Hi, I'm Rachel.

If you're new here, let me introduce myself and the podcast.

I'm a life coach and teacher helping women to have a deeper trust in their hungers — both at and away from the table.  In college, like so many women, I had an eating disorder and through my recovery, I discovered Health at Every Size, fat activism, and Intuitive Eating. All that means is I stopped believing in the idea that humans need to fit into a certain size, that our size is a determinant of our well-being, that our well-being is just about our physical self, that entire systems and industries exist to profit from making us spend our lives obsessing over food and our bodies, and most importantly, we can actually trust our bodies to figure out what to weigh and what to eat.

In late 2017 my husband and I discovered that we were pregnant with our first child and I found myself with a new question: why are the only times we celebrate the belly when it belongs to a chubby baby, an adult with six-pack abs, or a thinner-bodied pregnant woman?

Even before my belly began to expand I was aware that I was likely facing two common rights of passages in our culture: the celebration of my pregnant belly and the shaming of my postpartum belly. Something about this didn't add up and it got me thinking about the broad range of experiences women have with their bellies throughout their lives in a body (and belly)-toxic world.

So I set out to have a series of conversations with wise women about their bellies and how we all might find greater ease at the center of it all. These conversations make up The Belly Love podcast. 

In this episode legendary fat activist Marilyn Wann joins me to talk about:

• Fat (belly) activism

• Taking down weight hierarchies

• The problems with stomach amputation (a.k.a. gastric bypass surgery)

Marilyn Wann's website

Fat?So!

Episode 2

My Belly Journey and How I'm Preparing for Postpartum Body Changes

In this episode, I share my own belly journey and what practices were supportive during my pregnancy and in preparing for postpartum belly changes.

Episode 3

Belly Acceptance and Joyful Movement with Melissa Toler

In this episode speaker, writer, and educator Melissa Toler and I talk about:

• Reclaiming movement and fitness from diet culture

• What the flat stomach ideal represents

• Redefining health beyond weight or muscle tone

• The non-linear path of body (and belly) acceptance and giving up dieting

Melissa Toler's website

Episode 4

When Fat Bellies Get Mistaken for Pregnant Bellies with Hilary Kinavey

In this episode licensed professional counselor and co-founder of Be Nourished Hilary Kinavey joins me to talk about:

• How bellies are pathologized

• Connecting (or not) to our belly through our family lineage

• Being with the unknown of how your body will change

• What to do when someone mistakes your fat belly for a pregnant belly

• How small-bellied allies can support bigger-bellied humans

Be Nourished's website

Hilary's article On Being Asked If You Are Pregnant

Episode 5

Living with (and Dressing) a Fat Belly in a Belly Judging World with Jes Baker

In this episode body liberation author and speaker Jes Baker joins me to talk about:

• Making bellies visible in plus-size fashion

• Dressing with a Visible Belly Outline (VBO)

• Dealing with body judgment from other people

• The difference between body positivity and body liberation

• The inherent vulnerability of our bellies

Jes Baker's Website

Jes's Books:

Landwhale: On Turning Insults Into Nicknames, Why Body Image Is Hard, and How Diets Can Kiss My Ass

Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls: A Handbook for Unapologetic Living

Episode 7

Diastasis Recti and Belly Acceptance with Ariana Pritchett

In this episode strategist and mom Ariana joins me to talk about:

• What diastasis recti is

• How to navigate recovery from diastasis recti -- especially when the medical community fails you

• The importance of talking about pregnancy and birth-related body trauma

Follow Ariana on Instagram

Flight Design Co. Website

Episode 8

Menopause and Belly Fat with Dr. Margo Maine

In this episode, clinical psychologist and eating disorder specialist Dr. Margo Maine joins me to talk about:

• How our culture's toxic focus on women's bellies is really about disempowerment

• Why women's belly fat actually isn't "the worst kind of fat"

• The health-supporting reasons behind gaining belly fat in menopause

Margo Maine's Website

Margo's Books:

Body Wars: Making Peace with Women's Bodies

The Body Myth: Adult Women and the Pressure to be Perfect

Pursuing Perfection: Eating Disorders, Body Myths, and Women at Midlife and Beyond

In this episode, psychotherapist and eating disorder specialist Carla Korn joins me to talk about:

• Going through pregnancy and postpartum when you've recovered from an eating disorder

• Postpartum belly changes and shame

• The non-linear path of body acceptance

• Practical tips for working with critical body thoughts

Carla Korn's Website

Episode 10

Making Belly Peace and Embodying the Divine with Ivy Felicia

In this episode body relationship coach Ivy Felicia joins me to talk about:

• Making peace with your belly (even if you don't love it)

• The myth that black women don't struggle with poor body image

• How a connection to the divine can help on the journey to body acceptance

• How to navigate anger and body-blame when you have a chronic illness

Ivy Felicia's Website