“Yoga is a place where I can let go of who I decided that I’m supposed to be and see myself from a different perspective.”
Do you ever felt like movement is just another box to check off, or a means to shrink your body instead of something that actually feels good? So many of us have absorbed diet culture messaging that makes exercise feel punishing, shameful, or downright exhausting. In this episode, I’m joined by Jessamyn Stanley, yoga teacher, author, entrepreneur, and unapologetic trailblazer in the wellness world. Jessamyn gets real about the stigma and anti-fat bias that can show up in fitness spaces, and how she developed a more compassionate relationship with her body through yoga, by just trying, without pressure to be perfect.
We dive into what it’s actually like to heal your relationship with movement and make space for all the messy feelings that show up along the way. Jessamyn opens up about her first yoga class (spoiler: it was NOT love at first sight), navigating fitness spaces where she didn’t see anyone who looked like her, and learning to separate movement from the need to change her body. Together, we discuss how practices like yoga can help you rebuild trust with your body, become more present, and step into self-respect, even on days when body love feels out of reach.
This conversation isn’t about loving your body every day, or pretending it’s always easy. It’s about untangling movement from shame, perfection, and all-or-nothing thinking. Jessamyn and I talk honestly about the messy middle, and offer ways you can reconnect with movement and your body, on your own terms.
What You’ll Learn:
- How diet culture shapes our relationships with exercise, making movement feel forced, punishing, or like a chore
- Why shame shows up so often in fitness spaces, and how to approach body image with compassion and respect instead of pressure to “love” your body
- Practical ways to rebuild trust with your body and make movement genuinely enjoyable
- The ways yoga and intuitive eating both teach you to check in with your body’s cues and respond with care instead of control
- How to begin separating wellness practices (like yoga) from diet culture narratives and reclaim movement for yourself
- The power of advocacy, showing up shamelessly, and why seeing real, diverse bodies in movement spaces matters for everyone
Connect with Jessamyn:
Struggling to know when to eat or when to stop isn’t a failure… it could be a byproduct of following diet rules instead of your body’s cues. The free Hunger & Fullness Scale Guide helps you ditch the noise and tune back into the cues your body is sending to build trust with your body and food. Get it at DietCultureRebel.com/hungerfullnessscale.
Come back next week for another episode and connect with me over on Instagram at @diet.culture.rebel.
Struggling with food, but not sure where to start?
You don’t have to feel 100% ready to get support. If you’re tired of obsessing over food or feeling stuck in the diet cycle, my team of Registered Dietitians is here to help. We offer one-on-one nutrition counseling—and we accept insurance! Spots are limited, so head to https://dietculturerebel.com/insurance to see if we’re covered in your state and learn how to get started.
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