The idea of setting up time in my life to work on body positivity and intuitive eating scared me. I am 31 years old and have spent the past twenty years moving between war and cold peace with my body. I have done the Zone Diet, Whole 30, Paleo, been a vegan, etc. Anything to put some restrictions on what I allow myself to eat to give myself a sense of control. I would lose 5-10 lbs, gain 5-10 lbs, and back and forth again. Through working with Talia, I have come to see the strength in my body, the joy in food, and the complete wastefulness of all the time I have spent thinking about five pounds. I still think about my body and the food I put into it. But I think about it in a much, much, much healthier way. I don't feel at war with my body. I have reduced the amount to which I connect the size of my waist to the value of myself as a human. I see my body as a tool for movement, for pleasure, for strength, instead of a part of me that should be made smaller, controlled and silenced. Talia is a kind, loving, patient, thoughtful guide on this challenging journey, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with her.
Alice, Michigan, Body Liberation Client
[Working with Talia] I've had the opportunity to give voice to the different parts of myself.
It's wonderful to have someone listen well, without just being an echo chamber, who can both witness and celebrate you, while providing concrete theory.
Through this work, I no longer feel worried about being skinny-- that part of my life feels like a long time ago.
Even if you don't think the process could work, I recommend you try it out.
Try assuming that things could change. They did for me.
Elizabeth, San Francisco, Body Liberation and Life Coaching Client
Working with Talia for the past year has helped me develop a healthier relationship with eating and exercise. She is very up on theory but more so she is emotionally intelligent and is great at asking the right questions and giving the right feedback to set you on a positive path with your body.
Anonymous, Washington D.C, Body Liberation Client
I experienced a number of breakthroughs in working with Talia - she helped me get clear on my values, remember what it felt like to embody who I truly am, and embrace the expansive space of all that is possible for my life - and how I am currently taking the steps necessary to bring this future into reality. As a coach Talia is deeply empathetic, astute, observant, and a huge cheerleader while also being lovingly challenging. After working with Talia, I am moving into the next phase of my life with enthusiasm and confidence instead of fear and uncertainty.
Anonymous, Oakland, Life Coaching Client
I discovered Intuitive Eating while listening to a podcast on NPR. At the time I was failing at Noom, which was a diet that was supposed to be about science and psychology and eating what I want, but every time I actually ate what I wanted and plugged it into the app on my phone, I was told I was a failure. I was growing more and more insecure about my ability to take care of my health and I was in full blown perfectionism diet mode. Ugh!
Fortunately, after I heard a podcast about Intuitive Eating, I reached out to Talia and signed up for an informational meeting. Talia is so open and non-judgmental. She is a gentle teacher who believes me. When do we ever get to be believed in this world? Especially about food and about what we need? As a queer, disabled, low-income person, who came up with internalized and externalized oppression, my liberation is key to my survival, and Talia is passionate about body liberation in a way that is healing and not scary. So, I signed up.
I have learned so much. One of the biggest moments of liberation I have experienced, to date, is the moment I realized that I was completely ignoring my mouth when it came to deciding, intuitively, what I wanted to eat. Talia helped me realize that through all the years of dieting and being too poor to afford food I wanted, I had cut my mouth out of the equation. No part of my body is worth sacrificing to oppression, especially my mouth! I am taking back my mouth. I am adding pleasure to my life. I am adding full connection to my body to my life.
So I now ask my stomach AND my mouth what is on the menu - they tell me and I believe them. LOL!
I have more to learn, but this is where I am at in month four.
I hope more people join me in liberating our bodies.
Jess, North Dakota, Body Liberation Client
I always used to think of coaching as something that was useful but out of my reach—not really my thing.
But I’m just so grateful because these sessions have been really helpful. I was looking back at our notes from our first call and realized just how many of the things that we talked about—even things that have been hard in the past— are positively moving forwards right now. I’m like, 'What do you mean this coaching actually works?!'
Thanks for your help Talia. Your pebbles have caused many ripples and I really value the work you do. If I take a moment to realize how many parts of my life are being affected by this work it’s just beautifully overwhelming.
Ariana, Oakland, Career Coaching Client
I had a wonderful experience participating in Talia's workshop about Health At Every Size & Healthism. Talia's group facilitation style is direct, honest, and inclusive. She's able to quickly rephrase participants' thoughts and trace back to larger topical themes about body liberation, while fostering a warm and open environment for discussion and reflection. She has extensive knowledge about anti-diet research, as well as leading individuals who are pushing the frontiers against normalized diet culture - you learn a lot!
I would definitely join another one of her workshops.
Ann, San Francisco, Workshop Participant
La Clínica de La Raza:
In their nutrition work with teens, the health educators at our school-based health centers noticed that patients often share negative feelings and thoughts about their bodies - the health educators repeatedly requested support and training around what to say in response that that would align with their values of body positivity. I spent months searching for a trainer who could help our team explore this issue and give us tangible skills for addressing these concerns with patients in a way that aligned with our commitment to body liberation.
As such, I was so thrilled to find Talia - she covered all this need and more! I was grateful for her willingness to meet before the training to be sure that the training was catered to our team's very specific needs. She was flexible and willing to adjust the agenda and she was also incredibly communicative along the way. During our 90-minute training, Talia was magically able to cover so much ground, from the racist history of fatphobia to basics of fatphobia in the medical field, to practical scenarios that allowed our team to practice the skills she shared. Throughout the entire time, Talia held space for our group to share and beautifully shifted the training plan to meet what they brought up. Our team walked away not just with skills that will help them better support and empower their patients, but also with a feeling of community and energy that I know will allow them to better support each other to apply their learnings moving forward. One of the health educators even listed Talia's training as her favorite training of the year in her review! I HIGHLY recommend Talia as a facilitator/trainer!