Coaching, Consulting, & Speaking
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SJ's Bio

Here are words that my friends and colleagues use to describe me when asked in a Facebook post: passionate truth-teller, compassionate, fearless, hilarious, tenacious, intuitive, curious, leader, tireless advocate, sharer of knowledge, shame eraser, kind, accepting, honest, direct, real, down to earth, friendly, exudes deep, soulful joy, fierce, encouraging, silly, intentional, and visionary.

Photography by  Vivienne McMaster

Photography by Vivienne McMaster

Hi, y'all! I'm SJ.

I'm a coach, consultant, and writer focused on body liberation, fat liberation, and body positivity. 

My writing combines ideas from a wide range of philosophies - Body Trust®, Health at Every Size®, Intuitive Eating, Fat Liberation, eating disorder recovery, harm reduction, and more! My goal is share what I have experienced and learned from own journey with body liberation. I definitely don't have all the answers, but I'm super excited to share what I have learned so far. 

While I am fat, female, non-binary, and queer, I recognize that being working-class, and white has afforded me many unearned privileges. I strive to listen and learn from experiences that differ from mine. I continually work to educate myself on white privilege and racial equity. For more, please read my ethical statement

Being committed to helping others finding more freedom and compassion in their lives is what led me to become a Certified Body Trust Provider.

Here are some words that my friends and colleagues use to describe me: passionate truth-teller, compassionate, fearless, hilarious, tenacious, intuitive, curious, leader, tireless advocate, sharer of knowledge, shame eraser, kind, accepting, honest, direct, real, down to earth, friendly, exudes deep, soulful joy, fierce, encouraging, silly, intentional, and visionary. Obviously, I had a really hard time narrowing down to just a few. 

I'm constantly wondering how I can contribute to healing, justice, and liberation in our world where there is constant suffering. I love working with people who are asking these same questions! These questions have been on my mind since I was a kid when I started volunteering at Hattie Larlham Foundation in Northeast Ohio with children that had severe physical and intellectual disabilities. The questions only became stronger as I recognized that my sexuality was different than that of the majority of people around me. Then, I discovered feminism. Police brutality against people of color raised even more questions. In 2016, I learned about how often weight and health are conflated. I continue asking these really fucking important questions about healing, justice, and liberation, because I don't think I'll ever be done learning.

I have a particular interest in the intersection of eating disorders, movement, gender, race, privilege, and sexuality. Do you want to join me in this quest of discovery? There are two ways:

Want to learn more about Me? listen to My Interviews on various podcasts here.

I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when
her shackles are very different from my own.
— Audre Lorde

What I've posted recently on Instagram: