#76 - The Truth About Body Neutrality with Jessi Kneeland

This week, we’re talking to Jessi Kneeland about body neutrality & their new book, Body Neutral: A Revolutionary Guide to Overcoming Body Image Issues!

Jessi Kneeland (they/them) is a coach, writer, and speaker dedicated to helping people overcome the suffering associated with body anxiety, insecurity, and negativity, and to improve their relationship with their bodies. After working as a personal trainer for a decade in New York City, Kneeland became an iPEC certified life coach and launched a coaching practice centered around the meaningful work of self-acceptance. Their innovative approach allows them to partner with clients individually and in groups to help them find body acceptance, a strong sense of self-worth, and true confidence. They are committed to the pursuit of body neutrality—a philosophy predicated on the idea that how we look is the least interesting and important thing about us. Their work has been featured in Women’s Health, Shape, Pop Sugar, Refinery29, BuzzFeed, Hello Giggles, and more, and their TED talk has been viewed by over 50,000 people. They live in North Carolina with their partner and cat.

We had an amazing conversation with Jessi about...

• how they went from helping people change their bodies as a personal trainer to rejecting diet culture & helping people find body neutrality
• what body neutrality is & why it can be a more approachable alternative to body love (while also helping to make body love more realistic!)
• why body image issues are always about so much more than our bodies
• how they came up with the Body Image Avatars & the Body Image Blueprint
• why body image work is so hard & can take so much longer than we expect it to
• how navigating body image issues & finding body neutrality is different for folks in marginalized bodies
• and how working toward body neutrality can actually benefit our lives far outside of our relationships with our bodies.

You can connect with Jessi on Instagram @jessikneeland, listen to their podcast This is Not About Your Body wherever you listen to podcasts, learn how to work with them at JessiKneeland.com, or purchase Body Neutral: A Revolutionary Guide to Overcoming Body Image Issues wherever you get your books!

Stay in touch with the pod on IG @satisfactionfactorpod!

And here's where you can continue to find us:
Sadie Simpson: www.sadiesimpson.com or IG @sadiemsimpson
Naomi Katz: www.happyshapes.co or IG @happyshapesnaomi