Bodyful Episode #19: Laura Khoudari on Healing Trauma through Movement, One Rep at a Time

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By Valerie Martin

Each year, there are just a few books that make it onto my all-time favorites roster, and this year, one of those is called Lifting Heavy Things: Healing Trauma One Rep at a Time.

I highlighted damn-near half the book because there was so much that resonated personally and professionally. A few chapters in, I knew I wanted to try to get the author Laura Khoudari on the podcast.

Fortunately for me, she quickly responded and was down for it— after all, Bodyful is kind of a perfect fit for all the topics she wrote about in the book! And as a fellow Health at Every Size-aligned practitioner, Laura approaches fitness and training from a weight-neutral perspective (which, I don’t have to tell you, is unfortunately a rare thing in that industry).

This was such a rich conversation, and I can’t wait for y’all to hear it. Whether you’re a trauma survivor, work with trauma, love fitness, are repelled by working out— you’ll gain something from listening to this one.

To listen to the episode, stream from the podcast player below, or search & subscribe to Bodyful on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

About Laura Khoudari

A trauma practitioner, and certified personal trainer, Laura Khoudari is passionate about giving people the tools they need to heal from trauma and cultivate mental health and wellness. She is the author of the book Lifing Heavy Things: Healing Trauma One Rep at a Time. Her work has been widely recognized by the trauma and fitness community, and she has been featured on Buzzfeed, UpWorthy, Outside Online, Medium, Tonic, Nike, and Girls Gone Strong. She lives in New York City with her family and two cats.

Links + Additional Resources:

Bodyful #18: Solo Episode on Sexual Desire 101

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By Valerie Martin

Sexual desire is one of the most loaded relationship topics in our culture— and challenges with it are the most common reason couples state for seeking therapy.

In this solo episode, I share about some of the concepts I’ve found most useful since learning more about sexual desire, desire differences in relationships, and how to get unstuck when you’re struggling with desire in your relationship.

I hope you find this episode helpful, and I'd love to know if there are topics you'd like to see covered on future solo episodes, and/or guest recommendations for the show. (Comment on this post or email me at valerie@gaiacenter.co !

We’ll be back in 2 weeks with another guest episode that I’m super excited to share with y’all.

To listen to the episode, stream from the podcast player below, or search & subscribe to Bodyful on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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Bodyful Episode #17: Ben J. Munday on Breaking Through Barriers via the Body

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By Valerie Martin

The word “somatic” is very on-trend right now (…unless you’re the APA and you’ve surreptitiously withdrawn continuing education credits for all somatic-focused trainings because you’re a bunch of rigid, evidence-based-yet-evidence-denying buttheads)… oh, did I say that?

I digress. The science** is clear that somatic (AKA body-focused) approaches are effective for treating trauma, anxiety, depression, and more— and, outside of mental health issues, that working directly with the body (as opposed to just the mind) is beneficial for increasing a sense of confidence/self-efficacy and decreasing the buildup of daily stress that can lead to burnout. Among other benefits too abundant to list in this one paragraph!

The guest for this episode is Ben Munday, who went from growing up in a very masculine environment to being surrounded by powerful women in the fashion industry. When he decided he wanted to make a career shift to focus on coaching women in business, he experienced in his coach training how powerful working directly with the body could be, and knew he wanted to make somatic work core to both his own lifestyle and his approach with clients.

As you’ll hear quickly in our conversation, Ben is a smart, kind, and grounded person— and it was a pleasure talking with him about topics we’re both passionate about.

To listen to the episode, stream from the podcast player below, or search & subscribe to Bodyful on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

If you love the episode and decide to schedule a free consultation call with Ben, make sure to tell him Bodyful podcast sent you and he will give you a discount if you decide to book!

**It’s hard to point to just one research study or even literature review on this, because there are many different somatic modalities that all have to be studied independently; however, Bessel van der Kolk did an excellent job synthesizing a lot of the research (and decades of clinical work) in his continuously chart-topping book, The Body Keeps the Score.

About Ben J. Munday

Ben is a body-oriented coach supporting women in conscious impact businesses. He guides his clients to reconnect with the wisdom of the body to build confidence and trust, increase career fulfillment, tackle bold transitions and a variety of leadership and team challenges.

Heralding originally from the English countryside in a physical world of boys and men, through a career in the fashion industry Ben saw first-hand the experience of women working in corporate environments and the very real struggle within the masculine structures of hierarchy. He is passionate about raising up the empowerment of women and believes that many of the challenges we face as a global community need a new introduction of the feminine energy to rebalance our society for future prosperity for all.  

His work is rooted in body-oriented approaches blending movement, postural alignment and inner somatic exercises to bring ‘ah-ha’ moments through the body during sessions. Ben brings his personal interests of yoga, bodywork, running, travel, public speaking, conscious dance and meditation into his offerings to enrich his work.

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Bodyful #16: Solo Episode on Nervous System Regulation

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By Valerie Martin

I've had a bad case of Life Getting in the Way recently— which has involved some amazing trips and experiences, but I'm eager to get back to a biweekly routine with the podcast!

My next guest interview was gracious about rescheduling when I got unexpectedly stuck in New York, so that episode will release in two weeks. 

Meanwhile, I thought I'd share a solo episode with a primer on self-regulation via working directly with the nervous system— why we should know about it and how we can do it, with a few of my go-to tools.

I hope you find this episode helpful, and I'd love to know if there are topics you'd like to see covered on future solo episodes, and/or guest recommendations for the show. (Comment on this post or email me at valerie@gaiacenter.co !

To listen to the episode, stream from the podcast player below, or search & subscribe to Bodyful on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Links + Additional Resources:

  • Nadi Shodhana pranayama - alternate nostril breathing video demonstration

  • Andrew Huberman - short video explaining the “physiological sigh” and a full episode of his pod that details more on this and other strategies

  • Faster EFT - video explanation and demonstration

    • Melissa Tiers - the person who convinced me of the power of faster EFT!

  • Legs of the Wall / Viparita Karani video demonstration

Bodyful Episode #15: Zephyr Scott on Food System Alienation

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By Valerie Martin

Every now and then someone comes along who stops you in your tracks and makes you just want to pull out your notebook and write down everything they’re saying.

Zephyr Scott is one of those people.

They are incredibly passionate, wise, unconventional, kind, and dedicated to their work of bridging disconnections that have been ignored to the detriment of our individual and collective health.

This dynamic conversation reaches across a wide range of topics, from why eating disorder treatment facilities should consider biophilic design, to what Zephyr defines as “food system alienation,” and how a year of living as a vagabond taught them more about breaking free from the cultural script than anything they could have learned inside a therapy room.

I can’t wait to read Zephyr’s future book, and it’s clear to me just from this hour-long conversation that they are going to leave a real mark on the world.

To listen to the episode, stream from the podcast player below, or search & subscribe to Bodyful on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

About Zephyr Scott (they/them)

Zephyr has been many things: a freelance painter, international solo hitchhiker, burlesque performer, dissident, student, emergency caseworker for survivors of domestic violence, citizenship test interpreter, vagrant, teacher, and more. They have lived in moldy squats, on sidewalks, at occupations, out of a backpack in the woods, and as far from their Chesapeake Bay region birthplace as Aotearoa (New Zealand). Zephyr now lives in a log cabin with friends of varied species in the high desert wilderness on occupied Apache Chiricahua land. It is a place that they aspire to transform into a multispecies sanctuary of sorts for individuals whose bodies have been harmed by human food systems.

Zephyr is finishing their Masters of Science in Sustainable Food Systems, writing a book that examines food and body struggles from a critical food systems studies perspective, and is spending the first half of 2022 doing an intensive mentored study in regenerative architecture with a focus on the psychological and embodied impacts of existing eating disorder treatment center designs. Their upcoming projects will reimagine and radically redesign care for people who are struggling with food and embodiment. Much of Zephyr’s research and writing has centered on the weaponization of food systems by systems of power, the framework they have been creating of “food system alienation”, and the utilization and reclamation of food systems in liberatory struggles.

Zephyr believes in taking action to facilitate autonomy for everyone regardless of class, race, gender, species, and all other assigned categories.

Links + Additional Resources:

Bodyful Episode #14: Emily Murray on Healing Our Relationship With Food

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By Valerie Martin

There’s so much conflicting information out there about nutrition (including some that is straight-up harmful), that even very intelligent people can end up frustrated and confused about something so fundamental as daily nourishment.

That’s why, when I find people who are highly trained and are able to translate the cacophony of information on nutrition into something actually true and helpful, I want to spread their message far and wide.

One such person is Emily Murray, a registered dietitian here in Nashville and owner of Murray Nutrition.

In this converastion with Emily, we explore the normalization of disordered eating (thanks, diet culture!), what it looks like to start to heal a dysfunctional relationship with food, common obstacles that come up in that process and in eating disorder recovery, and more.

To listen to the episode, stream from the podcast player below, or search & subscribe to Bodyful on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

About Emily Murray, RD, LDN, CEDS (she/her)

Emily is a non-diet, HAES registered dietitian and certified eating disorders specialist through the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (iaedp). Emily offers a warm and direct therapeutic pre    sence, aiming to support her clients through radical honesty, practical skill building, and enduring hope.

After completing her dietetic internship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, Emily worked in a variety of practice settings and levels of care for eating disorders, including The Renfrew Center in Nashville. She has since founded her own practice, Murray Nutrition, and currently serves as a board member on the Nashville iaedp chapter.

In her free time, Emily enjoys arts and crafts, listening to music, nature walks, and spending time with her husband and pup, Theo. To learn more about the services that Emily and her team offer, head to murraynutritionco.com, and follow along with Emily’s Instagram @murraynutrition.

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