Mind/Body series wrap-up

After 6 episodes, we've concluded our Mind/Body connection series. In this wrap-up episode, host Laura Tremaine and producer/editor Megan Tietz talk through the series as a whole.

We discuss the origins of this series, what stands out to us from concepts and guests, and which episode broke download records (I'll give you one guess).

The wrap-up episodes are for people who enjoy the insider play-by-play. We like to break down what worked and what didn't in a series, and sum up what we learned while making it. 

The episodes in the Mind/Body Connection series have their own page here. 

Thanks for listening!

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Ep. #27 Mind/Body series: The Transgender Experience with Bethany Cole

Since the earliest days of planning for the Mind/Body connection series, I knew I wanted to talk to a transgender person about their experience. A mutual friend introduced me to Bethany Cole and her story opened up my eyes and heart so wide on this topic. I am grateful to Bethany for having this honest conversation with me. I will be thinking about it for years.

Bethany Cole is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate (LMHCA) and transgender advocate who works primarily with the LGBTQ community in Seattle, Washington. She graduated from the Seattle School of Theology and Psychology with a Master's of Arts in Counseling Psychology; and in her clinical work, she helps people process their personal trauma, gain greater acceptance for their own life story, and develop an increased capacity to both experience and manage a broad range of emotions. She lives in the Puget Sound area with her spouse.

In our conversation, Bethany tells me her story of growing up and her initial confusion between the gender she was assigned at birth (male) and the gender she knew herself to be (female). We talk about the difficult years of trying to fit in and then the freedom that arose when she decided to live in the world as herself. 

This is absolutely one of the biggest interviews I've ever done for this show, and Bethany's perspective and insight will stay with me for years. 

Two books that made a great impact on her life:

Meditations by Meister Eckhart 

The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis

UPDATE:

After our conversation, Bethany graciously sent me a few books that could serve as valuable resources for anyone who wants to know more about this topic. Here are the three that she recommended: 

Redefining Realness by Janet Mock

Surpassing Certainty by Janet Mock

Lou Sullivan: Daring to Be A Man Among Men by Brice D. Smith

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This is the final episode in the Mind/Body connection series. If you'd like to be notified when our next season releases, make sure you sign up for our episode emails. Email subscribers are the first to know everything about the show. 

Ep. #25 Mind/Body series: Eating disorders with Nicole Avila

Today’s episode is one of the most important topics we’ve ever covered on this show. A few years ago, someone I love very much was hospitalized near death because of an eating disorder. This struggle affected our whole family. The things I learned then about this disease - how it should not be dismissed as a phase or only affects a certain type of person - have stuck with me.

It’s not about the food, it’s never about the food. 

Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. It is a disease that is often not taken seriously in pop culture, sometimes even subtly encouraged in our society. In spite of the millions of people here in the US who suffer with an eating disorder, the research into this disease is still too scarce.

Registered Dietician Nicole Avila is our guest today talking about the mind/body disconnection that happens and often leads to a person's complicated relationship with food. What our mind and body is doing as we develop disordered eating habits, but before it becomes a full blown eating disorder.

Nicole started off her education at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. Her dream had always been to become a doctor, but after her first nutrition class she fell in love with preventative medicine and aspired to be a dietitian. She went on to complete her masters in nutritional Science, and her dietetic internship, at California state university, Los Angeles. With a year left in my internship, she fell into disordered eating at The Bella Vita- a residential and outpatient treatment program for individuals suffering from eating disorders. From the Bella Vita, where she would work for 4 years, Nicole learned about the mind/body connection and the detriment to losing that mind/body connection.

Books mentioned in this episode:  

Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch

Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

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Ep. #24 Mind/Body Series: Paralympic Gold Medalist Mark Zupan

Mark Zupan is known for a lot of things: his Gold Medal for rugby in the 2008 Paralympics. The documentary Murderball that features his life and sport. His inspiration for a character in the television show Friday Night Lights. His MTV appearances on Jackass and Nitro Circus and more. 

But even without all those accolades and extreme experiences, his perspective on the life-altering accident that rendered him paralyzed would be remarkable. 

In the first two episodes in this series, we talk about strengthening our innate mind/body connection. But what if that natural ability is permanently severed? What then? 

In this conversation with Mark Zupan, we talk about everything from the terrible circumstances surrounding his 1993 accident during his freshman year of college, to the one thing that was more beneficial to his recovery than therapy. I've been friends with Mark for years now, and he never ceases to inspire me and challenge my beliefs about my own able body. 

Here's the documentary Murderball that we discuss:

Murderball documentary

Here's the book GIMP that Mark wrote:

Gimp by Mark Zupan

A few books that Mark recommends:

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho 

Why Do Buses Come in Threes? by Rob Eastaway and Jeremy Wyndham

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Ep. #23 MIND/BODY series: Acupuncture with Salena Hanrahan

In this episode we are talking about acupuncture, the ancient Chinese medicine practice in which tiny needles are inserted into the skin to treat everything from pain to digestion to depression to fertility. Our guest Salena Hanrahan is a licensed acupuncturist and board certified herbalist here in California, and she is extremely patient with me as I try to really understand how acupuncture actually works.

Licensed acupuncturist and board certified herbalist Salena Hanrahan

Salena Hanrahan describes herself as an Irish-Polish girl from the Southside of Chicago. She has many fond memories of growing up in the Chicago suburbs, but her grandfather’s long struggle with Parkinson’s Disease cast a shadow over her childhood years. Later at the age of 19, she would lose her father suddenly to heart disease, and she believes her interest in helping people with health and wellness comes from making sense of the trauma caused by the death of loved ones. It wasn’t until Salena was in a major car accident in her 20s that she discovered for herself the power of healing available through acupuncture.

Salena Hanrahan is a nationally certified Diplomate in both Acupuncture and Chinese Herbalism by the National Certification Commission of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) and the California Acupuncture Board. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from the esteemed Pacific College of Oriental Medicine (PCOM) in early 2011 with a Master's degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine. She has currently completed to date 3,510 credit hours of clinical practice and theory toward her professional doctorate and looks forward to completing the remaining five classes to earn this merit.

Salena is a Chicago native and first discovered the benefits of acupuncture during her former career as a personal trainer and coach. She was introduced to the effectiveness of Chinese Medicine through injured athletes and clients who were steadfastly rehabilitated by the integration of acupuncture therapy and herbal medicine along with their prescribed treatments per their physicians. She is passionate about introducing patients to the many benefits of Chinese Medicine and continues to be tenacious in her study and practice of eastern medicine and orthopedic motor point therapy (also referred to sometimes as ‘dry needling’ or ‘trigger point acupuncture’ by physical therapists and medical doctors.) 

In addition to orthopedic and pain management, Salena has provided many treatments in all areas of health and wellness ranging from depression and other psycho-emotional disorders to fertility support and women’s health. Salena steadfastly maintains that good health is the gateway to a harmonious life. In fact, there is a popular expression in Chinese Medicine that is at the heart of her treatment approach, ‘Where there is free flow, there is no pain. Where there is no free flow, there is pain.

Salena currently enjoys a thriving acupuncture and wellness practice in both Los Angeles and beautiful downtown Paso Robles, serving both Southern California and the Central Coast of California. She can be contacted with questions, or for more information about the benefits of Chinese Medicine, by visiting salenahanrahan.com or acupuncturecenterforhealth.com .

At the end of the episode, Salena speaks about this book:

The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

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Ep. #22 Mind/Body series: Pilates with Kerri Campbell

This is the first episode in the Mind/Body series. 

I wanted to start this series with my own life-changing story. In my thirties, after two babies and a lifetime of bad eating habits, I didn’t even know how disconnected I had become from my body until a series of physical and mental ailments sent me looking for answers. It wasn’t something you could see on the outside, my clothes size stayed the same, my mental health patterns weren’t that different. But I just knew something was off.

I saw doctors and a therapist, and on the advice of a friend I decided to try a personal Pilates class. This was so outside the norm for me, I don’t like exercise and I’m self-conscious about my posture and my own movements. What I learned in just the first few sessions - like how I distribute weight when I stand, and how to align my spine in a way that eliminates aches and pains - set me on a path that has transformed my body and my brain. 

The Pilates teacher behind this transformation is Kerri Campbell, the owner of the Pilates Body Shop here in Los Angeles. Under her instruction and friendship, I’ve become a Pilates evangelist, roping in my husband and friends to take classes. I learn something new every week from Kerri about how my body is affecting my brain and vice versa. Talking with her is exactly how I wanted to start the mind/body connection series.

Kerri began her Pilates practice over seventeen years ago. While working towards her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, she had a debilitating car accident. On the journey to heal her body she was introduced to the Pilates Method.   

After completing several teacher-training courses with some of the most respected names in the Pilates field, Kerri came to the work of Master Teacher Ron Fletcher. She discovered her most profound body transformations with Fletcher Pilates® and through the rigorous and demanding study of his lineage she finally found the depth of knowledge that she had been seeking. Kerri completed the Ron Fletcher Program of Study in Tucson Arizona with Kyria Sabin, Program Director. She has gone on to study and work with some of the best known teachers in the Pilates community, and is now a Fletcher Pilates® Faculty member. 

Bringing Fletcher Pilates® back to Los Angeles, it’s birthplace, Kerri opened the first Fletcher Pilates® Studio in Los Angeles fully dedicated to Ron’s work, thirty years after original studio in 1972. Her first studio was a converted horse stall in a riding facility which catered to professional equestrians. 

To meet a growing demand for Fletcher Pilates® she expanded and opened The Pilates Bodyshop. Since the opening of the business Kerri has been featured in Horse and Rider Magazine, has been voted one of the top ten Pilates teachers in Los Angeles, taught the first full Fletcher Pilates® Teacher Training Program in Los Angeles, lead multiple licensing courses, has presented at The Fletcher Pilates® Conference, has been photographed as part of IC Rapport’s Pilates Pilgrimage, and has been on Pilates Anytime and Pilatesology.  She is currently working on a re-release of Ron Fletcher’s seminal book “Every Body is Beautiful” bringing it back to print for the first time in nearly forty years. 

She is deeply committed to teaching others to move well and achieve their highest level of physical health. It is her privilege and honor to be teaching this work, which has evolved directly from Joseph and Clara Pilates and to be a member of the Fletcher Pilates® community which is dedicated to sharing and preserving the work of Ron Fletcher. 

Books that are mentioned in this episode:

Return to Life by Joseph H. Pilates

Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko

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