FreeBody Podcast

Beth Fairchild is an artist, activist, and yogi living with stage IV metastatic breast cancer. Beth and Paton were introduced through We Go High, a cannabis justice initiative in North Carolina that does incredible work (find them @wegohighnc on instagram). Today Beth talks about her advocacy for breast cancer patients and medical marijuana use, how her relationship to cannabis has evolved, and ho...

This is the second episode of our current bonus series about women's healthcare and abortion rights. Today's guest is Amy Dannenmueller, an actress and activist born in Wisconsin and forged in the fires of New York City. She shares her personal experiences with Planned Parenthood and the life saving care she received there, as well as her work as a volunteer escort at abortion clinics in the New Y...

In today's interview, high-functioning anxiety coach, Nicole Pond, talks about living with an undiagnosed illness for most of her life. It wasn’t until she was 30 and studying medical biology that she was diagnosed with PMDD, premenstrual dysphoric disorder. She explains how her symptoms from PMDD and her own childhood trauma were connected and had caused her chronic depression and anxiety from a...

Today's guest is Carrah Stamatakis, a professional singer and mother of two living in Los Angeles. Carrah’s two pregnancies and her subsequent recovery from the first stages of pelvic organ prolapse (aka POP) has given her a unique perspective on abortion rights and how stripping people in this country of this right also strips away their agency over their own lives and very survival. And that a c...

Today, trauma informed wellness coach Amanda Balarezo talks about how she discovered the nourishing systems of nutrition, somatic experiencing, and co-regulation that she practices with her clients and her children to heal their bodies. Diagnosed with Lyme, OCD, anxiety, and living with what she later discovered was PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Strep Infe...

Today's guest, Erica Hornthal, AKA The Therapist Who Moves You, is a board-certified dance/movement therapist and licensed clinical professional counselor. She’s the founder and CEO of Chicago Dance Therapy and creator of the Dance Therapy Advocates Summit. She talks about how her relationship to dance and movement evolved from her childhood experience (where her skill and execution triggered perf...

In today's episode I talk with Bryan Blackwell, fitness trainer and partner at Kaeos Fitness in New Jersey, and fellow podcast host of Live in the Kitchen with Hibachi. What true health looks like for each person is nuanced and Bryan is a wonderful guide in helping his clients figure out what works for them, what makes them feel good, and what creates a sustainable, judgement free, and healthy lif...

Today’s guest, Hannah Stinson, is a divine healer, spiritual leader and green witch who helps women heal trauma and energy blockages. We speak a lot about trauma in this episode; Hannah describes disassociating in childhood as a result of experiencing sexual abuse, and how through art, yoga, and spirituality, she was able to find her way back into her body again. As she walks us through living wit...

Last week we dropped part one of somatic healer and therapist Yarrow Bucan’s body story, and today, part two will pick up right where we left off. There is a reason I split this episode up into two parts— there's a lot to digest here. Today will be a crash course in the healing modalities that have helped Yarrow herself and led her to create the methods she uses directly with her clients today. We...

Yarrow Bucans is an alchemical healer, a trained clinical therapist, and a yogi. Today is only part one of our interview, covering the chapters and relationships in Yarrow’s body story that lead up to the realization that her purpose in this world is to help people heal. We talk about when she found God on the dance floor of a rave, addiction, maladaptive coping mechanisms, attachment wounds, and...

As a thank you for continuing to tune in to this pod, I thought I'd change it up a bit this week and offer a 20 minute yoga nidra meditation for you to use at your leisure. Get comfortable, grab a blanket, and get ready to relax and rejuvenate as we head into December! Enjoy. Please subscribe, rate, and review to keep this podcast going! You can also reach out to us if you have any questions about...

Content warning: Eating Disorders. Today's guest is my sister, Victoria Lamas, who grew up in Beverly Hills and currently works as an artist and model in LA. She very generously shares in detail her years long battle with an eating disorder, all the way from restricting as early at age 12 to bulimia by age 18. We delve into what happened psychologically, how she came clean with our sisters, and ho...

In this episode powerhouse composer and performer Molly Joyce shares her body story. Today she talks about having an impaired left hand and how her relationship to her disability has shaped and defined her as a musical artist ever since she was seven years old. She'll guide you through her journey towards not only claiming her disability as a part of her identity, but also seeing her disability as...

My guest this week, Andrea Ciannavei, is not only an incredible playwright, she’s a phenomenal TV and film writer for shows like FX’s Mayans MC, and The Path on Hulu, as well as a teacher, and an activist. Today she'll talk about being put on a diet as a kid, navigating sexism and fat phobia in the 80s and 90s, the blending of fitness and activism, her journey toward eventually getting gastric byp...

Lee Edward Colston II is an actor, teacher, and writer from Philly. Most recently his writing for season 4 of Fargo has received critical acclaim, and his beautiful play, The First Deep Breath, opened to rave reviews in Chicago almost exactly a year ago. Today, we talk about trauma and how it lives in the body, about Lee’s work as a Corrections Officer and the body language of lying, as well as le...

Born to Polish parents in Detroit, Maja Wampuszyc made the move to New York to pursue acting with $500 in her pocket and a push from Uta Hagen herself. Now an actor and a yoga instructor, she talks about navigating the pros and cons of being an outsider, comments from clients at yoga studios, the commercialization of yoga, healing alone during the pandemic, and how witnessing her father’s passing...

In today's episode, actress and creator Stacy Lynn Gould talks about finding mental release at the gym, the dangers of wearing Capezio shoes (#AMDA), undoing stigmas, marathon running, and breaking free of society and her family’s ideas of what success and health look like. She does an amazing job of taking the listener through her determination and anxiety as a child, all the way through to her g...

Los Angeles based and British-born musician and author Joe Dexter, talks about working as a punk rock musician** with Cystic Fibrosis, as well as body image as a performer, the keto diet, tattoos, and that time he caught the Swine Flu on tour. Check out Joe’s instagram @thejoedexter , his band @orange_band , and his twitch at twitch.tv/joe_dexter . He’s also just released his first children’s book...

In today’s episode, extraordinary singer-songwriter Heather Mae shares her body story. She is an award winning musician and a mental health advocate. We talk about being bullied, the evolution of the beauty industry, the stigma of vocal surgery, body liberation, and much more. Check out Heather’s Big Loud Love Club on her Patreon at patreon.com/heathermae and find her on instagram @heathermaemusic...

Filmmaker and powerlifter Javian Le comes on FreeBody to tell his body story. We cover a lot of ground in this one, discussing things like fitness verses creativity, the fight or flight instinct, harassment and hate crimes, and much more. CW: brief mentions of sexual assault and hate crimes. You can follow Javian’s powerlifting instagram @let_them_eat_whey and check out his latest short film on no...

In this episode Katy Copeland shares her body story; we talk about dance moms, the pressure to be thin, 90's workout tapes, and breaking out of old patterns to give yourself the space to grow. Katy is a choreographer, performer, and fitness instructor in New York City. CW: Eating disorders and swearing. You can follow Katy on instagram @katycopes and check out her choreography reel on YouTube.  If...

In this episode,  Chyla Anderson chats with me about growing up as the "tall kid," finding community in CrossFit, and how "we all belong outdoors and outdoors, we all belong." Visit Chyla's website: outdoorismapparel.com and follow her instagram @outdoorism. If you'd like to hear more body stories or have one you'd like to share, please subscribe and follow us on instagram @freebodypodcast!

In a frank and open conversation about identity, independence, and priorities, Alva Gardner talks about navigating life with CP (cerebral palsy). We follow her body journey through her childhood and the decision to not have surgery, her transition into college at UC Berkeley, and her specific challenges during the covid-19 pandemic. Full disclosure: a couple of "f-bombs" are dropped.  To learn mor...

Chelsea Lee Williams is an actor and singer working on Broadway in NYC. While transitioning shows, and soon after dealing with Broadway's shut down due to the pandemic, she dealt with working through severe pain caused by fibroids. In this episode, she shares her body story starting with her childhood in football-loving-Miami and her physical training at various arts conservatories (including &nbs...

 Today's guest, Sam Given, is an incredible singer, actor, and fitness instructor in New York City. We dive into conversations about body image, finding community and balance through yoga and exercise, and battling  the external pressures of the performing arts industry. CW: eating disorders. You can find Sam on insta @samgivensing and at his website www.samgiven.com. If you want to hear...