FreeBody Podcast

It is Guillain-Barré Syndrome Awareness Month and in this episode of FreeBody, Marianna McClellan, performer and Body Intelligence Movement instructor, shares the journey of her GBS diagnosis while simultaneously discovering that her mother was suffering from late stage cancer.  We explore her embodied experience of growing up in the Lower East Side, how illness often challenges us to let go of pa...

This yoga nidra practice (translating to "yoga sleep" in Sanskrit) is a guided meditation that explores opposites and naturally occurring polarities existing within us and nature. Yoga nidra is a wonderful practice that brings you into a hypnogogic state: a semi-conscious state between wakefulness and sleep. As your brain waves slow down, the body is essentially asleep while the mind remains aware...

Aaron Dean Eisenberg has undergone major physical transformations for multiple roles. In this episode you'll hear more about Aaron’s experience with these dramatic physical demands while working on The Iron Claw, which fearlessly explores the cost of living in the world as men who are taught that vulnerability or softness equals weakness. We talk about the difference between “hitting the gym to ge...

Today's guest, Nikki Calonge, "studies the relationship between movement and soul." She is a theatre maker and performing artist, a movement educator, akidoka, and yoga teacher who studied movement and dance therapy at Pratt. Nikki’s body story takes us from high school cheerleading, to battling blood disease while in acting conservatory, to the importance of participation as devotion for theatre...

Today's guest is Sasha Clements, an actor and health coach who has reversed her autoimmune and chronic pain. She takes us on her winding journey from experiencing pain as young as 10 years old to being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis 14 years ago, and how in 2020, it flared up to a debilitating level, which led to her spending the next few years dedicated to healing herself and getting pain-fr...

If catharsis means "releasing", then it may be an act of healing too. And cathartic healing can be experienced through any somatic modality, from the arts to meditation to bodywork. In today's episode, Brooklyn-based indie singer/songwriter Elly Kace, an expert in the somatics of the voice and yoga, shares her insights about the intersectionality between all these practices and the s...

In today's episode Paton reflects over the past four seasons of FreeBody and how its ethos has evolved alongside her own expansion and curiosity when it comes to "freeing our bodies." Paton started this podcast by asking the same initial question to her guests as a launchpad into their body stories: "what is an early and significant body memory that comes to mind, and how do you...

In today's episode, performing artist, comedian, and creator Neil D'Astolfo shares his journey from being a closeted kid with big dreams and big glasses, to his transformation into the embodied and liberated queer artist he is today. He talks about the societal pressures of meeting certain "masculine" checkboxes in sports and entertainment, the healing somatic experience he had i...

Today's season 3 finale episode is a recap of Paton's egg retrieval surgery (while sick), post-op, recovery, and reflection. She gets news about how many mature eggs were frozen, how long recovery should take, and she shares what this experience has meant to her and what she's learned about herself and her body. Thank you for all your support and lovely messages! Please subscribe, shar...

Wake up sick. Check. See regular fertility doctor and get another egg update. Check. Cry at acupuncture appointment. Check. Give yourself two brand new trigger shots late at night. Check check. Almost to the end of this journey! On this last night of administering shots, Paton gives an update and answers your questions from instagram @freebodypodcast, where you can check out the accompanying vlogs...

Three more nights until egg retrieval day. This episode is all over the place-- trigger warning: Paton talks about the number of eggs the doctor that morning told her to expect. She also goes into an impromptu film review segment. High highs and low lows. She also answers some questions from the community on our instagram @freebodypodcast. Follow over there to watch the vlogs that accompany these...

Today, Paton answers your questions about the cost of egg freezing, shares an update from her doctor on Day 9, and finally discovers her mistake! If you have any questions, tidbits, or comments you want on this podcast, please follow us on instagram @freebodypodcast and send a DM. Please be sure to subscribe, rate, and review!

Today we get an update on the estimated schedule for extraction day, Paton makes another mathematical error, and it's Thanksgiving! Paton also answers your questions about how the extraction process works before getting into Day 8. If you have questions, thoughts, or insights, please follow us on instagram @freebodypodcast and send a DM. We'd love to hear from you. Last fall, Paton decided...

Today Paton answers questions from the @freebodypodcast community on instagram, and two VIP guests show up during the evening round of shots! If you have questions, thoughts, or insights, please follow us on instagram and send a DM. Last fall, Paton decided to freeze her eggs. While embarking on this process quietly and alone, she filmed her experience while administering her shots as a record for...

Today Paton answers some questions she received from the @freebodypodcast community on instagram, and a VIP guest shows up during Day 6! If you have questions, thoughts, or insights, please follow us on instagram and send a DM. Last fall, Paton decided to freeze her eggs. While embarking on this process quietly and alone, she filmed her experience while administering her shots as a record for hers...

Today Paton answers some questions she received from the @freebodypodcast community on instagram. If you have questions, thoughts, or insights, please follow us on instagram and send a DM. Last fall, Paton decided to freeze her eggs. While embarking on this process quietly and alone, she filmed her experience while administering her shots as a record for herself and her future family. Now months l...

On today's episode, Paton answers a couple questions she received from @freebodypodcast on instagram, before jumping into Days 3 & 4. If you have questions, thoughts, insight, please follow us on instagram and reach out! Last fall, Paton decided to freeze her eggs. While embarking on this process quietly and alone, she filmed her experience while administering her shots as a record for her...

Last fall, Paton decided to freeze her eggs. While embarking on this process quietly and alone, she filmed her experience while administering her shots as a record for herself and her future family. Now months later, during Women's History Month, she's decided to release this footage publicly in the hopes that it reaches other folks navigating fertility treatments who may be looking for mo...

Last fall, Paton decided to freeze her eggs. While embarking on this process quietly and alone, she filmed her experience while administering her shots as a record for herself and her future family. Now months later, during Women's History Month, she's decided to release this footage publicly in the hopes that it reaches other folks navigating fertility treatments who may be looking for more resou...

During a trip through Europe (Spain, France, Italy) and Iceland, Paton asked people she met along the way (folks from Germany, Bangladesh, England, and more) the same question she asks every guest who comes on the podcast: "what is an early body memory you have that holds significance to you, and why?" While reflecting on the complexities of the Thanksgiving holiday this week, she decided now woul...

Today Paton speaks with her friend and fellow classmate Noah Gaynor, NY based actor and writer. This incredible conversation touches on body image, plant medicine, unhealthy relationships to exercise, acting, transcendental meditation, floating therapy, healing "ah-ha!" moments, and all those times Paton dragged him to hot yoga before a 14 hour day at Juilliard.  Follow Noah on instagram @_no...

Today’s episode is the third in our bonus episode series regarding reproductive justice. We’re sharing women’s healthcare experiences as we face a world without the federal protection of abortion rights. Last week I met with my dear friend and fellow actress, Marinda Anderson, who back in 2020 shared her fertility journey of getting her eggs frozen in a daily series on her instagram account @marin...

Today’s guest is Dr. Miyabe Shields, a Ph. D cannabis research scientist as well as daily user and advocate for accessible cannabis education. They are a co-host of the podcast Smoke N’ Science where they and Dr. Riley Kirk, PhD explain the facts and their own experiences in using cannabis as medication. Today Miyabe and l talk about the benefits of cannabis use for some of the neurodivergent comm...

Today you’ll hear Kristie Larson’s body story and her journey to becoming a personal trainer as well as a fitness and intuitive eating coach in NYC. She is the founder of The Feel Good Bunch, an online community of women who are super into fitness and super not into diet culture. We connect on our mutual love for fitness, processing trauma, and Jim Carrey, and we also go into intuitive eating, how...

Theatre director Shana Gozansky and Paton have a conversation about the roles of actors and directors, and how they can help make theatre a more equitable, diverse, and ultimately, healing community for all bodies. By all of us accepting ourselves for who we are, shadows and all, we create a world where we can accept *others* too, and live from faith instead of fear. How does all that relate to th...