How To Enhance Body Positivity Without Body Shaming with Linda Tucker

I just went with the flow. I had a whole lesson planned out but life had different plans.

I had no idea we were going to talk about ‘body shame’ which is at the heart of Intuitive Eating.

I am so excited to share with you this episode with Linda Tucker. I believe this conversation with Linda provided the ‘key’ for me to deepen my understanding of Intuitive Eating in a much more resonant and powerful way than before.

In the episode I share a bit about my struggles with shame. If you’ve been listening to the podcast before or reading my articles, you know I’m pretty open with shame. It’s my core problem.

But … BODY shame, specifically, was never my problem. So I always felt a little distant from Intuitive Eating Principle 8 of Respecting Your Body, which addresses body shame.

But fortunately, I was speaking to the exact right expert in the field, Coach Linda Tucker, a vibrant woman who I highly recommend you check out! She also made the graphic of the banana split too – a true artist!

Linda was able to give me (and you when you listen) the key to understanding shame.

Shame is what prevents people from becoming an Intuitive Eater!!!

I see this so clearly now. How did I not see this deep, relevant and powerful connection before?

As I write this, I feel the creeping familiar feeling of shame and embarrassment – how did I not see this before? Yet as Linda so beautifully brought up in the podcast, we just need to reject this thoughts/feelings that tell us we are unworthy.

So for me, now as a I write, I release the thought/feeling that I am not worthy. And when some of the guilty feeling stays and lingers on, I practice compassion with myself for being a human being on planet earth, steeped in a culture of shame.

Shame is prevalent. It’s reinforced by our relationships, our doctors, billboards and magazines. The message is the same – you are not good enough as you are …

And as Linda powerfully pointed out, the message of shame is also LIFE THREATENING. This isn’t just hippie nonsense about shame.

Shame activates regions in the brain because we experience shame whenever we feel rejected. Back hundreds of years ago, rejection from the tribe meant death! So shame is a life-or-death feeling that’s incredibly powerful.

Shame is what keeps us from honoring our hunger, because out shame springs fear that if we honor our hunger, our body’s will betray us. If our body’s betray us, then we are out of control. If we lose control, we won’t be able to manage our lives.

Shame is the underlying problem, hidden underneath the layers.

So how did I begin with the Intention to speak about Unconditional Eating, but end up exploring shame?

I began the podcast by asking about how Linda overcame her problems like:

How Linda overcome fatigue How Linda healed from dieting How Linda connected with her body for more energy

Yet my curiosity peaked when Linda said her biggest enlightenment, her biggest insight was regarding ‘body shame’.

I couldn’t resist exploring. The vibrant energy with which Linda spoke …

I knew she had a goldmine of wisdom to share! I felt the spirit of ‘genuine curiosity’ in my veins and I had to learn more!

So in the moment, I completely forgot about my plan to talk about Unconditional Eating.

I felt my soul resonating with her description of shame, and how to overcome shame. I hope your soul resonates too. If your soul does resonate, I highly suggest you schedule a complimentary session with Linda. She really is legit and knows so much about this field and has a ton of experience working with people. She’s great!

Below is a quick audio snippet and transcript of my conversation with Linda. Further below is the entire podcast, and then below the podcast is a stream of conscious I wrote as I re-listened to the podcast. These ‘enlightenments’ are my own.