Size-acceptance advocate and yoga teacher Rachel Estapa discusses how being a larger-bodied child led to early experiences of shame and dieting, why diet culture's promise to "fix" us is so alluring, the connection between physical and emotional hungers,  why rediscovering her loves and desires in life was essential to her recovery from dieting, how the practice of yoga helped show her the path to liberation, and lots more!

Rachel Estapa, founder of More to Love®, is a certified life coach, certified Kripalu Yoga teacher, writer, speaker and social entrepreneur who educates and supports plus size people on approaches to positive body image and wellness, enabling all bodies to lead more empowered lives. Find her online at MoreToLoveWithRachel.com.

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We Discuss:

• Rachel’s relationship with food growing up, including associating food with love and family

• Body shame in relation to food choices

• Separating the critical voice from the true inner voice of compassion

• The line between educating others and preserving our own body-positive journey

• Reconnecting to body trust

• How intuitive eating leads to intuitive living

• Creating a loving relationship with the past

• Rachel’s first experience with a nutritionist

• The importance of access to plus-size clothing options

• Rachel's Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) diagnosis

• The connection between physical hunger and emotional hunger

• Rediscovering satisfaction with food and movement on the intuitive eating journey

• The impact of patriarchy and misogyny on femme socialization

• Yoga, eating disorder recovery, and embodiment

• Reconnecting with and accepting emotions

• Eating as an intimate act

• Food as a part of our relationships and human connection

• Navigating and pushing back against diet culture and the diet mentality

• Rachel’s reasons for creating More to Love

• Finding everlasting, honest, and individual body acceptance

• The intersection of mystery and science

• Tolerating constant change and growth

• The trouble with deriving self-worth from external factors