(Trust me, you don’t want to miss this one.)
Hi friend!
As of today, I’m exactly 5 weeks out from my book release date for Body Neutral, and I wanted to share a few things I’m excited about with you!
First of all, two amazing reviews came in from friends:
“Refreshing, transformative, revolutionary. Body Neutral is an actionable, practical guide to overcoming not only our individual body image suffering, but collectively dismantling the hierarchies that exist at the root of these issues, and moving toward greater justice, fairness, and equity for all bodies.”
—Molly Galbraith, cofounder of Girls Gone Strong and creator of GGS Academy
And:
“Body Neutral is an incredible resource for those who are looking to find greater peace with their bodies in order to live a more empowered, joyful, and meaningful life.”
—Matt McGorry, actor, abolitionist, activist, and feminist
As well as this fabulous (and thorough) review from Booklist, for anyone wondering what the book is actually about!
Many of us have love/hate relationships with our bodies. Former personal trainer and current life coach Kneeland, who identifies as queer and nonbinary, spent years trying to help clients make the changes they felt they needed to like their bodies. But something was still missing. With body neutrality, the emphasis is shifted away from the physical body. Instead, practitioners search for the underlying unmet needs and unresolved psychological issues that underlie their unhappiness with their bodies.
Kneeland identifies four avatars or symbolic representations to promote healing. "The Self-Objectifier" focuses on gaining power, "The High Achiever" focuses on proving personal worth, "The Outsider" focuses on fitting in, and "The Runner" focuses on surviving. A self-assessment test helps readers zero in on the appropriate avatar, and the chapters that follow detailed characteristics, explore a client’s case as a guiding example, develop a blueprint for recovery, and set action steps.
There’s a lot here for readers who are serious about coming to terms with their body image and willing to do the work to make it happen.
—Candace Smith, Booklist
>>Just a reminder that if you want to be among the first to read Body Neutral, you can pre-order your copy of Body Neutral here!<<
All that aside, I also wanted to highlight today’s episode of my podcast, This Is (Not) About Your Body, called Doctors Aren’t Great, with Dr. Asher Larmie.
In this episode, I interview Asher Larmie (aka “the fat doctor”) who is a queer fat medical doctor on a mission to expose the and overhaul the weight stigma and anti-fat bias embedded in the medical system.
As a doctor themself, Asher is in a unique position to shine light on how the rampant anti-fat prejudice among doctors leads to medical negligence, and the disproportionate killing of fat people— and hoo boy, let me tell you, that’s exactly what they do.
In this episode, Asher:
Exposes the unethical (and horrifying) way doctors put money above the wellbeing of their patients.
Explains how there is never, ever a valid reason to prescribe weight loss.
Provides practical guidance and advice to marginalized folks on how to advocate for themselves at the doctor’s office to avoid being violated, harmed, or denied care.
They even name the only two medically valid and ethical reasons to weigh someone at the doctor’s office! (I promise, they’re not what you think.)
Through heartbreaking stories, an unflinching willingness to speak truth to power, and an absolutely delightful sense of humor, I learned so much from Asher in this conversation. It’s a powerful and important episode, and I hope that every single one of you listens to it.
…Then come back here, hit reply, and tell me what part blew your mind the most!!
Also, if you’re a fan of my podcast, please be sure to subscribe, and leave me a review– it really helps people find it! (And if you love my free content in general, feel free to support me by joining my Patreon or buying me a coffee!)
Sending you the biggest hug,
Jessi