well-known yoga teacher.And while this might sound intense, there's also a lot of laughter and a little musing on Paris Hilton too ;)Enjoy the episode!Links:Twist Yoga EdmondsJen's InstagramFree Spirit Academy websiteFree Spirit Academy coursesFree Spirit Academy Facebook groupWork with meLinks:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

I met today's guest in my very first kundalini yoga teacher training and we've continued taking trainings from Guru Singh in Seattle for the last couple of years - and I wanted to have her on as a teacher but also as an example of someone who moved through serious addiction to drugs and alcohol and on the other side - is more real and more uniquely herself than she'd ever been before.In this conversation we talked about addictions, coping tools and distractions and how they work until they don't. And when it becomes obvious that these things aren't working the way they used to, it means we're ready to start seeing what's underneath those behaviors. Kalei herself is 15 years sober and she'll tell us her story about what it took to create a life that didn't need drugs and alcohol, how kundalini yoga came into the picture, and what she's doing now as a teacher and a creative, growing human being!I hope you enjoy this conversation with Kalei Myers, the Urban Yogi.Links:The Urban Yogi on FacebookThe Urban Yogi on InstagramFree Spirit Academy websiteFree Spirit Academy coursesFree Spirit Academy Facebook groupWork with meLinks:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

THE DREAM UNDER THE DREAM BODY.This solo episode is going to be a taster of my most recent program in the Free Spirit Academy membership site. My new 40-day program Liberated is my take on what many call intuitive eating. If you've listened to this podcast for any length of time you'll know that I talk a LOT about eating intuitively, finding freedom around food, and freedom in our bodies...AND I've just never been satisfied with the general way I've seen intuitive eating going which, to me, isn't actually all that intuitive. Listen in to hear the first audio class of this 40-day program for FREE, as well as a bonus exercise from the course.To purchase the downloadable course: https://freespiritacademy.teachable.com/p/liberated/Free Spirit Academy Membership (which includes this program): https://freespiritacademy.teachable.com/p/free-spirit-academyLinks:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

WHAT IT MEANS TO "BE LOVE" WITH REIKI PRACTITIONER, COLON HYDROTHERAPIST, AND OWNER OF LOVE BEING, ALEC STEURY.A few of the things you'll hear us talk about are... What it's like to start to shift from a solely logical, linear way of thinking and being to developing intuition and self trust.Putting our attention and letting our journey be lead by what feels interesting and inspiring to us.The health issues or ways of being human that we think of as "normal" that don't necessarily have to be. How gently, slowly, and intelligently cleansing the body has the potential to affect us emotionally and mentally.The potential for transformation in someone by just being with them where they're at. Diet dogma vs listening to the body.Shifting from "no pain no gain" to a much gentler "no discomfort no gain". I hope you enjoy this conversation with Alec Steury.Links:Love BeingLove Being FacebookFree Spirit Academy websiteFree Spirit Academy coursesFree Spirit Academy Facebook groupWork with meLinks:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

DETACHING SELF-WORTH FROM YOUR FOOD CHOICES WITH EMOTIONAL EATING COACH, GEORGINA GORRINGE.In this week's conversation, you'll hear us talk about:...how the opposite of emotional eating isn't "normal" eating and how that may not necessarily be what we're looking for....the journey from mindless eating to more conscious eating with nutrition knowledge, to an EMBODIED practice of listening to what works....when we see foods as "good" or "bad" and they leave US feeling like WE are "good" or "bad" people or having a "good" or "bad" day....learning nutrition knowledge is fabulous AS LONG AS we're connecting with our own bodies and how we feel....the foundation that's NEEDED before we can dive into the heart of emotional eating....tools for feeling fulfilled when not emotionally eating leaves you feeling empty. ...finding what actually FEELS GOOD rather than just things that would make you lose weight. ...how to remove your self-worth from your body size. Links mentioned:UDOU Habit HackGeorgina's InstagramGeorgina's FacebookFree Spirit Academy websiteFree Spirit Academy coursesFree Spirit Academy Facebook groupWork with meLinks:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A FREE SPIRIT?Today it's a solo episode where I talk about what it does and doesn't mean to be a "free spirit" and to cultivate more freedom in your life and body.Links mentioned:Kundalini warmupFeeling Breath PracticeWork with meFree Spirit Academy websiteFree Spirit Academy coursesFree Spirit Academy Facebook groupLinks:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

FEELING AT HOME IN YOUR BODY WHEREVER YOU ARE WITH CLINICAL NUTRITIONIST AND PRIVATE FLIGHT ATTENDANT, CHRISTINA PISTONE. Here are some of the gems you can look forward to in this conversation....we talk about the dangerous assumption that thinness equals health....how sometimes working LESS hard is what's needed to support your health and well being....realizing you might be thinking about food more than engaging with LIFE and how to use that as a cue to re-connect with yourself....feeling like once we've gotten the "perfect" body or diet plan we'll be fulfilled - and how very untrue that is....how scary it can be to move from a controlled diet plan to more of a gentle structure that lets us get in touch with our intuition - but how worthwhile it is....and what Christina does to cultivate a sense of home in her body wherever she goes in her many travels. I hope you enjoy this conversation with Christina Pistone.Links mentioned:Christina's InstagramChristina's YouTube ChannelChristina on FacebookAround the World In Healthy Ways BlogGil Jacobs episodeFree Spirit Academy websiteFree Spirit Academy coursesFree Spirit Academy Facebook groupWork with meLinks:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

Before Free Spirit Academy was Free Spirit Academy I was trying to figure out how to transition from food blogging as a hobby to Eating Psychology Coaching as a career. And I'm pretty certain that if I hadn't worked with a coach I would have struggled a LOT longer than I did to create what I wanted to create. Coaching and mentorship is SO important in certain phases and I wanted to bring Ally on because she's not only a business coach - she has a background in ayurveda, and using sensual feminine embodiment practices to connect to our bodies so that our bodies can be GUIDES for us as we navigate our life and of course business if we have one.Here are some of the things you can look forward to in this conversation:...Ally and I talk about our unconventional takes on the "body positive" perspective and what we feel are some of the missing pieces....learning to love our bodies from the inside-out rather than starting on the outside and trying to force it. ...how to address the shame that can come up when we're learning to care for our bodies and explore pleasure....what to do when you don't know what feels good in your body or what foods would feel good to eat. ...tools for connecting with your body....creating a sense of safety around making mistakes....emotions not being bad or negative, just messengers that are sometimes painful....and we explore the way our emotions naturally fluctuate and how each part of our female cycle has a different kind of medicine.I hope you enjoy this conversation with Ally Canales.Links mentioned:Ally's InstagramFree Spirit Academy websiteFree Spirit Academy coursesFree Spirit Academy Facebook groupWork with meLinks:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

MOTHERHOOD AS A SPIRITUAL PATH. In today's conversation, we'll talk about motherhood as a spiritual path but even if you're not a parent or even planning on being a parent (and if that's you, I'm right there with you) there's so much great stuff in here for you.Here are a few of the things you're in for:...Leslie talks about how carrying extra weight may have a divine reason and how we can feel into the body to see if it's at it's natural resting place - rather than using a number on a scale to make us crazy....We'll share stories on the clients who think they're coming to us for meal plans or quick tips - and how much deeper a wellness journey can go....The importance of assuming that the body is always RIGHT in whatever it does - and using that as a guide rather than beating ourselves up when things aren't going the way we think they should or we'd like them to. ...Why we crave intensely sweet, fatty, or salty things when we're stressed and the most powerful question to ask ourselves when we're in that situation....We'll talk about forms of nourishment that go way beyond only food....And we talk about what Leslie does best - helping women prepare for pregnancy, the myths about pre-conception, ways to take care of yourself with mindful eating and nutrition prior to getting pregnant.I hope you enjoy this conversation with Leslie Woodward.Links:Leslie's websiteLeslie's FacebookLeslie's InstagramLeslie's PinterestFree Spirit Academy websiteFree Spirit Academy coursesFree Spirit Academy Facebook group8 Steps to Balance your Hormones + Boost your FertilityLinks:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

BODY LOVE: FROM RULES TO RELATIONSHIP WITH EXPERIENTIAL EATING EXPERT, BETH SUMMERS.In today's conversation we talked about when health becomes a value - and how that can be a beautiful thing in relationship and a destructive thing if it's disembodied.Beth will tell us the story of how experiential eating became such a prominent part of her work.We chat about the importance of the way we eat not defining who we are as people - and we dive into this from the perspective of kundalini yogis and seeing a lot of the same sort of thing - following the rules to be a good yogi rather than letting the practice wake you up to your own individuality.And we talk about what to do when you have a ton of nutritional knowledge and you don't want to scrap that but you ALSO want to start learning to listen to your body.I hope you enjoy this conversation with Beth Summers. Links:Beth's websiteBeth's bookBeth's InstagramBeth's YouTube ChannelFree Spirit Academy websiteFree Spirit Academy coursesFree Spirit Academy Facebook groupLinks:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

DIET BEYOND WEIGHT LOSS.   Episode 9 is here with bestselling author and Clinical Nutritionist, Natalia Rose.   While it's true that you'll find most of Natalia's books on the diet shelf, they are truly more than just weight loss books. After finding her first book over 10 years ago, my perspective on food, body, and LIFE was forever shifted.   TODAY WE TALK ABOUT: How Natalia's life radically changed when she began cleansing her body - and how that made her see that everything she'd "ever learned about food and the body was untrue". The point before this where she was so miserable she was considering suicide. The ridicule she faced in her personal life when she quit living in a traditional way. How she works with women wanting to cleanse their bodies but struggle with a history of disordered eating. How detox is truly about authenticity and getting to be totally yourself. How bulimia can be connected with a lack of boundaries and the ability to communicate. How the body speaks in the language of pleasure and pain and how to follow that. Links mentioned: The Natalia Rose Institute. Natalia Rose Institute on Instagram. A Life of Power program. Links:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

Welcome to episode 41 of the Free Spirit Academy Podcast with Artist and Intuitive, Lindsay King.Sometimes people's worlds are so unfathomable to me that it feels like magic. Lindsay is a beautiful intuitive human being and artist. In her words, she "paints the relationship between the subconscious and what is seen. In this conversation, we talk about......our shared history and Lindsay's experience of feeling like a fraud in religion....the importance of aligning with who you really are and using your voice - even if it means your not everybody's cup of tea....the body as an intelligent tool - this might have been my favorite part of the conversation because I'm always interested in how people describe their experience of listening to the body....Lindsay's take on the word "power" and how feeling grounded in her own power has lead her to the desire for more collaboration. ...and we'll talk about her fascinating work doing soul essence paintings.I hope you enjoy this conversation with Lindsay King.Links mentioned:Lindsay's websiteLindsay's Instagram Prints by Lindsay KingFree Spirit Academy websiteFree Spirit Academy coursesFree Spirit Academy Facebook groupLinks:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

Welcome to episode 40 of the Free Spirit Academy podcast with Holistic Health Coach and Wellness Lifestyle Consultant Meredith Wadsworth.I discovered Meredith's work while I was going down a  rabbit hole with  exercise. You'll hear more about this as we dive in but one slice of what Meredith does is fitness training for the method we'll talk about. But that really is just one piece. Her company The HYE Life (Honor Yourself Everyday) represents so much of what I love: a balance between intuition and intention, looking beyond the surface of food and body struggles, and truly holistic wellness that doesn't include punishing exercise or restrictive dieting. There are no cookie cutter approaches here.In this conversation we talked about......how her first career in fashion stopped lighting her up and what she did to turn her life in a direction that DID. ...we connect on having clients who think they are coming to talk to us about food and how it turns in to everything else....what messages food/body pain may be trying to offer us. ...the difference between introversion and enjoying alone time and ACTUALLY liking ourselves....how even though food and body isn't everything it IS important and what role it plays....how we can limit our perception of food as potential weight gain or how it will harm us rather than focusing on nourishment....and how working out is not to be fit for workouts but to be fit for how we want to live our lives. I hope you enjoy this conversation with Meredith Wadsworth.Links:The HYE Life InstagramThe HYE Life websiteThe HYE Method coachingThe HYE Life PodcastFree StressLess Daily ChecklistFree Spirit Academy websiteFree Spirit Academy coursesFree Spirit Academy Facebook groupLinks:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

For more background on Mel, check out episode 27, Your Inner Binge Eater is on Your Side where we dove deep on Mel's history and how to address a struggle with binge eating.Today we dive into something I once shrugged off and that's inner child work. This idea that so much of what I struggled with was rooted in childhood. And the reason I shrugged it off was because I looked at my childhood and while it had it's issues, it seemed kinda normal. At least compared to some of the horrific things many people endure in childhood. But as you'll hear Mel say in our conversation - just because a childhood was normal, doesn't mean it was healthy. We talk about how intuitive eating is the ability to tune into the body's wisdom - but how if we're disconnected from our emotions, noticing something as seemingly simple as hunger and fullness cues can be close to impossible. We talk about the way we disconnect from parts of ourselves as children and how if we don't RE-connect with those parts as adults - we'll see symptoms like binge eating, emotional eating, or restrictive dieting among many possibilities. We'll talk about the the needs we're attempting to get met with compulsive behavior and how things like creativity and authenticity and love ARE needs, not just luxuries. And we address how unexpressed emotions get stuck in the body and how if emotional eating is causing you pain - that's a SIGN that you're ready to hear what it has to say. I hope you enjoy this episode with Melissa Riccardi. Links:Melissa's Instagram.Melissa's Private Facebook Group Beyond the Binge.Melissa's Facebook Page.Free Spirit Academy website.Free Spirit Academy courses.Free Spirit Academy Facebook group. Links:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

BREAKING THE SPELL OF WHO WE THINK WE "SHOULD" BE.   "The idea of perfection in a body is a lie. It’s a lie that’s been sold to us since we were little, through magazines and television shows. We fell under the spell. We never had a chance. The spell is made more potent the more perceptive you are as a kid, noticing the hypocrisy and feeling the meaninglessness behind so many of the norms of this world, feeling the meaningless that comes with living in a culture that values production and profits more than it values life. So, how do we move through it? By not dreaming anymore." - Marlena Torres   In this inaugural episode of Free Spirit Academy, I introduce myself and my dear friend, nutritionist and astrologer Marlena Torres.   Marlena and I talk about learning to care for and feed the body with intention but WITHOUT being a crazy person about it...   ...how astrology took Marlena from obsessive dieting to listening to her body.   ...how just RELAXING is far more supportive when learning to listen to the body vs. obsessing over every little symptom or detail.   ...and how knowing about your full birth chart is a purely positive thing - you won't find out that there's anything wrong with you, you'll only learn how to work WITH what's natural to you.   Books and websites mentioned: The Raw Food Detox Diet by Natalia Rose Diets, Women, Neptune, & The Full Moon in Taurus by Marlena Torres Women, Food, and God by Geneen Roth Marlena's website. Marlena's private Facebook group. Free Spirit Academy website. Free Spirit Academy courses. Free Spirit Academy Facebook group. Links:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

HOLISTIC WELLNESS AFTER HEALING AN EATING DISORDER WITH MEGAN GILMORE, THE DETOXINISTA.At the top of this episode, Megan and I talk about the varying reactions people have when they hear "detoxinista".They either get really excited that this might be a specific guide to a rigid detox protocol.OR they turn they other way because they hear "detox" and it turns them off.However, Megan's approach is neither strict nor scary.In fact, when my clients are feeling steady with the emotional side of their relationship with food and are looking to gently upgrade the way they eat simply to FEEL better - The Detoxinista blog is often where I send them for simple, delicious, whole food recipes.In this conversation you'll hear us talk about......Megan's history and how she got into detox and wellness....her years struggling with binge eating disorder and how she found healing and clarity....how pregnancy shifted her perspective on food and her body and changed the course of her relationship with both....the part of healing binge eating we BOTH ignored at first. ...and the fun projects she's working on today.I hope you enjoy this conversation with Megan Gilmore.LINKS:Detoxinista website.Detoxinista Facebook.Detoxinista Pinterest.Detoxinista YouTube. Links:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

 GETTING UNSTUCK AND FINDING NEW PERSPECTIVES WITH KUNDALINI YOGA TEACHER, KATIE SEDGWICK. So today we're talking to my friend Katie who we originally spoke with in episode 24 entitled The Eat to Feel Good Diet. She told us her story about cultivating self-love and the accidental weight loss that followed. We got a lot of great feedback and actually started this episode with a question from a listener that was brought on by that episode. Today you'll hear us dive into:...What to do when feeling like a fraud when it comes to learning to love our bodies. ...How body love is actually what's most natural to us....How kundalini yoga can help us see things from many perspectives instead of feeling stuck....Katie's thousand-day commitment to a particular kundalini meditation....and at one point she turns the tables on ME and asks me about my experience at my most recent kundalini level 2 teacher training on vitality and stress.I hope you enjoy this conversation with Katie Sedgwick.Links:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

YOUR BODY ON YOUR SIDE (PART 2) WITH ALIYAH WASHINGTON.   Hello friends, just a heads up if you didn't catch last week's episode, this is part two and I definitely suggest listening to part one first. We'll be diving in right where we left off and these are some of the topics we go into:   ...The power of admitting when what we are believing might not be true, and how not having all the answers doesn't equal being in pain all the time.   ...The difference between surrender and apathy.   ...Imagining your ideal body (not to manifest it somehow magically) but to experience a feeling of worthiness with which to move forward from.   ...The difference between listening to your body from a place of pain and fear vs a place of worthiness.   ...A fresh perspective on what disease is.   ...A fresh perspective on the state of humanity right now.   ...A very refreshing perspective on cleanses and detox diets.   ...And how binge eating isn't actually self-sabotage.   I hope you enjoy the rest of this episode with Aliyah Washington.   Links: Perception Trainers Website. Perception Trainers YouTube Channel. Aliyah Mystery School. Your Body is On Your Side Course. Free Spirit Academy website. Free Spirit Academy courses. Free Spirit Academy Facebook group. Links:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

YOUR BODY IS ON YOUR SIDE WITH ALIYAH WASHINGTON.   If you've been listening since early on this year, you'll have heard Aliyah on episode 2, sharing her journey through anorexia and today we go much, much deeper. I actually split this episode into two parts as it got long but I didn't want to cut any of it.   As I've merged topics like eating disorder recovery with potentially extreme lifestyles and practices like colon cleansing and juicing, I've worried that folks could take things to an extreme and I've tried to be very careful about how I've approached these subjects. One of the biggest things we talked about in this conversation was how disordered eating often begins in a simple desire to just FEEL BETTER when we're in so much pain and discomfort. And because we're in so much pain and discomfort, many of us tend to reach for the most extreme version of the most extreme thing whether it's long fasts or technically perfect diets but without context or transition or embodiment. And I see this happening in the world of exploring spirituality where there are so many trying to "crush our egos" or "overcome our shadows" or we're jumping into long meditation retreats or taking ayahuasca over and over again - and again, I think that some of this stuff is a natural reaction to wanting to be out of the pain that we're in. But truly, it's gentle steps - and becoming curious about and understanding of our ego or our shadow or our painful habits - that will really begin to shift our experience sustainably and allow us to grow rather than chasing our tails and constantly starting over.   When I approached the idea of this interview I wanted to call it something like "how to be spiritual or how to cleanse without being crazy" - and I ultimately decided that as catchy as it was it was a little harsh - and I ended up calling it "your body is on your side" because Aliyah and I created a program with that same name. We created it with the idea that freedom is so much more than just being free to eat whatever you want or being a certain size or being comfortable at whatever that size is. We introduce the idea that your body is actually your best guide in navigating this human life and that there is so much beyond the surface of food and weight pain. This is a course you can take anytime at your own pace and I'll leave the link below as well as links to Aliyah's other offerings!  You'll hear us talk about...   ...Holistically addressing mental, phyical, and spiritual health IN THE LONG RUN.   ...Aliyah's history with anorexia that began with being a very sick child and wanting to feel better.   ...How you think you should feel on any particular diet or healing regimen vs. what you're seeing in reality.   ...How we can begin making everything in our world right including our emotions, our symptoms, and any way our body reacts.   ...What's going on when we feel we're eating perfectly and not getting better or losing weight.    Links: Perception Trainers Website. Perception Trainers YouTube Channel. Aliyah Mystery School. Your Body is On Your Side Course. Free Spirit Academy website. Free Spirit Academy courses.    Links:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

VEGANISM, RE-WILDING, & BIOHACKING, OH MY! VITALITY THROUGH EASE AND CONSISTENCY WITH MICHAEL PERRINE.   Mike Perrine is more than just one of the many colon hydrotherapists I've spoken with on this podcast, he's also a detox and health counselor (in the most real, least fluffy sense of that title), founder of Vitality New York City which offers gravity colon hydrotherapy, cryotherapy, and nutrition coaching, and host of one of my favorite podcasts, EveryDay detox.   In this episode, Mike beautifully lays out what constitutes a healthy food. There's a TON of confusion and information out there, ESPECIALLY when it comes to the word "detox" and his clear teaching style is so needed.   Other topics that came up were... ...Thoughts on re-wilding and biohacking. ...Veganism - whether or not it's actually natural. ...Self-responsibility. ...Body confidence in world (and I just mean the health and cleansing world) that can be so hyperfocused on a particualr esthetic. ...And pursuing health with a sense of ease and excitement rather than force and pushing.   I hope you enjoy this conversation.  Links:Vitality NYCEveryday Detox PodcastEveryday Detox Instagram Free Spirit Academy website.Free Spirit Academy courses.Free Spirit Academy Facebook group. Links:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

BE MORE YOU, GIVE LESS F*CKS WITH SPIRITUAL LIFE AND BRAND COACH, JESS BLANCHE. Something that I often see is that all good coaching is kinda the same. Whether we start out talking about binge eating or business, it's all going to come down to self-understanding, self-acceptance, self-love, and self-expression. And obviously we all have different histories and there will be different tools but it all often ends up being life coaching in a way. For example, last podcast when we talked to Tracy Brown, we talked about how taking off diet labels and really learning to listen to the body often makes us quite unique or, some might say, just weird. Like, it doesn't tend to lead you to eating like everyone else, if you're really exploring and listening, you'll often be the odd duck in the room - and you're totally alright with it because you're totally on your own path. Jess and I talked about that in this conversation in terms of rebellion. There is definitely an accepted way of "being a rebel" and plenty of people who want to claim the label and look that certain way. THEN there's just the fact that truly being yourself is going to be inherently rebellious because none of us are going to fit perfectly into any mold, category, or label. I love Jess for so many reasons, and I think we mutually cringed our way through terms like "playing big" and "being authentic" because they're so overused and misunderstood but having followed and learned from Jess for the last couple of years, she really breathes new life into them.  I love that she's a fellow but former yoga teacher, and infuses her teachings with her training in life coaching among many, many other fascinating experiences that we'll talk about.  Among the topics we discussed: ...what it means to listen to intuition and what happens when your intuition doesn't lead you where you think it will.  ...trying to be accepted by other people because we don't accept ourselves.  ...fresh takes on phrases like being authentic, being a rebel, playing big, and all sorts of other good life-coachy things.  I hope you love this conversation with Jess Blanche. Links: Jess's website Jess's Instagram Twitter: @thetruthigniter Jess's Facebook Group Free Spirit Academy website. Free Spirit Academy courses. Free Spirit Academy Facebook group. Links:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram

CREATING A SENSE OF SAFETY IN OUR BODIES WITH TRACY BROWN, RD   Hello friends, welcome back! This is part two of season 1, episode 25 featuring Tracy that had so many cliffhangers I had to bring her back. I definitely suggest you go back and listen to that episode first to get filled in on Tracy's eating disorder and education background as well as to get caught up on all the amazing information she shared there.   And today we wanted to dive into a bit of what it takes to create an experience of feeling safe in our bodies. So many of the things we do, whether it's constantly trying to stay on a rigid diet or overeating, binge eating, or compulsive eating - are super hard to address when we're in a constant state of stress and not feeling settled and safe in our bodies. And what's interesting too is that WE might think we feel FINE- we just feel like we like food too much. But as you'll hear us discuss, in cases like this, we often don't know what it's like to feel safe and good and AT HOME in our bodies.   You won't hear this but part way through our interview Tracy had to pause and let me know she was actually in her car in the middle of a rainstorm and needed to get home and call me back. And I remember being so impressed at how centered and clear she had been that whole time (because I had no idea she was in the middle of a stressful situation) and how low-drama and simple it was to resolve. It really spoke to the work she's done in her own personal world.   In this conversation you'll hear us talk about a Facebook group that we're admins in and if you're curious, it's the Intuitive Eating Support Group. We pulled a couple of questions from the folks over there into our conversation and I'll link that group if what we talk about today speaks to you.   And if you're interested in more of my work, my private Facebook group is called Free Spirit Academy and I'm always in there answering personal questions, often through video, on topics like emotional eating, body image, self-love and pretty much anything you hear here on the podcast.   I hope you enjoy this conversation with Tracy Brown:   LINKS:  Tracy Brown Website. Free clarity call with Tracy. Free Attuned Eating guide. Stop Bashing Your Body Free Gift and Audio.  Non-Diet Counseling Skills. Free Spirit Academy website. Free Spirit Academy courses. Free Spirit Academy Facebook group.  Links:Work with RandeFree Spirit Academy on Instagram