The Body Image Series - Summer Innanen

Access every podcast episode of the Body Image Series in one place!

#158: How To Feel Better In Your Body

In this episode I talk about:

The body image series of podcast episodes I’m going to be doing,
Why I intertwine the words self-worth and body image,
The biggest mistake we make when trying to feel better in our body,
The one question to ask yourself when working on feeling better in your body,
7 ways to feel better in your body mentally,
How to feel better in your body physically,
Your free worksheet with 5 actions to immediately feel better in your body,
Plus so much more!

#159: Intuitive Eating & Body Image

In this episode I talk about:

Why body dissatisfaction drives the diet mentality,
Why accepting our bodies doesn’t mean giving up,
5 ways that body image work will facilitate healing your relationship with food,
What it means to “trust yourself” around food and how to overcome that hurdle if you feel like you just can’t,
Your free worksheet – Eat Like A Grown-Ass Adult – 4 prompts to inspire you to live your life without diets,
Plus so much more!

#160: Believing You Are Good Enough

In this episode I talk about:

What gets in the way of feeling good enough,
How our “shoulds” feed the belief that we’re not good enough,
What is self-worth and why it’s so damn important for you to feel good enough,
The difference between confidence and self-worth,
How perfectionism influences our self-worth,
8 components to build self-worth,
Your free worksheet – 10 Powerful Ways To Reinforce That You’re Good Enough,
Plus so much more!

#161: Detaching From The Thin Ideal

In this episode I talk about:

Why it’s so hard to break the attachment to the thin ideal,
Why no one should feel ashamed for wanting to lose weight,
Why breaking the attachment to the thin ideal is a crucial part of body acceptance work,
How to identify and work through the fears that keep us hooked on the thin ideal,
The 5 main fears that keep us hooked on the thin ideal and diet mentality,
Your free worksheet – Goodbye Diet Culture – 5 prompts to help you break up with diet culture for good,
Plus so much more!

#162: How To Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

In this episode I talk about:

Why we compare and why it’s not our fault,
The main belief that drives us to compare,
Why comparisons are one of the hardest things to overcome,
8 actions to take to stop comparisons,
Your free worksheet – 6 Ways We’ve Been Conditioned to Compare,
Plus so much more!

#163: How to Stop Caring About What Other People Think

In this episode I talk about:

Why we fear judgment and how this is ingrained in us,
What these fears can teach us about ourselves,
Why understanding the source of our fear of what others are thinking is integral to healing self-worth,
7 ways to overcome fear of judgment,
Your free worksheet – 5 Ways to Navigate Social Situations When Feeling Self-Conscious,
Plus so much more!

#175: 4 Body Acceptance Misconceptions

In this episode I talk about:

How body acceptance doesn’t mean loving every part of your body,
That body acceptance doesn’t follow the magical thinking of diet culture,
Learning to be more compassionate with yourself,
Facing and rejecting the fears that keep us from acceptance,
Welcoming bad days along with the good ones,
How when we are owning who we are it is often uncomfortable, but also the most gratifying,
The importance of choosing yourself and making space for all the different parts of yourself,
That taking care of yourself looks different to everyone and can change day to day,
How body acceptance is intertwined with self-care,
That this is a process and the work is continuous,
The importance of speaking more compassionately to yourself,
Why this work is not about eliminating self-doubt completely,
The resilience that comes out of doing this work,
Plus so much more!

#180: Where Body Image Comes From

In this episode I talk about:

How systems of oppression impact body image and how we’re treated in our society,
What body image is and symptoms of poor body image,
The importance of knowing that your self-worth isn’t dictated by your appearance or how other people feel about you,
How our culture has taught us that only certain bodies are worthy,
Beauty as social currency,
How feelings of inadequacy don’t disappear if you change your body to be more in line with beauty standards,
How the desire to fit beauty standards is hardcoded in our DNA,
How external systems of oppression create internalized oppressions,
That this is a systemic and cultural issue and it is not your fault,
How we internalize experiences that make us feel like we’re not good enough and allow them to shape how we feel about our bodies,
Questions you can use to examine your past and be curious about where your body image came from,
The importance of tending to your past wounds in order to heal,
Plus so much more!

#185: What to do if you still want to lose weight

In this episode I talk about:

What it means if you still want to lose weight,
How body image is hard-coded in us from birth,
How this work is more than just embracing your “flaws,” it’s about cultivating a sense of worthiness outside of your appearance,
Three things that cause us to feel bad about our bodies and why rejecting these is so important,
The need to be critical of the cultural influences around us,
That the longer you stay in the diet cycle, the harder it is to accept your body,
The game-changing REFRAME that will help you get a lot closer to body neutrality (seriously, my clients love me for this),
The ONE thing you need to get clear on to help you feel better in your body,
That we have nothing to lose by being kinder to ourselves,
Plus so much more!

#186: How NOT to respond to bad body days

In this episode I talk about:

Potential sources of negative body thoughts and how they’re exacerbated during the pandemic,
The THREE things we’re typically told to do to change our thoughts and why you should avoid them,
A way to visualize how your brain evolves to think about self-doubt and self-compassion,
How our negative thoughts tend to stick more than the positive ones,
How our inner-critic is an innocent part of us that exists to protect us from threats,
The TWO things that need to happen in order for our thoughts to change,
The importance of working with your inner-critic,
The ONE question to ask yourself to start to work on changing your negative body thoughts, Plus, so much more!
Plus so much more!

#187: What Body Acceptance Really Means

In this episode I talk about:

Why we believe body acceptance feels like letting ourselves go,
That diet-culture wants you to believe you’re a failure and you’re giving up if you opt-out,
The difference between healthy and unhealthy self-care and why acceptance supports the former,
Examples of healthy self-care and how it comes from a place of compassion and kindness,
Examples of unhealthy self-care and how it comes from a place of inadequacy,
The three main fears to challenge and call-out in order to move to a place where acceptance feels doable,
How when we hinge our self-worth on the external, we’re never going to feel good enough,
Two game-changing reframes on acceptance to make it feel totally doable,
How acceptance is a life-long, daily practice,
Plus so much more!

#188: When you still have a negative body image

In this episode I talk about:

How this feeling is incredibly common,
A useful analogy between becoming a parent and starting on the path to a positive body image,
TWO things we can do to feel better in our bodies and why one of them is WAY more powerful than the other,
Where “intellectually getting it” sits within the 4 stages of acceptance and how to bust past that barrier,
Why you have to be intentional about challenging your negative thoughts,
That it’s normal to still have bad body days,
ONE question to visit daily to propel you towards giving less F’s about your body,
Plus so much more!

#191: Weight Set Point Theory & You

In this episode I talk about:

What the weight set point theory is,
How we don’t have as much control over our weight as we’ve been led to believe,
The factors that can influence our body size and how they’re mostly out of our control,
How dieting impacts our set point,
How a HAES approach can help you learn to trust your body,
Why the idea of a set point can trigger the diet mentality,
Why we need to disconnect with the idea of a goal weight,
What to focus on instead of getting to your set point,
That there is a grieving process involved in moving forward,
Why our happiness and acceptance can’t be conditional on achieving a certain body size,
Plus so much more!

#193: Dieting as a Coping Mechanism

In this episode I talk about:

The concept of “emotional dieting” and “emotional weight fixation,”
How emotional dieting distracts us from getting at the real issue and keeps us turning to diets for an answer,
That it’s normal for life to feel out of control sometimes and there’s not always a quick fix or way to control it,
That we’ve been conditioned to think that our bodies are a problem, so it’s no surprise when that becomes our way of thinking about ourselves or processing emotions,
Some common triggers for diet fixation,
The importance of identifying where your sense of fulfilment is not being met in life,
Why this makes accepting your body so hard,
How freeing it is to get comfortable experiencing the messiness of being a human being,
Why the pandemic has been so hard on people’s body image,
How to separate from these things in order to truly move forward,
That you should lead with curiosity and know that your body is not the problem,
Plus, so much more!

#194: Why It’s So Hard to Quit Diet Culture

In this episode I talk about:

How dieting is like a drug in our culture,
That there’s an anticipation of this perfect life and perfect body on the radar that keeps us hooked to dieting with a false sense of fulfilment,
That there’s grief, sadness, and loneliness associated with letting go of dieting,
Why community support is so important in breaking free of diet culture,
That the fear of the unknown is at the root of why it’s so hard to let go of dieting,
That dieting, and the identity as a dieter, is a false sense of security and armor that holds us back from having deeper and more real relationships with the people in our lives,
How this is an opportunity to find new coping mechanisms that will actually help you process your feelings and feel better about yourself, regardless of your size,
What life is like without dieting,
The freedom of eating without guilt,
How fulfilment is different from happiness,
That it’s not about having no emotional discomfort, it’s about learning to be with ourselves through the highs and lows,
Plus so much more!

#204: Prioritizing Self Care

In this episode I talk about:

The meme I posted on Instagram that inspired this episode,
How not putting ourselves first reinforces that we’re not good enough,
Examples of when I’ve put my own needs last,
How we glorify exhaustion, especially of women, in social media,
The hustle of trying to achieve the “female ideal,”
How the “shoulds” that live in the back of our minds stop us from putting ourselves first,
Four reasons we tolerate putting ourselves last,
That we can still support the people in our lives, while also putting our needs first,
Four reframes and two questions to ask yourself to help start to put your needs first,
Plus so much more!

#213: Rant on “love your body” & “body positivity” messaging

In this episode I talk about:

How “love your body” and “body positivity” are an entry point into this world of body image work,
How my clients often react negatively to this language and why the pressure for body positivity can result in doubling down on shame,
That while these messages lack nuance, they’re still way better than the old messaging,
What I found when looking up these phrases’ hashtags, how they’ve been co-opted, and some of the better hashtags to follow that haven’t been co-opted in the same way,
Why we need more representation without explanation or justification,
That prettiness is not your power,
How body neutrality takes the focus away from the need to feel a certain way about your body,
That it’s normal to want the dopamine hit of good feelings, which often relies on external things,
That we often imagine looking at ourselves and judging ourselves through the male-gaze and society’s beauty standards,
Why the notion of feeling body neutral can be unexciting,
The freedom of not caring how you look and the impact it can have on your life,
Plus so much more!

#214: All about Body Neutrality

In this episode I talk about:

How I discovered the term “body neutrality,”
That how you feel about your body isn’t static,
How I like to reframe body neutrality as a way to get more joy out of life,
That it doesn’t mean not liking how you look, but that doesn’t define who you are as a person,
That this evolution isn’t linear and it’s very subtle,
That you’ll still have bad days, but you won’t be projecting those bad feelings onto your body, which allows you to identify the actual issue,
How it allows you to make decisions based on what’s best for you, instead of the best way to lose weight,
That everyone’s journey is different and that we have to meet ourselves where we’re at,
That the core of this work is knowing who you are and your value outside of how you look,
The importance of challenging the beliefs you have and developing beliefs that support unconditional support and love for yourself,
That fear will always be there, but you can learn to move through it,
How embodiment and body neutrality go together,
Plus so much more!

#259: How to know if you have a healthy body image

In this episode I talk about:

What it means to have a positive body image,
How self-worth is at the core of body image,
Why it’s important to be able to measure it,
Some of the signs and symptoms I look for in assessing body image,
How it shows up in different areas of our life,
Your free copy of my Body Image Benchmark Quiz,
Plus, so much more!

#260: 10 Examples of Body Neutrality

In this episode I talk about:

My overall definition of body neutrality,
Two questions I ask to determine body neutrality,
How it’s really hard to be neutral about your body in a culture that has body hierarchies,
Why it’s important to know that your body is not the problem, the culture is the problem,
That body neutrality refers to your own perception of your body,
Why I like body neutrality as a starting point,
Ten specific examples of body neutrality,
That’s it’s about reducing the emotional charge of negative thoughts, not getting rid of them all,
That you can care and tend to your whole self in a better way when you’re not letting your body size dictate what you do,
Plus, so much more!

#261: Feeling Stuck with Body Acceptance? 5 Reasons why…

In this episode I talk about:

How the culture we live in can make body acceptance a challenge,
What being stuck with body acceptance can look like,
My Body Image Benchmark Assessment Quiz that will help you see where you’re at,
How dieting is addictive and a coping mechanism,
That we’ve been conditioned to believe we should be able to control weight,
The importance of community in this work,
That you can feel a sense of loss or inadequacy when you begin this journey,
The difference between intellectually getting it and being intentional about putting it into action,
Plus, so much more!

#262: 7 Ways Perfectionism Hinders Body Acceptance

In this episode I talk about:

What perfectionism is,
What the diet cycle looks like,
Why aiming for no bad days and loving your body is an unrealistic expectation,
How fear leads people to put off doing this work,
The unrealistic standard we all measure ourselves against,
The importance of focusing on behaviours instead of outcomes,
That this work is not linear,
Plus, so much more!

#263: Why Self-Compassion is So Hard

In this episode I talk about:

That it’s very common to struggle with self-compassion,
Where it shows up in the work I do with my clients,
That compassion is like a muscle that needs to be used,
That our brain likes negative thoughts,
How our nervous system plays into this,
That self-compassion is not a pep talk,
How your inner-critic impacts self-compassion,
Plus, so much more!

#279: When You Fear Weight Gain

In this episode I talk about:

The importance of aiming for unconditional acceptance,
How losing weight can often amplify this fear,
This fear’s root in anti-fat bias and anti-Blackness,
The issue of accessibility and how our culture is the problem,
How fear can make our lives smaller,
That moving past fear involves taking gradual steps moving outside of your comfort zone,
The importance of unpacking your belief system and challenging it,
2 game-changing reframes to help you move past this fear,
Plus, 4 things we have to be doing on an ongoing basis to undo this conditioning,
Plus so much more!

#280: Dealing with Weight Changes

In this episode I talk about:

Some of the reasons that dealing with weight changes can be really tough,
That body changes are normal,
That it’s common to go onto investigation and problem-solving mode and the problem with that,
The distress of losing access to things because of body changes and that our culture is the problem,
The dangers of skipping over processing your feelings and grief,
The importance of unpacking beliefs,
That self-compassion is integral and it is not the same as positive self-talk,
Why we need to intentionally expose ourselves to a variety of bodies,
That avoiding discomfort doesn’t make it go away,
What it means to see yourself as a whole human,
That acceptance gives you time, energy, and freedom back,
Plus, so much more!

#282: Similarities Between Anti-Aging Culture & Diet Culture

In this episode I talk about:

How aging concerns spans generations,
That ageism is rampant in our culture and seems to have piggy-backed off the same dynamics of diet culture,
The surprising stats on the growth of the anti-aging industry,
My own experience with skin care and anti-aging products and procedures,
That they both stem from and profit off of oppressive systems,
How anti-aging upholds anti-fatness, sexism, classism, and ableism,
That once you’re invested, you have to keep investing,
The ways in which they both steal a lot of time, energy, and money,
How participating in these cultures chips away at your self-worth,
A question to ask yourself to bring awareness to where anti-aging is impacting your decisions,
Plus so much more!

#283: Dealing with Aging Body Changes

In this episode I talk about:

Where I’m at with my own aging body changes,
That many of the principles I use around weight change also apply to aging,
How much more pervasive anti-aging pressure is now,
That it’s normal to experience weight changes as you age,
How we often neglect thinking about aging when doing body image work,
How my 3-phase framework for dealing with weight change applies here as well,
Some of the things you may find yourself mourning as your body changes with age,
That we need to look at what we believe and what’s feeding those beliefs,
The importance of normalizing aging through finding variety in aging role models,
That aging is looked at differently across cultures,
How to reframe this as an opportunity to discover yourself,
That looking for community in different social circles is a critical part of the process,
Plus so much more!